These experiences of Church continue to enrich my life. Traveling across the diocese helps me grow in understanding of the many challenges faced by our people and the clergy who serve them. It also reveals to me the many blessings as well.
I left Saturday morning and made the four hour drive from Cheyenne to Newcastle. Thankfully, the weather cooperated. Getting to drive on snow-free roads is always a time to give a little extra thanks. I arrived in Newcastle in the early afternoon with enough time to get settled in the rectory before the evening Mass.
I will admit that I am a bit grateful to not have to maintain this type of schedule every Sunday. (That is the plus side of coming in as a visiting preacher.) My day began at 4:00 A.M. on Sunday. Going through my normal routine of getting ready for the day, spending some time in prayer and a little time going over the homily in my head, I found myself ready to depart the rectory at 5:30 A.M. as requested by the pastor.
The fog was thick, but the roads did not appear to be icy. There was no sightseeing to be done because of the fog. The pastor jokingly said at one point, "Devil's Tower is right over there." I had to take his word for it. A couple of my co-workers had been at his parish a few weeks ago and they got a good picture. I'll share that one with you since I did not get to see it.
The parish mission was held on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evening. I will catch you up on that in future posts. I just wanted to take a few moments today to touch base and share a few pictures with you.
To the good people of Newcastle, Hulett, Sundance, and Upton--thank you for a wonderful visit to your area. You blessed my life abundantly this week!