The Bishop’s Note
Have you taken the time to look and to listen?! Spring is in the air, at long last! Our bushes are starting to show their green and the flowers are beginning to come up. In the early morning the birds are chirping their beautiful morning hymns to their Creator. A good example to all of us! The cats, too, have noticed the coming Spring as they like to spend most of the time outdoors now. As for the deer that roam about in the fall and winter months, I have been wondering what has become of them when just a few days later I saw the doe and her growing fawn in the backyard.
I mentioned the birds singing to their Creator. Some of the boys and young men of the school join the clergy after High Mass to sing Lenten Vespers, a prayer which is most pleasing to Almighty God. We put an emphasis on the liturgy here at St. Gertrude the Great because it is the worship of God that should be placed first in our lives. This should be abundantly clear from the fact that the very first Commandment bids us put nothing above God. I remember it being said that when we are mindful of the worship of God, God is mindful of us. This is why we have always been so well taken care of by the Good God.
It was encouraging to see the number of people who came to the First Thursday Holy Hour for Priests. Truly, the clergy here at St. Gertrude’s and all through the world need your prayers. How low some have fallen by either abandoning their faith or by leading an immoral life! We pray just as much for them as for any. A priest, when he dies, does not go to his reward or to his punishment alone, but takes many souls along with him. This is why we must always pray for the clergy. Our Lord must have been very pleased to see all of our priests, both Oblates, our seminarian, the families of two priests and the family of our seminarian at the Holy Hour. My mother was present virtually, watching it online. It was truly an edifying and encouraging event. I hope it continues each First Thursday!
Bp. Da Silva seems to be doing alright. Fr. McKenna and I had a conference call with him on Wednesday when he introduced us to one of his priests, Fr. Fernando Altamira. Father lives and works in Colombia. I think he said he has about 500 souls in ten Mass centers spread throughout the country. Bp. DaSilva keeps some contact with priests who have either left the Resistance group or whom he hopes will one day leave it. This is how he got in contact with Fr. Altamira. Father left the Resistance after much study and prayer as he made the conclusion that the Una Cum Mass is sinful and an insult to God. He is very firm in his stance against the Una Cum Mass of the SSPX and strikes me as a very good priest.
Fr. Contreras, one of our priests in Argentina, asks for prayers for the late Bp. Morello, who died one year ago this March 6th. A Mass will be offered for the repose of his soul, but I hope you will remember him in your prayers that day.
This Wednesday we have the Children’s Lenten Day of Recollection, don’t forget! I hope to have a large crowd of kids present. There will be talks on spiritual topics given by the different priests, Mass, an opportunity for confession, Rosary, Stations of the Cross and Benediction, and some time for quiet prayer. There will even be a special story for the little ones. It is good for the children to take some time out for some prayer, especially since kids nowadays are kept running so much of the time.
Time to sign off for now. I hope you are keeping up with your devotion to St. Francis de Sales. He has so much to offer us this Lent and always! May he fill your hearts with true devotion.
– Bishop McGuire