Pentecost XV
✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
Liturgical weather continues in West Chester. Autumn came in with September, crisp and fresh, and gave us a peppy preparation time for the new season which starts this week. There’s a birth to celebrate, a new school year to begin and a sad anniversary to commemorate. Finally a parish picnic on Sunday. Hope you’ll come!
Bring your children Wednesday to the Blessed Mother’s Birthday. High Mass is at 11:25, followed by the blessing of seeds and seedlings and a birthday party for the little child Mary. Every child receives a little seedling to plant and nurse through the school year in Our Lady’s honor, as she does us.
Saturday marks the first anniversary of Fr. Cekada’s death. A Solemn Mass will be sung at 8:30 AM. Afterwards you’re welcome to have a little breakfast in his honor, too. Biscotti and coffee were his favorites, but there will be more. Fortified with a bite to eat, some of us will be visiting Father’s grave at St. Stephen’s Cemetery in Hamilton, to pray the Rosary.
Fr. McKenna made a quick visit to the Texas missions last week, and Fr. McGuire is up in Milwaukee today. I think the cats enjoy the McFathers, for their presence staves off boredom in those few hours they are not eating, sleeping or cadging food. Then there’s the other animal, Fr. McGuire’s eremitical rabbit, named Dawg. It’s a contemplative bunny, quite content in its cage, like St. Peter Celestine in retirement. It is not, however, given to fasting. Father was afraid the cats would try to eat the rabbit, but it’s big enough to hold its own or better. We have quite a menagerie. The seminarians—not part of the menagerie—have been working on the Augean task of cleaning the Rectory basement, and reclaiming it from mildew. We are grateful. The cats are curious about these new clerics, and welcome the company.
First Thursday is a day of prayer for priests. Quite fittingly the newest priest was ordained in France that day by Bishop Sanborn. Fr. Henry Chappot de la Chanonie visited us one Christmas at St. Gertrude. He’s a fine young man, and I know he will be an excellent priest. He’s been in our prayers, and we are always happy there is one more true priest. Deo Gratias.
Hope you enjoy the paradoxical Labor Day tomorrow. Remember, you’re not supposed to labor. But when you do, “Go to Joseph” for he is your patron.
God bless you!
– Bishop Dolan