Note from the Bishop
Wasn’t Martinmas great?! It was really the highlight of the week. Fr. Lehtoranta carried out the Absolution of the Catafalque ceremony for our Veterans before the High Mass in honor of the veteran St. Martin of Tours. In the evening, after Rosary, Mass and Benediction, we had our first ever Martinmas Procession with homemade lanterns, beautiful hymns in honor of St. Martin. St. Martin (Matthew Giese), riding Thunder, a beautiful 21-year-old horse, led the way. A delicious meal was prepared by parishioners for afterwards, and so the celebration was complete! It does my heart good to see there is still much zeal for the old customs of Holy Mother Church. We mustn’t let them die out.
St. Gertrude’s Day was well kept, too, with High Mass, Solemn Vespers and Benediction. Mr. Lotarski put together a nice lunch for the students and parishioners. What’s a feast day around St. Gertrude’s without a nice meal shared with one another?! Christian Wright received the Sacrament of Confirmation at long last. It only took four tries. Each time we had scheduled Confirmation before that day, either Christian was sick or I was, and so his Confirmation had to be delayed. The Holy Ghost never gives up on a soul; He so desires to make the soul His own temple and to imprint His sacred character on it, making it forever His. Congratulations, Christian!
This weekend, Fr. Lehtoranta and I are holding down the fort, while the others are traveling: Fr. Simpson to St. Hugh for the solemnity of their patron, Fr. McKenna to St. Anthony’s in Dallas, and Fr. Brueggemann to Sacred Heart in Boston.
Thanksgiving comes this Thursday. Enjoy your much-needed time off, but I hope you do come to one of the morning Masses. After all, the best thanksgiving for a Catholic is the Mass and a Holy Communion well made—for the word “Eucharist” means “Thanksgiving!”
– Bishop McGuire