This Week: Solemnity of the Most Precious Blood

“Grace Sufficient”  –Fr. Stephen McKenna

The Bishop’s Note

We welcome all our visitors to the annual YAG. It is always so nice to see our young fellow Catholics from throughout the country. God bless you all!

You may have noticed little additions to our landscape. Theresa, Michelle, and the Sisters have done a lot of weeding, tidying up, and even planted bushes and flowers around the property. There is even a new little statue of St. Joseph in the cloister garden. How encouraging to see these young ladies take an interest in this. The church yard is looking beautiful once again. All for the honor and glory of God! Thank you, ladies! Every-thing looks so nice.

Our seminarians are back home for the summer and seem to be doing very well. Peter Gray, who just finished his first year of seminary, will stay with us through the month of July. Fr. Brueggemann has been taking Peter on some sick calls. I remember when Fr. Cekada would take me and some of the Lotarski boys on sick calls when I was a seminarian. Fr. Cekada had it worked out so that he would go completely around 275, making detours to visit all of the sick people in one day. I remember that it took a while and that when we finished, he took us to a pancake house as a treat. I think Fr. Brueggemann plans to take a seminarian on one of his mission trips this summer, too. Things like this provide good memories; but even more importantly, they are edifying and offer good education for the seminarians.

Congratulations to Sr. Magdalen of the Holy Relics on her final oblation, which she will take today after the High Mass! What is an oblation, you might ask? Essentially, it is an offering of oneself to God for the service of His Church. More specifically, the Oblates of the Holy Face offer themselves to God for the service of this parish. They also promise to practice the spirit of the Evangelical Counsels. While they still live in the world, they are firmly resolved to strive for a higher degree of perfection in their spiritual life. Say an extra prayer or two (or more!) for Sr. Magdalen!

Fr. Lehtoranta performed the baptism of our newest parishioner, Connor Patrick Hudson, son of Michael and Marcie (Arlinghaus) Hudson. The baby was quite well behaved for his baptism, only crying a little bit at the pouring of the water. Congratulations to the Hudson family on this wonderful occasion.

Don’t forget the Fatima Rosary Procession on Monday evening! We haven’t had many attendees this year, but we are praying for a good turnout for the rest of the processions. Remember that Our Lady asked for processions, and that processions in honor of Our Lady have always produced very good spiritual fruits throughout Church history. It may seem like a small devotion, but these small devotions are noticed in heaven and draw down graces from the Good God.

I am departing for Mexico this Tuesday and will be gone for about a week. Please pray for a safe and successful visit. The first stop is in Dos Ríos, where Fr. Martín Gomez will meet me and take me to his chapel, which he improves every year with whatever funds he can raise by going door to door. He is in a most beautiful location in a small village nestled in the more tropical part of the mountains and surrounded by two rivers (thus the name Dos Ríos). After a day or two in that lo-cation, I will finally be able to visit Fr. Mardones near Mexico City. If you remember, Father lost his leg due to diabetes, but he continues to say Mass seated in a wheel-chair. Father has sent a few pictures of his chapel, which looks very beautiful. Finally, Fr. Siordia will drive me to his chapel in Cocoyoc, where he has a miraculous image of El Señor del Expiración, or Our Lord of the Expiration. His is an old chapel where the people are very firm in the Faith and have had many a struggle over the years. It will be good to see Father and his congregation again.

That is all for now. Stay close to Our Lady and re-member to honor her at the Fatima Rosary Procession on Monday. Oh! and don’t forget the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on Thursday! May she keep you and protect you on earth and lead you to heaven! My Mother, my Confidence!

– Bishop McGuire

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