Pentecost V, Solemnity of the Most Precious Blood
YAG 2017! Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make this event a great success.
The blessing of the bonfire on the Vigil of St. John
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Daily Sermons
June 30 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Peter & St. Paul’s Love to the Sacred Heart
July 4 – Fr. Nkamuke – A Nigerian Preaching on Independence Day
July 7 – Fr. McKenna – YAG I: Sacred Heart and True Love and Courtship
July 8 – Fr. McKenna – YAG II: St. Elizabeth of Portugal, the Faithful Wife
July 9 – Fr. McKenna – YAG III: Solemnity of the Precious Blood and Sacrifice in Marriage
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✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
A late First Friday, and a fervent All Night Adoration heralded the revival this weekend of an old and a fruitful apostolate: The Young Adult Get-Together. We welcome 51 young (and not so young) adults from all over the country and one or two from the Common-wealth who have come to St. Gertrude the Great to meet and socialize with other like minded Catholics. Today is the last day of this very well organized and attended weekend and we pray for lasting fruits for the next generation. Children of the first YAGers in the 1980’s are now involved in this new edition. That speaks for itself. God bless you all! Nothing succeeds like success.
Fr. Cekada, with his trademark humor, has perseveringly promoted the YAG by means of his regular tweets. He gives all the credit to his obscure “publicity guy,” a certain Jesuit from Argentina. Fr. Cekada and Fr. McKenna are serving as chaplains to the gathering, which has a serious and spiritual side, as well as a social one.
Fr. Ercoli has invited Fr. Nkamuke to visit him in the Pacific Northwest for a few days. Fr. McGuire is on a long Milwaukee and missions visit in the Midwest. Among other priestly endeavors, Fr. Lehtoranta has been working on a little photo Mass book for the little ones to use at church. Fr. Nkamuke and two of our fine servers assisted. Sounds to me like a good idea.
Meanwhile my Summer travels take me to Quebec, Canada. Frs. Ercoli and Romero have been serving a group of former Pius Xers who are struggling to return to full Catholicism and break free of the confusing R & R myths which enslave so many. I am happy to spend a few days in the land of “St. Jean Baptiste,” to help re-store the faith, and to confer Confirmation.
We look forward to the arrival of the Sisters of St. Thomas Aquinas this week, and the opening of the Girls Camp on Wednesday. Send your girls for days of fun and prayer and friends and much more. I thank Michelle Mikesell, one of our intrepid school teachers, for assuming the organization of this beloved annual apostolate. Please pray for its success. Fr. Lehtoranta serves as chaplain, and is preparing a most interesting series of sermons to inspire our girls.
The McFathers, I am sure, are not far behind. The Boys Camp calls our young men July 25-27. Our busy July is well planned out, and we pray for God’s blessings upon our good works.
Do remember our sick and shut in these busy days of July. I think especially of Sharon Patton, who with her sister Donna devotedly organized the Girls Camp for many years. We are grateful to her for this, as well as for her many selfless years of teaching at our school, and also being responsible for the Sunday Catechism. We all owe her so much. Do not forget her now in her illness, but recommend her daily to God in prayer. Don’t forget her at Mass, or to have a grateful Mass offered for her recovery.
Pray for our brethren in the Pius X Camp. It never lets out. Bishop Fellay admitted recently that their life with the New Church is like a children’s game. It never ends until somebody decides to accept Catholic doctrine, and reject Bergoglio and his fellow intruders as most deadly enemies of the Faith, and of souls. This is no game. If you play the Pius X way you will lose.
Precious Blood of Jesus, Save us. Heal our sick, protect our children, guide our young adults, bless our families, grant perseverance to our priests and religious and vocations.
– Bishop Dolan