Pentecost VII
Thanks to everyone who helped make our 2012 Girls’ Camp successful!
Listen to This Week’s Bonus Sermon
Bp. Dolan from Independence Day: “Christ the Democrat: His Church the Answer”
Mass Location Update
If you are traveling in Connecticut or Rhode Island this summer, visit the new St. Vincent Ferrer chapel, where new Fr. Stephen McKenna offers Mass every Sunday at 5 PM.
Also, consult our extensive list of recommended Mass centers when you are traveling this summer.
Boys’ Camp is coming up soon!
July 24-26
Bishop’s Corner
Last week brought us beautiful mornings and evenings with cool breezes and low humidity, although we still need to pray for rain. Are you praying this summer? Summer is made for this, not for sinning. The beating heat of midday, the calm of dawn, the serenity of sunset; all cry out for God and to God. All for God!
Here Caravaggio leads the way. The other evening he matter-of-factly presented a basically intact baby bunny to me in the kitchen, and, the offering made, very humbly had some supper. The bunny hopped off to the living room, and Fr. Cekada kindly repatriated it to the tall grass, where his worried parents were waiting anxiously. Puccini later appeared, intent on telling me the whole story, even before he had his dinner. It was quite the event.
The girls are having a wonderful Summer Camp as I write this. Delightful, creative, and improving activities are provided by the ladies and the good sisters all day long, as well as plenty of time for chatter and play. For myself, I must say how grateful I was just to see so many children, over fifty girls last Wednesday, as well as some boys and adults, all in church on a summer’s morn for the Holy Sacrifice. Perfection itself! I am sure Our Lord was pleased; and to see them back again in the afternoon to pray His Mother’s Rosary.
We do have many children in the parish, don’t we? From time to time I am struck with this, and grateful to God for the good which is done them, God’s dear ones, by the school, Sunday School, and so many special activities and organizations all year long. However, it all begins here at church with Baptism, and is based upon Holy Mass each Sunday with Holy Communion and frequent Confession. Our good parents continue God’s work at home all week with daily prayers and lessons, catechism and good example, and Rosary.
So much to be grateful for! Fr. Faber says we should thank God specifically for each grace and blessing, starting with the Trinity and God’s perfections, as we do when we sing the Gloria. “We give Thee thanks for Thy great glory.” (Each summer Sunday we all get to sing the Gloria together.)
So, let us thank God for fine weather, (and foul!) for children and cats, for camps and play, for Sister and volunteers and teachers and parents, for new priests and old, for beautiful music and even the most ephemeral of activities done for God’s glory, offered and given to our good God.
Deo Gratias!
–Bishop Dolan