What Paddy Shot At

Today is mi dia de libre. (my DAY OFF) and I am spending it upstairs in my suite this morning. I thought I’d write a message.

Barbara and Peter stopped by with supper for me on Saturday and we talked about her sister’s funeral in Washington state. She had a copy of the reflection she gave and it was delightful. She is my old friend from St. Michael’s, Beth McCoy’s niece and lives in the parish. I’ve had some great times with them. They introduce me to “new things” like supper, which was a Southeastern stew (not too picante as we Irish don’t eat spicy foods). It was very good and we had a nice visit.

We had a decent size snow storm on Saturday after I wrote and my friend, Carolyn drove over and picked me up to take me to the church for the 5:30 pm Mass. She also dropped me back at the rectory. I went to bed quickly

I slept in on Sunday and although the slush had mostly gone away, Carolyn brought me over to the parish center and helped me get ready for the baptism. It was lovely and quite a crowd. He was perfect and his grandmother had a picture of his father when he was his age (3 months) and he is the spitting image. It was nice to see relatives and other friends. I had not intended to go to the luncheon because I don’t do well even walking about ten feet; but Rick and Peg said, “O come, we’ll make it work” and they did. I had a great time with lots of laughs. I was glad to know that with Monday, a holiday, I could sleep in – and I did.

Stayed in my suite and worked on my Christmas cards.

Yesterday, I was scheduled for the 8am Mass but I was asked to take the 11 instead and I was again, glad to sleep in. I stayed in my office till lunch and then I returned to the rectory. God bless, Joan, she followed me over when I rode the scooter and then took it back to be recharged. I was suppose to go to a SDC gathering but I “Wimped out”. They were understanding, as they always are. I just hung around and made some phone calls. I was in bed by 7pm.

Today, Lila, the principal from St. Michael’s is stopping by to visit as she has a meeting at the Pastoral Center. After our visit, she will dropped me off at O’Boyle. I hope to visit Fr. Tom Kane. Fr. Tim Daley is up from Florida and he will drive Fr. T and me to Annapolis to have dinner with the Petrones. The ladies will bring me home. I have the 8am Mass tomorrow.

Please keep all the sick in your prayers and know that you are in mine.

Hello, I hope you are already having a good Lent. I just got home from a few days in Baltimore, where I participated in the Mid-Atlantic Congress. It is an opportunity to hear speakers about Evangelizing in our world. There are good talks and lots of exhibitors who sell (and give away) materials to help in the process.  I also had a chance to see old friends and catch up on their lives.

First, let me bring you up to date since last I wrote, which was February 1st.

First, I guess I was hacked because people keep telling me that they got emails from me that promise them money.  Please ignore them and try not to even open them. My brother-in-law, Rick had the best answer when one of his sons got a request for $200. He said, “I knew it wasn’t from Uncle Maury. He would have asked for a thousand!” So please ignore them. I think it was from Facebook and I have changed whatever needed to be changed or it may have  been Yahoo and I’ve changed that too. Buyer be ware!!

The weather has been very confusing and so I haven’t been out much. I even held my interviews for those to be confirmed over here in the rectory.  All I had to do was stay over here after lunch and take a nap and they came over after 3pm and I rode down on my chair and we met in the dining room. I love when they tell me about their Saint Name or the Community Service or their Sponsor. They put a lot of time and thought into their choices. I must have met with about 30 of them. It went well and Confirmation is next Saturday.

In looking over my appointment book, I see that aside from Masses and Confessions, I really have not done a lot. I’m met with a number of people in my office or here in the rectory. I have a small list of people that I phone regularly but I don’t go out like I use to. I did have Mary Healey’s funeral and was it windy at the cemetery. I saw some old friends from St. B’s. Please keep Mary’s family in your prayers.

I went out shopping with the Petrone ladies and we had a great time but I still haven’t found the best way to get a “scooter”. I really do need it as I learned at the Congress. I rented one and without it, I could never have gotten around. I’ll try again next week as the weather is going to be better.  I am finding more time to read and I am still working on my Christmas letter, which I  can say definitively “will not be out by Lent!” I also phone and “catch up” with lots of people.

I have the 5:30pm Mass tonight and tomorrow I will baptize William James, the grandchild of Rick and Peg Jensen, my cousins who are kind and take me out to put wreathes on the graves of our ancestors and other family fun.  I officiated at Kate Jensen and James Collins wedding two years ago and now the next generation of the family continues. Please keep them all in your prayers. Also continue to pray for Father Beattie and Father Trancone, Mary Mudd, and Betty Neary. So much illness this time of the year.

I think I’ll send this off. Hope you had a wonderful Ash Wednesday. We had a King Cake for Mardi Gras and then entered into the joy and sacrifice of Lent. Let us pray for each other.

Hello again.

I want to bring you up to date since I only wrote that brief message last Sunday and have not sent a real message since December. I had a good Advent and heard lots of confessions, which is one of the things I really enjoy. People can come to my office and we just talk. Once I am seated, my breathing gets settled down and I can go for a long time. Also, we had a parish penance service with two or three other priests joining us and a lot of people to advantage of the opportunity to prepare for Christmas. We also had a number of dinners and celebrations here in the rectory for various groups, teachers and ushers and members of committees. I stop by but come up to my suite and go to bed early. I find that I am often in bed before Jeopardy finishes. I do sleep through the night and wake refreshed.

I don’t go out much – although I did get a ride to Riderwood for Judge Bob Wallace’s’ funeral. I preached and con-celebrated with two priest friends. It was nice to see so many old friends from St. Camillus and TEAMS.  I came home and stayed in my suite for a couple of days. The weather has been so changeable that I don’t know what to do. I had lots of offers for Thanksgiving but I con celebrated the 10AM Mass and then came over here and relaxed.  I did a few Baptisms because family was in town for the holiday. I was glad to do them.

I have discovered when I went to visit the doctor that although I have air in my lungs from my machine; when I get up to move that air goes into my blood stream to go to my feet and my hands. The machine doesn’t replenish it at the same rate and so that is why I am panting often. If I sit for awhile, it goes back to normal breathing; but it means I need to go up to church about 20 minutes before Mass, get settled in the priest’s chair and stay there till the Offertory, when I am helped to my stool behind the altar.  It is all part of “diminishment” that Fr. Peter and I often talked about because of his illness. I pray that I can accept it as graciously as he did. Keep that in your prayers.

Christmas was lovely and I con-celebrated 4 Masses. My cousins, part of the Gibbon’s clan came and we had a great visit after one of them. Lots of good food (and too many cookies!) filled our kitchen. On New Year’s Eve, Maggie, Mike and Sue, and Sue’s Mom, Janice (from Kansas) and I went to a great Brazilian restaurant for lots of meat. Then I went to their house and spent the night. On January 1st, we went to BINGO (too hard to explain why we did but it was fun).  On Tuesday, the 2nd, Maggie and I were driven to the Port of Baltimore and we went on a nine day cruise down the coast to the Bahamas. We joined Pat Berry, his brother Bill and his wife Kate, Sister Kass and two parishioners from her parish. a dear friend, Anna-Marie from St. Bernard’s and two of my cousins from the Denny family. When we left Baltimore, it was 8 degrees. We traveled through a snow storm coming up the coast and when we got to Charleston, they had two inches of snow and ice (first time in 35 years!). When we stopped in Port Canaveral, it was 60 degrees and finally when we got to the Island, it was in the 80’s. I didn’t mind as I had a scooter that took me around the ship and I was breathing normally when I got to where I was going. I slept a lot and read two books (which I love to do). On the way home, the engine broke and we had to go back to Florida for repairs. A lot of people were ill and some got off and flew home from Orlando. We ended up being on the cruise for 11 days and didn’t get home till Saturday. Our young priest, Fr. Alec told me not to worry that he and his priest friends would cover everything – and they did. He sent me to bed and I did the 10:30am Mass in the gym on Sunday. Everyone said I looked very rested – and I guess I did.

I forgot to say that one of my teeth cracked and on Monday, I went to the dentist. That Friday, two of my teeth were extracted. My good friend, Colleen took me and stayed with me. They couldn’t put me out because of the oxygen but I was loaded with Novocaine and my mouth felt like Mt. Rushmore. All that is over with now and I am working on my Christmas cards and letter. Hope to be out before Lent. Had a very pleasant surprise this week as Mary Lynne and Frankie Costanza (who were great friends during my high school days). They and David Northrop (Mary’s husband) came to visit me when the Northrop’s came up from North Carolina to visit family. It was like we’d been together a month ago.

Lots of people need prayers – especially those dealing with the flue. Also Fr. Beattie and Mary Mudd were in hospitals. Both are home but please keep them in your prayers. Father T is undergoing lots of test for his eye sight. A dear friend from St. B’s died this week and I will do her service on Friday. Please keep Mary Healy and her family in your prayers. Also Susie Ford died out on the west coast. She is the cousin of the McCoy family. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. Also please keep Rose and Patty Petrone in your prayers. They are so good to Fr. T and me.

That kind of brings you up to date. I know I forgot so many nice events and people I have seen or talked to but they know how much I enjoyed that.

Now that I know my password again; I will try to be more faithful. Know that you are in my prayers and thoughts daily.