When last I wrote, it was Holy Saturday. I had participated in Holy Thursday and the 3pm Good Friday service but I decided not to join the Vigil as I think we were having a number of Baptisms and Confirmations. I ended up watching the Pope in Rome and fell asleep early.
Fr. Regis joined me in my suite for coffee and a sweet role and then he headed back to Delaware. I relaxed and called some family and friends and around 4:30, Carolyn came and drove me over to the sacristy. I had the 5:30pm Mass and it was full. Deacon Angel did the sprinkling and he read the Gospel. I preached from the chair and then went to the stool at the altar. I used the machine and had sufficient oxygen for the whole Mass. After Mass, Carolyn drove me home and I used a large tube to come back. She made eggs and bacon for us in the kitchen and we had a great Easter Dinner/Breakfast. I was in bed by 9pm.
Next morning, even though the office was closed, Joan came and brought my cart over so I could ride over to the parish main room and visit with Nora Walsh. She is from Ireland and has been a member of the Tuesdays with Maury group. She had a fall and is living in a residence just down Connecticut Ave. A lot of parishioners visit her but some arranged for the van to bring her here for a “reunion”. She went to church and saw all the Easter decorations, then we had some refreshments and visited. Father Mike Roach, from Baltimore and Father Larry McNeil, a Harrisburg retired priest – who was with me at St. Vincent’s in Latrobe – and like Michael is a church historian, came and joined us. Nora was thrilled – three priest and all Irish. Mike goes to Ireland every year as he still has relatives and some are near Nora’s people. Then Mike, Larry, and I came to the rectory and talked clergy stuff. When they left, I went and took a nap. It was a fun day.
On Tuesday, Denise, a nurse liaison from Sibley Hospital, came and met with me about Hospice. I asked Joan to join us as I don’t always remember what information. It was very informative and when I am not able to do things at church, I can stay in my suite and I would qualify for hospice. That may still be, pray God, moths or even years away but as I must have the oxygen 24 hours a day. There will come a time when even at 100%, it will mot be enough. My body will just wear out but I am preparing for that – again not soon. I have 2 baptisms in May, a first Mass in June, and a wedding in September. I am hoping to be able to do to Priests Day in July at St. Vincent’s, so I just needed to get information and paperwork. I’m glad I did. Also that day, I got a great delivery of 16 E tubes of oxygen
Wednesday, the 24th, I had a full day of visitors. I think I used three tubes that day but it was so much easier to talk. First, Sharon Beall came to visit. She was president of the Teen group at St. Camillus and now is a retired Secret Service agent. She is also a grandmother of two darling children, whose pictures I demanded she bring with her. She is also, like me, interested in genealogy and so we laughed and reminisced. I had a great time.
Later, June and Barbara Jean Rainy, whose grandparents I use to bring Communion to when I was a young priest at St. Camillus, came to visit. I had re-connected with them, when their mother was ill at Leisure World. I went to visit her a number of time and we had great talks about the old days in DC. She was a close friend of my cousin, Catherine O’Connell Jensen and my Uncle Will and Aunt Josie. They brought some pictures I had not seen on my visits to their Mom. We laughed and cried a little – I had their Mom’s funeral a couple of years ago at St. Patrick’s in Norbeck.
Then at 4pm, Msgr. Charlie Parry, who is now the pastor of St. Patrick’s and whom I have known since he was in high school, came to visit and have supper. We use to travel together and during Lent, the TV kept showing pictures of the Holy Land, so I called him. We had a great pilgrimage to the Holy Land with nine other friends and I kept seeing us saying Mass at Bethlehem or at the Tomb. He moved out to a neighboring parish and I called and welcomed him but then I got tied up with the oxygen and we didn’t get together. Fr. Alex joined us for dinner and I found out that he had been with Charlie as a seminarian almost nine years ago. We had a great time and a very good dinner. I think we’ll try it again soon.
Thursday, I stayed in my suite and recovered. I did ride my cart over to the church around 6pm for a wedding rehearsal at 7pm. The groom to be drove me home and I went to bed.
Friday, the 26th, I did a lot of “clean up” at my desk and stayed in my pajamas all day.
Because there was so much going on in the church, I came over to the sacristy around 10am. I got on my machine and sat in the sacristy. There was a funeral at 11 and I wanted to be sure that everyone will be out around noon; to get ready for the wedding at 1pm. A very nice seminarian named Ben, who is at John Paul II seminary and will be our “summer seminarian” came and helped me. He was great and I told him that I’m looking forward to his living here with us. The wedding was beautiful and the bride and groom just glowed. There were over 200 guests but I wasn’t up to going to the reception – but I hear it was great also!!!
I had the 12:30pm Mass and the deacon preached, so I came right home and met with Sister Agnes and some of the SDC group who had been at the reception. We had a great visit. Then two ladies, one from the parish – Julie, and the other – Margaret Witte, is a friend whom I met through Mike Roach, when we were working at Camp Vincent de Paul. Years later, I reconnected with her through a family at Good Counsel. Catholic circles are large and inter- connected. Both of the ladies were roommates at Georgetown school of nursing. We had a lot of stories to share. They accompanied me to my suite to make sure my oxygen was up – I had been talking so much, I didn’t notice it was in the red. But we continued the visit till I was “rosy cheeked” again. What a great day that was.
On Monday, I called for another delivery of oxygen for Tuesday and spent the day in my suite filling the small bottles.
Tuesday was the first anniversary of Agnes Zane’s death. She had been a great friend at St. B’s and I celebrated a memorial Mass for her last year. The Zane family lived on 59th Avenue in Riverdale and I am close to her daughter, Daria and her husband, John. I got my oxygen delivery.
Today is Gail Douglas’ birthday. I’ve been trying to talk with her for about six months; I finally did yesterday and we “caught up”. She had heart surgery and is even now in rehab. She seems to be good but can’t drive and so we will try to work on someway to get together. My cousin, Rick came and took me (and 3 tubes of oxygen) to the retired priests’ meeting and luncheon. He is so good to me and was willing to stay and listen to all of our stories about being young priests and all the characters we knew. Lots of laughs.
I started this when I got home around 2pm but I ran out of steam and left it as a draft. It is now Thursday, the 2nd and I talked with Joe Stoutz today and we might try to get together during the summer. Anthony, Fr. T’s nephew is in a rehab place but doing well. Keep all the sick in your prayers. Tomorrow, May 3rd is Sister Kass’ birthday. More next week.