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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 ...

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

New Cardinal Gerald Lacroix thanks his mom and dad | New Hampshire Religion

New Cardinal Gerald Lacroix thanks his mom and dad | New Hampshire Religion



I thought I would share with all of you what our associate pastor has been doing!



He is a very good man, a very good priest, but most of all a very good friend!



Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,



Mitch 

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Part of the team!

Tonight I received a gift, a wonderful compliment. A few days ago I was asked if I could give a little talk to the confirmation class at the boot camp. With little time to prepare I did my very best to put something together for the night. I came across a wonderful video, baptism 101, and thought the the young people would love it. I tested it at home and I thought I was ready. Well, the video wouldn't play on the DVD player, so I was left with my notes, my thoughts, and a little help from my friends. 

It went well, and we were done in about an hour. There was some leftover food and I helped Fr. Kyle put it into his truck. He then thanked me again, and he said..."welcome to the team!" It felt great to hear that, and I'm happy and thankful that he realizes it will take a team to minister to all in need! 

Bonsoir et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch 

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Searching for God!

I am well aware that the title of this posting can apply to literally everyone in this world, whether they admit to it or not. I have also been told that a Deacon's role is unique, they have the ability to reach people, and they are usually more accessible to those who seek the Lord.

A few days ago one of my customers came into the store and shared with me how he saw me in a place he didn't think he would find me. "I saw you in a long white gown..." he said, and then I knew what he meant. I jokingly told him, "Oh, you saw me in my prom dress!" Initially I was shocked that he was even there. I guess that was two of us who were a little shocked. He shared a little bit of what is going on in his life and that a friend of his suggested that he seek out the Lord. We talked briefly, and I reminded him that it wasn't really him seeking God, but that it was God calling him into a relationship, to be in community. He shared how he visited different houses of worship, the pros and the cons, including Good Shepherd Parish. 

On the positive side he did mention that he really liked Fr. Kyle our pastor, and I told him the same would go for Fr. Andrew our associate. I felt that at that moment it was better to listen, to share only a little and allow the Holy Spirit to come deeper into his heart.  He still has reservations, he is unsure of where to go, but the best part is that God is calling him and speaking to him through his children such as me. 

I wished him well and shared that we are all on a journey, seeking out the Truth!

Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch
 

Friday, February 14, 2014

Snow, paint business, installation of pastor,......

It is Friday morning and last night we got a Noreaster. If you aren't from New England that's a Northeaster storm that made it's way up the coast. We were blessed with an abundance of the white stuff and also blessed with better temperatures. Needless to say it has been very cold.

Work in the store has been keeping me very busy and it is part of the reason that I haven't posted anything in about 12 days. We will have a changing of the guard here in the store and it means interviewing, paperwork, and all the fun stuff that comes with hiring a new employee. Yesterday I got a visitor coming by to do our annual audit. I don't know yet which one was worse, the storm or the audit. It's my day off and I'm still working as a customer found me on my cell phone and well, that's the way the world is today. 

Now to the special events. Last week we had an installation Mass for our new Pastor. In all my years I have never heard of such an event, nor has anyone older than I am. It was absolutely awesome, and very well attended. The church was approximately half full, so I'm guessing we had 600 people attending on a Thursday evening. I know Fr. Kyle was surprised and deeply touched. 

I did mention we are back in school and I know that I have shared the joys and the miseries we have experienced via teleconferencing. We haven't had a problem free year yet, and this one is no exception. The three of us who travel the furthest gave up after an hour and a half of waiting. 

Today I'm finishing up my homework, cleaning the driveway, and just enjoying a quiet day at home with the dogs. 

Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch 

Sunday, February 2, 2014

"Mitch, I heard you are old!"

Welcome Fr. Andrew, welcome back home, welcome to where you are loved. Our Associate Fr. Andrew is quite the busy priest this weekend. He had two funerals on Saturday, two Masses on Saturday, and then he has four more to do today. He really has lots of energy and he is asking me to help out more in the liturgy. 

Today he had a great homily about Anna and Simeon, and how they prayed and waited and that today is the feast day of our elderly parishioners. He spoke about how little we do know about them, except for the fact that they were devout, and waited patiently for the Lord. He shared with all of us that in the Divine Office we pray, "Lord now you let your servant go in peace", the same words spoken by Simeon upon recognizing the Lord. 

There is a buzz, and excitement in this parish over these two young priests, I love it! This Thursday night we will have a special Mass for the installation of our new Pastor. Mike and I will get to be involved. I know we are both excited. 

Well, I saved the best for last. During his homily as he spoke about Simeon and Anna, and our parishioners, he shared how we are called to serve, and then he looked back in the Sanctuary, he pointed and said..."Now matter how young or how old you are!" Yes, the comments started after Mass, and I seemed to get quite a few snickers from our community. 

Before I left our cantor said...."Mitch I heard you are old..." and then I added...."I don't get mad..... I get even!"


Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch 

Saturday, February 1, 2014

An Adventure

Life is an adventure, or so my high school English teacher told me just a few years ago. Yeah, I know try over 30! Last week I was preparing to leave for my annual National Sales Meeting in Nashville. I was packed ready to go, and spent a few minutes going over some last minute details with my Assistant and then the call came, your flight has been cancelled. At first I thought it was a joke, and even though I spoke to my rep who had the same itinerary as I did, I still thought that maybe he was kidding. I went home and found out that he wasn't and after waiting on hold for over a half hour my flight was rescheduled for the following day at 5 pm. 

The great part about these inconveniences was that I was able to attend a couple of weekday Masses. The icing on the cake was being there for the first day of our new associate, my buddy Fr. Andrew. I love this dynamic duo that we have. I love their youth, their energy, and the excitement that they are bringing to all of us. 

Well, it's Wednesday and it's time to fly, or so we thought. A voice from above, not God, said we have a problem. We don't have a flight attendant and those with connecting flights after 8:30 pm won't make it. Well, that message included 4 of us who were hoping to be in Nashville that evening. Our flights were rescheduled for 9 am the following day. This trip proved to be flawless as we made our connections and arrived in Nashville as scheduled. Unfortunately we missed out on quite a bit of the programs, but at least we made it. The great part of the delay was that I got to spend some time with some really good friends, who gave me a place to stay for the evening.

The final evening is awards and unfortunately they tend to go on forever, like past 11 pm. With an early flight this is really brutal. I was up very early, left the hotel, and the flight to Philadelphia went smoothly. We arrived on time, headed directly for the gate and boarded the plane and sat, and sat, and sat. Over two hours of waiting and wondering, and then the news "the flight has been cancelled". Yuk! With very few flights headed to Manchester my rep got us both booked on a flight to Boston and then we rented a car to get to Manchester. I shared the "good news" with my wife who begged me to spend the night in Manchester with friends and I did just that. After all what's one more day. So once again I headed to my friends house for one more night.

The drive the next day went well and I planned on taking my folks to the 6 pm Mass. I got to serve as Acolyte and really enjoyed the Mass with our two priests who set out their goals of how we will grow, and who we need to minister too. I love these two guys and I'm really looking forward to working on their team. They both assured me that they will keep me very busy after ordination. 

This week has gone well. I'm back to a normal schedule of work, bowling on Tuesday evening and wrapping up the week early because of the extra hours in the airport. 

Today I served at a couple of funerals and got a chance to see Fr. Andrew serve. He has such a wonderful folksy way about him that is very endearing. 

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we are back in school.Our latest class is Canon Law and it started Monday and I missed the first one because of an ill employee. Wednesday Mike and I made the trip and we both are in agreement. As much as we have enjoyed these courses, the best part is the travel to and from Littleton. I really missed the moments of sharing and just being together. 

That's it! 

Tomorrow I serve again and start on my homework.

Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch