The Bishop’s Note
Fr. McKenna gave me a little news of the goings on at St. Gertrude’s, but was careful not to include too much in the way of work-related topics. The cats are doing fine even though Father admitted he does not feed them as well as their respective owners do. He is of the opinion that they should eat once or twice a day and stay healthy. My thought is that they should eat a third meal if they ask for it. After all, cats don’t get to go to heaven so they might as well have what they want here in their short span of existence. Oh well! Father always wins out when I’m not around. Fluffy, the Sisters’ cat, has been longing for them to get back, Father says.
Fr. Lehtoranta, Dr. Stanislowski and the teachers met on Thursday to discuss the upcoming school year which begins this week. We will be very happy to see the children again! The summers keep us quite busy at St. Gertrude’s, but it just isn’t the same without our students. The school year brings back more regularity for our schedule, too, which we are looking forward to having back. Please say a prayer for a successful and a grace-filled year for all who are involved with our school.
Miss Mikesell kindly agreed to work in the office while Theresa was away last week. Thank you, Miss Mikesell! Each one of our faculty members needs to take a break from time to time, but perhaps more this year than ever. Things have picked up pace quite a bit as there is always something or other going on…a little something for everyone. The young Fathers meet with the Knights of the Sacred Heart almost every Monday, the Sodality of Charity meets monthly, as does the St. Monica Club and the Catholic Mothers’ Consortium. Soon, the St. Martin’s Men’s Group will begin meeting monthly. The servers come to the First Thursday Holy Hour for Priests each First Thursday and have a little pizza party after the Mass and Benediction. The Guard of Honor attend to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every First Friday. The choir has its weekly practice on Wednesday evenings while the kids play outside, and some of the parishioners have recently started up a sort of tailgate party in the parking lot on Fri-day evenings. Our parish has grown quite significantly, thanks be to God. My hope is that, while St. Gertrude’s grows in numbers, each soul grows in fervor. The numbers mean nothing if we are not increasing in the love of our Faith and the practice of supernatural virtue. Life is not about keeping busy, it is about growing in supernatural charity towards God and man and thus meriting our eternal reward. God grant that we do just that.
Fr. McKenna came down with a head cold just in time for last week’s Sunday spent here alone covering four Masses himself. He pulled through and is on the mend.
Fr. Brueggemann paid a visit to Joseph Murphy last Wednesday. Then he made a stop at my childhood home to pick up the last of the old St. Clare items and some of my parents’ religious items. It is the last of the things to be done before finally putting the old home on the market to sell. It’s funny, up to now the thought of getting rid of it never bothered me, but it is a sad event. My family moved there when I was three or four and I grew up there, leaving when I was just about to turn 18. We owned a small ranch style house, just one floor with a crawl space underneath. It wasn’t much, but it was home. We had 8 acres of land including 5 acres of wooded area. My siblings and I spent much of our time outdoors, sometimes playing in the creek at the bottom of the hill (although my brother and I got in trouble for that since there were copperheads living in it). Yeah, the bishop wasn’t always the best behaved as a kid! Well, the memories come flooding in now that we are about to sell home. Thanks for letting me talk a little about it. It’s good, though, to be getting rid of it. After all, we all have to move on, never looking back at what once was. God wants us to focus on the “now,” giving our all to the duty of the present moment, and to keep our eyes on heaven. And we can’t take our childhood homes with us.
I was touched that one of our families, passing through the Chillicothe area, made it a point to visit my parents’ grave. I myself have not been there in over a year, and am not sure if I have been there since Mother’s death two years ago. Certainly, my parents’ sufferings were relieved by the prayers of that kind family.
Slowly, we are making headway with some of our projects at church. All in God’s own time. Most especially, we are getting somewhere with the Rectory project, though this will not be visible to you for a bit longer. Along with this project, we have decided to begin increasing the financial support of the Oblates. Up to now, their families have been carrying this burden, except for a few minor things. You have been most generous in your donations for the Sisters and we have collected enough for a good start in supporting them. However, we will be counting on you to help us keep it going, especially as we get closer to the time when they will move into the Convento. Thank you for your past and future generosity!
It is the month of Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows. Console Our Lady, so saddened at what our sins have done to her Divine Son. Console her by your prayers of reparation, and most of all by practicing supernatural virtue in your daily life.
– Bishop McGuire