Again, I don’t know how I missed yesterday – it may have been the two margueritas!
Yesterday, we had the rest of the school confessions from 8:30 till around 10. Of course, they were wonderful and lots of kids were reminded of how much God loves them – and isn’t that what Christmas is about!
Then I met with one of my RCIA makeups and then had the 11:00am Mass. I preached on St. John, who is one of my favorites and for whom I have a special place in my heart. On his feast day in 1972, I trudged over to the church at St. Camillus for the 6:30am Mass. It was dark and cold outside and it had snowed. I could see the footprints of Mrs. Dolan, our housekeeper, who had already trudged over for Mass. When I got there, she and a woman in the back of the church were the congregation. I got through the Mass – I was even less a morning person then! And afterwards, the lady came into the sacristy to ask why I hadn’t preached about John of the Cross. I said, “Who?”. It seems that she had a great devotion to him and although she had 12 children, she had trudged – well no, actually driven – through the snow to hear a reflection about him to get her through the day. That woman was Loretta Favret and it began a long friendship that endures to today. Actually on the road today, I phoned – hands free – she and Andy and announced myself as the spiritual director of the Saint John of the Cross Society and I was surprised not to see them at the 11:00am Mass at Blessed Sacrament. We had lots of laughs and I got updated about the familly. Ah, St. Camillus – the best parish in the Archdiocese for a newly ordained.
After Mass, I went to the Christmas luncheon at the Knights of Columbus in Rock Creek park. My cousin, Ann Brown O’Connell had invited me. She has a great little group of ladies from St. Jane de Chantal parish who come to this and I have met them many times. It was good to see them and meet some more friends of hers. Also Jean Horan, who is the godmother of one of the Murphy children (from Virginia) was there and we had a nice visit.
As I was to hear confessions out at Barnesville at 4, I decided to go out early before the traffic on 270 got bad. I got out around 2 and took a nap. The bed was so comfortable and there wasn’t a sound outside. Confessions were great and then, Fr. Kevin, Fr. Jack McFarland, and Fr. Luis, a Jesuit who teaches at Loyola College all had a delicious supper and then had a parish service at 7:30. Again the confessions were great. I was home by 9:30pm and went right to bed. I didn’t want to come to the office and I’m boycotting the computer in the rectory for now – so that’s why no message yesterday. St. John of the Cross, pray for us and help us to handle better our crosses.
Glad you entered the word “late” in your heading or I would have thought you were getting like your first pastor……