WEDNESDAY MY DAY OFF - AFTER 8 AM MASS AND A 10 AM FUNERAL MASS..........

On this my second weekly day off since arriving at Lourdes as two weeks ago today, landed my first parish funeral as Pastor. So I celebrated the weekday 8 am Mass, prepared and eat breakfast and then presided at the 10 am Funeral Mass for Rita Green of Rio Linda, concelebrating with Fr. Traynor. He and I also shared the Committal Service at Calvary Cemetery together and then returned to the Parish Hall for the funeral luncheon prepared by the OLOL Ladies Council. My day off officially began at 1:45 pm, with a couple hours of rest and a nap. Then as some of my Canadian fraternity brothers taught me to say, I 'chillaxed', (the combination of chilling and relaxing). Today being July 14, it is "Bastille Day", the French Independence Day, when France was declared a Republic, in 1789. On Bastille Day, the jails were opened and prisoners were released, many of them who had been political opponents of the previous governments or the King. Thus Bastille Day in France, like our Independence Day in the United States, is steeped in the principles of freedom,liberty, and the progress of our peoples..... Liturgically, today is also the Memorial of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin, who despite the the abuse and ridicule she endured during her 24 years on earth, remained loyal to God. She is the first Native American to be beatified by the the Catholic-Christian Church, and was declared Blessed in 1980. Blessed Kateri lived in the seventeenth century and died in 1689..... It is time to watch the late news and some of the late shows on this six hours of work, nine hours of down time, day off, as I prepare on Thursday to open my third week here @ OLOL..........Peace And Rest In Jesus The Lord Who Shepherds Us All, Fr. Troy