Already June; a look ahead

June dawns this morning; the start of summer, unofficially, and the start of the hurricane season, officially.  June meant different things to me at different times of my life, as a boy, sheer joy at summers off from school and maybe a trip to the Mississippi coast, some years later it would be the month of my wedding(June 4th) and now just another busy month among 11 other busy months.

June has begun here in my area with very August like weather, Sunday it is predicted to be 97 degrees with 108 heat index.  This is why my northern friends laugh at me when I cheer on the seasons of autumn and winter; of course these seasons are not intense like they are up north.  But summer, for us, is always intense.  And as mentioned earlier that hurricane season thing; this is how you know if it's a bad season or not: did a hurricane, or even a tropical storm, hit you?  That's the only barometer that matters.  So now that we have arrived at June 1st, it's an everyday thing to check the tropics until November.  Alberto already happened so we wait to see if this is going to be a busy season.  And don't forget, June also ushers in the need to cut grass almost every week for quite sometime now.

For me these days June means a season of ordinations, both priests (tomorrow) and permanent deacons (about three weeks away).  The movement of priests to new assignments is also right around the corner.  June is also the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion very special at our local church parish of St. Jane de Chantal.  June also ushers in the new phenomena of Vacation Bible School(VBS).  Almost every Catholic parish now has this; something done for decades by other Christian denominations.

So we welcome June, it is hot, and I'll be going to cut grass soon.  But it is 1st Friday too so off I'll go to spend some time in Adoration then offer Benediction tonight.  March on June.

August is here; always hope yet still the worst month of the year

Well August is already three days old and as is always the case with the 8th month we see hope among all the many things about the month that makes me hate it.  So I'm ok overthinking things like I have a favorite month and a least favorite month. Quite silly but I'm not about to stop now. I hate August mainly because the weather is hotter than hot down here and it is not uncommon to have 100 degree heat to combine with 100% humidity.  August is a sweat box.  And notoriously, August is a prime month for hurricanes(so is September).  Katrina made her way to us in August.  And right on cue, check out the current 5 day forecast and you will see a potential storm in the western Gulf of Mexico.  You can set a watch by this; hate hurricanes.  August is that month that says, I'm leading closer to autumn, but I'm going to hang on for dear life to all that is wrong with summer.

Before I discuss the hope let me say a word about school.  Down here, while August takes it's toll on humanity, we send our kids back to school.  Yep, some of them are already back, some start next week and almost all students will be in school by August 20th.  What's wrong with us?

Yet, as in all things, there is hope, much hope.  As I write this, the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals are playing NFL football.  Now this is not real football, this preseason stuff, but it's a sign of what is to come.  We all know there is nothing like NFL and college football in the fall of the year!  Also, so hopeful is the anticipation of cooler weather, leaves falling or simply turning(not too much color down here) and shorter days(yes, I dislike daylight savings time).

One thing I do like about August is the great examples of daily Saints; just this week we've had some great ones which will culminate tomorrow in St. John Vianney.  For me August brings me back to presiding at 1st Friday Benediction.  We also will celebrate the feast day of St. Jane de Chantal, our patronesses in Abita Springs.  For all us Deacons, we also have the feast of Lawrence the Martyr and an opportunity to get together in community with the celebration being held at my former assigned parish of Most Holy Trinity!

So I managed to find a lot of hope for August in this simple post.  I just need to beat the heat and at all costs, no hurricanes.  So I'll immerse myself in ministry, watch a little pre-season football and imagine it's a late October afternoon!

October, I'm counting on you!

The worst part of my own self-invented "two halves of the year" year is over and the best part is upon us.  October thru March is so much nicer for me in these parts than is April thru September.  And this year October did not disappoint as the 1st was ushered in by the coolest morning in over 6+ months and it was so pleasant that I could cut grass most of the day, in the middle of the day and it was just fine.

October means a chance, and yes it's just a chance, to escape 110 degree heat index, to experience some good feel air and to start to move closer to normal time, you know dark and night, bright in the morning!  And of course we move ever closer to all the autumn fairs and festivals and then the holiday season.  Football has been underway, and I acknowledge up front, 2016 does not look like a good year for us in south east Louisiana.  The Saints are now a total bust and have retreated to among the NFL worst and LSU has already changed coaches.  Oh well, a bad day in football season is better than any day outside of football season. 

Ministry is pretty awesome in the fall, we have great feast days, robust youth and CCD activity, pro-life activities and so much more.  As school gets rolling so does adult and children faith formation, bible studies and various other seminars and presentations.  In this fall, as we wind up another liturgical year in November, we also will be ending up this great gift of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

So I for one will be enjoying these next few months and living fully my vocation as Permanent Deacon, as I do even in the other "half" of the year!

Here we go, grass cutting season has truly begun

Given that it is April, we had no appreciable cold weather this winter and all it's done for three months is rain, the grass is as high as an elephant's eye!  Well, not quite, but you get the idea.  I just returned inside from 90 minutes of cutting grass, which does not even put a dent in my tasks to come.  I need to cut grass and this is heightened by the quickly approaching wedding of #1 daughter and the visit of my North Carolina family for the nuptials.  Note to anyone who cares: I'm running out of time.  First of all, about 40% of the property is way too wet to cut and second of all, Deacon Mike has a calendar that has no mercy even with a wedding approaching.  Soon I leave for evening Mass and the week ahead has scheduled events every night of the week.

The wedding certainly equals lots of extra stuff to do beyond the grass.  I will be counting on friends to help out.  And then after the wedding I will still have about five consecutive months of grass cutting at least some time every week and available weekend not spent in ministry.

I'm trying to dwell with the example of all the great Saints who always equated their manual labor with holiness.  Ora er labora so says St. Benedict!  Oh well, we shall see. 

I avoided the whole topic of how grass cutting season also ushers in much warmer, dare I say hotter weather, more bugs of numerous types and the dreaded hurricane season.  Not rich enough to pay someone else to do it so I grin and bear it and marvel at the help I will receive from good friends who like to work on my property.

So it is here, grass cutting season, and that wedding fast approaches; good Lord, have mercy on me!

The contradiction that is August

There is plenty to hate about August and then there are some hopeful signs too.  In August I loathe the weather.  On average, we suffer thru average highs of about 96 degrees, 90 percent humidity and heat indexes that top 110 often.  August, for us, is the month we really start worrying about hurricane season and we still remember the awful event in August, 10 years ago, called Katrina.  August also brings the way too early start to school when our children, in these hot days of still summer time, go back to the classroom, some as early as tomorrow.  By next week, around August 10th, about 95% of the area children are back in school.

August brings plenty of grass cutting, all done in that heat described above, and the return of what we call love bugs, a nuisance especially to the front grills of cars and trucks.

But I said August is also a sign of future hope.  Just like you can't have the Fridays of your life without Mondays, you cant have the Octobers without the Augusts.  Yes, in just 2 short months, we will enter some of the most delightful days of the year in these parts with the arrival of October.  And for the uninformed, down here, because our winters are not harsh, October thru March is almost always delightful.

Are you a football fan?  I am!  And August does bring the start of football.  NFL preseason games start very soon and college football is now just 4 weeks away.  Football, for me, is more exciting than all the other sports combined.

For Catholics August is another great month of powerful patron Saints and interesting Feast Days, including remembering the Transfiguration.  In my home parish, we will also celebrate the patronal feast of St. Jane de Chantal.  August brings a more normal pace of Catholic ministries as all the summer breaks, vacations, etc. come to an end.

So I will refrain from saying I hate August, and will pray that again we avoid tropical troubles.  And instead I will focus on all the good stuff to come, especially as we draw closer to cooler weather in the fall

Sunday Catholic overload, and other Sunday stuff

No homily today; I needed the break.  Still, I find myself very reflective on what is a truly beautiful Sunday morning.  Now understand that I truly find every Sunday to be beautiful because it's good to have that one day each week where the focus is God, faith, Church. family.  This is an exceptionally beautiful Sunday though because it really is the first Sunday in a long time where we experience a taste of autumn.  I awoke at 6 this morning to a temperature of 48 degrees, coupled with little humidity.  At sunrise, I walked outside to take it all in and view the beauty of a hard days work the day before; not by me but by a friend.  You see while I was in New Orleans as part of my diaconate ministry and then in Covington assisting at the vigil Mass, my friends and wife were working in the yard.  Little did I know the depth of the work done; trees cut, old fencing removed, acres cut and wonderful vegetable plants put in the ground for our winter crop.  It indeed is a beautiful morning.


As a Catholic I wonder today how many of us are aware of the Catholic overload we are experiencing this very day, even all weekend?  Sunday alone is enough to excite the engaged Catholic.  Today at Mass we will hear yet another Gospel parable about a vineyard.  Jesus teaches us today that we are to accept the kingdom of God, accept His Son as our Savior and then use the produce of the vineyard as our best effort to give back to the Father!  Wow, right?  For many faithful Catholics, to hear this Word then be fed by Jesus Himself in Holy Communion is and should be the highlight of each and every week of our lives.  Yet this Sunday gives us all this and so much more.  It is the first day of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops in Rome which will tackle issues related to families and marriages and divorce and remarriage and even annulments.  There is much anticipation about this Synod; of course some of it is unrealistic and unfounded.  Still, under the leadership of Pope Francis, guided by the Holy Spirit, the Bishops and others are in Rome and will have a conversation perhaps long overdue.  The universal church also has the remembrance of Saint Faustina today, the apostle of the Divine Mercy devotion.  She was gifted with visits of Jesus who brought the world Divine Mercy through this wonderful Saint, by the way, a favorite of Saint Pope John Paul II.  For the local church and in other areas of America and Bavaria, today is also the feast day of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos.  This gentle Redemptorist priest came to America and settled in New Orleans where he would die from yellow fever because he ministered to those suffering from the disease.  Long after his death a miracle cure of a local woman, Angela Boudreaux would be the cause of his beatification and continued efforts for his canonization.  And this Sunday is Respect Life Sunday and all over the country concerned citizens will stand in peaceful protest against abortion in living life chains.  Our local life chain is in Slidell, across the lake from New Orleans on the east side of the Northshore.  Yep, this is a Catholic overload Sunday.


Since it is autumn, we can't ignore the frenzy that is football.  Now I must admit, I do love football and I am a long suffering Saints fan and LSU Tiger fan.  Admittedly, recent history has tempered the word suffering because both the Saints and LSU have been very, very good in the last decade.  My goodness in a little more than 10 years I have witnessed LSU winning 2 national championships and the Saints winning the Super Bowl.  These are huge football realities that I need to fondly recall lately because 2014 has been a huge football bust so far.  The Saints are the most curious disappointment, picked by every expert to be great, they are stinking up the joint.  For LSU, picked to be in a rebuild mode, we are just now realizing how bad this season will be, especially the possibility of no wins in the SEC.  Lots of OUCH!  But it is football.  It truly is not life but we have made this a huge part of life.  I am so concerned how football, and anything else for that matter, can be given priority over faith and family.  Sometimes I too fall victim to this, at least in the amount of time given to football or trying to rearrange schedules.  Now I will always watch Saints and LSU football, but no longer at the expense of faith, family and my ministry as Deacon.


For today, I think I will rejoice in another Sunday, take in all that this Catholic Sunday has to offer and enjoy the weather and the surroundings on this truly autumn day.  By the way, I probably will watch some football, but later, much later!

Here it is, my 1st season of the year/weather post in honor of the end of summer

So long summer 2014, you officially end tonight and I say good riddance.  In the issue of fairness, you were not that tough on us here in the New Orleans area.  Sure, it was hot, but on balance not so bad.  We had fewer 95 degree and up days than recent memory, it stayed wet to some degree and we even had cool fronts in the months of June and July.  Yet, I long to see you go.  Not so much because I disdain you, although I do, but because I love all things autumn or fall for short!


I for one say come on cooler weather, bring on the falling leaves, change colors too if you wish and let's get back to regular clock time.  Fall back baby!  You know God designed it to be dark at night and bright by day, especially the morning.  And I want my hour of sleep back too!


Autumn brings a renewed sense of vigor, the football season grows more intense and baseball finally matters with the World Series.  This beautiful season brings fairs and festivals and hunting season.  All that is good begins in the fall!


So you summer lovers, sorry; here comes autumn 2014 and I say it's about time!

The death of C.S. Lewis 50 years ago on the same day that JFK was killed

The Triumph of C.S. Lewis

By Robert Barron

Two famous men died on November 22, 1963. The first did so in the most dramatic way possible, assassinated in the full glare of publicity on the streets of Dallas; the second in relative obscurity, in the upstairs bedroom of his simple home on the outskirts of Oxford, England.
John F. Kennedy's legacy has, of course, been enormous, but I wonder whether C.S. Lewis has actually, in the course of these past 50 years, had a greater impact on the culture than his counterpart. When he died at the age of 65, Lewis's reputation was on the wane, but he has enjoyed an extraordinary posthumous vogue, as two successive generations have delighted in his literary criticism, his novels, and above all, his clever and incisive Christian apologetics.

One reason why Lewis has proven so persuasive to so many is that he was compelled to undergo a transition -- halting, painful, anguished -- from non-belief to belief. Though he had been brought up in a Christian environment, he had lost his faith by the time he entered university. He was not someone to whom religious conviction came naturally or effortlessly; he had to work his way to it, in the face of often harsh opposition, both interior and exterior. This very personal struggle gives him credibility with the millions today who want to believe but who find ideological secularism and militant atheism enormously challenging.
A second reason why Lewis was successful was that he came at Christian apologetics primarily from a literary rather than a philosophical point of view. I want to be careful not to overstate the case here: Lewis certainly understood philosophy and used it at times in his apologetics both effectively and creatively. Think, for instance, of the subtle analysis offered in his book Miracles. But Lewis was, first and foremost, a man of letters -- a poet and storyteller. His area of academic specialization was the literature of the 16th century -- he wrote with tremendous insight on Milton -- and his first published writings were poems.
This background allowed him to see something which is often overlooked in more academic and analytical presentations of the Christian faith, namely, that Christianity is, at bottom, a narrative, a story, an account of the dramatic things that God has done. Certainly doctrinal statements can be distilled from the Biblical revelation (in fact, that's what most of formal theology does), but revelation is contained primarily in narrative form -- and this matters profoundly. The Bible tells the story of how God's good creation, sullied by sin, is restored through the return of God himself as king. This account contains many subplots and it is surrounded by a plethora of poetry, psalms, wisdom sayings, and other material that support it -- but finally, the Bible is a rollicking adventure story, full of drama, reversals, adventure, and marked by a happy and triumphant ending.
Throughout his career, and in a variety of works, Lewis exulted in telling and re-telling this story. Thus, in his most famous work of apologetics, Mere Christianity, he explained that the one God had to do battle with the dark spiritual power that had unjustly taken possession of his world -- which is why the Christ child was obliged to arrive so surreptitiously, so clandestinely, sneaking, as it were, behind enemy lines. The very same tale is told in the Chronicles of Narnia. But in that imaginative setting, the devil becomes the White Witch, who has plunged Narnia into a 100 years of winter, and Christ becomes Aslan the lion who offers his own life in order to liberate the land. In The Screwtape Letters, Lewis illustrates how the general calamity plays itself out in the life of a very ordinary Christian and the low-level devil assigned to torment him. It is precisely Lewis's confidence in the victory of Christ that enabled him to disempower the devil through mockery.
J.R.R. Tolkien, who was a great friend to and Christian fellow-traveler with Lewis, presented his own version of the Biblical tale in The Lord of the Rings. In Tolkien's invented world, the devil appeared as Sauron the Dark Lord and Christ under the guise of Frodo the priest, Gandalf the prophet, and Aragorn, the king who returned after a great battle to take possession of his rightful kingdom. Both Lewis and Tolkien wanted to "evangelize the imagination," to plant the seeds of the Gospel and the rhythms of the Biblical narrative in the minds of their readers. The fact that both The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings have, in recent years, been made into wildly popular films can only be characterized, therefore, as a triumph of evangelization.
C.S. Lewis intuited something that has become a commonplace among postmodern philosophers, namely, that the avatar of one worldview overcomes another, not so much through argument, but through telling a more compelling story, by "out-narrating" his opponent. He knew that the Christian evangelist, despite any personal flaws he might exhibit or institutional baggage he might carry, still possessed the greatest story ever told. Lewis told that story with particular verve, bravado, intelligence, imagination, and panache -- and that is why it is well and good that we should celebrate him on the 50th anniversary of his passing.

Father Robert Barron is the founder of the global ministry, Word on Fire, and the Rector/President of Mundelein Seminary.

June 1st: let the summer begin, yet, I hate it

For many, today is a milestone day: June 1st, the first day of the traditional summer months.  For beach goers and amusement park riders and kids that hate school it is summer time.  Have I ever mentioned this before: I hate summer.  Yep, I really do hate summer.  For me, we enter into the worst time of the year, my least favorite time of year.  In fact June, along with July & August represent my least favorite months in the annual calendar.  As always, when I expound on this personal privilege, many can't believe that I would prefer the other months of the year as my favorite.  If you are from another part of the world, it is important to consider that generally, I do not experience extreme winters, it rarely snows, lately it rarely freezes.  Now the other side of the coin is that summers here in the New Orleans area seem more hot & brutal than ever before and it also seems that tropical weather is more and more intense.  Just since 2005 we have battled Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Isaac as either direct hits or too close for comfort. 

June does have some endearing qualities that allows me to not completely loathe the first of the summer months.  Today, and often in early June, we have the glorious celebrations of ordinations in New Orleans.  Today, we have 5 men who will enter St. Louis Cathedral as transitional deacons and exit as newly ordained Priests!  That is always exciting.  On a personal note, June does indeed mark the month of my marriage and on June 4th Wendy & I will celebrate anniversary # 36.  So June is not all bad!

So for those of you who adore summer months and look forward to the heat and humidity, all I can say is enjoy.  Don't worry too much about me, I'll get through it and will start to count down those days to October when I finally begin to enjoy the season, the weather and the time of year again.

Why do we keep messing with time?

Even time belongs to God the Father.  Yes, over the centuries we have identified what a day, a week, a month, even a year should look like.  Every four years we add a day.  Every now and then, they add a second on the atomic clock.  We keep messing with time.  Perhaps the biggest outrage with time is this farce called daylight savings time.  All of us, except Arizonans and a few other folks in the US of A, sprung forward Sunday morning so we can have more daylight at night.  Heaven forbid that we just stole that hour from the morning.  Now we are assured of that lost hour of sleep, outrageous darkness for a few months while little children wait, at risk, at bus stops, families who come inside later, eat much later, go to bed much later and wake up grouchy, late and just generally out of sorts.  I don't get it; never have and never will.

We now have real hard empirical data that shows the long thought benefits of DST don't really exist.  This change in time does nothing to save money, and now has been proven as a health risk to a large percentage of the population.  Craziness.

Still, I am, by far,  in the minority in my opinion.  It seems a casual check with family, friends and others I mix and mingle with declare a big thumbs up for this crazy time realignment.  People say its a good thing to stay outside longer, to play longer, to do yard work later, to get home from work with an hour or, should I say, hours before the sun goes down.

I watched with some fascination the parade of parishioners at Church Sunday rushing in late, or arriving casually only to realize they were missing Mass.  I watched the quiet witness of an elderly couple that just flat out missed Mass so they sat side by side in Church, until it was time to go, apparently in prayer and obviously disappointed.

Time is "big time" on the minds of Catholics and people of goodwill these days because it's been a hurry up and wait stance as we wonder when and who the new Pope will be!  Time is something we must be reminded is yet another gift from God.  Even time should be something we bless, or consecrate, throughout the days.  Hence, the Church prays the Liturgy of the Hours.  Of course with the Catholic Church truly being "catholic, meaning universal"every hour of every day there is someone praying the Mass, or the Liturgy of the Hours.  In every hour of every day, in the finest of Catholic tradition, the name of the Lord is praised and worshipped by Catholics.  Many of these same Catholics go along with this time change thing; I wish the Church would come out against DST.  Of course, this won't happen and this really is not a serious suggestion:)

So time marches on; changed for another almost 8 months, when I get my hour of sleep back, and remarkably, it's dark at night and light by day.  Novel idea!

So long March, so long best part of the year; is it October yet?

On the evening of March 31st I sit down and blog away about my favorite time of the year as it retreats for the next six months.  There is no other way to put it for me; I don't like the hotter weather months of the year.  For us in southeast Louisiana, that roughly equates to April through September.  Of course, down here, any month can bring some heat and humidity.  And sometimes April can be pleasant.  However, by the time we reach around April 20th until well past Labor Day, everyday will be hot and humid.  Couple the weather with that crazy daylight savings time, all we have for the next 180 days or so is the hot weather and endless evening daylight to cut the always growing grass.

Ok, ok, I know that this sounds so negative.  Before I get to carried away I realize that every day, every month, every season of the year, including summer, is ordained by God the Father.  And there will be many events and traditions in the next six months that I actually enjoy and bring about good memories.  I just can't get past the heat.  Let's just look forward a little; April will usher in the last important days of Lent before next weekend's glorious celebration of Easter!  And we will see the start of baseball season soon, and the really important golf tournaments and horse races.  We have another big family event in a few months with a wedding in the family.  That event will give us the opportunity to go visit our son and daughter in law, who are expecting my first grandchild.  I will have to remember that fact this year; in early September I become a grandpa so I might just have to love September now too!

For all you who can't wait for the summer season, please have a little sympathy for me.  I'll try not to moan and groan too much, except when I will be complaining about cutting grass.

So long best half of the year; come on April; I'm ready!

Goodbye August; September is here

So we survived the most difficult month of the year in these parts.  Traditionally August is the hottest and it did not disappoint.  August also is fairly wet; not so this year.  In fact, the driest August on record.  We always worry about storms in August with Katrina a constant reminder.  All of our kids get back to school here in August, from the youngest to the college crew.  Our daughter began her new adventure a state away.  But August is done; what does September hold?

Well tonight, we in southeast Louisiana are waiting to see.  Weather predictions tonight range from lots of weekend rain to the possibility of a close to coast developing tropical storm.  These pesky Gulf tropical storms, no Katrina or even Irene, are somewhat deceiving because they lack strong winds and push little tidal flooding towards the coast but man can they dump rain.  The problem stems from the fact that these things are slow moving and they tend to linger along the coast.  Folks down here will remember Allison and Juan, tame as far as storms go, devastating in rain and subsequent flooding.

As we progress through our Labor Day weekend we will certainly update on what's going on.  I sure would feel a little better if my generator was running; hopefully I'll have some time to work on it in case we lose power.

September does give us a glimpse into the coming fall season.  I'm ready to say goodbye to summer.  Football is certainly upon us; LSU plays Saturday and the Saints kick-off the NFL season in 8 days on national TV vs. the Packers.

September this year brings the 10th anniversary of that tragic day we all call 9-11.  Who could forget?  As this anniversary draws closer we will have plenty to say about that day and how it has changed us forever.

The Church will welcome all CCD students back in the fold, some RCIA programs kick-off in September and we draw one month closer to the implementation of the Roman Missal.  Some parishes will actually start singing the Gloria, in it's new format, now since we don't sing the Gloria during Advent.

I'm looking forward to a little vacation time this month and plenty of wonderful ministry opportunities; weddings, classes, and orison ministry.

Hello September; please be kind.  And please let's all pray for an insignificant weather event over the weekend.

July; month #2 in the summer of my discontent

OK, don't read too much in this headline. I simply am not a summer guy. I love summer only because it is part of God's rhythm of nature but beyond that; don't care much for it. I've talked about this before; too much heat & humidity, rain and always the threat of hurricanes. But the good news is: June behind us, July underway and all is well with the world.

It's been a strange summer; my son got married, my daughter is traversing Europe and my wife and I are counting points. And I just realized I even have a sister & niece doing ministry in Honduras.

For me, I look forward to a great July as my ministries continue during this mid-summer month. I look forward always to the visits to Rayburn prison, can't wait for the opportunity to minister and pray with the men, and their wives, who are discerning a possible vocation to the diaconate and the many opportunities to serve at my parish, and again this month, my neighboring parish to the south.

I continue to remmeber that ministry and Christian example is an ongoing thing. At work, home and around town, we must be an example of Christ's love. And as a Deacon I am particularly aware of being a sign of Christ the servant.

This journey is always made so much easier by the amazing support and encouragement of my family, particularly my wife and so many friends. It is always humble to realize that so may people are praying for you and the ministry entrusted to you.

So we can make this a great July. God remains in control. And when July is over, summer is just that much closer to her end. Come on fall, and football season, and cool weather, and leaves that turn color (well, maybe) and kids off the street and back in school! Yes, summer is rolling along.

On the road ramblings

This week takes me traveling as my family readies for the wedding of our son Jimmy and his fiance Sara. We traveled through back roads in southwest Mississippi before hitting the big interstate that runs thru Meridian and then east into Alabama. Monday night we stayed in the town of Hoover, Alabama which is most famous for a high school football program that MTV did a series on for a few years. Yesterday we rolled through Georgia, driving right through downtown Atlanta near the lunch hour and on to South Carolina and eventually our North Carolina destination.

The wedding is Saturday and all of my family will be there with an exception or two. This is the 1st such experience for my wife and I so I'll report on wedding events later this weekend.

One interesting thing to watch on TV is the reporting of the BP oil disaster not with a local spin. Although some of the national media are doing a good job and have reporters on the ground, for loacal stations it's just another story. I really wonder why the rest of the nation fails to understand the national impact if this thing lingers.

I have noticed that for a traditional non-Catholic area, there is no shortage of Catholic Churches to attend. I found one right in downtown Greensboro, right by my hotel and there are others all around. Keeping up with the breviary, especially with all the saint days this week helps keep me grounded to routine.

So enjoy the rest of your week. I'll be busy but getting ready for a big event. Let's make a deal to pray for each other and all will be fine!

Lightning does strike twice

In an post from last year I shared the story of how lightning struck my house and fried over $ 15K in appliances. It was a very scary event especially when my daughter emerged from the bedroom complaining of tingling feelings in her hand and arm. It took us weeks to replace everything and even 7 months later, when our water heater stopped working, the plumber discovered additional damage from the lightning.

I figured that would be my one brush with the deadly electricity. Oh no, fast forward to today. Some background for you non-locals who read this blog: the Causeway is a 24 mile bridge which connects the New Orleans side of Lake Pontchartrain from the more suburban northshore communities. I live on the northshore and often have to commute to New Orleans. Today would be one such day.

Everything was fine although our meeting ran long but I was excited about headed back home around 2:30 this afternoon. A strong thunderstorm blew up from the north and east and travel on the Causeway was difficult. I've experienced this many times before so I'm still feeling o.k. Fierce lightning was striking ominously close by but again, I have been through this before. And then it hit; a bright flash of orange to the passenger front side of my 2008 GMC Acadia. After I recovered from the flash of bright light, I realized my vehicle was in trouble. All my dash was dead, the interior lights came on, the radio was fried and so was the A/C. I managed to drive the car off the Causeway bridge but once I stopped for the red light, she was done.

She was towed to the dealer and now awaits an insurance adjustors visit and the painful decision to repair or replace.

Of course I am grateful for not being hurt but can't believe I have been struck by lightning twice.

May I humbly and respectfully say; You have my attention!

Random thoughts at mid-week

Tonight I'm relaxing after another busy day at the office; fulfilling yet busy. I had to take a ride this afternoon to the Southshore and witnessed some of the flavor of the New Orleans Saints fever sweeping the whole region. We are continuing to soak in all the excitement of these amazing days where we are preparing to witness the Saints in the SuperBowl. Even our bank office is decorated with all things Saints! And the clients love it! I can never fully explain what this football team and this magical season have meant to the psyche of a people; of an entire community. Geaux Saints.

I recently had a pretty deep, and sincere, conversation about all the Catholic Churches that are canceling or rescheduling evening Mass on Sunday because of the phenomena of the Saints in the Super Bowl. The concern goes something like this; are we placing the Super Bowl ahead of God or does the Saints in the big game mean more than the holy sacrifice of the Mass? Good questions. Of course, the answer is we all indeed understand priorities and would never diminish praising God. Here is the deal. None of the parishes that are adjusting the schedule have a Sunday evening Mass only. Parishes are working with their neighbor parishes and insuring ample opportunity to celebrate Mass on Super Bowl weekend. Masses are being added on Saturday evening, Sunday morning and late afternoon masses are replacing Sunday night. Pastoral concerns call for the Mass to be available to the largest number of folks possible and do nothing to encourage skipping Mass all together. During the NFC championship two weeks ago, we had 40 people for Mass when 200 or more is the norm. And don't worry, the Archdiocese has blessed the plan as we Catholics even understand the miracle that is the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl.

Now, on an all-together different subject; more sad news coming from the island-nation of Haiti. Today, officials declared that the death toll has officially surpassed the 200,000 mark. The pain & agony is still real and raw. Aid continues to pour in yet reports still claim that much of the aid does not get to those most adversly affected. Please continue to pray for and donate to the people of Haiti.

Mardi Gras is also upon us in south Louisiana and Friday night begins a week and a half of non-stop parades and other Carnival activity. Over here on the Northshore we have a big night parade Friday in Mandeville, the quirky Push-mow parade in Abita Springs Saturday morning and another night parade in Covington on Saturday. Just remember, this is the prelude to Lent.

Saturday brings the election for a new mayor, city council and other offices in the City of New Orleans. Because of the excitement of the Saints and Mardi Gras too, it's been a big yawner. After enduring some sloppy leadership post Katrina my concern is that New Orleans will do little to change the political dynamic that continually prevents New Orleans from maximizing it's full potential. And if you can believe early polls, it looks like more of a political coronation of the son of a good ole boy political family dynasty; Louisiana's version of the Kennedy's.

In my profile, I explain that I love all things LSU. The fact that the Tigers have won two national football championships and one national baseball championship in the past 6-7 years helps. But what is the deal with LSU men's basketball. They stink. The roundball Tigers are losing like crazy and have yet to win a SEC game. C'mon LSU; is not your program capable of producing something we can be proud of?

Well, I said these are random thoughts. So let's just end with a sincere Who Dat and Geaux Saints!

The Best Half of the Year; an update!

I realize that this is not a commonly shared belief among my closest family and friends but, for me, we are smack in the middle of the best half of the year. Now even I will admit that I did not expect such intense winter weather in the greater New Orleans area. We are preparing tonight for our 5th straight freeze with the overnight low predicted to be around 18 above. Of course if you are reading this in Minnesota or northern Maine or perhaps near Yellowstone, you would probably love 18 above. For us southern folk; this is cold.

Again, for me, I'll take the cold over those 99 degree; 100 percent humidity days upon days from like May til October. That is why I declare Oct 1st thru March 31st as the best half of the year with December my favorite month and January a close second!

In these neck of the woods the cold weather will cause some havoc for those of us prone to an overall tropical climate. Our homeless shelters are splitting at the seems and unfortunately not all make it off the streets. So many organizations and just good hearted people are trying to provide for these folks who are God's children. The threat of extreme cold has caused the cancellation of school in some areas and big events that were planned long ago. This is unfortunate.

But I will continue to declare boldly; we are living in the best half of the year. Heck, we have some great football games this weekend and then the Saints reappear in the playoffs next Saturday. And the cold weather is not going to stop the amazing ministry opportunities that come this time of year. We just celebrated the great New Orleans feast of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and we have the amazing Feast of the Baptism of the Lord this weekend. And later this month we will have the great effort to proclaim our Pro-Life gospel to the world with the March for Life.

So for those of you reading this locally, bundle up, wrap those pipes, take care of your tender vegetation and thank God it's not a 100 degrees in the shade.

The first full week of the New Year

Early on this cold and crisp Sunday morning I realize that all of us are facing the first full week of the New Year. With New Year's Day falling on a Friday, most of us have enjoyed a 3 or 4 day weekend or perhaps an even longer break if you had any end of the year vacation. I'm in that category as I have been off from the job since December 22nd.

Over the past few days many of us have concentrated on what the New Year will bring or have been fine tuning our New Year's resolutions. I have already mentioned how hard it is to plan or look forward well into the future. But this Sunday morning may give us an opportunity to put into practice a resolution of sorts. We all can gather our thoughts and plans today and look at the week ahead and make plans to get 2010 off to a great start.

For me, and I suspect many of you, it will be back to the office tomorrow morning. After a couple of weeks of sleeping in, which I really don't do anyway, it will be a sharp 6 a.m. wake up call. As is often the case with a long abscence from the desk, there will be the usual backlog of emails and phone messages and tasks left incomplete from two weeks ago. Unlike in my past life, I resolve not to burn out in one day or one week. My goal is to be a little better organized and in control. Maybe I can update you on how well that goes or how long it will last.

School starts locally on Monday and for my church parish that means the first day of CCD classes in almost a month. One of the really nice ways to kick off a new week, let alone a new year, is to surround yourself with these children. I enjoy visiting with our CCD children or leading a prayer service in the church. Either way, it will be very nice to see them all gathered together again learning more about Jesus and our faith.

In this first full week of the New Year I will try to be aware of the fact that we are still in the Christmas season. We are in the final week of the liturgical Christmas season with January 6th coming up on Wednesday and the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord this Sunday. January 6th used to be universally accepted as the Epiphany; now we celebrate it on the first Sunday of the New Year. For us locally, January 6th also is known as King's Day as we also mark the beginning of our Mardi Gras season with 12th night celebrations and the tradition of eating King Cake. Baked into the dough of a King Cake is a tiny plastic baby, symbolizing the Christ child found; just as the three wise men found the Christ child in Bethlehem.

In the week ahead I also have resolved to be aware more of what I'm eating and to take a couple of walks; to simply get away from the computer and the easy chair and move more. It would be a wise thing to get in a little better shape in 2010 as the demands of both job and ministry can be physically demanding.

January on it's own is a challenging month. For us living in the deep south, we will face one of the coldest weeks in a long time with 4 or 5 days of predicted lows below freezing. For some of you reading this you probably laugh at this as I know a large part of our nation is bitterly cold. Trust me, after a few days of lows in the twenties our locals will be convinced we live in Siberia. Will January bring us, the long suffering fans of the New Orleans Saints, a playoff season we have dreamed about for years? We will learn nothing today as the Saints play second string against Carolina. But we will host a playoff game in two weeks but it will come after a 3 game loosing streak. If the Saints of the 13 game winning streak show up, we may be loving January in New Orleans like never before.

So, if you are in the same position I am, enjoy your day today. Make it to Mass and spend some quiet time in prayer. Plan the week ahead and don't look to far into the future. Make this a great week. Tough out those resolutions or ideas you have to make your life a little better. Pray more, laugh more and smile a lot. Don't let anything get you down and live in the moment.

It's the first full week of the New Year; another gift from God! What will you do with this gift? The answer lies with each of us.

Weird things are happening here...

In keeping with my two halves of the year routine, with October-March my favorite, this October-November has been weird. First of all, our normally dry October was mega wet and we had more hot and humid days than we did in September. Yes, we did have some nice weather too, but we had to take the good with the bad.

Now we enter November and it started off just great. Then late last week came talk of a hurricane that might drift generally our way. Now tonight, parts of the area where I live are under a hurricane watch. This as we are getting ready for Thanksgiving? Of course the new forecasts are favorable for us; less so for our neighbors to the east. Yet in this post Katrina New Orleans area, any storm in the gulf is enough to tweek the nerves. And our news media has responded with it's usual hysteria. They are breaking into football games and programs to tell us that there is a nice breeze in Grand Isle and the flag on top the dome is flapping. Gee weez. I'm very glad we won't have any tough hit, but just give us the facts. In any case; I hope we fare well and our neighbors in Alabama, Florida do well too.

And if the above is not weird enough, what about the New Orleans Saints! This has been very exciting for us, especially those of us that remember the horrible Saints of old. But like the sign today in the Dome said: this ain't your grandma's Saints anymore. The Saints, in case you've been hiding under a rock, are 8-0 and playing exciting football. They have scored over 300 points in just 8 games; wow! This kind of gives the entire area a sense of pride and excitement that maybe this is THE year. I encourage all my friends to dismiss silly talk. Let's enjoy the Saints one game at a time.

Ministry will be exciting this week. I return to the prison, meet with some couples and spend some time with my local Knights of Columbus. For the church, we have a stellar week ahead of special feasts and memorials. Tommorrow is the Feast of the Dedication of the Saint John Lateran Basilica. I may post more on this tommorrow. Tuesday is the memorial of Pope Leo the Great, Wednesday the memorial of St. Martin of Tours, Thursday the memorial of St. Josaphat and Friday we remember Mother Cabrini, a local favorite in New Orleans.

Oh yea, I'm off Wednesday. Remarkably, my employer does have a heart for our Veterans. In light of the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afganistan and last week's events at Ft. Hood, we should really remember our veterans, pray for them and honor their memory. I will go to Mass that day and pray for our veterans and our brave men and women in uniform.

Yes, weird things are happening. Let's get past this Ida storm thing, move forward and celebrate these great days of November.