Last Sunday After Pentecost
Our Little Saints, 2016
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Daily Sermons
November 14- Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Josaphat & St. Laurence O’Toole
November 15 – Bp. Dolan – The STEM Saint
November 16 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Gertrude & Luther
November 17 – Bp. Dolan – Just Believe: Confidence!
November 18 – Fr. Lehtoranta – Be Thankful of the Church
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✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
The last of our Post Pentecost Sundays directs our attention today to the end, not of a season, but of the world. These are the thoughts the Church keeps in mind as we prepare for Christ’s coming this Advent. Stay with the Church, and you will never be caught unaware.
Thanksgiving is certainly on our list, as we “count our blessings,” including even our crosses and losses. God’s Holy Will be done in all things. We are thankful that we have been in a beautiful church for 36 years, 13 of them in our spacious home here in West Chester. We are thankful for our dedicated friends and faithful, and for the fine priests who serve us. We thank God that we can do all that we do, and beg pardon for what we leave undone. Thanks be to God and St. Gertrude the Great. Thank God for our Catholic Faith, our most precious treasure.
We are especially thankful for Fr. Cekada’s continuing recovery and all of your prayers. Fr. Cekada made good progress last week, and came home yesterday. They kept him very busy in the hospital, so I hope he will be able to get some rest these days. But already he seems very much “like his old self,” chipper and happy to be back. The doctors have declared him cancer free. Thanks be to God.
We had a pitch and picture perfect St. Gertrude’s Day, honoring our patroness, and celebrating Fr. Lehtoranta’s five years of priest’s, and our church anniversary. There was a beautiful Solemn High Mass and an excellent luncheon. Our guests then departed, and with the children we sang our Vespers, and received Our Lord’s Eucharistic Benediction. How can we ever thank Our Lord enough?
The children of the choir performed flawlessly the divine praises of Mass and Office, mastering the Vespers which even choirs of nuns would have found too challenging, as someone commented. I was impressed the next day as well to hear the very little children enthusiastically sing the Kyrie of Mass XV. Another impressive feat!
Meanwhile, up on the roof on St. Gertrude’s Day, the Simpsons tackled the raccoon incursions. They had chewed a big welcoming entrance for themselves on the roof. Rocks were used by our side to block it shut, but many raccoon hands made light work, and they were back. Now it is all cemented shut with brick, and we await their next attack with sure confidence. I thank our soldiers.
This past week also saw surgery for Sr. Jeanne Marie’s knee, which went well. Sister will be receiving some rehabilitation at Drake before returning home. We do wish her well and send our prayers to this patient soul.
Thanks to the charitable souls who came by yesterday to work on the Blessing Bags project. Full report to follow.
I hope many of you will be able to join us for this afternoon’s Rosary Procession for the Poor Souls, as we visit Sr. Blandina’s grave.
We need some of her spirit today to resist heresy and compromise, and still bring others joyfully to the Faith. I also hope many of you will make time for Mass on Thursday morning. Holy Mass is the best, the greatest and the most efficacious act of thanksgiving given to man. We all have a lot to be thankful for! The weather alone has been mild, sunny and sweet these days, as to make us wish they would never end. More thanks, even though, alas, all things have their end!
God bless our endings and beginnings, in Our Lady and our holy patroness.
—Bishop Dolan