What Paddy Shot At

Today is Thursday – and in some places, it is Ascension Thursday but it seems it isn’t here – More about that later. I want to bring you up to speed on what has been happening since Saturday, May 17th.

I wrote that day that I had just finished a baptism and was heading down to Maggie’s to spend the night. Well, I didn’t! Right after I sent off Paddy, I got a phone call from Paul and Ellen. They wanted to know if I was still coming to the luncheon meeting that I thought was scheduled for Sunday but was on Saturday. I told them I had another baptism and so I wouldn’t be there. Then I called Maggie and told her I wasn’t coming down as I didn’t have a meeting on Sunday in St. Mary’s County. I then told Fr. Ron that I would be around so I could take another Mass on Sunday. So I had the 12:30 and the 5:30. I did have the Confirmation Enrollment, which was very nice. I had a very easy day! Maggie, Sue and Mike, and Pat Dulaney, a friend from Florida, and I all went to a Portuguese restaurant downtown. They have all these extra foods and then they bring around lots of different kinds of meats on poles and you turn your little circle to green until you want a break and you turn the circle (like a drink coaster) to red and they stop. Mike and Sue treated us and it was great and we all had a wonderful time.

On Monday, the 19th, I had the 11am Mass and then we had moved “Tuesdays with Fr. Maury” to Monday because we had to. Our topic was “Our Lady and many people brought statues and we talked about family customs. That night there was a catered supper for the RCIA group but I wasn’t feeling so good in the afternoon and went to bed early.

Tuesday, I still didn’t feel so good; so I said the 11am, got some soup and went back to bed. That night I did get up and go over to the library for the Play reading group. I didn’t read but I enjoyed the others. We had a great discussion afterwards.

On Wednesday, I went to St. Elizabeth’s for school confessions. I had exposition at 3 and Mass at 5:30. I went to bed early again.

On Thursday, I met with a lady who is not a Catholic but wants her two children to be baptized. We had a very good discussion and will meet again. Then I met Ann Sheridan for lunch and then went to St. Luke’s for confessions. I got there early (around 1:30) and walked to the elevator in the back. It had a sign that it was being repaired and wouldn’t be usable for 8 weeks. I was sure there was another one nearby and I walked to it and took it to the second floor. I walked back to the front and ran into a wall that would not allow me to go to the office I usually went to. So I walked back down the hall and then down two flights of steps and walked to the front and ask them to call the Sister who arranged for me to come. She came and was so apologetic because I was perspiring like a fountain. She arranged for a room on that hall and put up a note so people could find me. She also got me a glass of water and very soon my breathing was normal. Confessions were, as always, a time of grace. I drove home, had dinner with the guys and went to bed.

On Friday, I had the 8am Mass and went to Leisure World to visit a friend and have lunch. Then I headed to Southern Maryland. The traffic on 301 was bumper to bumper and I didn’t get to Loyola Retreat House till after 5pm. I was joining 27 other people for a retreat. They are members of Separated and Divorced Catholics and have an annual retreat over Memorial Day. It was my first experience and I want to say what a grace filled weekend it was.

Over the three days, I gave some reflections and they broke into small groups and discussed. I learned a lot. I heard of the pain, they experienced when they discovered that something they said vows in front of God to a person they loved, was over. Some people were divorced twenty years ago and some were just finishing up the separation and facing a divorce. Sadly, they also shared that the church and some of it members (as well as priests) had told them they were not welcome and couldn’t receive Communion and other erroneous statements. We had great liturgies and mealtime sharing. I felt honored to be with them.

One thing they mentioned was that they never heard about their situations at church. So I came home to the 5;30pm on Sunday and changed my homily. The second reading says, “Be prepared to share with other the reasons for your joy”. So I told them about the weekend and I ended by saying “if you know someone who is in this situation and they don’t feel welcome at church; you tell them to come here. This is their parish and they belong with us. The Pope wrote a letter in which he said to share the joy of the Gospel. You do that and give people hope.” As I walked to my chair, they applauded; and while I stood at the back of the church as they left, at least six people said they were divorced and they thanked me for making them feel welcomed. Ah, God is good. How good is the Good God!

Monday was Memorial Day and I was planning just to relax; fortunately, Sunday night I got a message from Fr. Bill Feeney. He was spending a week with his cousins in Columbia and was free Monday morning. I called him. We were roommates (in bunk beds) almost 50 years ago and have stayed “good friend”. I drove out to the McKayhill’s and visited with Mary and Bill. Kevin had to work. Then Bill and I went to Double T diner and had a sumptuous breakfast and sat and talked for almost three hours. I drove home and spent the evening watching a replay of the Memorial Day concert at the Capital. I cried a lot and I watched the Pope’s trip to the Holy Land. I mostly rejoiced but I think I cried too.
Also I received a phone call from Pat Powell. She and Dave moved out to Nevada a couple of years ago. She is Betty Neary’s cousin and was calling to tell me that Betty had a fall and was in the hospital in York, Pennsylvania. We had a good talk and I got Betty’s phone number.
I called her and she was in good spirits and NO PAIN. We talked for an hour

Tuesday was very interesting. We had our annual meeting for all the retired priests, the Cardinal, and the Retirement Board. We met at the St. John Vianney House and had a good meal. I always enjoy seeing the other retirees. I had Exposition at 3 and the 5:30pm Mass. I did call Betty again and she was still waiting to see about re-hab. I went to bed early because I knew that Wednesday would be full.

And Wednesday was, I met Pat Waters at the Bob Evan’s in Bowie at 9am. We had a delicious breakfast and I caught up on her situation. The doctors have cleared her and she learned a few more things about her diabetes. We went to see “Captain America”. It was exciting and full of those action scenes I love; but when it was over, I suggested we not go to another movie but instead go visit Barbara Ostrye. We did and she joined us by coming to the 5:30pm Mass at Blessed Sacrament. During the Mass, which had about 60 people there, it occurred to me that they might have come thinking it was the Vigil Mass for Ascension Thursday. I had done the readings and the prayers for Wednesday of the 6th Week of Easter. So I made an announcement that if they had come intending to celebrate Ascension; they were dispensed from the need to come the next day. After Mass, I learned that almost 12 years ago, the Cardinal moved the celebration of the Ascension to a Sunday and it will be June 1st. It good I retired!! Then, the three of us had supper at Savannah’s in Kensington. We took Barbara home and went and Pat picked up her car from Bob Evan’s parking lot and then I drove home. I had forgot to tell Pat to call me; so around 10pm, I called her brother Terry just to be sure she got home – and she did! She is leaving Sunday to drive back to Newfoundland.

Today, I slept in (it was not a Holy Day!!) and at Noon, Brian Mulholland picked me up and we went to Maggiano’s and met my cousin, Mike Caruso. His birthday is April 1st and we have been trying since then to get together. We had a great time and many laughs! We intend to do it again sooner than later. I interviewed a student from the school and am going over to have supper with the guys.

And now you know why the days just fly by. I’ve also been on the phone a lot; but I will try to be more regular in writing.

The week went by very quickly. It is now Saturday and I just finished a baptism. He was adorable and 8 months old. He paid attention to every word I spoke and he smiled at me often. His name is Graham Nicholas, so keep him and his family in your prayers. I have another baptism at 1pm, so I thought I’d just stay at my desk and “catch up”.

Last Saturday, I did have the 5:30pm but it was not the enrollment, which is tomorrow night.

I did have the 12:30 on Sunday, so I just relaxed in the morning and took a nap in the afternoon. Then I went to Peter and Barbara Dove’s for supper. She is Beth McCoy’s niece and we’ve been friend for years. She lives next door to Heidelberger’s, and they stopped by a visit. Mike Holland, a parishioner joined us for supper and we had a great time. We ate outdoors and the weather was perfect.

Monday, the 12th was a quiet day and except for adoration at 3 and the Mass at 5:30pm, I just worked in my office on baptisms.

Tuesday, I picked up Jim Beattie at 3pm and we went to the priests’ anniversary Mass and dinner at the Pastoral Center. I had a great time and saw lots of my priest friends. I sat with Frs. Beattie, Duffy, Enzler, Bazan, Boccabello, and Mikonos. It was a lively and loud table. I went to bed early.

Wednesday, I had the 11am Mass and then drove to Baltimore to have lunch with Sister Kass. We haven’t had a chance to get together for awhile and it was fun to “catch up”.

Thursday morning, I got a phone call from Joan Beall that Pat Watters was in the hospital. She had come to Joan’s on Wednesday night so as to avoid all the morning traffic. I was supposed to pick them up at Joan’s on Thursday and we were to drive to Betty Neary’s for lunch. Pat had an incident while sitting on the sofa and passed out. They could not revive her, so they called 911 and they brought her out of it. But as her blood sugar was so bad, they took to the hospital and kept her over night. She is a very serious diabetic and this could be life threatening. We cancelled the trip.

On Friday, I spent much of the day trying to get information on Pat and also on Ann Marie, my niece, who had an emergency gall bladder operation. Both are fine and have returned to their homes. Medical things are really frightening. I had the 5:30pm Mass and Martino came and helped. Then he, Fr. Ron, Fr. Justin, and Father Lucas and I went to a very nice Portuguese restaurant for a celebration of Lucas’ graduation, Fr. Ron’s 25th anniversary, Martino’s upcoming ordination to Deaconate, and Father Justin’s and my ordination anniversaries. (his 4 years, mine 42!). We had a great time and I was ready for bed by 9pm.

Today, I had the baptism and I have another at 1pm (please keep Morgan Elizabeth and her family in your prayers), then I’ll drive to Maggie’s and spend the night.

I have a TEAM meeting in Leonardtown at noon on Sunday, and then I will return to have the 5:30pm Mass (which will be the Enrollment Mass for Confirmation students). I think Maggie, Michael and Sue are coming so we can go out to supper together.

I have been very busy this week; it has led me to “re-think” some aspects of “retirement” – more about that later.

Last Saturday, I had a baptism at 1pm in the church. They were a lovely couple. His family is from Argentina and hers is originally from Spain. It turned out that her family had lived in Riverdale (between my years as a parishioner and those when I was pastor). The name was Fragale. We knew lots of people in common. We had a good time. Then I went back to my room and the AC.

On Sunday, I had the 10:30am Mass in the church. I got a little wound up and preached a long time on Emmaus. No one seemed to mind. Right after Mass, I had a baptism in the chapel. The baby was Kaitlin Elizabeth. I know we’re cousin but I’m not sure how it works. Kaitlin’s great grandmother is Helen Nolan, whose great grandmother was Ellen Lynch O’Connell. Ellen was my great-great grandmother. I like genealogy but it isn’t easy!! It was so nice to see that branch of the family. So many interesting careers are in the family. One of Kaitlin’s aunts returned the night before from a week of working in Haiti among the people displaced by the earthquake. I always have a good time with them. They were having a party but I wasn’t up to going.
Also, I had another baptism at 1:30pm. His name was Oliver Maxwell. He slept through most of it. Please keep him and Kaitlin and their families in your prayers.
Later, I went to supper with an old family friend. I was ready for bed around 8pm

On Monday, I had the 11am Mass and then drove to Bowie, where I met Gail Douglas for lunch. Her birthday was May 1st but we couldn’t get together till Monday. We had a nice leisurely lunch and “caught up”. It was great to see her.
I had supper in the rectory and then I went to RCIA and gave a presentation on “Ministries”. I wanted to let these wonderful people who came into the church at Easter that Blessed Sacrament has lots of activities and ministries in which their gifts would be most welcomed. It went well because this is a great parish.

On Tuesday, I called Richard, Bill, Bob, and Tom for their anniversary. 42 years ago, they were ordained for the Church of Pittsburgh. It was good to talk with them.
Then, I had a funeral at 11am. The deceased was the elderly lady I had gone to anoint last week. Her name is Jeanne and she was 98 years old. There was a good turnout for the funeral as she had been in the parish for many years, active in the Sodality, her children had gone through the school, and she had been an active member of the seniors group till recently. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Since we didn’t go to the cemetery, I then went to “Tuesdays with Fr. Maury”. Our topic was prayer and we had a good time. Two ladies from Leisure World joined us. I met with the Warren’s to learn more about the funeral on Wednesday. Then I took a nap. At 4:30pm, Joan drove me to Gawler’s for the wake from Mrs. Warren. We picked up a pizza (New Haven style) and she brought me home.

On Wednesday, I had Alma’s funeral. Since her husband was not a Catholic and all her nieces and nephew were not; I wanted to be sure they all felt welcomed and comfortable at the Mass. It went well and then we went to Gate of Heaven. It was pouring rain and they recommended that we not go to the grave but use the chapel. At the end, I could tell that her husband was upset that we didn’t go to the grave; so I told him, “Charles, you can look out this door and watch me go to the grave. It is not too far and I’ll say the blessing and the rest of the prayers there.” He seemed to like that; so I went.
I was soaked by the time I got home; so I stripped and got into pajamas and went to bed (at 3pm). I woke and the clock said, “6:39”. It was light outside so I thought I had slept through the night and it was Thursday. Then I noticed that the computer said, “6:41 PM” and I realized I had taken a really short but deep nap. I stayed in my PJ’s and went back to bed (for real) around 11:30pm.

On Thursday, I stayed in my suite all day – relaxing. I came to supper in sweat pants and socks. I didn’t read email or listen to phone message. It was truly a “DAY OFF”. And I needed it.

Today, I feel refreshed. I had three appointments this morning and have been working on the baptisms and the baptism schedule. I did learn that Jean Lincoln Brady, who was in my 8th grade class at St. Bernard’s died of a heart attack. Her funeral is Saturday but I can’t go. Please keep her and all my classmates in your prayers. This is the year we all turn 70 – Hard to believe!!!
I have exposition at 3pm and then the 5:30pm Mass. Martino is with us again for a short visit. School is over for him and he will be ordained a deacon in a few weeks. He has a summer assignment in June but may stay with us for awhile. It was fun to have him at supper. He may be on with me at Mass today.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we have First Communions at 9:30am, 11am, and 1pm. There will be about 50 children at each Mass and lots of family. I will concelebrate but may not give out Communion. I won’t go to any parties as I have the 5:30pm Mass and it is the Enrollment Mass for next year’s Confirmandi. I’m sure I’ll be ready for bed.
I can sleep in on Sunday as I have the 12:30pm Mass that day.

It is such a beautiful day that I am feeling great and thought I’d write. It rained from Saturday to Wednesday and mostly, I stayed around the parish. I had the 11am Mass each morning and took naps in the afternoon. I know I did some things; but to be honest, I can’t remember what they were.

On Thursday, I drove out to Shady Grove and saw Doug and Kathleen. The surgery went well and I thank you for the prayers. He has to stay in hospital maybe over the weekend. I’ll go visit him next week at home.
I also had lunch with Ray Fecteau, which was very nice as we haven’t had a chance to talk late. I watched the ordination and installation of the new bishop of Whichita. It was impressive and it was good to see Cardinal George of Chicago, who is in treatment again for cancer. He is frail but spoke strongly and impressively.

Today, I slept in and had adoration at 3pm and the Mass at 5:30pm. Today is the feast of St. Anthanasius, Bob Norton’s parish in Pittsburgh.
The oak tree pollen is terrible and makes my eyes water. I tried to stay in air-conditioning and will go to bed early.

I have a confession in the morning and a baptism in the afternoon on Saturday, and then I’ll hide out here in the AC.