Pentecost XIV
Fr. Cekada died very peacefully at 10:15 Friday morning. Please pray for the happy repose of his soul. The funeral is tentatively scheduled for Thursday morning, with the wake Wednesday evening. May God reward his zealous priestly soul.
Parish Priest
Church Organist
Music Teacher (Attending a concert with his students)
Recent Short, Daily Sermons from Fr. Lehtoranta
St. Raymond Nonnatus
St. Giles
The First Day of School
St. Pius X
St. Rose of Viterbo
Five First Saturdays
✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
This has been a week of loss, but the all good God knows how to turn loss into gain in His own time and way. Sickness and death visit us, right along with the promise of new life in our youth, and in the immense mercies of God’s Providence.
Classic September weather accompanied the new month—that hot sticky still which often introduces the ninth month. But more than that come children, cautiously excited at the experience of a new school year, or even a new school. 23 students are enrolled in our little school, and it is a joy to welcome them, and with them so much growth and vitality. And of course, there is the daily High Mass which brings more graces than you’ll ever know this side of eternity.
Two “graduates” of a long and sincere school of Catholic living have answered death’s bell, for the only graduation that matters. Gary Amyx was a convert to the Faith, a quiet faithful man who knew and loved his religion profoundly, and studied it with relish and joy. We remember him especially for his love of reading, good Catholic reading. His funeral was on Tuesday. On Wednesday passed into eternity Ed Strauss, one of the founding members of St. Gertrude the Great, a physician of gentle skill and lifelong devotion. Dr. Strauss donated the High Altar which still graces our sanctuary. His wife, Paulina, died three years ago, just one day later. He was buried on Friday. His Requiem High Mass will be sung by our students this Fall. May these two sincere and devoted souls rest in peace.
Whilst we were arranging for and conducting funerals, and opening another school year with the Mass of the Holy Ghost, Fr. Cekada took a turn for the worse, falling several times last week, and showing again some of the symptoms of stroke. Fr. McGuire took him over to Jewish Emergency Room on Wednesday morning (curious destination for a Catholic priest, isn’t it?) and devotedly stayed with Father all day until the evening, and his transfer to a hospital room. Your prayers do make a difference. Please keep them up.
Fr. Lehtoranta is our full time school teacher but in his zeal has found time to establish a young ladies’ Sodality of Charity, which had its initial meeting yesterday. So that others might benefit from the short and uplifting daily school sermons, this active priest has set up a site to make them accessible. See the ad, and note the address in today’s bulletin. Today, by the way, Fr. Lehtoranta is again registering children for Sunday Catechism Classes.
Fr. McKenna has headed off to Texas where he regularly exercises a fruitful apostolate in Dallas, Austin and El Paso. I am in Milwaukee again for a brief visit. It’s always a pleasure to see those good people.
Please do come, and bring the little ones to celebrate Mary’s Nativity with us on Tuesday. Pizza and cupcakes follow in Helfta Hall. And mark next Sunday evening for our Fatima Rosary for Peace. May we, and our country, yet be spared by prayer.
In the meanwhile, “come labor on.” So much good is being done. We can only rejoice with gratitude. Let each one of us rededicate himself to work, for so much remains to be done.
St. Joseph bless your Labor Day, and your labor.
–Bp. Dolan