Note from Father
Dear Faithful,
Well, Bp. Charles McGuire has departed for his second international trip in as many months…this time he headed across the pond on Thursday to the country of France. He will first go to give the Sacrament of Confirmation in Fr. Roger’s church in Rennes and later travel across the country to Chambéry to confirm the faithful at the chapel there too. It has been a number of years since Bp. Dolan had visited these chapels, obviously with a large portion of that absence being due to the difficulty of traveling, especially internationally, over the last few years… So, doubtless, both the faithful and the clergy will be very glad to see Bp. McGuire arrive.
Sadly, the Bishop’s trip to France will not be entirely a celebratory one. We found out the evening before he was to fly out, February 7th, that Fr. Phillipe Guépin had passed away suddenly. Fr. Guépin had been ordained in 1977 with the SSPX, leaving a few years later, as he refused to recognize John Paul II as a true Vicar of Christ, and worked all his life to promote the True Faith and provide the faithful with the true sacraments. The news of his death came in early enough that Bp. McGuire was able to offer a Requiem Mass that very evening. The next day, Fr. Lehtoranta celebrated a Requiem High Mass with absolution with the school kids too. When the Bishop finally does arrive in Rennes, he will meet Frs. Hecquard and Roger and travel to Nantes, where they will visit and pray with the body of Fr. Guépin, as well as extend their condolences and prayers to Fr. Henry Chapot de la Chanonie, who lived and worked with Fr. Guépin over the last couple of years. Please keep Fr. Guépin’s soul in your prayers, as well as his young assistant, Fr. de la Chanonie, who not only mourns the loss of his mentor, but now finds his own responsibilities suddenly increased.
Here at St. Gertrude’s, Fr. Lehtoranta, Fr. Simpson, and myself hold down the fort until Bp. McGuire returns on Thursday evening. Meanwhile, Fr. Brueggemann left for St. Hugh’s in Milwaukee Saturday, directly after the morning’s Solemn High Mass and covers the weekend there.
With my prayers,
Fr. McKenna