RECONNECTING WITH FRIENDS AND PREPARING TO GO UP THE DIOCESE TO THE NORTH STATE.........

Thursday November 19, 2009

DAY 86 / 87 POST TRANSPLANT ON A NORTH STATE TREK TO REDDING / MCCLOUD

Today, I drove myself up I-5 North to Redding, where I went to St. Joseph's Church on Gold and Walnut Streets, to meet Reverend Father Benedict DeLeon, the Pastor, for a trip together up to McCloud, in Siskiyou County. Once we arrived there we checked into the McCloud Hotel Bed and Breakfast, which is the site tonight and tomorrow, of the Redding Parish Staff Retreat. I am here as the facilitator of a Retreat Reflection Friday morning, on the topic of Ministry. The Bed and Breakfast is newly renovated, and is a quaint, classic style, old fashioned hotel, perfectly attuned to its Siskiyou County locale. My room looks out on the vintage McCloud-Dunsmuir train. Our Dinner tonight is being served by the Altar Society members of St. Joseph's Church, McCloud. The church and parish hall are just down at the corner and it time I head out to have dinner...After a delicious dinner of take and bake pizzas, tossed green salad, fudge brownies and Shasta sodas. But the pastoral highlight of the dinner hour was Fr. Ben arranging for everyone to sing Happy Birthday to his Parochial Vicar, Fr. John Lawrence, as a prank as it is not Fr. John's birthday !!!!!!!!! We returned to the hotel for a Parish Staff Meeting and a Sing-a-long Social, of a number of liturgical and popular songs. Calling it a day and returning to our own rooms for the night, Fr. Ben bid me goodnight. It is now a quarter to ten, and I am going to be an earlybird and go to bed, to be well rested and refreshed, to give my shared reflection on, 'Ministry'. I have decided to focus on a Vatican II / 3rd Millennium model of church I firmly believe in being, "The People of God"...>>>As I am brought this blog column to a close I heard a guitar being loudly strummed in the hallway outside my door, to the sound of Johnny Cash's, "Folsom Prison Blues". Opening the door there was Fr. Ben laughing jovially, and Eldon, the Parish Music Director, immensely enjoying pranking me. Beware parish staffers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We will see what tomorrow brings. Until then, Happily Yours in the Spirit of St. Joseph's Parishes in Shasta and Siskiyou Counties, CA.........Fr. Troy

Wednesday November 18, 2009

DAY 85 AFTER TRANSPLANT - GETTING BACK INTO THE GROOVE

Not being the most prolific of morning persons, I awoke before 6 o'clock and was out of bed by 6:45 am to start my day and get ready for the 8 am Mass at St. Philomene's. At midday I will be having lunch with Karin & Roger Geach. Then I will spend the rest of the day finalizing my preparation for pastoral reflections, I will be delivering in the northern regional of the Diocese on Friday. My usual regimen of Morning Prayer, coffee, and the Today show, has me fully engaged for the day......... Back at Presentation after Mass at St. Philomene's, has me me thinking about the parishioners there I have ministered to and with, and have come to know over the past three years. Joe Anchors, the daily sacristan was there awaiting me the priest, as he faithfully does most days. Joe and I, got to know each other well when I was the weekly presider at the Monday morning Masses. Emerson Heinen, who was the parish maintainence supervisor for many years, currently battling cancer, was also there this morning, his usual congenial self. Also attending the morning Mass was Laurie Tapke, the retired parish secretary, who was very helpful and friendly to me, while I ministered at St. Philomene's as part time Parochial Vicar. During the next two weeks, I will be working with her successor, Edith Trejo, the new parish secretary working with Fr. Eduino and company. They are just some of the many wonderful parishioners it has been my pleasure to work with and serve, at St. Philomene's Parish, since December 1, 2006. I was also privileged to serve with Reverend Father Jerry Ryle, like myself, a native born, locally grown, priestly vocation of our Sacramento Diocese, who fraternally facilitated my parish ministry there. He also afforded me the opportunity to share fraternity and friendship with another locally born priestly vocation, Reverend Father Steve Avella, who is a professor at Marquette University in Wisconsin, and is now a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Since July 1, 2009, my seminary classmate and fellow May 2, 1987 ordinand, Reverend Father Eduino Silveira, is the Pastor of St. Philomene's. Thus my covering for him while he is on two weeks of vacation, I do gladly, from the fraternal friendship we have shared the past twenty seven years...... As I write this blog column, 'Andrea Mitchell Presents', has begun on MSNBC. She is anchoring from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the book tour of former Governor Sarah Palin. Mitchell reports that 1,500 persons have been lining up since overnight, to get a pass into the Palin book signing tonight. The media analysis at this point says it is not a book addressing substantial policy, but a political and personal memoir. As a lifelong student of the Presidency, with an undergraduate major concentrated in the American Presidency, and I hold a high standard for the experience and qualifications, presidential and vice presidential candidates must have. Sarah Palin's book tour response causes me to ask, has American politics become so narrowly partisan and polarized, that anyone and everyone, with or without, a record of proven experience, accomplishment, and qualification, are now viable candidates for the two highest political and governmental offices in our country and the world ?? Or is a political book tour, just that - a book selling, money making, book tour ?????????......... Have a Blessed day !!!!!!!!! Peace + Prayers, Fr. Troy