The Bishop’s Note
The cats have been a bit rambunctious as of late, but quite good company, especially in the office where they now like to spend part of their time napping or climbing over desks and such. Having the catnip toys here really makes it interesting. There have been no more skunk reports, but the other day while Miss Mikesell and Lucia Constantino were working in the sacristy the subject of opossums came up. Miss Mikesell thinks they are cute animals, but Lucia and I disagreed. Well, a few hours after that conversation I opened my office door and what did I see but a possum scurrying across the garden patio. Lucia and I were right…those things are ugly!
The Oblate Sisters have been busier than usual this week as they were moving into their new temporary house. Thank you to everyone who has helped in any way. It has taken a long time to arrive at this point, but everything is in God’s good time. Now that the Oblates are together they can begin to live more as religious. They have been given a schedule and a house rule to follow. The schedule of an oblate has to give them time to be prayerful and recollected, time for silence and time to put down their phones, but it also has to be flexible enough to allow them to help with whatever needs to be done at church or elsewhere. Pray for them as they learn to adapt to community life.
Fr. Lehtoranta and Fr. Brueggemann are taking care of St. Gertrude’s while the rest of us are traveling in the missions. Fr. Simpson has been all over the northern missions this past week and is in Milwaukee today, while Fr. McKenna is in Dallas for the day. I am with Fr. Arnoldo in Tijuana this morning and then in Mexicali in the evening for Confirmations. A fuller re-port will be given later.
Thanksgiving comes this week and we certainly have much to be thankful for…here at St. Gertrude’s especially. Take some time to recall not just the temporal, but the spiritual blessings which you have received from Our Lord. Don’t forget—Advent starts two Sundays from now. It is a good time to plan out this season of graces a little in advance.
– Bishop McGuire