St. James the Greater
✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
I love July, I’ve decided. Not so much for its hot humid weather or vacations, nor even the firecrackers and barbecues, but for its holy associations, its feasts and saints and all of the memories they evoke, and intentions they inspire. The Precious Blood comes first and stays, then my favorite Marian feast, the Visitation, which prays for an increase of peace; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, with her “dyed garments” of the Precious Blood; peacemaking St. Elizabeth and always forgiving St. John Gualbert; Alexius the Man of God; Charity Row’s annual “four in a row;” the multi-deathed St. Apollinaris for church politics and humility; St. Christopher and St. James the Greater; God’s grandmother; the pants saint and busy Martha and the fireman Ignatius. I love them all. I hope you do, too.
We did finally have 85 in attendance for the July Rosary Procession, you know. Excellent. On the other hand, the Tuesday Summer Novena now attracts only the “usual suspects,” no more. I’ve printed a great story about the Miraculous Responsory in today’s bulletin. Give it a try for the miracles you need, and always be asking for help from Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Our nature notes now include two fawns checking out the grounds with Mom. The rabbits, perhaps with all the rain, are multiplying like…rabbits. So far no coyotes, though they’re actively after the Brueggemanns’ sheep in Kentucky. The cats here enjoy studying the rabbits. Fr. McGuire’s bunny, the improbably named Dawg, is still under wraps, though the cats are suspicious.
The seminarians are having some Summer Theology with Fr. Nkamuke via Zoom or something like it. We are grateful to Father, busy as he is covering his entire country, for his dedicated help.
Fr. McKenna is getting this week’s Boys’ Camp lined up, but took a moment to write something about the morality of the injection according to established principles. Take a moment to read it, and hand it on to someone who’s hesitating: “We cannot do evil so that good may come from it.” You may not risk your life or wellbeing in exchange for a vague notion of health from this experiment.
A blessed ending to your July!
– Bishop Dolan