Pentecost XXV
Fr. Damien, on a visit from Molokai, to make his confession to Bp. Dolan.
_________________________________________
Daily Sermons
November 9 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Theodore and the Church
November 10 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Milles of Susa
November 11 – Bp. Dolan – Veterans’ Day
November 12 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Mennas and Our Road Home
November 13 – Bp. Dolan – Pierce with a Dart
_________________________________________
✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
Our sunny “St. Martin’s Summer” lingers yet. (If this be global warming, bring it on!) It seemed that cold winter came for a day or two after Martinmas, with its fine Veterans’ Day observance, but the sun and mild days cheer our way yet. This is the best time of the year.
Doubtless the weather helped our traditional Confraternity Cemetery Rosary Procession, led by Fr. McGuire at Gate of Heaven last Sunday, with many of you joining in. Amongst the graves visited and blessed were those of Sr. Gerard, Albert Kinnett, Cheryl Maki, Ralph Patton, Ron Kitchen and Stella Simpson—it was her birthday as well. Father looked for Tom Payne, but couldn’t find him, and doubtless there were others: we never want anyone to be forgotten.
Remember too all of our sick, quite a few this fortnight. Visit them if you can, but keep them all in your prayers.
Don’t forget tomorrow’s feast day / anniversary observance. Be with us for the Solemn Mass and luncheon if you can. We are proud of our Fr. McGuire, ten years a priest, and of our Benedictine Sisters of Our Lady of Reparation who are making their first vows, Sr. Isidore Maria and Sr. Jeanne Marie: These vocations are blessings for the Church and our church.
Fr. Cekada has returned from a good teaching week at the seminary, but a little hard on the throat. Bishop Sanborn continues to hear from enthusiastic young men, some of whom have never attended a real Mass, but who have read and studied and prayed over our position, and aspire to the holy priesthood.
I had an interesting trip to Louisiana. Life is never boring around here! Fr. Lehtoranta is visiting Milwaukee today. Next weekend the McFathers will be there to conduct the Forty Hours Devotion. Pray for its success? So many blessings come from the Blessed Sacrament.
Fr. McGuire headed over to Indianapolis to take care of a few souls the other day. We don’t want to forget anybody, so he is also planning a visit to central and south Illinois, and hoping to take care of one soul in Macon, Georgia, so long without the Mass. How precious is one soul in God’s sight! How dangerous, how offensive to God is one false or sacrilegious Mass which presents itself as a true one.
May St. Gertrude, who knew her share of controversies and even violence in her lifetime, keep us all under the continuing mantle of her protection, as she has these past 35 years “under roof.”
A worthy and humble anniversary prayer would be: “O Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof, speak but the word, and my soul shall be healed.”
God bless you in St. Gertrude the Great,
-Bishop Dolan