06/13/2026
To Everything There is a Season
The theme for this year’s Friday Reflections is Holy beginnings and continuations: Reflecting on that which God calls us to continue, while embracing new things God is calling us to. It is especially suited for our Diocese as we welcome our new Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Greg Kimura and bid farewell to Bishop David.
A few days ago an old song popped into my head: "Turn, Turn, Turn." The lyrics, based on Ecclesiastes, begin, "For everything there is a season." Looking back, I realize that much of my life and ministry has been a series of seasons—some expected, some surprising, and some that arrived before I was ready.
When I retired from parish ministry early in 2023, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had already retired from my bivocational career as a garden and nursery specialist with Orchard Supply Hardware. That was in 2017, and my new vocation as a “Granny Nanny” was exactly where I wanted to be. It fit in perfectly to my calling to be the priest-in-charge at St. Francis in Turlock.
But retiring from St. Francis meant that I would no longer be fulfilling my vocation as a pastor. That was unsettling. As a diocese, we were always focused on the theme of “Called to be…” and I have a tee shirt to prove it. So once I retired, was I called to be a caregiver for my three precious grandchildren? What would I do on Sundays?
I was sad to retire from St. Francis. During fifteen years there, I witnessed God's faithfulness again and again as a small congregation rebuilt itself after difficult years. The people became family, and leaving them was harder than I expected.
Before I retired, what concerned me most was not being able to serve in the ministry to which God had called me. But as always, God surprised me. I expected one thing, and God had something else in mind.
About a month or two into retirement, Bp. David and Canon Anna asked me to be a supply priest for the diocese. Now I’m three years into retirement, and I’ve been as busy as I was before. It’s just different, but I am still serving as a priest. And I love it.
Being a supply priest means I serve churches who either don’t have permanent clergy, or their priest is taking a much-needed Sunday off. I have served at nine churches up and down the Diocese. I treasure the opportunity to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, and enjoy spending time with the congregations and learning about their lives. As a result, I believe I have become a better preacher. The congregations I visit are a mixture of different cultures and political views. Some are more conservative, and some more liberal, so I am conscious of the message I preach.
So retirement has brought me into a new kind of ministry, one that I could not have imagined. It is a different kind of priesthood, but so rewarding. I have to drive quite a lot in some cases, but that is not a hardship for me. I enjoy driving. I use my commute time to listen to Podcasts, books, and music.
It struck me recently that I can look back at various times of my life and view them as “seasons” I have lived through. I’m still the same me; I’m still a priest, a mom, a grandmother, a musician, a gardener, an animal lover, and a friend to many.
I’ve also recognized that I’m not done yet. I still have energy and enthusiasm for life. I’m still looking for more things to learn, new ways to grow. I’m actually in a new season at the moment: my first “summer vacation” in nine years! This is beyond my comprehension: I have about 2 months of free time to explore new things and to catch up with all the projects and tasks I’d like to accomplish.
Many people fear change because we assume that giving up something means we are losing something critical to our happiness and well-being. That is how I felt when I left St. Francis. But God stepped in, as God always does, and has shown me that I can still be a priest. It is a different kind of ministry, but one that I have found very rewarding.
Looking back, I can see the seasons of my life more clearly than I could when I was living them. At the time, each transition felt uncertain. Some were joyful, some painful, and some arrived before I was ready. Yet each season carried its own gifts. I have been a wife, a caregiver, a widow, a mother, student, priest, grandmother, and now a retired priest who somehow remains very busy. Through all those changes, God has remained faithful. And perhaps the greatest surprise is that I still find myself looking forward to what comes next.
Whatever season you find yourself in today, I hope you will trust that God is already present there. The season may not be the one you expected, but it may hold gifts you cannot yet see. At 74, I am still discovering that God is not finished with me yet—and I believe that is true for all of us.
The Reverend Kathie Galicia, Supply Priest for EDSJ
