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Searching For That Pot Of Gold?

5/14/2018

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
~Dolly Parton

Yesterday evening's sky provided some added scenery in the Cheyenne area. At least it didn't snow this year on Mother's Day in our area, although other parts of the state did receive snow. My picture from four years ago on Mother's Day popped up as a memory on my social media page. I pasted it below. That was not a fun Mother's Day.

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Graduation Festivity, Mother's Day, Ascension, Fatima

5/13/2018

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Margaret and I arrived early for the Laramie County Community College graduation ceremony yesterday. Our son, Joe, received his Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Information Systems.

Celebrating these milestones of life can remind us of the goodness of God. We truly experience many blessings in life.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms. For all of those moms who grieve the loss of child, I know this day has the potential of being a day of renewed grief. Children who have recently experienced the death of their mother can also find this day a bit challenging. Couples who struggle with infertility can likewise find this day painful. For all of you who find this day difficult to celebrate for one reason or another, please know of my prayers for you.

Today, the Church (in most of the country) celebrates the Ascension of the Lord. We are on our way to Pentecost. Are you still celebrating the Easter season well at this point?

Finally, May 13 is significant in regard to our Blessed Mother's apparitions to the children in Fatima in 1917. We are at 101 years now since that apparition took place. Do you know the story? If not, I encourage you to do some research. It will be well worth your time and effort.

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Looking Forward To Seeing New Things

5/12/2018

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Moving to a new area means opportunities for day trips to explore the unfamiliar scenery. I enjoy seeing new things, and I am already looking forward to visiting places like Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and many other places.

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Changes In The Seasons

5/11/2018

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I took a walk down Capitol Avenue (in Cheyenne) during lunch today and I was amazed at the stunning beauty of some of the trees. It is fascinating to see nature at work.

A shady parking spot.

How about the contrast in this picture? Several trees have dark green leaves, two trees have bright red leaves, two trees are still completely barren, and one tree has new blooms. Give thanks to God for the beauty of creation.

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Congratulations To Graduates At All Levels

5/11/2018

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"Good thinkers always prime the pump of ideas. They always look for things to get the thinking process started, because what you put in always impacts what comes out."
~John C. Maxwell

"Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort."
~John Ruskin

This is the time of year when graduating ceremonies begin to take place. I wish to extend my congratulations to all who have reached a certain milestone marker in life. I have been to pre-k graduations, kindergarten graduations, elementary school graduations, high school graduations, nursing school pinning ceremonies, and college graduations. I will add a new one this year. I cannot recall ever having attended a junior college graduation ceremony, but that will soon change. Our son graduates tomorrow with his associates degree from Laramie County Community College here in Cheyenne. I give him a special tip of the hat for his academic accomplishments. I know how thrilled he will be to have a break from the routine of doing homework constantly.

As I ponder my own life journey, I am simply amazed at what has transpired. I could never have imagined at the time of my college graduation the trajectory life has taken. It has been quite the ride. It is also exciting that new adventures are still coming. Life is good.

Graduates--enjoy your accomplishments. Pray for God's guidance as you make life decisions. Let the Lord lead you. You will be amazed at what lies in store for you.

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Enjoying The Memories Of Life

5/10/2018

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Cleaning and packing are not tasks I enjoy. However, these tasks are necessary as one prepares to move. Thankfully, every once in a while a perk is thrown in along the way. Today's perk was coming across the photo above from my time at Assumption Parish. I don't remember exactly what year this photo was taken, but I think it was in 2005. This particular copy was given to me when I left the parish in 2009 which explains the caption at the bottom of the photo. (As a side note--it is evident that I was a much younger man at the time.) If I remember the details correctly, the pastor had just left for vacation. Someone thought it might be a good idea if we set up this wonderful scene in front of the office and take a staff photo to send to him so he could see we were working diligently in his absence. Good times!

My encouragement to you today is simply this--take some time to reflect upon the blessings in your life.

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How Will You Be Remembered?

5/9/2018

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"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."
~Pericles

How will you be remembered when you leave this earth? We do not hear much preaching and teaching on the four last things any longer--death, judgment, heaven, and hell. If we speak about the hard subjects people will frequently label the preacher as a person with a "fire and brimstone" style of preaching. Thus, I think church leadership has a tendency to shy away from teaching the more challenging aspects of living a moral life in tune with God's commandments. We seem to speak more of God's mercy rather than God's justice. While I am continually seeking God's mercy, I also ask for grace that I may more fully live my life in union with God. I don't want to use God's mercy as a license to live an immoral life.

The words of Sacred Scripture remind me that Jesus called people out at times. His reference to certain individuals as a "brood of vipers" or "whitewashed tombs" immediately comes to mind. Turning over the money changers tables reveals another side of Jesus. What gives us the impression that we can live any way we want and there will be no consequences?

The four last things still exist--death, judgment, heaven, and hell. When was the last time you you meditated on these realities?

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St. Francis by the Sea Catholic Church and School

5/8/2018

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Here are a few more photos of the campus in Hilton Head Island, SC

This is taken from the entrance of church looking out toward the parking lot.

This is from the narthex of the church leading into the nave.

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Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, Georgia

5/8/2018

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I had the pleasure recently to visit the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, Georgia. This magnificent structure is about an hour away from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. I would highly recommend a visit if you are ever in the area.

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St. Francis by the Sea--Hilton Head Island, SC

5/7/2018

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I recently had the pleasure of visiting St. Francis by the Sea Parish.

The campus is gorgeous.

Even the parking lot at the church brings a sense of peace and tranquility.

If you walk behind the church it is still a peaceful and tranquil setting. However, it is also a place where one should be cognizant of the surrounding environment. St. Francis may have had a special bond with the animal community, but I am not going to trust my ability to discern whether or not the alligator in the retention pond is friend or foe.

Why do I share these photos with you? I am sharing these with you because St. Francis by the Sea Parish will soon be my new home. After completing 8 years and 8 months of service in the Diocese of Cheyenne, I will be taking on a new role as the Director of Religious Education at St. Francis by the Sea. The official announcement was released today by the Diocese of Cheyenne.

My time in Wyoming has been awesome. I never imagined all of the things I would get to do when I originally arrived. In less than a year after my arrival, I was made the Superintendent of Catholic Schools. That was certainly something that was never on my bucket list. However, it turned out to be quite the learning experience. I am grateful for the work of the principals and pastors in our Catholic schools. It has been a pleasure to work side-by-side with you during these eight academic years (even though my original appointment was as interim superintendent for one academic year). While I did not work as directly with the teachers and staff, advisory boards, parent/teacher organizations, etc., I am also appreciative of all that you do to make Catholic education the tremendous blessing that it is.

I was reviewing the many speaking engagements I have had since moving here. I have preached at the Eucharistic Liturgy in 25 churches in Wyoming. I came just a little short from preaching in all of them, but I hit a pretty high percentage.

It was my privilege and blessing to lead over 30 retreats during my time here to 25 different parishes and organizations.

Presenting catechetical workshops was always a pleasure. Equipping catechists and Catholic school teachers to better fulfill their mission of echoing the faith was a priority for me. I conducted nearly 30 workshops in 20 different parishes over the course of eight years.

Preaching parish missions is a favorite part of my ministry. Leading a parish mission consists of preaching at all of the weekend Masses and then giving presentations three nights in a row. I preached a total of 16 parish missions in 10 different parishes. Yes, people invited me back to lead more than one mission at their parish. That is always a good sign. What a joy it has been to meet so many wonderful people across the state during these parish missions! You blessed me immensely by your hospitality and kindness.

I was a speaker at seven different pro-life events across Wyoming and northern Colorado. It is always a privilege to be able to proclaim the sanctity of each human life from conception through natural death.

There were a number of different special events (that I can recall) in which I was invited to be a keynote or workshop speaker. Once again, I never imagined some of these opportunities. Here are just a few examples:

Wyoming Council of Catholic Women State Convention Speaker
Cheyenne, Wyoming

Standing Together for Marriage Convention Workshop Speaker--Casper, Wyoming

Northern Colorado Men's Forum--Fort Collins, Colorado

"Ride for the Brand" Youth Retreat--Casper, Wyoming

Eagle Scout Recognition Banquet--Cheyenne, Wyoming

Theology on Tap--Cheyenne, Wyoming

All Souls Day Remembrance Service--Cheyenne, Wyoming

66th Annual Rocky Mountain Chapter Chorister's Guild Festival Worship Service Cheyenne, Wyoming (Presider and Homilist)

All of these things don't even begin to take into account the people I have met through a variety of other ways--hospital visits, teaching baptismal preparation classes, teaching in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), and so much more.

Serving at the Cathedral of St. Mary as a deacon has also been wonderful. It was good to renew my knowledge of liturgical practices when serving with a bishop. I had served with Bishop Tafoya at the cathedral in Pueblo, Colorado but it had been quite a few years. It didn't take too long to get back into the swing of things.

I have had the opportunity to preach at a number of Masses in which the bishop was presiding. This seemed a bit unusual to me at first, but I grew accustomed to it after a few times. The most daunting task of preaching was at the annual institutes in January and September. I was invited to preach on a number of occasions for these gatherings in which the bishop was presiding and all the priests of the diocese were concelebrating with the deacons assisting. In January it was predominantly just the clergy present. In September the lay leaders from the parishes were also in attendance. Bottom line-you know most of the clergy are sitting there evaluating your homily while you are giving it. No pressure there!

On January 22, 2013 I was invited to preach at the opening Mass of the January Institute. Bishop Etienne was presiding. Reverend Alfred McBride, who was the presenter for our institute, was concelebrating Mass with all the priests of the diocese and assisted by the deacons. Our distinguished presenter has quite the long list of accomplishments on his resume. I was humbled by his opening remarks at the first session of the institute following Mass. He evaluated my homily in front of everyone in regard to substance, tone, pacing, and overall delivery style. My years of hard work in developing effective public speaking skills had paid off. His assessment was very positive. That was quite a confidence-builder to hear such remarks from a prominent individual in the field. I will admit that I breathed a sigh of relief when he moved into his prepared talks. Even though his review was very complimentary, his comments made me work even harder to continue to improve and not grow stale. I always want to proclaim God's Word worthily and well.

I will continue to be in Cheyenne through most of June. I am sure there will be more reflecting back as I look forward. Speaking of looking ahead, did I mention that the beach is not far from St. Francis by the Sea. (The title of the church may have given you a clue.) I took a few pictures while I was in town. Enjoy!

It was a little cloudy at sunrise but still beautiful.

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