Santa Maria de la Paz Church 11 College Ave. Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508
I cannot believe I am here. Fr. Joel handed out invitations to his 10th sacerdotal anniversary, 8 years as a seminarian, while in Spain. I instinctively made plane and hotel arrangements and all were sold out in Albuquerque.
Not realizing his church is in Santa Fe, I tried hotels in Santa Fe and got one of the five rooms left. Good sign. Then, in doing the airline travel reservations, I lucked out again.
So here I am, excited to meet a community that is treated by Fr. Joel as an individual, how he treats each one with caring respect, careful listening and makes time for each one to make sure each one is okay, like a precious, worthy human being.
So like the way he treats us, I want my story about him to reflect the care and respect he gives to each one. He keeps giving, like a ride from my inn to a dinner in a genuine Adobe Santa Fe mansion with a dozen Filipinos, the core of his support network in Santa Fe.
Excited to be here at a place higher than Denver, no wonder I cannot breathe. It is 7,199 feet high.
