A Tribute to Fr. Elmer Wurth

Dear Father Wurth,

As your long and dedicated term of being St. Anne’s Church's Pastor is drawing to a close in a few short days, there is no denying we all carry with us a bit of sadness. However, as I looked back at all the precious times you have spent with us and the tremendous efforts you have put into St. Anne’s I, on behalf of the Parish Council, have the pleasure to express to you our gratitude from the bottom of our hearts.  It is so fitting during this Thanksgiving week for us to thank God The Almighty for His sharing you, surely one of His favorite sons, with us.

To begin with, thank you Father for your Homilies that never fail to provoke and challenge us to get closer to God.  You deliver them all with vigor and relevance.  At times, the humor or jokes you more often than not included, admittedly bordered onto the scandalous to the uninitiated. But we know so well that they are your personal way of humanizing the Teachings of Christ Jesus for us and we are tickled.

It is a fact that every single one of our ministries at St. Anne’s was formalized and nurtured into today’s maturity by you.  A prime example is our CCD program with break-neck enrolments year after year, drawing children not just from our Parish but also from far-flung corners of the city.  Thank you, Father, for your leadership and your care.

Then we must also not forget how you painstakingly built up from scratch our St. Teresa’s Kindergarten-originally and still the only English-speaking Catholic kindergarten in the entire Diocese of Hong Kong.  We recall the kindergarten’s formative lean years that would have discouraged anyone but you.  Praise to The Lord, He rewarded your perseverance and courage with a lengthy waiting-list of eager children and parents every term nowadays.  I am sure the kindergarten is especially relieved that you have chosen to continue your hands-on supervisor role.

On the ecumenical front, Father Elmer, you were again instrumental in introducing and supporting the many rewarding activities and programs to St. Anne’s such as The Alpha Courses and The Walks to Emmaus.  Your annual exchange of Mass celebrations with Rev. Newman at The St. Stephen’s Anglican Church is inspirational and speaks volumes for your Faith in Christianity and serves as another example for us, your parishioners, to emulate from.

Father Elmer, we are very fortunate to have you just up the road from us at Maryknoll for the foreseeable future.  We know you will allow us to continue our friendship with you and to continue to draw strength and wisdom from you - and probably - to share a beer or two, more of your jokes, and may be go out and play that putting game we talked about.  Rest assured, Father, you will forever be in our thoughts and in our prayers.  So, as you embark onto this next chapter of your journey, we wish you much happiness and the very best of health.

We love you and God Bless you,

Dr. Anthony Poon
President, English-Speaking Parish Council