The Bishop’s Note
School has started up again and it seems that all are in good spirits. With the beginning of school comes many wonderful feast days, too. Our Lady’s Nativity is tomorrow and a birthday party in her honor will be celebrated after the school Mass. Of course, there will be cake! The Most Holy Name of Mary is this Friday and the Sisters will renew their oblation after the High Mass. Saturday is Our Lady’s Saturday and we hope to see everyone at the penultimate Fatima procession after the morning Masses. It is a truly Marian week ahead. Stay close to her side, confide in your heavenly Mother, and tell her all. What great graces are in store for you this week!
Our seminarians return to Seattle this coming weekend. Hopefully, they enjoyed their summer break and are ready to get back into the swing of things. They were certainly a big help for the short time they were here, doing projects around the church, attending extra Masses, serving, playing the organ, etc. We wish them great success in their studies this year and assure them of our prayers.
Bishop Nkamuke was in South Africa this past week, visiting a group of Faithful that he has known for quite some time. Fr. Eldred Leslie used to offer Mass for them. Fr. Leslie, if you remember, was also the priest who first went to Nigeria to offer Mass in Nigeria when Bishop Nkamuke, Fr. Ojeka, and Fr. Okerulu were all laymen coming out of the Novus Ordo. I am sure that Fr. Leslie’s prayers are what brought Bishop Nkamuke to South Africa to help out this group. His Excellency blessed a ship while he was there and has promised to give other news when he gets back to his home country. I will be sure to pass it along at some point.
Fr. Nicolás Benítez, a priest whom I have ordained, had to return first to Argentina for a bit because of Visa issues. He has been helping Fr. Odríz and Fr. Sebastian in Guadalajara for a while now. However, he is also building a chapel in Mendoza where he is from and where there is a small group of Faithful, including his family. I hope to have pictures of the chapel at some point in the future. We have managed to collect a little bit of financial support for his endeavor and hope to continue it. There has not been much more news about Fr. Mardones, who resides in Mexico City. He had to have a leg amputated due to diabetes and has been in recovery as of late. Fr. Siordia looks in on him from time to time to bring him the sacraments and also to look to some of the needs of his flock, but Father has his own chapel to look after. Fr. Mardones’ parishioners go to other places for Mass for the time being until a priest can be found to say for them.
That is the news for now. Honor Our Lady and observe her feast days with the greatest love and devotion. Devotion to her is one of the surest ways to Heaven!
— Bishop McGuire