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Scenes from my first Christmas

Yes, this is my First Christmas.....as a Deacon of course. Fr. Andrew reminded me and the entire congregation of that, along with the story ...

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Gone Camping!

 

One of my favorite activities is camping! 
Because of various reasons we haven't gone in three years!
We leave today just to get some time together!

Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch 

Sacraments 101: Baptism (why we baptize)






While working with the Deacon this summer on catechesis for Baptism we thought we would use this video!

Please tell me what you think!

Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch

Friday, August 30, 2013

Beautiful: watch this extraordinary teacher set his class on fire

Beautiful: watch this extraordinary teacher set his class on fire

This is a must see video!

Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch 

"Before I Die......................"

I'm on vacation and on my first day of vacation, that was yesterday, I traveled to Dover to have a special day alone with my grand daughter. My daughter called me while I was in DD in Jackson picking up a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich. I called her back and assured her that there was no way I was missing out on this day. I had someone say to me......"why don't you just send them the money, it would be cheaper!" Indeed it would, but there is no way I'm missing out on the opportunity to "be" with her. 

Before my daughter left for work we went for a walk with Myanna and P (her dog). That moment was very special to me. It isn't often that she and I get to talk face to face and I really treasure these moments. A friend of mine shared with me that it's really all about being with people. Yes, we can communicate more through cell phones, face time on ipad's etc, but there is no replacement for being with someone. 

Needless to say the day was everything I had hoped for and the only negative was the long trip back home last night.

I'm sure I piqued your curiosity on why I labeled this posting as "Before I die.....". 

On the way to Dover I saw this great big blackboard that was marked "Before I die...sign here!" It was incredible to see! A giant bucket list! 

I think we all have those thoughts of that one special thing that would make our life complete our joyous if we were only fortunate enough!

After seeing that, all I could think of was, is that really where we are in life? 

Don't get me wrong, because I would love to visit Rome and France some day, but to think that my life would be complete because of those experiences would be wrong. 

With a day filled spent with my little peanut, looking in her eyes, singing to her, seeing her smile, that was a very joyous experience that I wouldn't trade for anything else!

Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch 
 

  

Monday, August 26, 2013

Letter to a new deacon

Letter to a new deacon

Once again to my readers! As you probably well know I follow this blog very religiously and when something special strikes to my heart, I feel compelled to share this with all of you. For my Deacon candidate brother and sisters, these words are a true inspiration. Please click on the words Letter to a new deacon.


Adieu et bonsoir mes Amis,

Mitch 

Fan or Follower!

This weekend we had a very special treat at St.Anne's and Holy Family Churches. Fr. Andrew ( formerly Deacon Andrew ) was the celebrant. It's always nice to see a good friend once again, and I can only imagine that he was very excited and maybe a little nervous coming home again. 

His homily focused on the Gospel speaking of the narrow gate. He mentioned that Jesus maybe sounding a little cranky on comments like..."I don't know you!" He also referred to Pre-Vatican II and how many viewed God as someone who would zap you if you did something wrong. Since then we have developed a personal view of God and he felt we may have come too far in our own thoughts. 

He mentioned how there is this feeling that if you are a good person, you are all set. Thence comes the thought "are you a fan or a follower". It was a very simple yet powerful. As a fan we sit by, we watch, yet we aren't fully engaged. There usually isn't much pain involved in being a fan, yet a follower is a different story. 

So what is it? Well, for most of us it is probably both. We profess our love, our devotion, but do we profess and offer up our lives. We all have different gifts and are called to something based upon those gifts and are we all in?

So are you a fan or follower?


Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch 

Monday, August 19, 2013

“The Church has not gone down the tubes…”

“The Church has not gone down the tubes…”


To all of my followers please take the time to read this, ....it is very enlightening!

Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch

PS Let's set the world on fire together! 

Saturday, August 17, 2013

A little more than a shadow!

This weekend I'm staying home as I will be covering many hours in the next week because I have an assistant away for training. My wife left early this morning to care for our granddaughter and I'm sure she's loving it. 

Today there was funeral scheduled and I thought it would be a good opportunity to shadow Fr. Kyle. I stopped by the sacristy and asked if he would be okay with that and he said sure. 

At the cemetery he offered me the opportunity to assist him with the prayers and I really enjoyed the opportunity to observe as well as participate. 

With that done, he asked if I wanted to observe him anointing and praying over someone at the nursing home. Once again, I thought that this would be a great opportunity to watch and "be" in the presence of those in need. It went very well and I thanked him so much for the wonderful chance to take an active role in ministry. 

When I got home Terry called and alerted me that she had arrived in Dover, and then I got to share with her the good news of what I had just experienced. She mentioned that she wished that she could have been there to share those moments. 

It was a really good day! Something different, something good!

Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch 

Monday, August 12, 2013

If you only had one hour!

It's another weekend and once again we are making the trip south to "be" with family. With the arrival of our granddaughter we have been making several of these to help out as much as we can. We have both been down there three times and it's become very ritual but far from ordinary. As we gaze into her eyes we do see changes each week and it is definitely worth the trip. 

On Saturday night we thought we would gamble and see if Deacon Roger (my old high school french teacher) would be at Mass in South Berwick. It was the 4 pm Mass and the three of us, of course Myanna would be there, are hoping for something special. As I knelt to pray Terry whispers to me...."is that him?" Sure enough, it was and we shared a brief moment together before Mass. Ironically his homily spoke of someone trying to connect with him this week and finally doing so, and he continued to say that person was attending Mass that evening and was preparing to be a permanent Deacon in New Hampshire. He shared about his sense of humor and how we need to connect with one another. After Mass we spoke fondly about old memories, and we were excited to blessed by him. 

There has been a feeling for quite some time now that I need to make a better effort to reach out to people, to listen, to touch, but most of all to "be" with them. 

Yesterday we prepared for Mass at 11 pm. My daughter had mentioned...."but Dad, you just went yesterday, why again?" I shared with her a little story she had told me how much she valued being with people she loved, and I told her a very good friend of mine is saying Mass and I may not see him again until next May! She looked up to me, and said...."I understand!"

Once again the three of us walked up the street to celebrate the Lord and to be with someone we love! It was a wonderful Mass and an exceptional homily that challenged people to think of what they would do if they only had one hour left. Who would you see? Who would you reach out to? We spoke to Fr. Andrew one more time and then walked back to the apartment glowing. 

I then turned on my cell phone and got a message from a great friend who I was I reaching out to earlier this week. He shared some wonderful news with me, and he promised to call so we could hear each other's voice. 

My best friend then started a texting war with me and asked me if I would go with him to check out Perseid last night. I thought of saying no, but said yes and told him I would be home at one am and asked him to pick me up. 

The day continued on spending time with our little girl, watching her, singing to her (she loves music and my voice), and just "being" with her until her mommy and daddy showed up. We then made the long trip back home and in Gorham I texted my buddy that I would be home soon. I got home and continued sending him messages with no responses. 

This morning he called me and commented that he was bluffing and didn't think I really meant it. Initially, I was going to say no yet something inside of me said "why not!" Well of course I told him that I would never be one of those people who would give him a hard time about this, not!!!! He will pay, but of course at the right moment to get the full effect of public humiliation, after all what are best friends for. Today I'm disappointed because I think we missed out on a moment to be with one another. 

So, if you only had one hour left what would you do?


Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch 

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Moved by the Spirit!

I know that I have recently mentioned that last week I had many people that had reached out to me to say hi, to share some "good news", to make that person to person contact. Well, I believe that the Holy Spirit has guided me to do the same. I followed up with a buddy on how his recent assignment went, and I wasn't surprised that he did very well. I also ran into a friend who is the chaplain at the state prison in Berlin. I couldn't believe it he had lost over 170 pounds. He looks great! I asked him to get me signed up to train to be a volunteer in the NH state prisons for men. Last night I called one of my favorite high school teachers who is now a deacon in Maine. We talked for almost an hour and he shared so much with me about his ministry, his life, and his spirituality. I sent him an email tonight as we promised to keep in touch and pray for each other. I am now waiting to hear from my college professor, and I'm sure this will also be fruitful. Without a doubt I feel this is God's way of forming me into the person I need to be.

I promise to keep you all informed on how these relationships are developing, and I challenge you to allow the Spirit to move you also!

Bonsoir et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch 

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Priority #1 balance your life.

This week has to go down as one of the most unusual weeks of my life. Nothing major really happened yet many little things did. A dear friend I haven't heard from for over a month called, my buddy Mike was celebrating his newest grand son, the chaplain at the federal prison stopped by to say hello. All these little things made for some very special moments. 

With people reaching out to me I decided to reach out to others that I have put on the back burner. I sent out an email to an old college professor I met at the Pilgrimage, I called one of my favorite high school teachers who is a Deacon in Maine. Unfortunately he wasn't in, so I left a message to have him call me. He had a great sense of humor as he called me " la bete noir de la classe!" In English....."the skunk of the class!" Yeah, I actually loved that name. I'm anxiously awaiting his return phone call. 

I met with Deacon Jeff to finalize our Baptism Catechesis for the parishes. I'm really loving this assignment. All the symbolism in the Rite and what we are doing. We will be using some technology to reach the current generation, it should be great!

Yesterday we had family time. The three grandmothers and I met with Danielle and Myanna in North Conway. We had dinner together, and decided it was time to spoil our newest addition to the family.

So as you can see nothing really major has been going on, but so many little things are happening. It's been a great week!

Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch 

Saturday, August 3, 2013

A Year for Faith: The prayer that changes everything

A Year for Faith: The prayer that changes everything: One of the main tenets of the Year of Faith is enriching our prayer lives. On this feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, writer Jim Manney h...