Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Sacred Heart Podcast now available
Nicholas Wansbutter and Steven Heiner had a great discussion with His Excellency, Bishop Daniel Dolan, on the Sacred Heart. It is now available for free download, as are all Restoration Radio podcasts, at this link.
Julia Brought her Turtle to the Blessing of Pets in honor of St. Anthony
Save these dates for the St. Gertrude the Great Girls’ Camp!
Girls ages 5 – 16+ are welcome to join us on July 11th, 12th and 13th for three days of fun and spiritual activities. We will be joined by three Sisters of St. Thomas Aquinas for days filled with camp favorites such as archery, scrap-booking and of course, the popular Ice Cream Social. We’ll also have our second “annual” canoe trip (age appropriate), overnight camping and bonfire again. New activities for this summer include origami, cake decorating, making a personalized Rosary and some surprises! Come join the fun! The cost of this camp is funded by the generous donations of our sponsors.
Also, Save the Date for Boys’ Camp!
July 24-26
Bishop’s Corner
Sunny Mexico turned out to be rainy with the start of the monsoon season. The farmers desperately needed rain, but it was a not unmixed blessing for this traveler. The rain brought forth new generations of bugs, torturers worthy of Torquemada, or Cheney, busy all night long draining blood or buzzing about and just biting the weary seeking rest. Still, these little things, along with the traditional tummy troubles, are small enough price to pay for doing so much good. And how easy we modern missionaries have it!
The number of Confirmations was about two hundred and thirty in these churches, accompanied by a good number of confessions (some after many years) and Holy Communions. This is a testament to the fruitful apostolate of the Fathers, especially Fr. Siordia, who is in his twelfth year now at Our Lord of the Expiration, and going about doing good as Our Lord did, healing the sick and driving out demons.
This trip was marked by a series of meetings with good priests, old and new, who expressed an interest in working with us. It is especially the duty of a bishop in our day to help priests, who so often find themselves alone and surrounded with difficulties. Ah, but the good that one good priest can do! The devil knows this, and that is why he sets his cap for them, against them. Thank you for your help, and the assistance of your prayers. The Narcos seemed quite quiet this time, and the whole trip went “muy bien.”
Thanks be to God for a good second Fatima Rosary Procession on the 13th, with the biblical forty, Fr. Larrabee in the lead. God reward the so many who came to make their Communion of Reparation to the Sacred Heart on the 15th.
Cats were well represented for the St. Anthony Blessing of the Animals (six), as were dogs (four) [there was a turtle, too] but worms ruled the day, Fr. McGuire reported. Julia brought hers along, and Father made a little sermon (I had warned him to be brief, as the dogs always start barking at the cats at these affairs) on St. Francis of Assisi, the supreme animal saint in popular estimation. He used to especially favor worms it seems, as they reminded him of a favorite quote from the Psalms: “I am a worm and no man.” The beautiful world of God’s creation should speak to all of us of this humility, as do worms, as well of loyalty and devotion and so much more. As I was leaving my house today, a beautiful Monarch butterfly was visiting the Butterfly Bush by the door. I wonder if he came back with me from Mexico.
A busy summer, with much coming and going, has started here at God’s House, and I am sure at your own as well. Remember we are still in the month of the Sacred Heart. Did anyone remember the St. John’s Eve bonfire last night? He really is a very great saint, and I am happy to see Our Lord’s great friend and cousin receive due honors this morning. Thanks for helping to sing the High Masses this Summer. Now that “the living is easy,” anybody for Vespers this afternoon? No? Well, I didn’t think so. That’s ok–I’ll see about borrowing Julia’s worm, and we’ll be humble together as we sing God’s praises in the empty church. (You know, if more came twice, more eventually would show up once on the Lord’s Day, instead of “once in a while.” That’s how these things work.)
Well, have a wonderful last week of this beautiful June, and “vaya con Dios,” wherever you go, with love from His Heart in your own.
–Bishop Dolan