This has been quite a year for Father Bill Lowe --- the former Episcopal priest with a wife, three adult children and five grandchildren --- who was ordained a Catholic priest May 6. He loves being a priest and his ministry serving the community at Blessed Junípero Serra Church in Camarillo.

At his age Father Bill says he did not expect many surprises to emerge in life. But on Sept. 24, Father Bill and his wife Linda found their lives "turned upside down in the most amazing way."

He spoke of that in a recent homily, in which he noted how Jesus often turned the world upside down by his unexpected actions and how God continually surprises us. He quoted playwright Ugo Betti ("To believe in God is to know that all the rules will be fair and that there will be wonderful surprises") and poet William Wordsworth ("Surprised by Joy, Impatient as the Wind"). The assembly, quiet and attentive, sensed Father Bill was leading them into something special.

He told them about a phone call he received from his elderly aunt, who asked him to sit down as she explained a phone conversation she had just had with a stranger. The stranger was the son-in-law of a sister that Father Bill did not even know existed.

Father Bill then returned to the theme of being surprised by God and what joy it can bring. And he smiled as he proudly introduced his sister, Sondra, who was sitting in the first row with her husband, one of her daughters and the son-in-law who, through his interest in genealogy, had made this possible. There was a lengthy round of applause and it was a few minutes before the homily was resumed.

Having been raised an only child, he says his parents never told him (or, to his knowledge, anyone else) about the daughter they had given up for adoption before he was born. It was a different time, the mid 1930s, and for their own reasons, now buried with them, they remained silent. They did, however, place their daughter with a family that loved her and gave her a wonderful life.

Father Bill wonders about the pain his mother must have suffered over this. But he and his sister have chosen not to look back, only forward to the surprises that keep unfolding in their now-shared lives.

Coincidentally, Sondra (like Bill) was raised an Episcopalian but joined the Catholic Church soon after her marriage. Bill and Sondra have also discovered they have an entire list of likes and dislikes they share (they love lemon meringue pie and hate beets). Sondra also learned that she and her birth mother share the same birthday.

Last November Sondra lost one of her sons due to a brain tumor. After a difficult year, she is grateful for the gift God has given her in this newfound brother and his family. There will certainly be larger Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations ahead, with many new cousins and family relationships to explore.

Father Bill's story touched the congregation on a variety of levels and issues. The message was hopeful and a very real example of the goodness of God. Both he and Sondra have embraced this new surprise with joy, and they are excited for what the future holds.

Anne Hansen is a member of the Camarillo Catholic community. Her e-mail address is familymail@aol.com.