This Week: The Holy Family

“Humility of the Holy Family”  –Fr. Vili Lehtoranta

The Bishop’s Note
What a joy it was to see such a good attendance for last week’s feast of the Epiphany! I was telling Fr. McKenna that he and Olivia (my 7 year old niece) have something in common. They both love the Epiphany very much, and both like the Three Kings songs a lot—Father has one as his ringtone. Well, while I was talking on the phone with my sister and she was trying to decide if she would be able to make it to the ceremonies, I could hear Olivia asking if the choir would be singing We Three Kings at Mass. When I answered that they would, her response was, “Okay, Mom, start the car, we’re going!” We both got a chuckle out of that. They did come and join for the Mass and the reception after-wards.

Fr. McKenna left for Milwaukee on Friday and will be doing the funeral for a longtime parishioner and friend, Mr. Robert Poggel. Mr. Poggel was around during the days of Fr. Hugh Wish, who is the priest in Milwaukee who resisted the changes and kept the Latin Mass going. Before Fr. Wish died, he left Fr. Cekada a sum of money to be used to build a chapel to keep the Mass going in that city. With that money he purchased the present St. Hugh of Lincoln which is situated on the corner of 12th and Hayes…just one block away from Lincoln Ave. In any case, Mr. Poggel was around during those early days and was one of the most devoted Catholics I know. Oh, how he loved Holy Mass! He is one of those old-timers who served until he could serve no longer, and then still continued to serve when needed. He was in his late 80s and still an enthusiastic acolyte. He led the Rosary before almost every Mass, drove the priests anywhere they asked, and several times even drove the priests on the missions. He was generous and enthusiastic, a model Catholic. May he quickly join the saints in heaven!

School started up again last Wednesday. It was al-ways hard to go back to school after Christmas break, I remember, but nowadays it is so refreshing to see our kids return to school and things go back to the normal routine. Somehow it seems a little too quiet without the school children around. Welcome back, children!

May the Three Kings inspire you with generosity and promptness in carrying out the Will of God!
– Bishop McGuire

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