Greetings in Christ! I am back at Holy Family and St. Mark today and so blessed to be home. In the end, the procedure on my knee could not have gone better. I should be able to ditch the cane soon and hopefully be genuflecting again shortly after that! Your prayers, kindness, patience and cards were so very encouraging and I thank you.
A couple things happened while I was gone and I want to share them with you:
First, my Uncle Howard died. Since I have moved here, I’ve lost three uncles to death and it’s really been tough on the family. Please keep us in your prayers. My Uncle Howard and Aunt Bonnie opened the Heritage House in Chesaning when I was a kid: they built the restaurant up and kept it running for many years. I’ll bet a lot of you ate there! After the restaurant closed, my Uncle Howard made it a priority to go out into the world and do mission work, caring for and helping the poor in countries in Africa and other places. He was a beautiful, faithful, God-fearing man. Apparently, he died at his tractor with tools in his hands and that makes me happy: he loved to work and he worked hard. Please pray for his soul and for comfort for the family.
The day after Thanksgiving, I was also shocked to receive word of the death of Bishop Robert Morlino. Bishop Morlino served as the Bishop of Helena, Montana, and Madison, Wisconsin. He was one of my professors at seminary and a great role model to me. He taught me how to pray Mass; he loved and honored my family and even bought my home parish a tabernacle when he heard we were trying a fundraiser to buy one. He was a faithful and holy priest and I will miss him very much. Please say a prayer for his soul and ask God to comfort the people of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin.
As Christians, we mourn our dead, but we “mourn as people who have hope!’ and our hope in the person of Jesus Christ. I thank God for His loving providence that brought these faithful warriors home.
This Saturday we are celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady. As a priest, I have a special love for Our Blessed Mother and a deep gratitude to her for her “Yes” to God that gave us the gift of Jesus. It is her prayers and her example that sustain us in dark days and this feast is a great opportunity to reflect on how Our God is always ahead of us, preparing the way for our salvation. Check out Mass times so we can meet this Holy Day of Obligation with great faith, hope and love.
I pray that God bless you with joy and light in this Advent Season!
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