Blog Archives - Articulating Hope

How Many Days Until Cheyenne Frontier Days?

1/31/2022

Weather forecasters are calling for more snow this week. Temperatures will also dip below zero in the Cheyenne area. That groundhog better bring us some hopeful news this week when he pokes his head out.

I took the time to count the days on my calendar. However, I found that the days, the hours, the minutes, and even the seconds are calculated for me on the CFD Rodeo website. There are 171 days until the start of Cheyenne Frontier Days. You can watch the official countdown here:

www.cfdrodeo.com/events-schedule/

The Church celebrates the life of St. Blaise this Thursday, on February 3. I hope you have the opportunity to get your throat blessed on this day. I will try to make it a point to keep my blessed candles handy that day.

www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=28

Catholic Schools Week 2022

1/30/2022

My life has been impacted immensely by Catholic schools and the many dedicated teachers and administrators committed to excellence. My journey with formal education began at Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Old Monroe, Missouri. The solid academic foundation and spiritual formation I received during my elementary years from grade one through grade eight has served me well throughout life.

I am also grateful for my education and formation at St. Mary's Seminary in Perryville, Missouri and Paul VI Pontifical Institute in St. Louis, Missouri. My diaconate ministry has been blessed because of the training and formation I received at these institutions.

I have had the privilege of teaching Theology at Valle Catholic High School in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. (2003-2005)

I was the Coordinator of Religious Education (2005-2009) for Assumption School in O'Fallon, Missouri. I also served as interim principal for the 2007-2008 academic year. During this time I was also able to serve St. Dominic High School in O'Fallon as a committee member when they were expanding the campus.

The years from the fall of 2009 through 2018 were spent working for the Diocese of Cheyenne as the Director of Pastoral Ministries. This also included serving as the Superintendent of Catholic Schools from 2010 through 2018. It was a beautiful opportunity to work with talented administrators and dedicated teachers at the Catholic elementary schools throughout the state of Wyoming located in Cheyenne, Casper, Gillette, Sheridan, Riverton, Rock Springs, and Laramie.

Getting an opportunity to move south to warmer weather was a treat for me. My wife was not necessarily in agreement. Apparently, I tolerate heat, humidity, bugs, and alligators a little better than what she does. Did I mention we also had a mandatory hurricane evacuation shortly after we arrived? Let's get to the real point. It only hit freezing once all winter. What is there not to love about that! Anyway, many thanks to everyone at St. Francis by the Sea Parish and School for the memories of my time there as Director of Religious Education in 2018 and 2019. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina will always hold a special place in my heart.

Serving as Executive Director of Saint Albert Catholic Schools in Council Bluffs, Iowa 2019-2020 was not boring. A school that has a child care center, an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school all on one campus is a constant flurry of activity. Well, that was true until we were told we had to shut down in March of 2020. I will always be grateful to my fellow administrators as we navigated those uncharted waters. I am also grateful to all those on the Foundation Board who helped run a major gift initiative during a pandemic. I never imagined that the school would be able to raise significant money when we were so limited in what we could do during the lockdown. However, each of you showed me what was possible despite the obstacles standing against us.

Subiaco Academy in Subiaco, Arkansas also captured my attention a few years back. I can only imagine the challenges of running a boarding school during a pandemic. I hope and pray that Subiaco will continue forming and educating students for generations to come.

To everyone who supports Catholic education, thank you for your generosity.

Have a wonderful
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK!

Little America, The Archer Event Center, & "The Barn"

1/30/2022

It has been a full week. I could have done without driving to work in the snow on Tuesday and Thursday, but overall it was a great week despite the cold and snow.

United Way of Laramie County had a social gathering on Tuesday night for board members and invited guests. We held the event at "The Barn" which is on the campus of Cheyenne Hills Church. It is a beautiful venue. I had the pleasure of serving as the keynote speaker for the event because of my role as executive director.

In my remarks, I gave what could be described as a "State of the Organization" speech. Where have we been in the 74 year history of the organization? Where are we now? Where do we hope to be in the near future as well as the long-term future? I entitled my talk "Tradition of Caring," because we are striving to nurture the sacred dignity and value of each human being from conception through natural death. That will always be my commitment while I am leading this organization.

The Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne is an organization that we support with funding. They had their annul Chili Challenge fundraiser this past Friday evening. I try to show up and support our program partners whenever I am able. I left work at the end of the day on Friday and headed over to Little America to join hundreds of other people sampling chili, enjoying beverages, and building community. Of course, we were raising money for Boys and Girls Club in the process.

My favorite chili was from the Village Inn. You hit my taste buds just right. Well done!

My favorite booth was The Beverly Hillbillies, but Gilligan's Island was quite good too.

Cheyenne was a busy place this weekend. I also took time to visit the third annual RV Show out at the Archer Event Center. There were some great RV's to see, but my 6'8" height is definitely an obstacle to living well in a camper, even in a luxury fifth wheel.

I hope you find time to relax this weekend, but I also hope you join fellow believers in giving praise and worship God.

The Scripture Readings for this weekend give us plenty of food for thought.

Reading One from Jeremiah:
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you..."

Reading Two from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians:
Let's just call it a thorough definition of love.

Gospel:
How well is the prophet welcomed in his own hometown?

Blessings and peace to each of you on this Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

How Many Whitewater Rafters Are Ready For Spring?

1/29/2022

Hang in there all you adventure-seeking people. We are nearing the end of the month of January. Spring and summer will be here before we know it.

If you can be content with an indoor activity that is less hazardous to your physical health, today is "National Puzzle Day."

nationaltoday.com/national-puzzle-day/

Get ready for National Storytelling Week which runs from tomorrow, January 30, through February 6.

www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/national-storytelling-week-2022/

www.twinkl.com/event/national-storytelling-week-2022

Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Birthday Mom

1/28/2022

This photo was taken on July 3, 2015. I had no idea that less than four months later I would be returning to Missouri for her funeral. Today would be my mom's 98th birthday.

(My family has moved multiple times since mom's death, but we still received a piece of mail for mom last week. Advertisers really do need to update their databases occasionally.)

Making this trip in 2014, the year before she died, is a memory I cherish.

Steak-N-Shake has struggled in recent years, but I have some good memories.

National Fun At Work Day

1/28/2022

Okay. This photo may be depicting a little bit more fun than we are allowed to have at work, but it does paint a picture in one's mind.

"As if Fridays couldn’t get any better around the office, National Fun at Work Day falls on the last Friday of January! Whether you work for a small office or a large organization, injecting fun into the workplace is a great way to bond with coworkers, boost team morale, gain inspiration, and even increase productivity. National Fun at Work Day was created to foster happiness and humor in the office and bring employees together. So, rally your coworkers and bosses and brainstorm ways to best celebrate. From parties, potlucks, goodies, games, awards, and more, there’s no wrong way to celebrate National Fun at Work Day — you just need to bring the fun!"

nationaltoday.com/national-fun-at-work-day/

"The Enemy of the People" -- Freedom at Risk

1/26/2022

The numbers on this poll speak for themselves. I simply share the screenshot from Twitter for your convenience to see the numbers.

Brighten Up Your Day With A Bit Of Humor

1/26/2022

Last week, this post from the McCaffrey Health Center had 92.6 K Likes and 1.7 k comments on a particular social media page. It had a photo of an advertising board outside of a bookstore (or library) and, in my opinion, it contained a very humorous message. The message is below. I also reviewed some of the comments and captured them here for your convenience as well.

Original Post:

McCaffrey Health Center

PLEASE NOTE:
We’ve moved a few books around.
Travel is now in the Fantasy Section.
Sci-Fi is in the Current Affairs Section.
Epidemiology is in the Self-Help Section.

Here are some of the comments.

Epidemiology cannot be in the Self-Help section, try the History Section on Communist Regimes or Obedience Training for Sheep. (Sandy Scott Tuinstra)

Conspiracy Theories is in the Current Events Section. (Martin Topple)

The Conspiracy Theories Section has been moved to the “Spoiler Alert” Section. (Aaron Roper)

Dictionaries are currently unavailable as they are being rewritten. (Ian McLachlan)

Newspapers are in the Fiction Section. (Erin Thompson)

All books on the introduction of Human Rights have been put in the trash as they no longer exist. (Rita Woodland)

Politics and Media are now found in the Crime Section. (Amy Waller)

Ethics and Morality is in the Children’s Section under common folktales such as Santa Claus, Pinocchio, and the Pied Piper. (Henrietta Tello Mellander)

We no longer have a History Department. There are only a few essays in the Creative Writing Section to fulfill this need. (Audrey Harris)

Bibles are located in the Fiction & Mythology Section. (Greg Vaughn)

Statistic Books are burned and de-platformed. (Francis Lam)

Orwell’s book “1984” has been moved from Fiction to Non-Fiction. (Leah Smith)

Specifically, Orwell's book 1984 can be found in the American Politics Section. (Audrey Harris)

Gender Studies is in the Mystery Section. (Paul O Broin)

Humor Section has been removed as it will always offend something or someone. (Kenneth Martin Fayers)

National Opposite Day-----Saul and Paul???

1/25/2022

As the snow flies in the Mountain West, I am going to focus on the opposite season. Come on summer!

nationaldaycalendar.com/national-opposite-day-january-25/

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. Talk about opposites. Describe the difference between the person of Saul and Paul.

What has been your conversion experience? Are you closer to God now than you were five years ago?

Fans of the Buffalo Bills Feeling A Bit Deflated Today

1/24/2022

A lot of time could have been saved yesterday in the world of sports. Rather than wasting hours to play a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills, they could have just tossed a coin and determined the winner hours earlier if that was what they were going to do in the end anyway. Who controls football at this point?

Who controls the stock market? It seems to be more of a gamble than a coin toss. I hope all the Washington elites are happy about what they are doing to this country. Your inability to lead effectively, or your conscious decision to dismantle our nation on purpose, is devastating the lives of many people. How many working class people with money invested in their 401k's and 403b's are watching their retirement dreams collapse right in front of them?

Protests around the world over the weekend show people fighting back against the government overreach in regard to closures and medical mandates. The truckers in Canada are making a huge statement this week. Unfortunately, most of the mainstream media outlets are still keeping these movements under wraps. The censoring on Twitter continues when videos don't match the agenda of the technocrats.

On a different note, today is "International Day of Education."

"The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education to celebrate the pivotal role that education plays in creating peace and development."
www.indianewstv.com

Since 2018, Jan 24 is celebrated as International Education Day. This year marks the fourth year of celebration and the theme is 'Changing Course, Transforming Education'.
www.republicworld.com

My cynical mindset after watching the stock market all morning makes me want to ask what part of education is being transformed? How will it strengthen our learning and growth? I won't go down that rabbit hole today.

Today is also "National Compliment Day."
National Compliment Day on January 24th offers a wonderful way to brighten someone’s day or to give credit for a job well done! Give an extra compliment annually on January 24th and any time one is deserved.
www.nationaldaycalendar.com

nationaldaycalendar.com/national-compliment-day-january-24/

Let me close today with a compliment to each of my readers.
You have great taste in which blogs to read!
Blessings and peace!