Dear Friends,
It’s Wednesday night as I sit down to write this. It’s already been a week.
As you know, we are grieving the loss of our own Anthony (Senator) Bucco. By the time you read this, we will have celebrated his funeral. No doubt, thousands of people will have come through the church to pay their respects, even with the request made that only family and close friends attend the Friday services. Yes, it’s likely that he had that many close friends.
What I’ll never forget about Tony is that we shared time and space together almost every day for three years. Believe it or not, he’d beat me into the church in the morning. When I arrived at 6:30, he was starting to wrap up the 6:00am shift: he’d lit his candles, set up the book of remembrances for the day, and made his way through the rosary. I loved seeing his car parked outside every day, knowing he was holding down the fort.
Tony’s passing makes me think of other OLMC stalwarts we have lost too soon (yes, I’m allowed to say that even if they are advanced in years), including Chuck Horvath who was a fellow usher with Tony at the 5:15pm Saturday Mass. I’ve written to you before about how painful funerals were getting for me, having been with you for four years now, and it’s only getting more challenging. It’s also very difficult to acknowledge grief when we have little time to tend to our feelings. (Shameless plug alert:) Please check out our bereavement group if you’re mourning the loss of a loved one. We can help.
On Tuesday, we hosted Back to School Night at OLMC School. There were many new faces around, both parents and teachers alike, as we celebrate our largest enrollment in recent memory. There are so many good things going on in the school that I want to tell you about, but for the time being I’ll leave that work to the school blog (www.olmc.academy) and bulletin page.
It’s great also, as of last week, to get our CCD classes off to the races. It’s inspiring to see the good work our people are doing forming our children’s hearts and minds, and it’s exciting to plan for a bright future in the faith for all our parish families.
Last Sunday at a couple of Masses I pledged myself to you if you needed help moving on from the mentality of the older brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I just wanted to take this opportunity to say it again, in writing, so that you know I’m serious. In fact, if you need any help at all – spiritual direction or mentoring, counsel, or otherwise – please be in touch with me. I’m here to serve you. I’m eager to help you find the happiness that only living faith can bring.
In the Peace of Christ,
Father Daniel
δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ