What Paddy Shot At

I got up early and got all my stuff together for the wedding. Then I went and got my cousin, Ann Brown O’Connell, who is now the “matriach” of the clan and is the widow of my cousin, Ed O’Connell , who was my Godfather. We headed to Southern Maryland. It was pouring and the weather didn’t look good for the wedding.

It was at Jesus, the Divine Word parish in Huntingtown. The church is beautiful and the pastor, Fr. Dan Leary was most hospitable. Christine is the wedding co-ordinator and helped to make it all go smoothly.

Tim wore a kilt and Kerri had a beautiful dress that allowed her to wear her McLaughlin tartan on her sholder. At the time of the “Our Father, the two mothers came up and joined the tartan of their family to the tartan being worn by their child’s spouse. It was very touching.

The rain had stopped by the time Mass ended and so we all drove in cloudy skies up to the reception at the Dunkirk Fire House. There were about 200 and the food was delicious and the music (live) was superb. It was nice to see all the family and lots of friends of Kerri and Tim.

Since I have the 7:30am Mass tomorrow and it is Palm Sunday, I decided to come home after a couple of hours. Ann and I drove back quickly as there was little traffic. I am going to bed early and will write tomorrow while over in the parish center.

It was too warm in my room to try the c-pap, so I used the oxgyen and slept fine.
I went to the center around 9am and the first graders came and sang for us. It was cute and animated and informed us that Jesus wasn’t in the tomb! Brightened my morning.
Then Lorna came and I was pushing the wrong button and actually was making the water in the machine hotter and that’s why I couldn’t breathe. She corrected some other errors and I am looking forward to try the machine tonight.
Ann Wilson (who was Sister Ann Robert, principal of St. Camillus in 1972) called and I am going to have her mom’s funeral on Monday at St. Jame’s in Mt. Ranier. She was a good mentor to me when I first got to the parish and we’re see each other at SND events over the years.
I am going up to say the 5:30pm Mass and may stay for the Stations, which Fr. Jim has. I’ll go to bed early as I plan to pick up my cousin, Ann at 11am and we’ll go together to Kerri’s wedding. Read the rest of this entry »

As I write this, I am at Maggie’s. I came down last night and met with her and Tim and Kerri to finish up the paperwork. The rehearsal is tonight and I would like to be able to hand over to FR. Dan Leary, the pastor all the work done correctly. I slept till 9:00am and then went and got my beard trimmed and the hair above my ears cut back.
I just got off the phone with my travel agent and she is going to send me information about a cruise for either the summer or the early fall.
Now we are waiting for Maureen and Rick to arrive. (I will pause and finish this later tonight)
Am back and it is now just past midnight.
Maureen and Rick and their son, Mark arrived around 2pm and Maggie had told me to take them out to lunch at this new restaurant in Dunkirk, which has the best cream of crab soup in the county. Well she was right! and of course, those poor people in Georgia never get anything like our Maryland crabs!!!
At 5:30 we all went to Jesus the Divine Word Church in Huntingtown for the wedding rehearsal. It went very well and afterwards we went to a great dinner hosted by Tim’s parents at another lovely and delicious restaurant in Prince Frederick. (All this good Southern Maryland cooking is not good for me – I’m afraid I’ll have to start a diet and exercise after Easter) Ha Ha, just checking to see if you were still reading this.
After the dinner, Maureen, Rick, Mark, Maggie and I went to Maggie’s house and played cards. We had a great time.
Now I am back at the rectory because tomorrow, Laura is going to come at 10:00am and help me with the c-pap (I learned today that it is not c-pac or c-pad but c-pap) Well off to bed.

I gave an very good homily about Pope St. Martin at the 8:00am Mass this morning because he is the last of the Popes to be declared a martyr. He opposed a heresy that the Emperor liked and so he was taken from Rome to Constantinople and tortured and died of his beatings. He was still pope but the people of Rome chose Eugene in his place. Martin was hurt by this but resigned so as not to cause trouble. Eugene turned out to be a good pope and is a saint as well. Just love church history.

I had a rough night and couldn’t use the c-pad and so after Mass, I went back to bed and slept for about 4 hours.

Now I am seeing to first communicants and then driving out to Barnesville and hearing CCD confessions, having dinner, and then participating in a parish penance service. Then I’ll drive to Maggie’s and spend the night. Maureen and Rick will arrive tomorrow and the wedding rehearsal is Thursday night and I’ll be home on Friday. The wedding is Saturday so I don’t know when I’ll write again.

Once again, I don’t know where yesterday went. I had the 8:00am Mass and then drove to Baltimore and went to lunch with Sister Natalie, who was my kindergarten and first grade teacher. She lives at Villa Julie in Stevenson, Md. She told me yesterday that she was 84 but that is hard to believe. We had a great visit.

Then I had a first Communion interview and then John, Jim, and I went to Ruth Chris’ Steak House with Regis and Mike, who teach at Catholic and help out here on Sundays. We had a great time and wonderful food and we used some gift cards we had each gotten for Christmas. We needed them as it was not inexpensive.

I had another rough night with the c-pad and ended up using the oxygen instead. I did call and Friday, Lorna who taught me about the machine will come and try to re-educate me!

This morning I got up early (after not much sleep) and went to Stone Ridge, where I did the Mass with the lower school for Earth Day. The kindergarten led us and did a superb job. When I left it was a downpour so I came home and went to bed. I slept about four hours and then came over to the center.

I exposed the Blessed Sacrament around 3pm and stayed for a visit. Then I had two more children for first Communion. Then I had the 5:30pm Mass. Jim Beattie and Tom Duffy were waiting for me after Mass and we drove to Sergio’s, a very nice Italian restaurant in Silver Spring. We met Joe Ranieri and had a great meal and lots of laughs. I think I will head to bed.

Last night, I wrote about my Saturday but the computer froze up and so I left it till this morning, thinking it would be alright but it wasn’t and so I lost it. Basically I talked about the afternoon of reflection that I gave for the Sodality at Our Lady of the Visitation in Darnestown, Ray Fecteau’s parish. It went very well and it was on the four stations of the Cross in which Jesus interacts with women. Also I talked about the attitude of Jesus towards women that is so clear in the scriptures. I heard a lot of confessions from 3:30 till 5:30, so for me, it was a very good day.

Today, we heard the students’ confessions in Sunday school and I had the 10:30 Mass in the gym and the 12:30 in the church. I love the gospel and once again I had the people sit because it is a long story. I had a good idea of how the three long gospels of the last few weeks really show Jesus drawing out Faith from the woman at the well, the blind man, and the sisters of Lazarus. I think it worked!
I did find that group I was looking for last week and as my opening prayer I read a prayer from Prayers by Michel Quoist. Then this afternoon, I met a woman who started RCIA in Virginia and joined us in January. She had missed some classes so we met to “catch up”. She was lovely and will be joining the church at the Easter Vigil.
Now I am heading out to Our Lady of Lourdes for the 6:30pm Mass for the Serra Club. Fr. John Dillion is the moderator and he is taking treatment for cancer and asked if I could come and con- celebrate. If he isn’t feeling well enough, I’ll be the main celebrant and preach.
Then I’m going to bed!!

Today is one of the days that the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur celebrate as a feast of their foundress, St. Julie Brilliart. So I try to remember at Mass and prayers all the wonderful religious women I have known in that community – living and deceased. Sad to say, the second list continues to grow.

I did better with my c-pad last night and slept later than usual. I came over to the center around 10:00am and had the 11:00 Mass. I heard confessions and stopped into the first grade, which is meeting in one of the conference rooms because the flood in the school messed up their classrooms. Hopefully all will be back to normal next week.

I worked on wedding information most of the afternoon and as I have the stations of the Cross at 6pm, I just called Sister Natalie, who was my kindergarten and first grade teacher and wished her a happy feast day. I may drive down to Maggie’s to help with the program for the wedding. I am going up to Darnestown tomorrow for an afternoon of reflection so I can sleep in tomorrow if I get back late tonight.

I went on line to write this and found yesterday’s never went. I am just not getting the hang of this.

Slept well last night and came over for the 11am Mass. When I got here, I saw in my book that I had agreed to hear confessions for school children at a nearby parish. I called to apologize and the pastor said it was OK but I felt badly.
Then, as I had to go to the Credit Union, I stopped by to see Marie. Had a nice visit also with Danny Schmidt. Traffic was terrible and everywhere they are repairing the roads; I was glad to get home. Interviews three first Communicants and then a young man stopped by just to talk. Now I am heading back to the rectory, some food, and TV and then bed.

It’s Thursday and I just found this in my unpublished list. Don’t know what happened – Maury

I had a very pleasant sleep last night and woke up around 7:00am ready to move. I came over and had the 8:00am Mass. The first reading was from Isaiah and was very consoling – assuring us that God loves us so much that even if someone as close to us as our Mother would forget us, He never would.

After Mass, I did a lot of paperwork on four marriages I am working on and I felt as good as I did when the taxes were done.

I went over to the St. John Vianney House, which use to be the convent at Holy Redeemer parish in Kensington. It is now a house for priests, especially those in Southern Maryland, to come and spend a day or night. Also priests support groups meet there and on the first Wednesday, a group of retired or senior priests come and visit and then have lunch. Today we had a great discussion about books on Lincoln and the conspiracy. All but two of the priests are guys I’ve known for years and those two I have come to know; so it is a very pleasent time.

Then I went shopping for another pair of black pants and some more short sleeve shirts.

I worked all afternoon as clearing this desk and then I had a little girl, Anna, for her first Communion interview.

I’m going to head over to the rectory and get something to eat and then I’ll come back for “The Light is on for You” confessions in the church from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Then I hope another pleasant sleep.

I set my alarm and got up at 7am in order to be over for 8:00am Mass. I got over to the center and discovered I hadn’t looked at the right week and that I had the 11:00am Mass. That worked well, so I could work on my taxes some more.

Someone called to have confession before Mass and after Mass, I finished up the taxes.

I had five children for First Communion interviews and then I drove over and met Marie for dinner at the diner in Greenbelt. Afterwards, I stopped by to see Joan and was able to pass on my tax material to Mary Rose Mudd, who has been keeping me out of jail for the last few years.

Just had a nice phone conversation with the Hanratty’s and now I’m off to bed as tomorrow, I DO have the 8:00am Mass