Pastor's Column for July 18, 2021

I am writing this on the evening before my trip to Florida, knowing that I’m probably not going to be wanting to do it while on vacation, so this needs to be submitted before I leave. I am all packed & ready to go but I have to admit that trying to get emails answered, phone calls made, and the desk cleared, besides packing & going through the hassle of airport security, makes me wonder at times if it’s worth the hassle. This is especially true as I get older, and I’m pushing 61 (or rather it’s pulling me!). On the other hand, how blessed we are to live in a time of history when we can get on a plane & fly to the southern most part of the country within just a few short hours. It took days for the Holy Family to travel (on foot mostly, with perhaps the help of a camel or donkey) just to travel a few miles every year to the Temple, which they were required to make as an annual pilgrimage. And that was without the distraction of cell phones, social media and all the other things that tend to help us pass the time quickly. So I try to just be grateful for the opportunity rather than complain about the hassle (you didn’t hear me complaining, did you?). The other hard part is leaving Michaela & Abby for a week & entrusting them to the care of others. But again, I’m grateful that others are willing to help with that too. So hopefully by the time you read this (I’ll be arriving back in Cleveland near midnight on Saturday the 17th), I’ll be celebrating the two Masses on Sunday morning (the 18th), and thank Deacon Pat in advance that he will be preaching so that’s one less thing for me to do before my return.
This weekend we welcome our friends from Bethlehem (originally…they live in the States now) who will be selling beautiful olive wood pieces, made by the people in the Holy Land. Please support them (plus save yourself the time of looking for gifts for others) since you’ll actually be supporting their families in the Holy Land who continue to struggle, especially as a result of COVID.
Our trip to the Holy Land, by the way, is still on and I am really looking forward to that experience next May. We are in the midst of planning an informational meeting to take place in the coming weeks, but I also need to tell you that spots for this pilgrimage will be limited to about 30 people right now & we already have several people lined up from other parishes who are interested in joining us. Several of you expressed interest to me last year & I have a list of who you are, but please let me know again of your intentions to go so that I can keep track of availability. I have a sister & brother-in-law who are going and I’m anxious to share this journey with them as well. You’ll see posters in the church soon about this trip & we’ll have informational brochures available as well, including the cost.
Before leaving on vacation, Deacon Pat & Joan Berigan & I were able to take Father O’Grady out to dinner. It was great to see him & he is doing pretty well but he is not strong enough to celebrate Mass on his own. We celebrated two special occasions with him: his 88th birthday on July 4th (they have fireworks for him every year) and his 60th anniversary as a priest. He was ordained on May 20, 1961. I sent him your love and prayers & he sends the same to you as well.