I had a funeral service this past Monday for James Deering. Please say a prayer for him as well as for his moth- er and sister who mourn his passing.
There are many other people who are ill & who are in need of our prayers too: Stan, Betty, Daniel, Judy, Donna, Pamela, & Jerry, to name just a few I have anointed lately. These are the people who carry the cross of illness and who need the healing & strength that is given by the Lord. We also remember their caregivers and loved ones who contin- ue to inspire me by their selfless dedication to the well- being of our ill brothers & sisters.
Hopefully you noticed how good our grounds are look- ing when you drove in to the parking lot today. Our mainte- nance crew has done an excellent job so early into the sum- mer by planting flowers and spreading mulch. 160 yards of mulch was very generously donated to us again by the Rosby family, parishioners of St. Leo’s. They have donated mulch to us for several years and we are very grateful to them! Even our signs (which need to be replaced & updated sometime in the future) were re-painted. The grass is kept cut, flowers are watered daily & bushes and trees are trimmed. Many thanks to our maintenance department for the great work they do and the many projects they will be working on this summer, both inside and out.
Some people have asked for the name of the book I mentioned last week when speaking of how Divine Provi- dence intervenes on our behalf at times when we think that such strange events are mere coincidence. The book is called “The American Miracle: Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic” by Michael Medved. It’s available on Amazon (this is not a paid endorsement from either the au- thor or from Amazon...though if either of them wanted to send me a little something, I wouldn’t object).
A well-known company by the name of Collette pro- vides many tours for groups and is used by several priests in our Diocese. I would like to be part of a tour that would travel to Italy in the fall of 2018. There are three different itineraries which include places like Rome, Venice, the Amalfi Coast, Florence, etc. Next Wednesday (June 14th) at 7pm in the rectory, I’ll be having a meeting with anyone who may be interested in joining me. It’s just an informa- tional meeting so feel free to attend if you’d like to talk about the possibility of an 8-10 day tour. Whether you join me or not, here’s a travel tip: when preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money. Trust my experience on this.