Pentecost XXII

Note from Father
After a few frosty nights and cool days at the beginning of the week, the beautiful fall weather has returned once again. Just in time to have an idyllic day for the Fall Festival yesterday. I write the note two days before, but you will be reading it the day of the festival. However, everything is lined up to be a truly wonderful day, filled with sun, games, crafts, and just all-around fun! Hopefully, we have a good turnout and everyone enjoys themselves.

Speaking of good turnouts, I heard that the turnout for the Fatima Rosary procession last Sunday was fantastic! The Sisters reported that 115 candles had been distributed and there were more present than that (presumably babies and little tykes, at least, didn’t get candles… but they certainly count as attending!). What a beautiful sight all those lights must have been, and how much more beautiful must have been the prayers in the eyes of God! So much is made of politics these days, but our hope should not be in men…especially those men. No, our hope is in Our Lord and Our Lady. It wasn’t just here at St. Gertrude’s that we had Rosary processions that day, either. Happily, Fr. Simpson led a Rosary procession between the two Masses at St. Hugh’s in Milwaukee, I led one down at our mission in Dallas, and Fr. Brueggemann even led a little procession at the Holy Face mission in Effingham, IL!

Rosary Processions throughout the missions are the perfect precursor to today being Mission Sunday. Our apostolate is centered here at St. Gertrude’s, but as you know, we serve missions far and wide. Just to put in perspective for you what is regularly going on from our clergy, here is what just the mission travel from this past week (last weekend through this weekend), looked like for the five of us here. Last weekend, I traveled Saturday to Dallas and returned Sunday night; Fr. Brueggemann said Mass here at St. Gertrude’s and then offered an evening Mass in Effingham, IL; and Fr. Simpson traveled to Milwaukee, where he offered two Sunday morning Masses and then drove to Park Falls, WI to offer a Sunday evening Mass…from there he has continued on through Grand Forks, ND, Minot, ND, and back this weekend to Milwaukee. I, again, return this weekend to say Mass in Dallas and Bishop McGuire has flown to New England to offer Mass and Confirmations in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Thankfully, we are very fortunate to be able to cover so much distance with modern travel. We are not out long hours in the rain and snow, riding on a donkey, like the missionaries of old. However, the efforts are for the same good of souls, and the labor to do so is still grand. As such, it is easy to see how your prayers are not only appreciated, but essential for success. So please keep all priests in your prayers and also pray for more priests to come…we rely on your prayers more than you can know in this life, and they do more good than you can imagine. Prayer is how each and every one of us can be a missionary!

In Christ,
Fr. McKenna