Pastor's Blog for August 11, 2019

We have our parish picnic today after the 11am Mass. Ifyou are attending that Mass, it’s a short walk to pick up a hamburger or hotdog. If you attend the 4pm Mass on Saturday or the 8am Mass on Sunday, please consider making the trip again to join us. We’ll have plenty of tables and chairs set up. In case of inclement weather, we’ll move inside and I’ll let you know that at Mass. My thanks to everyone who coordinated this and to our maintenance staff for setting up and taking down.

Another reminder that you can purchase beautiful olivewood carvings in the vestibule of the church before or after Mass this weekend. They make great gifts and help the people in Bethlehem where Our Lord was born.

This Thursday, August 15th, is the feast of the Assumption of Mary. It has been our centuries-long belief that Mary was taken body and soul into the kingdom of heaven at the end of her life and so was the first to experience the fullness of the resurrection after her Son. It reminds us that this is promise for us as well. Mass on this Holy Day of Obligation will be celebrated at 8:30am and at 7pm.

While I’ll be celebrating the morning Mass on that day, Iwon’t be able to greet those coming to the evening Mass as I will be joining in the Feast that takes place every year in Little Italy in honor of Mary’s Assumption. They have a Mass at Holy Rosary Church which is in the heart of Little Italy as well as a procession of a statue of Mary on Mayfield Road. But there is also a great feast with delicious Italian food and desserts from Thursday through Sunday. The square pizza that can be found there reminds me of the true Italian pizza that my mom and grandmother used to make. They also have cavatelli, meatballs, sausage sandwiches and so much more. If you’re Italian like me it’s an obligation to attend and if you’re not lucky enough to be Italian, it’s at least an oppor- tunity for you to wish you were. I should wear my T-shirt that has a word we Italians like to use when someone apologizes to us for some offense toward us: “Fuhgettaboutit.”

Fr. Vesely will be celebrating the 4pm Mass next Satur- day, August 17th in honor of the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Jim & Lucille Huzl. I’ll mention them again next weekend but as always we welcome Fr. Vesely back to pray with us.

The dentist told me that I may have to have my upperwisdom teeth taken out (which I really depend on as the source of my wisdom). I had my lower wisdom teeth taken out when I was in 8th grade and I remember it very well. In those days they put a needle in your arm of Sodium Pentot- hol. When I woke up after the procedure, I was a bit loopy from this medicine. The dentist said, “I heard you are going into the seminary.” And my rather loud response was, “Yep, I’m going to be a preacher!” My poor mother.