ST. JEROME, - DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH; MASTER OF THE BIBLE..........

Born in the seminal, 4th Century of Christianity, St. Jerome was both a holy priest of Jesus Christ and a very knowledgeable scholar of the Sacred Scriptures.  Born in Dalmatia, on becoming a priest, Jerome became a devoted monk and was an ascetic, who as a scripture scholar wrote authored voluminous and numerous Latin commentaries on the Word of God, and was the author of the Latin, Vulgate version of the Holy Bible.  He is credited with being the single most responsible person for compiling and determining which of the writings of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament); and the Christian Scriptures (New Testament); were included in the compendium of the Sacred Scriptures that are the Holy Bible.  Jerome with his vast knowledge and scholarship, discerning through the prayerful inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the 73 books of Jewish and Christian authorship that are considered the inspired, inerrant, Word of God, The Bible.  All together there are 46 books in the Old Testament, and 27 books in the New Testament, that met the vigorous standards of St. Jerome, Priest, Doctor of the Church, and Master of the Bible.  Considered one of the four great Doctors of the Latin Church, St. Jerome is the patron saint of Scripture Scholars.  In contemplating and compiling the compendium of sacred writings into one complete biblical text, St. Jerome famous statement of that time has reached down to us through the subsequent centuries and met the test of time : "Ignoratio Scripturarum ignoratio Christi est"; >>> translated meaning, "IGNORANCE OF SCRIPTURE IS IGNORANCE OF CHRIST"..........In The Grace And Peace The Holy Spirit Brings In The Inspired, Divine Revelation, Of The Word Of God,   Fr.  Troy    

ARCHANGELS.....LEADING US HOME..........

As we come to the penultimate day of September, as Church we celebrate the Feast of the messengers of God's loving care, the Archangels, St. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.  They are the chief members of a countless host of angels who serve and sing the praises of the Divine, in God's victory over sin and death.  As biblical messengers of the Most High, Supreme Being they signify to us God's Transcendence and Benevolent Love.  Even their names denote the mission sand ministry they carry out.  Michael means, Who is like God ?  We are all meant to be like God.  Gabriel's name trumpets the meaning, God's Strength; and as our Spirit of sanctification God is our strength and sustenance.  Raphael, rounds out the trio of Archangels and his name means, God's Remedy.  As Catholic-Christian Disciples, we believe that the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, is the remedy for our fallen human nature and our propensity to sin.  Angels are a prototype for us as exemplars of fidelity to serving God as faithful ministers.  Michael the Archangel is the patron of security forces in the world and of those who are sick; Gabriel the Archangel is patron of telecommunications and the postal service; and Raphael the Archangel is the patron of travelers and the blind.  So as we commemorate these Divine Messengers today, let us look to them for the ability and the fervency of communicating a message of service and concern for all of God's Creation.........Thanking God For The Archangels And Angels Watching Over Us,   Fr.  Troy

WHO WILL LEAD CALIFORNIA INTO THE FUTURE ? THE FIRST BROWN-WHITMAN DEBATE FOR GOVERNOR..........

After more than a year of anticipation, advertising, personal and political posturing, and a media campaign that even for California has been record shattering in the magnitude of money spent,  the serious, homestretch effort  to determine who will be elected the next Governor of California, either forty year politician Jerry Brown, former 2 term Governor, Mayor of Oakland, and current Attorney General; or Meg Whitman, former CEO of E-Bay, and FTD, and independently wealthy, $1.3 billionaire political neophyte.  Meg Whitman proved to be a smooth presenter, perpetually smiling, but spoke in only general terms about her plans to govern California and arrest the major fiscal crisis facing the present and future, other than applying the Silicon Valley approach to state government to create jobs.  She did not explain how she would cut as many as 40,000 state employees from the payroll without impacting both the Sacramento economy adversely, but provide the level of services to California citizens those jobs currently represent.  As for changing the state pension system into a 401 K style offering instead of direct pension benefits, she failed to explain why police and fire employees would the exception to her proposal.  Jerry Brown was his usual frenetic self, thinking and speaking longer than time permitted, but seeming to want to explain his positions past and present in a substantive way, namely in his response to the question on carrying out the death penalty, which for more than fifty years, dating back to his father's Governorship, has been a contentious issue in California.  His response to the current budget deficit crisis starting with cutting state spending by 15%;  including in the Governor's Office; and requesting the same of the Legislature and State Agencies, immediately after the election, is a specific, hands on, pro-active, policy proposal that seriously begins to address the structural and political realities of dealing with the issue.  Pundits are asking and answering, Who won the debate ?  Depending on how you judge victory, colors that perspective.  If style and concerted effort to be perceived as a leader is the criteria, Whitman could be viewed as eeking out a win of sorts, striving to be congenial yet agressive.  If substance and experience in doing and getting the job done are the primary concern, then Brown prevailed in arguing his past and present record and his ability to get the job done in the future.   After seven years of taking a chance on a celebrity superman, with independent wealth and the desire to lead, but without any proven track record of government service, and the result being almost total failure to accomplish anything but  deeper problems for California, the challenge voters face on Nov. 2, is do Californians want to take that chance all over again, with a billionaire business woman, who has been far less involved in the process, until now than the current failed Governor was before assuming office ?  Or does a man whose public service record of forty years provide the insight and experience necessary at this critical juncture in the history of California to step up to the plate again and effectively address the crisis we are in ?  With five weeks left in this campaign, will Meg Whitman's record setting $119 million plus spending, or Jerry Brown's forty year public service record, be the more successful path to winning the Governorship of California this year ?..........Fr.  Troy

CHARTER 30 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SEPTEMBER 27, 1980 - THE DAY LAMBDA CHI ALPHA FRATERNITY BECAME THE PHI PI ZETA CHAPTER @ CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SACRAMENTO..........

A three and a half year college odyssey, that was three months longer  for me, as the only respondent to a recruitment mailing, came to fruition thirty years ago today, with the attainment of our first and foremost goal at the time.  That was a Charter for the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity colony at California State University Sacramento in 1977, of which I was the first recruit and the second initiate, as I transferred to Sacramento State.  In the beginning there were only only a half dozen of us, the "Original Six", Thomas MacKenzie, Jon Salinger, Kevin Jones, Robin Blair, Robert Butcher, and myself.  We got off to a slow, but steady, start as fraternities and sororities were only coming out of the doldrums the late '60's and early '70's had brought to the Greek system on the campus.  And we were not only new, but different.  Pledgedship was replaced by Associate Membership and Fraternity Education; and Hazing was forbidden.  Five of the six were graduating seniors, leaving me as the only junior assured of being around beyond May 1978.  And yet we persevered.  In the Fall of 1978, we were able to recruit 7 more AM's, and then a third group of 9 new members in the Summer of 1979.  Our goal to attain the Charter was 30 initiated brothers, chief among other requirements.  With two more successful recruitments in Fall 1979 and Spring 1980, we met the colony's membership initiation requirement and were informed a Charter would be granted making us a Chapter, in the early Fall of 1980.  After a week long celebration that began on Sunday September 21, with a  Champagne Reception in the Old Governor's Mansion, downtown, it was on the night of Saturday September 27, 1980, that the Charter of the Phi Pi Zeta (our chapter's formal Greek name) was bestowed upon us by luminary brothers from the General Fraternity Headquarters in Indianapolis; at the Delta Queen Restaurant in Old Sacramento, where 350 invited guests, joined us for the, "CHARTER '80" celebration as we proudly proclaimed it.  One of the memorable highlights of the evening in addition to the Charter being presented to us, was that University President Dr. W. Lloyd Johns, graciously agreed to play his trumpet and sat in with our featured dance jazz band.  Chartering sent the Phi Pi Zeta into the fraternity world of Sac State in phenomenally awesome ways for almost all of the next three decades.  The Original Six Founding Fathers, who became the Charter Thirty Seven, grew into more than 500 Initiates, from our Sacramento State Chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha.  Sadly, sixteen months ago, just as the International Fraternity in the United States and Canada was celebrating its Centennial, the Sacramento State Chapter closed, due to a declining enrollment.  But alas, we are still Good Brothers, sharing Honest Friendships, and savoring, as well as making new memories in Zera Alpha Chi.  During the past year and a half, Facebook has become my reunion and taking it forward meeting place with brothers of the bond.  And so on this, "Charter 30 !!!" Day, I salute them and thank you all - living and dead, who have been such a meaningful, brotherly part, of my life.  God Bless My Lambda Chi Alpha Brothers Everywhere,..........Brother Father Troy.....Colony / Phi Pi 2.  "Two Beer Troy"  "Future Father"  "Father Forever"

26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - THERE IS NO PLACE FOR APATHY, COMPLANCENCY, OR INDIFFERENCE, AMONG GOD'S PEOPLE..........

Those of us who hear and answer the call to Catholic-Christian Discipleship, are called to the fullness of the sacred mysteries of Faith and Fellowship.  We are challenged by the Word of God and the Sacramental Life of the Church, to be fully engaged in the Community of Believers, in our presence at Sunday Mass weekly, and also in our active participation in the day to day ministries and activities of parish life.  Just showing up on Sunday to fulfill an obligation, is incomplete; it must be joined to an earnest effort on each our parts to share in the serving, shaping, and sending forth of all the members of the faith community, to contribute by their personal and communal efforts to the betterment of being Church, and to effectively building up the Coming of God's Kingdom.  There is no place within Catholic-Christianity for apathy, complacancy, or indifference among any of us professing Discipleship.  The lesson for us from today's parable in the Gospel of  Luke, is an apt example.  The rich man was so self absorbed and blinded by his affluence and privilege, that he failed to see the starving beggar man constantly outside his door.  And the counter cultural reversal of rich and poor, good and bad, plays out powerfully in this Gospel passage, as Lazarus, the poor man is immensely rewarded with fulfillment and happiness in the bosom of Abraham in God's Eternal Kingdom, while the rich man suffers total detachment and torment in the afterlife, divided from the possessions, power, and privileges, of his earthly existence.   It is a valuable lesson for us to ponder : How well are we generously sharing the successes and good things on lives on earth afford us ?  Most people are not as wealthy as the parabolic rich man, but neither can we take for granted, or become complacent and indifferent, to serving the common good in our midst, as we give homage and honor to the glory of God.  As this week unfolds, what will you do to be less like the rich man was on earth and become more like the poor man Lazarus, is now in Heaven ?  The future of our everlasting lives is very much shaped everyday, by the awareness we exercise, the actions we take, and the awesomeness of living as Jesus the Christ's Disciples today and always, that is the definition of the total fulfillment and happiness we hope to share in for infinity..........Peace And Justice Throughout The World For The Poor, the Persecuted, And The Marginalized,   Fr.  Troy  

'FEEDING THE HUNGRY', 'ST.VINCENT DE PAUL', THE CHARITABLE SOCIAL SERVICES MINISTRIES OF OLOL..........

The geographical demographics of Our Lady of Lourdes make it one of the most economically challenged parishes in Sacramento County.  As a result, charitable requests for food, furniture, housing, ultility bills, and rental assistance, come to OLOL, in large numbers on a daily basis.  Given the tightness of our own parish budget, it is not possible to provide financial assistance for housing, utilities, or rent, but the parish does have a longstanding commitment to ministering to the poor and needy in the 95838, 95673, and 95626, zip codes that comprise OLOL.  Our Feeding The Hungry Ministry, has been in existence for many decades, and currently provides groceries to more than a hundred families a week, each Tuesday morning in the Parish Hall.  Multiple bags of food stuffs such as cereals, fruits, vegetables, pasta, bread, dairy products, canned goods, juices, and baked goods, are distributed by parishioner volunteers many who begin their distribution day each week by being here at 4 am, to gather, prepare, and give away the food.....Those struggling to keep themselves housed are amply assisted by our Parish St. Vincent De Paul Society, which assists with beds and furniture as they need them.  The SVDP members gather names of persons who call the parish for help, visit and interview them, and assess the need for beds or furniture to help them with in their need.  The remarkable dedication of the parishioner volunteers for both of these charitable social services ministries is remarkable and an indispensable mainstay of parish life.  In these first three months of my pastorate, the dozens of calls and requests I have received have only been possible to fulfill, due to the Feeding the Hungry and St. Vincent De Paul ministries in Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.  I, am grateful we are able to assist  the thousands of persons and families, who turn to us - by these charitable social services, which are a real response to a need that is ever present, and has only been exacerbated by the recession the past three years.  Please God, the resources of donations and fundraising required to keep them functioning will continue well into our future..........In The Catholic-Christian Charity And Social Service Of Being Disciples of Jesus,   Fr.  Troy    

TWO WEEKS IN, THE PARISH YEAR PERCOLATES INTO ACTION..........

Since my arrival at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish as Pastor on July 1, the transition has kept me well occupied, six, and sometimes seven days a week, getting the lay of the land and covering the pastoral, administrative, and from mid July to mid September, the clerical duties of parish life.  Summer is normally a less hectic time in parish life, affording those of us newly placed, the opportunity to settle in with less pressure.  My first eight weeks were just such an experience and my two week vacation at that point well timed, so that my return two weeks ago, the weekend of the start of the new Parish Year, allowed me to start fresh in serving and leading the People of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish entrusted to my priestly, pastoral care.  The first two weeks of Parish Year 2010-11, have been full of activity.  Breaking in  new Parish Secretary, who is doubling as our 5 pm Saturday and 8:30 am Sunday Mass organist; kicking off the Religious Education classes for Grades 1-8 and teenage Confirmation; Baptismal Preparation instructions for parents and godparents; Catechetical Sunday's Catechist Commisioning; the Parish Picnic; the beginning of Faith Seeking Understanding Adult Education series, "The Mass Explained"; and a myriad of appointments, phone calls, and business matters, affecting the parish, needing to be held, answered, and addressed.  One of the current frustrations the new Parish Secretary and I are dealing with is getting the FAX machine working again, as while I was away and the parish office was closed, it stopped functioning.  We have replaced the ink cartridge and yet 24 hours  later, we have just received the first of four faxes sent today, a fax we requested to be sent.  Oh the joys of parish life !!  ha ha !!    This coming weekend brings three more Baptisms, making six for me to date here at OLOL.  So goes the opening weeks and months of my ministry here with the Canossian Sisters, Father Traynor, and the parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes.  I am pleased to be here and to see the weekly Sunday Mass attendance increasing, as together we pray, worship, and minister, for God's Greater Glory and the Common Good...........Mary, Mother of God - Our Lady Of Lourdes Pray For Us,   Fr.  Troy  

BISHOP JAIME SOTO'S 'SACRAMENTO BEE' OP-ED COLUMN TO THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE REGARDING PASSING THE STATE BUDGET..........

On Tuesday morning Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto authored an op-ed column in the Sacramento Bee, addressing the California Legislature's current 85-100 day overdue, failure to pass the State Budget.  The title of his op-ed column, "Failure to pass budget fails people", summarizes very well, the serious breakdown in state government that has repeatedly occurred for the past twenty years.  One of the chief annual responsibilities the Legislature bears constitutionally is to pass and send to the Governor a State Budget on or before, Midnight June 15.  The Governor is to review, blue pencil, sign, or veto, the Budget, by Midnight June 30, as  California's new Fiscal Year begins on July 1.  Thus today is the record setting 85th to 100th day of malfeasance on the part of the legislators in shirking their responsibility, either due to politics or a bankruptcy of answers to the fiscal crisis facing us in closing the budget deficit; and enacting a fair, just, balanced, plan of action for funding the needs of California in this Fiscal Year 2010-11.....Word emerged in the news media late this afternoon that Governor Schwarzenegger and the Big 5 Legislative Leaders, may have struck upon  a framework for a budget deal, to be voted on next Monday.  It's more than time before all Californians suffer further from this unnecessary governmental ineptitude.   And I mean not only state employees and vendors, but especially the poor, elderly, disabled, infirm, marginalized and the middle class.  Virtually all of our 38 million citizens, except for the comfortably wealthy and the perpetrators of the problem - the legislators.  Why their salaries, benefits, per diem, and perks, continue to flow to them during this travesty, while so many others suffer, is down right wrong.  As Catholic-Christians we must be prophetic advocates for resolving the intransigence and getting the new state budget enacted .....Then it is long overdue for Calfornians to constructively reform and resolve the generation long, political , institutional, and structural, breakdown in passing California budgets..........Legislators and Governor, Get Your Budget Responsibilities Completed NOW !!!!!!!!!!   Fr.  Troy

ATTENDING MY FIRST DEANERY MEETING AS PASTOR OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES PARISH..........

My seminary classmate, priestly colleague,, and neighboring pastor to the east, Reverend Father Eduino Silveira, Pastor of St. Philomene's Parish in the Arcade Arcade area of Sacramento, just a few miles from Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, is the current Dean of the American Rivers Suburbs Deanery of Parishes.  On Monday he held a Deanery Meeting at St. Philomene's, at which we discussed presently pertinent topics of pastoral, parish and diocesan concern, and had a well rounded discussion about them.  Matters such as nomination of lay persons in our parishes  to the Diocesan Pastoral Council and learning about changes in the new Roman Missal and its implementation in Advent 2011, which is the topic of our Priests' Study Days in October, among the agenda items covered.   Deanery are one of the ways the priests, parish staffs, and lay leadership, in specific geographical areas come together mutually during the year, to share, support, and collaborate,  in addressing the wider parochial needs of our parishioners and the collaborative assistance we can provide each other  in fulfilling our ministries and mission as Church.  It was a good meeting and lunch that followed it and a morning well spent plugging back into the wider context of this deanery, in which I have served  in previously for much of my priestly ministry.  And it is my hopeful expectation OLOL will continue  to  participate effectively in sharing in the work of the American River  Deanery, which from 2001-2004, I had the privilege of serving as Dean..........Fr.  Troy

"FAITH SEEKING UNDERSTANDING" @ OLOL : 'THE MASS EXPLAINED' IS SERIES ONE..........

22 persons, including two who are parishioners at St. Rose's in Roseville, and Oir Lady of Assumption in Carmichael, attended tonight's first meeting of the Faith Seeking Understanding Presents : "The Mass Explained".  After providing them with an introductory overview on the history and origins of the term, Faith Seeking Understanding; and how twenty years ago I co-created and developed this adult faith formation ministry, with my very good friend and former parishioner, Ray Riehle; we did a walk through the book, "The Mass Explained", by Monsignor James Maroney, in particular the Introduction and Chapter One, 'Where Did The Mass Come From'.  Spending appreciable time with the first of the Discussion Questions Msgr. Maroney poses at the end of Chapter 1, and then fielding questions from the participants, a thorough exchange of ideas and responses were shared.  The initial book order I made sold out tonight, so that we will likely have to place a second order, as it has been my experience over these twenty years, and 487 sessions, that attendance increases after the first meeting, as word of mouth spreads and others come along.  I am pleased and excited to bring FSU to OLOL Parish, just as I have to all nine parishes I have served thus far as a priest-pastor..........In The Enlightment And Education Of  The People Of God Entrusted To My Priestly, Pastoral, Enrichment,   Fr.  Troy

25TH SUNDAY IN OT.....CATECHETICAL SUNDAY 2010..........

Today, Catholic-Christians in the United States begin the new catechetical, religious education, faith formation, for Parish Year 2010-2011.  Catechists are being commissioned in the United States and elsewhere in  the World today, as they begin a new year of instructing children and adults, in our Catholic-Christian Faith.  Here at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Sacramento / Del Paso Heights / Rio Linda / Elverta, each of the three Sunday Masses incorporate some aspect of the catechetical commissioning.  Prayers and Blessings for parents, guardians, and sponsors, at the 5 pm and 8:30 am Masses, and the formal Commissioning Ceremony, following the Homily, with presentation to our Catechists of Certificates and Prayer Cards, denoting their commitment to carry out the catechetical ministry, during this Parish Year.  The US Conference of Bishops has declared the theme of this Catechetical Sunday and Year to be, "MATRIMONY : Sacrament Of Enduring Love".  So we will continue to focus on the fruitfulness of Catholic-Christian Marriage and the responsibility of parents to be the "first teachers of their children in the ways of Faith", as is proclaimed in the Rite of Baptism For Children.  As this new year of parish formation begins, I will also be presenting my first series of Adult Faith Formation ministry, I call, "FAITH SEEKING UNDERSTANDING", to the parishioners of OLOL, starting tomorrow night at 6:30 pm, in the Parish Hall.  The topic being, "The Mass Explained".  Two dozen persons have signed up so far.  >>>After two months of discussion and planning with the Pastoral Council for our Parish Picnic today, the weather turns wet overnight and into the afternoon, precluding an outdoor gathering on the parish lawn.  Thus we are moved the Picnic into the Hall, and an enjoyable afternoon of food and fun was had by those present..........In Fidelity To The Faith And Fellowship We Are Generously Called To Be Good Stewards Of,   Fr.  Troy

"REST IN PEACE".....BRAD DAHLBERG 'OUR' BELOVED FRIEND.....JUNE 10, 1971 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2010..........

30 years ago, two years before I entered I was working in my native parish of St. Rose's in South Sacramento.   My duties included overseeing youth ministries, and under that umbrella was placed the training, scheluing, and coordinating, the parish Altar Boys.  That was the summer I met and trained, 9 year old, Brad Dahlberg.  Brad was a very happy and self giving person, the only child of his parents, Ted and Irene, he served faithfully as an altar while attending St. Patrick's School in South Sacramento and went on to Christian Brothers High School and then Sacramento City College.  He married and for eleven years worked for the California Department of Consumer Affairs.  Ten years ago Brad was diagnosed with cancer, and for the past decade struggled with a series of brain tumors.  He valiantly endured these ten years and his beloved parents were there with him and for him through it all.  The prognosis he was given at the outset was for ten years of life, and on September having surpassed the ten year mark, Brad Dahlberg, passed away.  His close friend and fellow altar server trainee and classmate, Chad Buechel, with whom I teamed him up thirty years ago after they were commissioned as altar boys, sent a comment to my blog earlier this month while I was on vacation, informing me that Brad had died.  With Msgr. Kavanagh and I in Ireland, the Dahlberg Family chose to await our return and have Brad's Funeral Memorial Mass today, September 17.  I was asked by Msgr. Kavanagh who presided at Brad's Mass, to preach the homily.  In the context of our Catholic-Christian Faith in the mystery of Life and the power of the Resurrection, I spoke of the boy I knew, the man he became, the long struggle with the cross of cancer he experienced, and the promise and hope of New and Risen Life in the Eternity of God's Kingdom, awaiting him, as it does all believers in Jesus the Christ.  As I said at the start of the homily, although Brad's passing at a much too soon time at age 39, grieves us and causes us sorrow, we can also rejoice in the good life he lived, in the love he shared with his family, friends, and others, and in his almost ever present, broad smile and generous spirit.  Chad and two other of Brad's altar server / classmates, spoke of their experiences with Brad since Kindergarten, along much the same lines I had recalled him in the homily.  It was a poignant, but wonderful Mass of remembrance and commendation, as we celebrated Brad Dahlberg's life and mourned his death, believing as his lovingly family, friends, and fellow believers, that he will always live on in our hearts, minds, and treasury of memories, until we are reunited with him forever in God's Kingdom of Everlasting Light and Perfect Love..........Rest In Peace Bradley And Thank You For Loving Us, For We Love You !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Fr.  Troy

POPE BENEDICT XVI IN THE U.K. : A FIRST STATE VISIT BY A POPE TO ENGLAND..........

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, arrived in Scotland Thursday at the start of a first ever, Papal State Visit to the United Kingdom. The Pope was very warmly greeted, by the much smaller crowds than were expected, on the first day of this unprecedented visit in the four and a half centuries, since the Protestant Reformation, and King Henry VIII 's breaking with the Roman Catholic Church and the establishment of the Church of England, Anglicanism -  in the 16th Century.  Queen Elizabeth II, was in Scotland to greet and meet Pope Benedict XVI, as were a concerted group of protesters, objecting to the Pope's presence in Great Britain, in regards to the sexual abuse scandals.  Northern Ireland's infamous Protestant leader Dr. Ian Paisley, also opposes the Papal visit on the grounds that it should not be a State Visit, near he said should Pope Benedict be treated as a king,  I call that, "Paisley, being Paisley", as his anti-Catholicism through the decades has been legion.  During these four days, Benedict XVI will appear in London, (Westminister) and meet ecumenically, with the Primate of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, as well as with the Catholic Archbishop of Westminister.  In addition to celebrating Masses and presiding over a Prayer Vigil Saturday night, the crescendo moments of this pastoral visitation will be the Beatification ceremonies on Sunday of 19TH Century theologian, John Henry Newman, who although an Anglican for much of his life and ministry, converted to Catholicism and became one of the leading theological lights of the Church in this epoch of Christian History.  Gauging from the initial responses, it looks like it will be an orderly, if not somewhat contentious few days, but that more good than bad will result.  As Pope Benedict, who made his most profuse apology to date, on the flight to Britain, is expected to further address the wrongness of the abuse and continue to heal the wounds the sexual abuse of children by the clergy, so greviously inflicted.  At the first Mass the Pope celebrated yesterday, the person currently considered Scotland's most famous Catholic, singer Susan Boyle, who catapulted to stardom last year on the "Britain's Got Talent" show, sang at the Mass, and was cheered by the tens of  thousands present, casting a bright light of happiness on the start of this Papal pilgrimage..........In The Spirit of Pastoral Evangelization And Ecumenism In Preparation For An English Beatification,   Fr.  Troy   

SAINTS CORNELIUS AND CYPRIAN - AND HERE I AM SITTING IN THE CHAIR OF A, "HALLOWED" CORNELIUS..........

On this Thursday morning after "America's Got Talent", season finale crowned 30 year old pop singer, Michael Grimm over 10 year old operatic voice Jackie Evanko, the favorite to win the competition, and encompassing what is likely head judge Piers Morgan swan song from AGT, as he prepares to succeed Larry King Live on CNN, in the 9 pm ET, 6pm PT, daily timeslot, it is Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian Day on the Liturgical Calendar.  3rd Century of Christianity, Pope, Bishops, and Martyrs, one of the namesakes of St. Cornelius, was my third Pastor as a priest, the late, Reverend Father Cornelius O'Donnell, with whom I ministered as an Associate Pastor, in Holy Rosary Parish, Woodland from May 15, 1992 - March 16, 1993.Born in County Clare Ireland, ordained from All Hallows Seminary in Dublin, for the Diocese of Sacramento, he completed a degree in Canon Law at the Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C., in 1956.  For the first dozen years of his priesthood in Sacramento, he taught at Christian Brothers and St. Francis High Schools, and was then appointed Pastor of Our Lady of the Snows Parish, in Westwood, Plumas County.  Coming to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Sacramento, as our 3rd Pastor in 1973, he ministered here very effectively for nine years, and then was appointed Pastor of Holy Rosary Parish, Woodland, where I was appointed to serve with him for ten months until my appointment as Pastor of St. Joseph's Parish, Yreka.  Fr. Con O'Donnell, concluded his priestly ministry to the Diocese of Sacramento as Parochial Administrator of St. Anthony's Parish, Walnut Grove.  A beloved priest, teacher, pastor of souls, friend, and colleague, he was a gentleman and a scholar.  Fr. Cornelius O'Donnell, passed on to his eternal reward in 2002.  For all his good deeds and faithful ministry, may the Lord Jesus Christ welcome him into the fullness of God's Kingdom...........Alleluia !!!  Amen !!!,   Fr.  Troy

THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS : THE PATRONAL FEAST DAY OF THE CANOSSIAN SISTERS OF CHARITY..........

The Canossian Sisters of Charity, the religious order that has served Our Lady of Lourdes and other Sacramento area parishes for nearly forty years, are celebrating their Patronal Feast Day, Our Lady of Sorrows, today.  At the 8 a, Parish Morning Mass attended by 30 parishioners they were recognized, affirmed, thanked, feted, and celebrated.  A Reception for them in the Parish Hall, and being the servants of God's People they are, two pf them four sisters who here in the Convent, were serving Coffee to us, who were honoring them.....Wednesday being my day off I spent chillaxing and attempting to fully put away the dregs of jet lag, as we stream forward into the new Parish Year and tomorrow brings further orientation and initial work experiences with Keith Gray, as he settles into his new responsibilities as OLOL Parish Secretary / Receptionist.......Hail Mary, Full Of Grace - Pray For Us As Our Lady Of Sorrows,   Fr.  Troy  

FEAST OF THE TRIUMPH OF THE HOLY CROSS : START OF THE NEW RELIGIOUS EDUCATION YEAR CLASSES @OUR LADY OF LOURDES, SACRAMENTO..........

The wood of the Cross of Jesus the Christ, is the tree of salvation for the World, it is the instrument of reconciliation God the Father commissioned His Son to use for the redemption of Humankind.  Catholic-Christians value and honor the Cross of  Christ and on this date we focus each year on it's triumph and victory over the worldly powers of war, evil, selfishness, sin, and death, and we exalt in the salvific role the ignominious passion, crucifixion, and death, of Jesus Christ attained for His followers, in conquering fallen human nature and separation from the Divine, and restoring not only our temporal relationship with God, but our promise and hope for infinity in God's Kingdom.  In your hearts, minds, and prayers, today "Lift High The Cross", of our Lord and Savior and acknowledge anew the blossoming of the wood, and the fruitfulness of the tree, on which the Son of God and Son of Man, was hung and died, that we might live forever in the fullness and abundance of the Lord our God.....Our Lady of Lourdes new Parish Secretary / Office Receptionist, Keith Gray started worked today. He and I successfully transmitted together the Sunday Bulletin for next week and he began to learn the ropes concerning telephones, doorbells, parish computer, and mail.  It was truly a full 5 hours for him, day one !!!!!  Keith will be working three days a week, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, from 11 am - 4 pm.  He is also now doing music ministry @ OLOL, as an organist at the 5 pm Saturday and 8:30 am Sunday Masses.....My jet lag from vacation is starting to fade and a good night's sleep tonight and totally chillaxing tomorrow, Wednesday my day off - after celebrating the Morning Mass and Reception for the Patronal Feast of the Canossian Sisters of Charity, should square it away..........Tonight our Religious Education classes for Grades 1-4, and visited each of the classes for an introductory and friendly hello.  A relatively small group of students, a number already knew me from seeing me in Church at Sunday Mass...........May Christ's Cross Truly Bless Us  All,   Fr.  Troy

IT WAS 28 YEARS AGO TODAY, I ENTERED ST. KIERAN'S SEMINARY IN KILKENNY..........

Just returned last Friday night from my 2010 summer holidays in Ireland, and my, "Second Home", KilKenny, this is the date in 1982, that I entered St. Kieran's Seminary, in KK, as a first year seminarian for the Diocese of Sacramento.  Why was I 6,000 miles away from home, a native Californian, and 25 year old Sacramentan, at the start of my priestly formation ?  Because of the visionary leadership and gracious leadership of the late Reverend Father Martin Joseph Campion, the then Rector, and from 1983-90, the President of St. Kieran's Seminary and College.  Wanting to recruit an American seminarian to broaden the horizons of the all Irish, ecclesiastical students - Fr. Campion chose to invite me to be that American seminarian.  And what a learning and growth experience it was for me, as well as for them.  At the 4 pm hour when we were due to arrive, Msgr. Kavanagh's oldest brother Matt, drove me through the front gates of St. Kieran's College.  Wearing my bright green CSU-Sacramento fraternity jersey, with the large gold Greek letters, Lambda - Chi - Alpha - on my chest, with brown, plaid, pants, so as to stand out among the assembled gathering, I eagerly greeted them with a bold and loud, "Hello, Troy David Powers, Sacramento California, USA !".  From his second floor window in the dorm, where his mother and oldest brother had just delivered him, was Freshford, County Kilkenny first year, Oliver Desmond Maher.  Seeing and hearing me, he then 19 years, and wondering what being a seminarian would be like, thought to himself, "Oh no, don't tell me I am stuck in here with a loud, color blind, Yank like that !!  The next morning the twenty of us first years were driven across the city, to Peace in Christ Retreat House, where we underwent a three day orientation retreat, meeting with each member  of the seminary faculty.  And those three days together forged a bond, so that by our return to St. Kieran's, for the start of classes, Oliver and I had bonded and became the best of friends and brothers, and have been ever since.  My two years as a seminarian 1982-1984, before coming back to Menlo Park, California and St. Patrick's Seminary, to complete my formation for priestly ordination, were not only an excellent experience for me (and hopefully the other lads) but seminal to solidifying friendships that continue to be part of the bedrock of my life as a person, and a Priest of Jesus Christ.  28 years later as I reflect back, I truly believe it fulfilled the primary reason I gave Bishop Francis Anthony Quinn regarding accepting Father Campion's St. Kieran's Seminary invitation, that is - to affirm the more than a century's worth of Irish priests and religious women, who have served us in the Diocese of Sacramento, with their vocations; and to be somewhat Sacramento's ambassador back to Ireland, and to Kilkenny, to acknowledge the bridge they built to us.....Here I am, more than a quarter of a century living my priestly vocation, as a locally grown Sacramentan, who vividly continues to call Kilkenny, my second home..........Fr. Troy

>>>On this first Monday of the New Parish Year, as I prepare for the start of the new Parish Secretary / Office Receptionist  Keith Gray, tomorrow - I had appointments with three of my medical team doctors and a meeting with a fourth one.  I saw Drs. McMonagle, Bhat, Cookson, and McClure, for my post Annual Evaluation assessments and vacation care, as we forge the way forward in staying on top of my continuing kidney transplant care and diabetic management.  What a fantastic team of medical specialists they are for me and all whom they serve.....fr.tdp

24TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME : BEGINNING OF NEW PARISH YEAR 2010-11;..........

7:45 am -  On this first Sunday of the new Parish Year, which is the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, there is much to focus in on, at OLOL.  The 8:30 am Mass, which Father Traynor is concelebrating with me, and at which our new Parish Secretary / Office Assistant, Keith Gray is present to observe the music ministry and meet with the music ministers of the parish. The 10:30 am Mass, will include the members of the Handicapables Ministry of Sacramento, who attend a monthly Sunday Eucharistic celebration in different parishes, and who will then be served a lunch by the Ladies of St. Peter Claver in our parish, an occurrence of nearly thirty years standing.  At that Mass I will preach the Scriptural theme of Repentance and Rejoicing for this 24th Sunday in Ordinary, while concentrating on Ministry to Disabled Persons in the Catholic-Christian Church.  Then I will baptize our newest  OLOL member, 75 day old baby boy, Luke Ronald Safron, who was adopted at birth by his mother Eve.  Attending the lunch with the Handicapables, in the Parish Hall, a delicious meal of roasted chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, and chocolate cake, with fruit punch and / or coffee, then led me back to my calling bed at 1:45 pm, - to sleep off my jet lag.....9:40 pm - Awake again, for at least a few hours hours, I want to finish this entry with a shout out of "Celebration", to my beloved Kilkenny friends, Geraldine and kevin Butler, who today are marking their 24th Wedding Anniversary !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....So It Goes For The First Sunday of Parish Year 2010-11,..........Fr. Troy Powers,  Pastor Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Sacramento / Del Paso Heights / Rio Linda / Elverta

BACK IN SACRAMENTO AFTER MY 2010 HIBERNIAN-IBERIAN ADVENTURES..........

From Dublin at 10;20 am, (2:20 am Pacific Time) to Atlanta, and a 7:25 pm Eastern Time departure, our arrival in Sacramento was exactly at 9:32 pm, in Sacramento, and Victor Herrera, was there to meet us and bring us back to Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Rose's  parishes respectively.  Terra firma, Home Sweet Home, California !!  A10:30 pm return to Our Lady of Lourdes and new keys from Sister Felicity, who was awaiting for the two rectory locks, Father Traynor needed to change while I away, my second wind after being awake 25 years and making the 6,000 miles journey back, has me unpacking and surveying the scene before bedding down for first sleep at 2:30 am Saturday morning.  On this 9-11 day, I have a Funeral Mass at 1 pm, followed by the luncheon reception, 4 pm Confessions, and 5 pm Mass, to resume my priestly ministry as Pastor at OLOL.  More To Come. As The Opening Hours, Jet Lag, and Saturday / Sunday Duties Allow..........Fr. Troy "Home Again" Powers

IT'S JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT IN KILKENNY AS I WRAP UP MY SUMMER 2010 HIBERNIAN - IBERIAN 16 DAY HOLIDAY..........

After meeting up with Fr. Dr. Dermot Ryan, the new Chaplain and Religion teacher at St. Kieran's College, at the new Left Bank pub, Father Oliver made an early night of of it and I came back to my laptop to blog this last entry from Ireland, before our 5:30 am am journey to Urlingford in the morning, to head off to Dublin Airport for the trip Msgr. EJK  and me will make back to Sacramento.  It has been a grand and glorious sixteen days here and in Marbella Spain..........SEPTEMBER 10, 2010  RETURNING STATESIDE DAY
It is just after Midnight in Ireland in Ireland on Friday September 10th, (4 pm Thurs. Sept. 9th, in Sacramento) as I write this blog column, and as Friday's 19 hour journey home, will not give me any opportunity to blog, I write this to suffice and say, Slan.....California, via Dublin and Atlanta, GA, Here We Come !!!!!!!!!!..........Fr.  Troy 'Second Home Kilkenny' Powers

A LAST LEISURELY DAY IN KILKENNY CITY AND COUNTY 2010..........

It is my last full day in Ireland on this visit, 29 years, a a total of 881 days, since I was first here in August-Seotember of 1981.  It is a take it easy day, doing messages and  bits and pieces, before having dinner in Thomastown, County Kilkenny with the Parish Priest, Father Dan Bollard, who was my St. Kieran's Seminary Spiritual Director in 1982-1984.  After a splendid traditional Irish bacon and cabbage, with mashed carrots and turnips and potatoes, with apple tart for dessert, and as always an enjoyable, wellrounded, conversation with Fr. Dan, Oliver and I met up with Fr. Dr. Dermot Ryan, at the Left Bank pub, the former Bank of Ireland building on the Parade in Kilkenny, for a last round of pints and glasses of ginger ale and sparkling water, before departing for California tomorrow.  I did a bit of Kilkenny shopping and lookabout/walkabout in the city today and placed a few calls, including to the Bishop Emeritus of Ossory, +Laurence Forristal, and now have to finish packing for our 5:30 am drive to Urlingford, to go to Dublin Airport, with Uncle Father Eddie and J.J. Kavanagh, on Friday.....Today, September 9th, is Admission Day in California.  It was 160 years ago this day, in 1850, that the Golden State of California, became the 31st State of the Union in the USA.  It is also the liturgical feast of St. Peter Claver, a special patron of African American Catholic-Christians. My Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, has a Knights and Ladies of St. Peter Claver Ministry, that this Sunday, will be preparing the annual lunch for the Handicapables Ministry in the Sacramento, after they attend our 10:30 am Mass.  >> Here's To So Many Wonderful Hibernian-Iberian Summer Holiday Memories 2010..........Fr.  Troy

TOURING WITH COUSIN FATHER EDDIE HIS COUNTY ROSCOMMON ROOTS ..........

What a full day Tesday was, touring with Cousin Father Eddie through his relatives on his mother's side of the Kavanagh Family, the McDermotts and the Finches.  Wednesday brought us back to County Kilkenny at just before 6 pm, and Fr. Oliver and I visited the home of our very good friends, Kev and Ger Butler, for beautifully barbequed steaks and great chat and craic.  As this summer holiday winds down, I have blog columns to finish and publish, as Msgr. Kavanagh and I, prepare to go home to Sacramento on Friday.  Just as Monday, Labor Day in the USA, was the 32nd anniversary of my friendship with Curtis Richards, so too, is today - Wednesday September 8th, the 31st anniversary of my stellar and loyal friend (truly family !!) Teres Bugatto Mugnaini, whom I met on this day, September 8th, the liturgical feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in 1979, when she was a college freshman, and me a first year graduate student at CSU-Sacramento.  And as she was being rushed by her beloved sorority, Alpha Phi, we met at a Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity party.  Now, she is 25 years  married to Mike Mugnaini, one of my Sac State fraternity brothers, and their 3 children, Chris, 20; Lauren, 18; and Alex, 16; are students at Sacramento State University, and Rio Americano High School.  Teres, aka, Mrs. Mugnaini, is the 3rd Grade teacher at Sierra Oaks School in Arden Park, where the CLA Mugs, went to elementary school and she and her mother, Ramona Bugatto, have volunteered as parent and grandparent, for many years.....In Grateful Thanks For The Essential Quality Of Their Friendships And Support In My Life For Three Decades Plus One Year.........."Brother" Fr. Troy

GOING TO THE WEST OF IRELAND : COUNTY ROSSCOMMON AND VISITING THE MCDERMOTTS AND THE FINCHES IN THE KAVANAGH FAMILY..........

A half ten am departure from Urlingford for Uncle Fatter Eddie and I, with his nephew J.J., who drove us to the West of Ireland, and Castlerea, County Roscommon.:  Delivering us to the door of the Tulla Hotel in Castlerea, J.J., stayed to have lunch in the hotel with Uncle Father Eddie and me, and their cousins, Billy and Mary Finch, who were our two day visit hosts.  After lunch, we spent the rest of the day and night with the Finches touring Roscommon and Mayo, with the Finches, while J.J. returned to work in Urlingford.  We were taken to the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock in County Mayo, then whisked off to other McDermott cousins in Roscommon, who greeted and treated us with warm hospitality. We even visited the McDermott-Finch Family cemetery, where the current President of Ireland, Mary McAleese will be buried and saw her already standing gravemarker.  We remained in Castlerea overnight with cousins Billy and Mary Finch in their home and after breakfast and morning Mass, headed to Tullamore, the town famous for the Tullamore Dew, had lunch and were met by Jerry Maher, now retired, but a longtime Kavanagh Family friend and retainer, who drove us back to Kilkenny / Urlingford.  Tonight Oliver and I attended a BBQ at the home of our 'Usual Suspects' friends, Geraldine and Kevin Butler, joined for part of it by their 18 year old daughter, Katie, who is in her Leaving Cerificate year from secondary school.  Thus ended the past thirty eight hours of Irish Adventures..........One Full Day Left In The Emerald Isle This Year,   Fr.  Troy

LABOR DAY MONDAY IN THE USA.....DISAPPOINTING MONDAY FOR COUNTY KILKENNY, IRELAND..........

On this Labor Day in the United States, when we as Americans take pause with a three day weekend, to honor and celebrate the dignity of human work and the productiveness of labor in our land, marking the unofficial end of summer and the start of the new school year, iy is a very disappointing day for County Kilkenny in Ireland as their hopes for a 5 on a row All Ireland Senior Hurling Final championship were dashed on Sunday, by an aggressively out playing County Tipperary team.  The Final Score being Tipperary  4-17,  (29 points total)  to Kilkenny 1-18, (21 points total).  All in all, it was a good, if not heartbreaking match, for the 81,765 fans who were present in Croke Park and millions others watching or listening in RTE.  Father Oliver and I with most of Kilkenny have kept a low key day.  Ours included lunch hosted in the home of Patricia and Michael Shortall, at which she served a beautiful leg of lamb abd vegetables, with fresh strawberries for dessert.  Tonight we went to the Market Yard in Kilkenny City Centre, joining 1,000 people or so, in welcoming home the vanquished 2010 Cats.  At THAT EVENTM i saw and heard the hottest new band, The Kikennys; who I am seriously thinking of bringing to Sacramento in 20 months time, for my 26yj Anniversary, Silver Jubilee as a peiest, celebrations.  Tomorrow Msgr. Kavanagh and I head off to his mother;s side relatives in County Roscommon, for a day and a half visit..........As This Irish Holiday 2010 Continues..........Fr.  Troy  in Kilkenny where today the Cats and the Rain are Weeping but the USA is Hopefully Re-Energized in the Dignity of Labor.....

THE DRIVE FOR FIVE IS ALIVE : KILKENNY VERSUS TIPPERARY IN THE 2010 ALL IRELAND HURLING FINAL ..........

It is just after 8 am, on Sunday September 5,.....For the 58th time in the 63 years, since he was a a vital player in the championship 1947 All Ireland Hurling Final,, as the victorious second sub of the victorious County Kilkenny team that  first Sunday of September,  Edward j Kavanagh will be present with his family, and more than 80,000 eager fans, in Croke Park, Dublin, for today's face-off between County Kilkenny and County Tipperary.  I will be there with him, his nephew J.J., and omany other of the members of the Kavanagh Family  are in the corporate box of J.J. Kavanagh and Sons Bus Company, the oldest independently family owned bus company still existing in the Republic of Ireland, founded by Monsignor's father and uncles in 1919..........Having started my day at Dublin's Merrion Hotel, with Oliver, Dermot, Kieran, Mike, and Seamus, it seems I am the first riser for breakfast at 9:05 am.  In the next few hours they will make their move to Croke Park, and I will meet up with the Kavanaqghs for the day's athletic activities.  A minor under 21 match, between Kilkenny versus Clare, and the senior All Ireland Hurling Final between Kilkenny and Tipperary.  It is time to head back to my Kilkenny contingent, as I waited breakfast for them.....11:05 am - Having had breakfast with the other 5 men in my company, and having made telephone contact with J.J. Kavanagh who is in transit to Dublin, with Uncle Father Eddie, I await word on where they will meet me, here at the Merrion, or elsewhere in Dublin.  It is an overcast, but not rainy day, so that the match should be a very good game.  most of the national newspaper sports sections are favoring a Five Alive victory for the Cats..... MORE TO COME LATER ABOUT THIS GRAND AND POTENTIALLY HISTORIC DAY FOR  THE COUNTY KILKENNY CATS., IN THE DRIVE FOR FIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN A ROW !!!!!.....Fr.  Troy

A WET IRISH DAY TO TRAVEL TO DUBLIN FOR TOMORROW'S ALL IRELAND HURLING FINAL 2010..........

Rain came overnight, as forecasted, to the Irish tundra, an ominouos sign for a wet and soggy, All Ireland Hurling Final between County Kilkenny and County Tipperary, tomorrow afternoon in Dublin's Croke Park.  The Irish Times newspaper sportwriters headlines this morning being for the County Kilkenny team, : The Drive For Five; and of the County Tipperary team : Going Nowhere.  Kilkenny is hoping to win its 5th All Ireland Hurling Championship in a row, which would be an all time record for any team in the history of Hurling and the GAA, Gaelic Games Association.  I will be in the JJ K avanagh corporate box, at tomorrow's match with UncleFather Eddie, JJ., Liz, and Family, my 3rd All Ireland attendance (the others being,1982 & 1983, years County Kilkenny were victors ober County Cork, as well).  In 1947, 22 year old Ned 'Bus' Kavanagh, a transitional Deacon at that time, was a sub on the County Kilkenny team.  He was brought into the game with crucial minutes remaining. and helped score the winning points that made County Kilkenny, the Champions of 1947.  Although he was the second sub, and there was only one medal for the sub, he was awarded the medal, not the first sub, he had replaced in the game.  A fierce hurler from childhood through his first decade in Sacramento,, all the youngest Kavanaghs continue to play both hurling and camogie, which is the girls/women's version of the sport.  Uncle Father Eddie is being cautious about predicting a 5 in a row victory for Kilkenny on Sunday, against what he calls the, Enemy, County Tipperary, due to late season injuries for the Kilkenny team and the rain.  Kilkenny is the much faster team, and will be slowed down by the rain and mud.....More Sunday night after the match..........Oliver and I drove from the Cathedral in Kilkenny at 11 am this morning for the City Centre of Dublin, and the Merrion Hotel, across from the Irish Government buildings and the Department of the Taoseach  (Prime Minister, currently Brian Cowen, of the Fianna Fail Party).  We have met up with Frs. Dr. Dermot Ryan, and Kieran O'Shea, and will be attending Mass with them this evening and then enjoying delicious dinner with them, along with Dermot's brother-in-law, Mike Brannigan, at Dublin's famed Bentley's Restaurant.  Then a small sess-soon, as the Irish refer to it, in one of the neighboring pubs, before reclining for a good night's sleep, at The Merrion..........Slanaite !!!!!  UP YOU KILKENNY CATS.....HERE'S TO 5 IN A ROW !!!!!  UP KILKENNY !!!!!.........
.Fr.  Troy  KILKENNY Powers 

A DECIDEDLY QUIET ST. GREGORY THE GREAT DAY AS THE WE PREPARE FOR THE ALL IRELAND HURLING FINAL WEEKEND..........

Chad Buechel, who I trained as an altar server along with Brad Dahlberg, and others at St. Rose's Church in South Sacramento, thirty years ago, wrote on my blog yesterday, "Rest in peace Bradley my friend.  Chad Buechel".  Brad had valiantly combatted cancer the past ten years, which came to a culminating point in recent months.  God be Good to him now in Eternal Life.  To his parents, Irene and Ted, my prayers, support, and sympathies are extended, along with those of  Msgr. Kavanagh.  I have been privileged since 1980, to know, work with, and minister to, the Dahlberg Family.  Msgr. K'S  pastoral and personal relationship with the Dahlberg and Sanchez Families go back decades longer than that.  " May God the FathWho raised Jesus the Lord from the Dead, raise You up", Brad and console Ted and Irene, in this time of bereavement. Peace, my beloved friends..........
                                  .....This first Friday has been a quiet, close to home day in KIlkenny for me.  I awoke and got out of bed after six hours of sleep for an hour this morning, and then went back to bed for two and a half more hours.  Oliver and I had lunch at the Clubhouse Hotel, mine being fillet of Plaice, carrots, turnips, brocoli, and creamed potatoes, and milk.  I pc-ed for an hour watched some television, prayed on this St.Gregory the Great feast day, he being the liturgically reforming Pope, who inspired Gregorian Chant.I took a nap, and then have been blogging.   It is time for dinner in the presbytery, then a light and early night, including the Late, Late chat Show season premiere on RTE 1 Television..........That's COMMUNICATION For Today From The EMERALD ISLE,   Fr. Troy 

A POST TRANSPLANT, "USUAL SUSPECTS" DINNER PARTY IN KILKENNY..........

The "Usual Suspects", is the title given to the group of priests and lay persons who are in our Kilkenny circle of friends. It has been my 23 year custom to host a dinner with them on my priestly holidays in Ireland, in reciprocation for their continuous generosity and hospitality.  Tonight, I am hosting a post transplant dinner party for them at the acclaimed, award winning, 'Langton's Pub and Restaurant,which has won top national honors, several times over the past two and a half decades. Our party of twelve being, Father Oliver Maher, ADM of St. Mary's Cathedral in Kilkenny; Father Daniel Bollard, Parish Priest, of Thomastown, which is ten miles south of Kilkenny city, who was our spiritual director at St. Kieran's Seminary; Monsignor Edward J. Kavanagh, of Urlingford, County Kilkenny, and Sacramento, California;  his nephew  J.J. Kavanagh and his wife, Liz; Mrs. Brigid Mullins, and her married daughter, Sinead Mullins Campion; Geraldine and Kevin Butler; Patricia and Michael Shortall;  and yours truly enjoyed ourselves, remembering and realizing the bonds of friendship, fraternity, fellowship,and faith, that we celebrate and solidify, each time we come together.  .SLAINTE !!!!!   Fr.  Troy

SAILING INTO SEPTEMBER NEAR KILKENNY'S RIVER NORE..........

Two thirds of 2010 complete, we sail into September, and as Oliver and I start it we enjoyed a, "lie in", until between 9 and 10 am.  After a light breakfast, he got stuck into work, and I spent time on my computer,after watching CNN and Sky News analysis of President Obama's speech, and former British Prime Minister Blair's memoirs, which were published Wednesday.  Msgr. Kavanagh arrived promptly at 1 pm for lunch, which we went to The Newpark Hotel. for.  Then we drove out to Archersrath Convalescent tCare Centre, to visit Msgr. Tommy Maher, Parish Priest Emeritus of Mullinivat, and Former President of St. Kieran's College.  An updated tour, Oliver guided, of Kilkenny City, including a chance to see the new St. Patrick's Parish Centre, and its companion church, St. Fiacre's, followed, then back to the Cathedral presbytery for a multi-hour chat and refreshments, with EJK.  After taking him back to Urlingford, we returned to the presbytery for a light takeaway dinner and made an early night of it staying in..........Until Tomorrow And An Update On The USUAL SUSPECTS,   Fr.  Troy