This weekend we celebrate the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. I must confess that I found this to be a bit of an unusual arrangement. I discovered, after speaking with several other people and a few priests, that I am not alone in this quandary. I appreciate what Pope Francis is trying to do. I just wonder about the optics and reality of it all. I understand Grandparents, - I had four wonderful Grandparents myself and after my paternal Grandfather passed away my Grandmother married another generous and wonderful man. As a celibate male I also know that I will never be a grandparent, and I am perfectly okay with that. I freely acknowledge that I am even a rather mediocre uncle and even less than mediocre great-uncle. I am all good with celebrating Grandparents. Likewise, I am happy to celebrate the elderly. I just don’t know who they are or how to define it. Read more.
At the Mass last weekend Bishop O’Connell blessed and dedicated the icon of St. Benedict that hangs prominently in the front of the church. The Bishop was very happy to be with us and commented on how friendly and welcoming that you all were after Mass. Read more.
Today we celebrate the 245th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the very beginnings of our democratic republican form of government. When we consider the monumental global political shift that our founding fathers inaugurated on this continent all those years ago we are reminded of the sacrifice and yet the hope in the midst of struggle that brought those revolutionary ideas to paper. We must be ever-mindful to work towards the protection and advancement of our “inalienable rights” enshrined in those founding documents, remembering that it is foremost God, who in gifting us with free will, insured and defined our existence and the fundamental principles of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” However you celebrate, a most blessed Independence Day to all. Read more.