What Paddy Shot At

Drove up to Barnesville and was surprised to see how much snow is still on the ground. The funeral went very well. The deacon preached and he made it very personal. Her name is Sally and her husband, Joe, had three children and moved out to the area from Wheaton, where Good Counsel was in the 70’s. It was still very rural and she was a nurse –

I am still learning about this process. Yesterday, I wrote a lengthly message and then noticed that the TV was off and my phone didn’t have any information on the screen, which meant it too was off. I saved the message as a draft and went and found a book and got in bed and read for awhile. Sometime during the night, the TV went on and so I figured that the power was back.

This morning I opened this site and discovered that the computer did not save as a draft, my long message. I have the 12:30pm Mass and then I am driving to St. Mary’s county for a TEAM meeting. I’ll try to reconstruct in my mind as I drive what I wrote yesterday and send that tonight.

I am back in my room at Blessed Sacrament after a long day of travel. Pat and I had breakfast around 6:30am and then went to a lounge from which we were to disembark. At 7:25, Pat thought he heard “group 4 to leave” but I didn’t. The girl who was in charge was very tired and spoke softly. But we got off and found our luggage and went through customs and suddenly at 7:50am we were outside of the port and not another member of our group was in sight.

Slowly others came out and brrrrrrrrr it was 60 degrees and many – not me – found the weather a big adjustment. Once we all got there, a bus picked us up and took us to the Ft. Lauderdale airport. We went through the kiosk (a kind of computer check in) easily and then security and we went to sit for our 11:55am flight to DC.

Well, our plane was coming from Hartford and they had a lot of snow there and so it was late leaving for DC. There was more snow in DC (the schools were closed) and so it was late leaving for Florida. It arrived at 1:15pm and it was the quickest cleanup and turn around on record. We were in the air at 2:05.

The flight was easy but packed! We got to Washington around 4:15. Our bus was waiting for us and we headed to St. Mary’s county. We got there and picked up Maggie’s car and headed up to Dunkirk. We were hoping to me some of her family at the BINGO at the fire house – we hadn’t had enough of that on the cruise!!!! But when we got there it had been cancelled, so we went to Mama Lucia’s to drown our sorrows in food!

I left Marie and Maggie at Maggie’s; picked up my car – and just learned by phone that I also took Maggie’s car keys!!! and I headed home. I called Joan to catch up on things and learned that today, January 28th is Eileen and Phil Ballenger’s 50th wedding anniversary. Since I was the altar boy at their wedding, I felt a congratulatory phone call was needed. It was 10pm and Phil was already in bed but Eileen – true to her O’Connell family tradition as a late nighter – was up late and we had a great phone conversation. Then I called Maggie and Marie to tell them and I think they called even later that night.

I was suppose to hear first confessions tomorrow at Our Lady of the Visitation but the storm knocked out the power at the church and so Fr. Ray Fecteau, my friend and classmate, called to tell me they had to reschedule. That worked our fine as I also have an 11am at St. Mary’s in Barnesville as my friend, Fr. Kevin, is away. Fortunately, the deacon, who knows this lady well will preach but I will be able to get out to Barnsville early.

Although I still think of St. Thomas Aquinas on March 7th, I am trying to accept the move of his feast to today. So to all the Thomases who have enriched my life with their humor, their intelligence, and their kindness, I wish a very happy feast day.

A special “shout out” to Fr. Thomas Aquinas Novak, SDS who was our Dean of Men at Mt. St. Paul Seminary and who helped to shape us into loving priests.

I have the 5:30pm Mass tomorrow night and then I think it is to bed early.

We just finished our last supper. We were able to have early seating again and although we really liked our late seating waiters, it is better for Maggie, Rick, and Maureen to eat earlier, so we’ve been grateful to the maitr’d for arranging some early dinners.

Today, I learned a new card game – Phase 10. It is a lot like the progressive rummy that we play but has some twist and special cards. I played with Betty Tennyson, (her Dad,) Benedict Raley, and Miss Connie. I lost but I had a good time.

Went to the last talk by Melinda about the White House. I finished her book and gave it to Pat, who has already finished it; so now I’ll pass it on to someone else.

I decided to read one of Fr. Andrew Greeley’s book and am almost finished – maybe tonight.

All reports tell us that the airports in DC will be open, so we should not have any problems getting home. We have to pick up Maggie’s carat St. Michael’s and then I should be back at Blessed Sacrament by 9pm. On Saturday morning, I’ll go to Our Lady of the Visitation and hear first confessions and then go to St. Mary’s, Barnesville for an 11am funeral and back to Blessed Sacrament for 5;30pm Mass. I guess I needed this trip, not so much to recover as to prepare me for the weekend.

I will probably write again over the weekend.

Today is our last port, Grand Cayman. Marie and Maggie went off and I haven’t seen them. I went to the pool with Maureen and Rick because I figured I better get some color. I hate having sunburn, so I really avoid the outside but I spent the time of a Rosary (about 15 minutes) and that will do it for me.

Then we went to Trivia, which was very hard. You add subtract, or divide numbers and then the final total, you turn upside down and read it backwards and it is a word that a calculator would make. It was very confusing and our team (#3) got one answer. As he called out the other team’s scores, when he said #3 we said, “we showed up” – which is the American equivilant of What Paddy Shot At.

Last night was the last formal night and we had a group picture taken. I hope to learn how to put a picture into Paddy when I get home. We had late seating and I left the table early because I wanted to see The State of the Union talk. Who is representative Bauchman??????

I heard from St. Mary’s in Barnesville asking me to do a funeral on Saturday. I’ll have to wait and see what the snow does to our travel plans. We are suppose to be home on Friday.

I came up here last night at midnight and it still wasn’t on line, so I went down and watched TV.

Have no idea if the weather will make a difference about our getting home tomorrow. I expect to be able to write one last message later tonight.

I love this feast day because in 1959, on this day, Blessed Pope John XIII was celebrating the feast at the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Wall and proclaimed his intention to call a “Council”. It became Vatican II and changed my life and that of many in the world. Viva Johanne!!!

I have been really just relaxing and reading a wonderful book by the lady who was the director of the office of White House visitors. She has given three talks and then I bought her book. She is a great speaker and writes just as she speaks. It also turns out that she is a graduate of Blessed Sacrament, Visitation High School, and Georgetown. We had a nice visit today. She lives now in Mexico and we don’t seem to know anyone in common but I am really enjoying the book. I have put my 1100 page book on Christianity off to the side till I get home.

I got a nice message from Sally Curley, who was from St. Camillus and lives and works at Resurrection parish in Burtonsville. I will contact her when I get home but it was great to hear from her. The word must be getting out about the blog.

Yesterday I had lunch with a lovely couple from St. Anne’s in Bethany Beach, Del who know the Favret’s and the Wallace’s. They had come to the Mass on Saturday and just said hello. We had a nice visit. They are Joe and Regina. ( I told her I’d remember that even if I didn’t get their last name as Regina McGreevy was my first high school girl friend and my life has been speckled with great Reginas since!)

Yesterday, the group (16 of us) met in one of the cabins with a balcony and had drinks. I knew everyone but it was nice for the rest of my family to meet everyone. Later tonight, we will have formal night and get a group photo on the stairs at 8:15pm. Then go to the last formal dinner. We will go to late seating as everyone shows up for dinner tonight.

We played Trivia and Bingo today as it is a sea day. Tomorrow is the last port – the Grand Cayman but I will stay on board and try to get a little color (I think I need #46) We Irish are so fair.

Was happy to see the Steelers win and tonight we should be able to get at least some of the State of the Union talk.

I’ll try to write tomorrow.

Had a very nice (and short) Vigil Mass last night. Word had gotten around that there would be a Mass at 5:30 in one of the conference rooms and so in addition to our group of 16, there were about 60 others. I started off by explaining that this was like the Masses I would say for the scouts in my parish and so it is very informal. I also explained that I didn’t have any clerical clothes or an alb but that I did have a green stole. I only had one chalice, so we’d only have Communion under one form. I asked for any Eucharistic Ministers, and Joe from New York volunteered. Sister Gloria read the first reading and the responsorial psalm. Rick read the 2nd reading. It was interesting to hear Gloria’s Baltimore accent and Rick’s Georgian accent. We did stand for the Gospel since we hadn’t left port yet but we sat for all the rest until the Our Father and sign of peace. My homily was brief as I explained to them that the priest who taught us how to give homilies said, “it should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. And not too much space between the beginning and the end”. Of course, there was no collection and from start to finish it was 26 minutes. My sisters told me later that a number of the congregation asked if I could come to their parishes. See, the grass always looks greener….

According to the paper, there is suppose to be a Mass later today by someone who will come on from shore. I might go and see what his homily is like.

Speaking of quotes, a very nice lady named Cindy wrote to tell me that my quote from JFK was, as she wrote “JFK was remembering Edmund Burke who wrote ‘those who don’t know history are bound to repeat it’.” I am grateful for the correction and the information.

Today is Sunday and we are in Panama. Patrick and Marie went off on tours but as it is very hot and I have been here before, I and the rest of us are going to get in the hot tub and the pool – and read our books.

Last night, we once again were able to have first sitting but I think tonight we’ll be back at our late seating table. I don’t mind either.

Last nights show was a salute to Broadway, so we all enjoyed it. We lost an hours sleep last night and since Pat had that tour, we turned in early but I discovered that there were free movies on the TV. I watched Prince of Persia and Inglorious Bastards (Pat said he slept thru both of them but I did enjoy them both – different and a little strange!)

Tomorrow we are in Colombia, where I was 19 years ago. Seems like only yesterday. Hasta manana!

Have been ‘bumming’ around for the last few days – reading my book, playing trivia, and eating! It’s just so convient and ample.

For the last two nights, we have been able to go to dinner at 6pm (early seating). We didn’t decide to come on the trip till a month ago and the early seating is very popular. We enjoyed our waiters at the late seating but it was too difficult for the rest of my table to eat so late at night. I must say that the staff have been very nice and since people can choose to go to “specialty dinners”. If a table for six comes open, they contact us, so we can have early seating. It is a different table each time but the waiters are very welcoming.

Rick won $190 at Bingo yesterday and I won a $5 pull tab. Our luck  is holding.

I will have Mass tonight around 5:30pm. I think it will be just the group from St. Michael’s. I think the ship will pick up a priest tomorrow, who will say Mass for the people.

To be honest, I don’t know if we are in Costa Rica or Honduras, as I went back to my room after breakfast (at 11am) and laid on the bed to read my book and I kept falling asleep and then waking up and watching the news. (50 years ago today, John Kennedy was inaugurated president!!! How time flies!!) Then I’d fall back to sleep and finally it was 5:45pm and Patrick woke me to say that the m’aitr de had called and we could have dinner at 6pm (early seating). My table mates are use to eating around 5pm but we didn’t get our request in early enough, so we’ve been eating at 8:30pm (late seating). Some of them have trouble eating that late and then going to bed at around midnight. Since that is my regular schedule, it has not been a problem for me but I am willing to eat at whatever time. We found out that we might be able to move permanently but we will learn that tomorrow.

I think Bingo is next and then the show, so I’ll close with this quote of JFK that I love, “Those who do not know history are condemmed to repeat the mistakes of the past”

Hello, just finished breakfast and Marie and I are here checking emails and seeing how this is working. We are going to Trivia and I’ll keep this as a draft and come back later.

It is now 10:30pm and again it has been difficult to get on line. Trivia was very hard and we only got 10 of the 20 correct. Then some of us went to the hot tubs and the pool. Lunch was a great buffet and then it was nap time.

Maureen and Rick are in the next room from Pat and me and they told us that some mail was on the hook near our door. As we entered, Pat said one of the letters was addressed to him but the next one was for me. I said, “Well read it to me.” He began ” Dear Mr O’Connell, since you were absent from the Mandatory Life Boat Drill, you will need to go on the TV and watch the video about it”. Then Pat continued “Failure to complete this exercise will mean that you will have to spend time in the brigg and watch the video” I said, “You are lying!!” and he handed me the letter. The part about the brigg, he made up on the spot but the first part was true. So I will try to get through customs on the 28th!!!

The entertainment tonight was a very clever impressionist named Joe Van. He did some neat – and clean material and we all enjoyed him. We played cards and now it is off to bed. Pat and Marie got off at Cozumel but the rest of us stayed on and relaxed. We get an extra hour of sleep tonigh – which pleases me!