Performances of Brigadoon happened on Thursday and Saturday. Grade four learned about Advent and the Advent wreath on Friday. Then they were treated with the goodness of St. Nicholas on his feast day. Today (Sunday) we are gearing up for the Christmas Festival. The tradition of putting our your shoes on the Feast of St. Nicholas is alive and well. It will be a full afternoon of fun and entertainment. The door decorating contest will draw much attention. Let the fun begin!
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It is with great joy and anticipation that I prepare to do an hour of reflection at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Council Bluffs. It will be from 6:00 to 7:00 pm on December 20. That is just two weeks from today. I hope those who live in the area will join us.
What will I cover during my presentation? Here are just a few of the items. 1. Are we putting on the full armor of God? 2. What are our challenges with prayer? 3. What role does sin and pride play in our inability to pray well? 4. How do we handle distractions and dryness in prayer? 5.Do we have singleness of purpose to be a saint? 6. Are we attached to sin, or do we truly seek conversion? 7. How does sin damage living in right relationship with God and others? 8. Are we living as missionary disciples? It will be a thought-provoking hour. I realize that this event is just five days before Christmas and it is on a Friday evening. I promise to have you out at 7:00 pm sharp. There will be plenty of time to attend parties, go shopping, or do whatever else is on your agenda following our gathering. If you invest the time to attend, I will do my best to proclaim God's Word powerfully that we experience an abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our midst. Good to Great by Jim Collins was a book that impacted me as a leader. It reminded me of the importance of getting the right people on the bus and into the right seats. I am striving to make that happen in my role at Saint Albert Catholic Schools. The addition of Katie Flanagan is another step forward in that process.
Prior to my arrival last summer a number of key leadership roles were filled. This included the Director of Academics, the Director of Curriculum, and the Director of Campus Life. Since my arrival I have hired a Director of Finance and Business, a Facilities Manager, an Associate Director of Advancement, and now an Associate Director of Alumni Relations. As I look at other successful Catholic educational institutions I can see the value in having a solid team in place. The advancement team, in particular, is a key component in any nonprofit organization. Being able to secure the needed funds to run the organization is essential if we hope to truly fulfill our mission and purpose. We obviously rely heavily on fundraising and development to maintain our financial viability as an organization. Thus, it is vital that we have personnel who build and maintain our databases, create effective marketing materials, and build the necessary relationships with our alumni, friends, and supporters to keep Saint Albert vibrant and growing well into the future. Those pieces are now in place. My thanks to all who have made it possible to hire these people to fill these important roles. We are blessed indeed. Katie Flanagan--we look forward to your arrival on Monday. Welcome! The events of the weekend caused me to lose track of a few things. One of the items I forgot to post was my Advent meditation guide. Although we are a couple of days into Advent already, I wanted to share this document with you.
Many years ago I read the book Preparation for Death written by St. Alphonsus Liguori. It was a sobering read, but a very helpful one. Through the lessons learned in that material I devised the above Advent guide for my own spiritual journey. While the book is an exhaustive (lengthy) work with great attention to detail, I wanted something easy to remind myself of the lessons learned. This brief guide is my attempt at reminding myself daily of the need to walk humbly with my God in all that I think, say, and do. Cooperating more fully with God's grace is the key intent of this exercise. I simply took some phrases from St. Alphonsus and looked up corresponding Scripture passages. I placed them in somewhat of a chronological order to usher my Advent journey toward the great feast of Christmas. I used this material at an Advent retreat a few years back and someone said, "Looking at this list does not necessarily say 'Rejoice' and 'Merry Christmas'" It was a great opportunity to delve more fully into the Scripture readings of the first two weeks of Advent and reflect upon the second coming of Christ. This resource is just an invitation for you to enter more fully into the liturgical season of Advent. Prepare the way of the Lord. This is a big week at Saint Albert for the performing arts. We have Brigadoon on Thursday and Saturday, and then our Christmas Festival is on Sunday.
Looking ahead to Monday, December 16, I will be speaking at the Council Bluffs Downtown Kiwanis Club regular meeting. On Friday, December 20, I will be leading an hour of reflection at St. Patrick's Parish here in Council Bluffs at 6:00 pm. I realize this on a Friday night just five days before Christmas. There are things to do, places to go, and people to see. I understand the sacrifices that may be required to invest in this one hour of time. All I can do is promise that I will do my best to make sure it is a valuable investment. I have given retreats, parish missions, and days of recollection on numerous occasions during the season of Advent. While this particular gathering is only one hour in length, we will put expectation and anticipation into a context that will enhance your Christmas experience. If you are in the Council Bluffs area, I hope you will consider joining us from 6:00 to 7:00 pm on December 20 at St. Patrick's Church. The address is: St. Patrick's Catholic Church 4 Valley View Drive Council bluffs, IA 51503 We made the trek back to Cheyenne this weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving and the baptism of Gianna Agnes. It was good to be back at the Cathedral of St. Mary. I presided at the baptism on Saturday morning and then assisted the pastor, Fr. August Koeune, at the Saturday evening Mass. After being gone from the cathedral parish for almost a year and a half, it was good to reconnect with parishioners. The blizzard kept attendance down at Mass, but I did get a chance to visit with those determined folks who ventured out in the harsh conditions. The blizzard extended our stay in Cheyenne a day longer than I intended, but we eventually made it home safely when the interstates were re-opened in both Wyoming and Nebraska. I was assigned to the Cathedral of St. Mary as a deacon for nearly nine years. However, my primary responsibilities during that time centered on my role as the Director of Pastoral Ministries and Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Cheyenne. If my memory serves me correctly, this was actually the first baptism in which I was the celebrant at the cathedral. I assisted the bishop at each Easter Vigil with all of the baptisms, but this was my first time at actually being the celebrant. Having my first baptism at the cathedral being the baptism of my first grandchild was a fitting close to the liturgical year and great preparation for the First Sunday of Advent. Enjoy the photos. For the record--I am not the one who chose the writing on the cake. On the other hand, if I did the baptism validly, which I did, then at least it is accurate. She is a "Heathen No More!"
Although the blizzard kept some folks from attending the baptism, I am grateful to those who were able to make it. I extend my thanks to Fr. Andrew for setting up everything for the ritual. Also, it was nice to have Fr. August and Fr. Steve in attendance as well. Congratulations to Maria and Tyler. The Christian community welcomes Gianna Agnes into the family of God. The travel was a bit more exciting than what I needed, but I am glad we were able to make it to and from Cheyenne safely. I hope your Thanksgiving weekend was filled with blessings. |
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