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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 ...

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Celebrating with my buddies!


What a wonderful night to be with friends!

Alleluia He is Risen!
He is Truly Risen!!!

Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch  

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Who are you looking for?

Yesterday was a very busy day. I lead the Stations of the Cross at 3pm and it was extremely well attended. We had about 150 people who were there to pray. It was very moving for me.

Practice for Good Friday was at 5 pm and there was a very special feel to this one. The attention level was very high and it certainly showed during the Good Friday Service. As Fr. Andrew said..."We have the A team and everyone brought their A game." All for the glory of the Lord. 

This evening would be very special for me as this was the second time I was given the opportunity to share a reflection and my comfort level was higher. At our last formation weekend we discussed the Passion of Jesus from the Gospel of John. I initially had a direction I was going with this and it slowly evolved through prayer, attending Mass, and reading over and over again the Scripture passage. The title of this posting was what I focused on and it really spoke to my heart. I first shared this with Terry and it less than 2 minutes she told me " I like it better." She added, " I know where you are going with this and that's where you need to go!" With that vote of confidence I delivered my reflection and really loved the experience to share, to grow, and to learn. 

Today is going to be very busy also. My Dad turned 90 yesterday and we are gathering for  brunch with me being the head chef. I have crepes ready, I'll be cooking omelets and there will be other goodies. The best part is that we will gather together with family. 

I'll also be blessed to have my daughter, her fiancee, and my granddaughter their. 

Practice is at 5 tonight, their is definitely a feeling of excitement in the air. Emotions are high and so is the anticipation of being with the risen Lord.

 Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch

Thursday, April 17, 2014

This is your last one!

Last night we had practice to go over the details for Holy Thursday. It was fun. The young men were in a great mood and they all worked very hard to prepare. There was a very old Crucifix that was found and two of them spent many hours cleaning and polishing and also finding a new pole for it. The young men unveiled their work and it was beautiful. It will be very special for all during the next few days. 

Fr. Andrew was his usual self, looking for any opportunity to pick on me. Then it happened, he turned to me and with a very serious look reminded me..." you know this is your last time as a lay person, it will be very emotional." I shared with him that it is hitting me that this is the last times and that the entire lenten season has been very emotional for me. 

In many ways this is probably how it should be with all of us. Each season, each day, we need to pray that we are fully involved in our relationship with Christ. Our eyes, our hearts, our ears, and our minds need to be opened and ready to receive the presence of Christ.

I pray for all of you that this day is special and may the peace and love of Christ be with you always!

Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch 

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Day by Day!

For now the traveling is over, and yet it's still very busy in my life. Yesterday, I took the day off and spent time going to morning Mass, time with Mom and Dad,time filling out the questionnaire for a Parable article, and a little bit of work around the house. I'm also checking out the mailbox waiting for the responses to come in for our family and friends Mass on June 1st. 

Terry and I are also planning a birthday party for my Dad next Saturday morning. Dad is turning 90 this year and I will be cooking brunch for everyone with the assistance of my lovely wife. 

One more detail was taken care of for Ordination day. Who will take care of the dogs? One of my good friends daughter does house sitting so we have her booked for the 22nd to do a get together and letting them out once on the 23rd and three times on the 24th. Her rates are great and the dogs get to stay home.

Normally I've been having weekends off, but we have a Super Sale going on right now and it wouldn't be right to leave the new employee working alone in the store. This will also give me an opportunity to coach him a bit during the day and share some of the wisdom that I've learned over the years. 

Today officially begins Holy Week. I'll be serving tonight at Holy Family Church and also tomorrow morning as Acolyte and Lector. 

I will have a full slate of things to do next week. I'm taking Thursday and Friday off! I'll be serving as Acolyte Thursday, leading the Stations on Friday afternoon, offering a reflection on Good Friday, and serving at the Easter Vigil. 

I pray that you all have a very Blessed Holy Week!

Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch

RG+ 

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Deer in the headlights!

Well, it is finally time to say............we are done all of our classes. It happened Monday evening at 9 pm and I was so excited I texted my pastor and associate and they quickly responded with... Awesome!....Congratulations!

It's really incredible how quickly four years has gone by. Will I miss the classes? NO! I've enjoyed every single one, some more than others, but all none the less. 

I'm looking forward to renewing the times spent with family and friends that got put on the back burner a bit by commitments. 

Tuesday night was also a big night. Bowling for the championship! Even though we were tough for 29 frames, they beat us in the tenth frame of the last game to earn a split. We finished second, which is the highest we have ever finished but the best part was the enjoyment of friends, relaxation, and the competition. 

Now for the deer in the headlights comment. This week I got an email from one of my buddies down south who was in the class at St. A's. Before we even got started on Monday evening, they had a problem with no equipment for the transmission to our site in Littleton. I have shared with all of you in the past how challenging it has been, and it was kind of ironic how even the last class proved a challenge. Well, they found a way to make it happen and when we connected they looked us hoping everything was going fine. We didn't put the mic on immediately, but we gave them thumbs up that we could hear them. John shared that we looked like deers in the headlights. He felt bad and apologized to us. Actually, I never heard the comment and even so, it would have taken a lot more than that to set us off. I assured him that we were ok, and I looked forward to seeing everyone soon face to face. 

So, that's it. I'll be very busy in the next week preparing to give a reflection on Good Friday. 

Bonjour et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch