Pentecost XVI

Please pray for the repose of the soul of
†Ryan Greenwell,
who entered Eternity on Wednesday, September 20,
and for his family.
His Solemn Requiem Mass is Monday the 25th, at 11:00 AM.

Eternal rest grant
unto him, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon
him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
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Scenes from our parish picnic last week.
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Daily Sermons
September 18 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Joseph Cupertino
September 19 – Fr. Lehtoranta – The Message of Our Lady of La Salette
September 20 – Fr. Lehtoranta – The Ember Days and Penance
September 21 – Bp. Dolan – The First Thing
September 22 – Fr. McKenna – St. Thomas of Villanova & Almsgiving
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zelusdomustuae
✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
This has been quite a week. First came the earth-quake in Mexico. All of our faithful were okay, I think, but Fr. Siordia’s church had severe damage. This is the church the Novus Ordo has been trying to wrest back. Then the hurricanes, round two, striking the poor people in Puerto Rico. More prayers. One victim in Mexico City said it was as if they were Sodom and Gomorrah. Well…. People should think. These sufferings are signs. We have here no lasting abode.

On Thursday afternoon we received the sad news that one of our faithful, Ryan Greenwell, had been killed in a car accident that morning. Ryan was a college student in Lexington, KY. The sudden death of a young person is always a tragic sorrow. Please keep his soul your prayers, as well as his bereaved family.

But God in His Providence has a plan for each one of us, and it is our duty as well to rejoice at the happy nuptials yesterday of a son of our parish and graduate of our school, Patrick Lotarski, with Cristin McKinley, whom we had the joy to welcome to St. Gertrude some two years ago. See how joy and sorrow are blended in the life of a church, just as they are in the life of each one of us.

We had an excellent attendance last Sunday, and a very pleasant time at the parish picnic. I told Mark Lotarski I thought the burgers were especially savory. The priests mostly were able to be there and visit with every-one. The high point each year is the piñata, and we weren’t disappointed. What fun the children had. The whole picnic had a kind of a mellow, pleasant feel. Thanks to Mark and Marlys and all who helped.

We were disappointed that once again it rained on the 13th of the month, as it did in July. But a nice group came after Mass, and we prayed the 15 decades together in church, before the Blessed Sacrament. But rain is very much a part of the Fatima Story, so pack your umbrellas for October 13. We’ll make our final, candlelight procession on the anniversary day of the Miracle of the Sun, sunshine or rain. Perhaps we’ll have our miracle.

Speaking of the Rosary, don’t miss the feast next Sunday. After the blessing of roses and the procession comes the Confraternity Breakfast. Fr. Cekada will be MC for the affair, and we’ll be highlighting the authors among us. Fr. Lehtoranta, a prodigious author, has just published yet another book. Come and hear all about it. Tickets on sale today. Last minute walk-ins welcome.

But today it’s the children’s turn, as we open the Month of the Angels, and dedicate our innocents to their own Guardian. Pray for these little ones, their innocence, their learning of catechism and attendance at Mass. You can’t take these things for granted anymore. Thus the prayers.

We’re honoring the Prince of the Heavenly Host, St. Michael, with a Solemn Mass on Friday at the special time of 8:20 AM. Join our school children in rendering homage to our celestial protector.

With all the activities this week, I must also find time to prepare to a long delayed trip to Tijuana and Mexicali in Northern Mexico, and then all the way down south to Mendoza, Argentina. Both places are dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, and I thought that for once I should visit them for their patronal feast. Please pray for a safe trip and a successful one, and no earthquakes. I will be meeting a young Brazilian priest who just had the grace to leave the Pius X Society.

October starts in one week. Don’t be caught short. Daily October devotions close our school day, and the Family Rosary should be honored or revived. First Friday is coming up soon as well, but our All Night Adoration is postponed until Forty Hours, Friday, October 20. Plan to be with us, and pray with us.

Man proposes, and God disposes. However if we plan to pray (and this always means sacrifice) then God sees our hearts, and our angels help us to carry out His Will. That is everything.
The angels keep you all!

– Bishop Dolan