What Paddy Shot At

Last Thursday, the 19th, I stayed in my suite all day. The heat was being worked on but I had a small heater in my room and was warm. They don’t seem to know why the heat is not coming to the second floor. I was suppose to go to dinner at a group from the Sodality but it was so cold, I cancelled. This cold goes right to the bone.

On Friday, I did have the funeral. Please keep Lorraine and her family in your prayers. I didn’t know her but she worked in mental health, which is a disease close to my heart. We had a delayed opening because of the weather. The rectory had no heat again, so I stayed in the parish center most of the day. I had exposition and the 5:30pm Mass and then we had stations, which I love. Afterwards, we had pizza and then a dear parishioners walked me back to the rectory.

On Saturday, I brought someone into full communion around 10am. It was a lovely ceremony with just her and her two sons. Fr. Justin offered to take the 11am Mass, so I went back to relax in the rectory. They had worked in the morning on the heat, and it worked all day and night. I came back through the snow to do the 5:30pm. A crowd of about 80 people came. After Mass, two nice men helped me across to the rectory. I just relaxed and watched TV

Today, the snow and ice were laying all around. I offered to say the 9am so Fr. Regis wouldn’t have to come over from Catholic U. Two nice men coming out of the 7:30am Mass helped me to get over to the center. I think we had about 150 people at the Mass. I am sitting down here in the office, watching the Sunday News shows. I have the 12:30pm Mass and then I’ll go back to the rectory and watch the Oscars.

Tomorrow I have the 11am Mass and then I’ll drive down to Maggie’s. I am going to stay at her house and take her to a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday and Thursday and to take Marie to her doctor’s on Wednesday. I’ll come back on Thursday and will write something then

I just looked up my last “posting” and discovered that it was on the 7th. I don’t know how I got so far behind. I will try to “catch up”.

I am in the rectory with a small heater as the fan has “gone out” on the furnace. I had the 8am Mass, which was full and I did preach but my stomach was bothering me, so I received ashes and then sat down. The ministers did both ashes and Communion. I stayed in my office and worked on Baptisms and email and then came home. Humberto is making me some soup. I’ll go back around 3pm for a Confirmation interview that got messed up because of the snow. I’ll have supper with the guys

Let’s see what happened since the 7th. I had confessions at 4pm and then went home.

On Sunday, the 8th, I had the 10:30am Mass in the gym. It was so nice to be with them again. I think its been 2 months. I didn’t preach because we are doing the Cardinal’s appeal but it was nice to have the children up around the altar and to give Communion again. The put up a stool for me and helped me to get down from the altar. It was a lot of work for them; but they were very kind to me. I met with a young man who has been asked to be a Godfather and then at 2pm, I had a baptism for a great grand child of Mr. Sindall, from St. Camillus. It was great to see so many of the family.

On Monday, I was sick again. All this congestion. I did the 8am Mass and then went to bed till 2pm, when I came over for Confirmation interviews. Went to bed early.

On Tuesday, I had the 8am Mass again but went back to bed right after. We had snow and school was closed, so no interviews.

On Wednesday, the 11th, Feast of our Lady of Lourdes, I preached on prayers for the sick and then I had the 11am Mass, again I preached. Had an appointment and then tried to catch up on the interviews. I went to supper and think I’m feeling better. No Nyquil or pills and I slept fine.

On Thursday, I drove to Baltimore for a convention. I stayed in the Hilton and most of what I attended was in that building or across an enclosed walkway. I enjoyed it a lot and ran into lots of old friends who still go to religious Ed. conventions. I shared a room with Joe Stoutz and had a meal with Sister Kass. And I took naps!! On Friday night, there was a great liturgy and Archbishop Lori preached. He was excellent. There was night prayer and two uproaringly funny talks by Brother Mickey McGrath and Father Jim Martin. I enjoyed the whole thing.

On Saturday, feast of St. Valentine, I drove Joe and I up to New Jersey, where we had a great lunch with John and Terry. I drove back to DC afterwards and arrived in time to concelebrate the 5:30pm Mass. Then I went to bed – just as the snow started.

Sunday, I stayed in bed all day and took medicine, slept, and had soup. I was supposed to have a nice Italian dinner with the Werden’s and Monsignor Beattie but it was bitter cold outside, so I went to bed.

Monday was a holiday but I took the 11am Mass. Not many there but they were calling for snow again and I wimped out on dinner with some good priests friends. It turned out to be a good decision as it was cold and snowy.

No school on Tuesday. I had 11am Mass and lots of help but then I went home and relaxed. Our play reading group had to cancel because of the ice.

Now I’m back in the parish center. I’m not sure my 3o’clock will come as we are expecting more snow and Montgomery County has cancelled all afternoon activities. If she doesn’t come, I’ll go home. I think we have heat over in the rectory. tomorrow is my DAY OFF, so I’ll just relaxed around the rectory. I have a full day on Friday with a funeral at 11, exposition at 3, Mass at 5:30 followed by Stations of the Cross. I’m glad I’m feeling better.

On the 3rd of February, the feast of St. Blasé, I concelebrated the 9am Mass at Our Lady of Grace in Leisure World with the pastor, Msgr. Essex. He gave a great homily. We went into the parish hall and I led a day of recollection on church history. I think there were about 40 people who took part. I “ran into” lots of old friends – in particular Mrs. Josephine Palomino, whose son Nick was one of my special boys at Good Counsel. He is now in California and I enjoyed hearing about him. Barbara Ostrye and Sylvia Keys were there and it was a lovely day.
Afterwards, I joined Theresa Sammartino for supper at Gloria Poulus’s house. It was Italian and delicious. I was home and in bed before Jeopardy.

On Wednesday, the 4th, I had the 8 and 11AM Masses and then Confirmation interviews. I still hadn’t gotten rid of the cold and respiratory problem. So I went to bed that night and took Nyquil and a sleeping tablet.

On Thursday, the 5th, I stayed in bed all day. Only out to drink some soup and go to the bathroom. Nyquil and the sleeping pill and I slept through the night

On Friday, the 6th, I had the 6:30am Mass and then attended the Christ in the Marketplace talk. It was very good and the speaker spoke on doubt and faith. Enjoyed it.
Then I had the 8am Mass and was surrounded with help. I came to my office and relaxed till around 10am. I drove to Stone Ridge for a Mass, during which I sat. I enjoyed it.
Then I came home and had exposition and 8 Confirmation interviews. Fr. Justin asked to take the 5:30pm, which I was glad to do. I went home. Had a sandwich and had some Nyquil and a pill and was in bed during Wheel of fortune. Slept through the night

This morning, I felt the best I have in days. I had the 8am Mass and then met with a lady in my office. I tried to get email and stuff “caught up”. Saw a gentleman at noon and then went to have some lunch. I have another appointment at 3pm and then confessions at 4. Then I’ll go home, eat some soup, Nyquil and a pill and off to bed.

Have the 10:30am tomorrow in the gym. An appointment at Noon and a baptism at 2pm and then back to bed.

Good news that Mary Lu Jones is home and all went well with the surgery. Please keep Mr. Collins (Kass’ dad) in your prayers. He is moving to assisted living but it’s an adjustment. Also JoAnn Adam’s brother, Gary died. Please keep him and the family in your prayers. I called Sister Natalie and had a nice talk. Tuesday was the World Day of Prayers for All in Consecrated Life.

When last I wrote, I was frustrated about the snow. Well, it finally came on Tuesday, the 27th. It messed up stuff again because we had to cancel the interviews again and I had to cancel my dentist appointment, I also had to cancel Joan’s and my trip up to see Betty Neary. I just “hung around” and tried to “doctor” my cold, which was just hanging on.

On Wednesday, after the 8am and 11am Masses, I took to my bed so see if I could break up all this congestion. I also got a prescription from my doctor. Did not sleep well.

Thursday, I did the 11am Mass, and then returned to bed. I used the cough syrup with codeine and I did sleep through the night.

On Friday, the 30th, I was scheduled for the 6:30 and 8AM Masses but Fr. Ron stopped by my room and insisted that he would take the Masses; we finally settled on him having the 6:30 and my sleeping in and taking the 8. Well, the codeine was still in my system and so I was woozy all morning. I just stayed in my office and used the oxygen. It began to snow around the 11am, so I decided to drive over to the Dominican retreat center in Virginia. I checked in and went to bed for about 4 hours. The retreat didn’t start till around 6pm and I felt a lot better by then. The retreat was for Separated and Divorced Catholics and we were about thirty. It was a great retreat in that I just gave some thoughts for reflection and sharing and then the retreatents in small groups shared their experiences. I found it difficult to get around to the rooms because of the wires, etc. for my oxygen; but God sent a special “angel”, whom I’ve known for years to be on the retreat and get me up and down and settled in for every session. I went to bed at 10:45.

Saturday, the 31st was a full day. After the morning sessions and Mass, I drove back to Blessed Sacrament for the memorial Mass for Kevin. It was very beautiful and his family planned it so perfectly. I would say there must have been a couple of hundred people there. Brian spoke after Communion and it was excellent. Also as Kevin played the clarinet in St. John’s High School band, no Mulholland gathering was complete until at the insistence of his grandmothers, he play “Strangers on the Shore”. A neighbor played it after Brian spoke. I only knew it as an instrumental but the family put the words on the back of the program – and it was just right.

I returned to the retreat after the Mass and my favorite part was the afternoon and evening – when we have time for the sacrament of reconciliation or a chance to just talk. I went to bed around midnight.

Sunday morning, Feb 1st, we had a couple of large group sharing and Mass. I think it was a time of grace for most of us. I know it was for me as I learn more and more about a group in the Church, whom we have not served well and I hope we are now reaching out in a larger way to remind them – and all of us – that we are a family.

I came home and slept for about three hours and then had the 5:30pm Mass. I didn’t have to preach because it is the first of three weekends for the Cardinal’s appeal. Fr. Ron preached – and he was great.
I went to bed. I watched some of the game but mostly I slept. I didn’t use the syrup with the codeine on the retreat and so I just used Nyquil, there and Sunday night. I will use it when I can stay in bed and wake up when I want to.

Today, I had the 8AM Mass and was late coming over and getting ready. I sat for most of it. I had a stool at the altar and felt well enough to preach. It the World Day of Prayer for all in consecrated life and I talked about the great sisters and brothers and religious order priests who have served us so well – asking God to give them the reward of their works.

Now, I’m sitting at my desk, relaxing and waiting to finally have some of those Confirmandi interviews. I’m drinking soup and feeling a little better. Early to bed tonight as I am giving a day of recollection at Leisure World tomorrow.