Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 13, 2019
If we have died with [Christ Jesus] we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him.
— 2 Timothy 2:1112a
I’ve been sick, on and off all week, and finally figured out why. I mentioned to Anne Brussok, our parish office manager and secretary, that my innards were really painful and acing up. I had dental work done last week and have been on amoxicillin since, until the prescribed dose ran out. And she replied, “Yes, when you have that work and are on amoxicillin your diverticulitis always seems to act up and you get sick.”
Never thought of that, and it is true, but fortunately I am off it. Apparently it is one of the more powerful antibiotics. But it takes a while to go from being whacked to get back to having my energy restored properly. I do manage to go down to the plunge and swim five hundred feet or so a few times a week. But my snorkel/mask arrangement leaks. Have to get a new one. It has survived a few trips being crammed into my suitcase on trips to Hawaii.
I have not been there in nearly a year. When I go I rent a car and end up using it a lot – at least for short local trips, like heading down to Lapperts for an ice cream cone at 8:45 before they close, or up to the Hyatt for whatever. I rent a condo – been doing it for 30 years – and then use the hotel’s restaurants. But, wisely, I have decided that driving there at night – especially from the condo to my cousins’ house a half hour away – is really not smart. I let my license go on my birthday – time for renewal – because I know I need to learn to get along without driving the way I always have. Uber helps. But I want to get the license renewed. But going through the process of preparing for and taking the exam intimidates me for some reason. Part of it being the amount of work here.
Speaking of which after the vote of our parish council this week I have contacted a scaffolding and painting outfit to go ahead with completing the repainting of the woodwork on the church tower. The lower part was done by the company that restored the round, stained-glass window on the front of the church. Their scaffolding was high enough to allow them to paint the lower parts. They offered to complete the painting for another $6,500 – which we didn’t have. So we had to wait until we could raise it. Which we have done.
This parish, by the way, operates on a financial shoestring. Without an occasional bequest, which we do receive from time to time, we would not make it. And if I took a regular salary, and also the health benefits that are part of the pastor’s ‘package’, we would not make it.
Once the painting of the tower is completed the remaining need facing us is the repaving of the parking lot. That is a major expense. I have been asking for and receiving bids. But that reality can wait for a while.
Next weekend, the 19th-20th, Fr Michael Fones will be here. He is a good friend of mine, recently elected to be the number 2 man in our Western Dominican Province. Very good guy. When he was in college, in the U. of Michigan, he switched his major from music to geology. In high school, at the Interlaken Festival in Michigan, he was chosen to play Mozart’s oboe concerto with the Michigan Orchestra, but then went into geology, ending up at Stanford receiving a master’s in the area of old-plate techtonics.
That’s about when one plate slides around on top of another, and I end up in Benicia right after Loma Prieta stuck with having to raise over $1,000,000.00 to restore what we could of 140 year old historic buildings and tearing down and rebuilding the rest. Put over 150 cubic yards of concrete into hidden buttresses supporting the walls, tons of steel into the roof tying the buttresses together, none of it showing. Handling Loma Prieta was easier than dealing the group resentments and angers that bringing change into ‘our town’ can surface. The Loma Prieta rebuilding on public use of land brought more than a little state oversight and change into their community. And polling the parish on what they wanted to see gave equal voice to the ‘new’ people in town. Definitely not a welcome change.
We will be having another parish dinner on the weekend of the 26-27. It will be after the Mass on Saturday. These are always a lot of fun, things will be sort of goofy I expect since Hallowe’en is a few days afterwards, and everyone is minded to have a good time. Everyone invited.
MASS INTENTIONS
Sat, October 12, 5:00 PM……People of the Parish
Sun, October 13, 9:30 AM……People of the Parish
Wed, October 16, 9:30 AM…….
Sat, October 19, 5:00 PM……People of the Parish
Sun, October 20, 9:30 AM……Fred Siegmund
TODAY’S READINGS
First Reading — Naaman, cleansed from his leprosy, returns gratefully to Elisha. 2 Kings
Second Reading — If we have died with Christ we shall also live with Christ. (2 Timothy 2:8-13)
Gospel — Ten lepers are healed by Jesus, but only one, a Samaritan, returns to give him thanks.
October 6, 2019…………………$1,310.00
Building Maintenance.………..$730.00
Second Collection is Catholic Voice.
All donations received from this collection remain in our Parish to offset the monthly cost of the Voice assessment from the Diocese.
Ignatian Prayer Series for Women Only every other Monday, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., in the Parish Hall. Next dates are October 21, November 4 and 18.
Most Requested and Needed Food Bank Items –
Peanut Butter (plastic jars only); Canned Tuna, Chicken, Beans, Soups and Fruits; Granola Bars, Pasta and Rice. Our food barrel is located in the entryway of the Church. Thank you for your generosity and giving!
Do you travel frequently or have lots of unopened travel-sized toiletries? Our SVdP team is collecting NEW, unopened travel-sized items for shelters and clinics. Please place items in a separate bag, then deposit into the food barrel in the Church entryway.
