“Vacation’s All I Ever Wanted”
As you may have guessed already, I am away for a little R and R up in Michigan. I should be home by this Thurs- day. Next month I am going on a family trip down to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. I will just be gone dur- ing the week. Then in October, I am leading a pilgrim- age to the Holy Land. I will be gone the last two week- ends of October, and I am planning to return in time for Masses on All Saints’ Day.
New Employees!
There will be some new faces around Holy Redeemer. First and foremost, even though Fr. Gene will be leaving us, we will have a new associate pastor, Fr. Charles Samson. Fr. Samson is a professor at Kenrick Seminary and an author. (He wrote a book about taking a pilgrim- age to the Holy Land!) Fr. Samson is a part-time associate, which means that his primary responsibility is as an educator. (I was once a part-time associate and it is a tricky thing to maneuver, so he will have to set his own schedule.) We welcome Fr. Samson!
We have a new Coordinator of Religious Education, Teresa Roberson-Mullins. Teresa has been in education and brings an extensive background to Holy Redeemer. She will be in charge of the Parish School of Religion as well as our Sacramental Program for our students. (Reconciliation, Confirmation and First Holy Communion) Teresa is talented and spirited. She will make a great addition to our pastoral team.
Lastly, we have a new company in charge of maintenance here on our premises. Over the past few months, Laurie Medley and Fr. Gene have been interviewing various companies, included our previous one, and have made a decision (run past our Finance Council) to move to a new crew. In addition to that, one of our parishioners, Dan Hartrich, is helping with various projects around the buildings. (Dan solved our flooding problem from a few weeks back.)
Confirmation (never too early to get organized)
If you want to mark your calendars, we will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation on Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 7 pm. Our new vicar, Fr. Scott Jones will be the cele- brant. (more discussion about the vicars next week.) If you have a student in one of the private Catholic middle schools or in Holy Cross Academy, and you want them to be confirmed here at Holy Redeemer, please contact Fr. Kevin. In the past, eighth graders from Visitation and Chaminade went to our PSR classes. I found that a bit redundant. Instead, I would like to have a special pro- gram for them in coordination with their present schools.
They would still be included in our Confirmation Retreat (this year on January 13, 2024). We need to get this organized as soon as possible. We cannot wait until November to get this together. So, if you have a student in this situation and you want them to be confirmed here at Holy Redeemer, please give me a call.
Another book!
I finished another summer book (actually I cheated and listened to it on Audible – but that was fortuitous) called The Wager by David Grann. Two of Grann’s other books have been made into films: The Lost City of Z and Killers of the Flower Moon (due to be released this October).
The Wager begins ominously, as 30 men in a makeshift vessel land on the coast of Brazil after begin lost for months. They were hailed as heroes. A couple of months later, three men wash up on the shore of Chile, and they tell a different tale, a tale of mutiny. Their back- stories provide the basis of the book and it is an adventure and survival tale of the highest sort. Sailing around Cape Horn, the tip of South America, was a harrowing voyage, but sea travel in 1741 in general was difficult, gruesome and deadly. Most of HMS Wager’s 250 plus crew died of disease, primarily scurvy, caused by a defi- ciency of Vitamin C. (They learned at last to bring citrus fruits with them to avoid this, hence the term “limeys” for British sailors.) We know about the fate of the good ship Wager from the logs and diaries of a couple of the survivors, most notably Lord Byron’s grandfather who was a midshipman (only in his teens) on the vessel.
Besides being a great story (and I am a sucker for great stories), the book shares the truth about life on a ship (not pleasant), the need for sailing men (often old and infirm, and most of them could not swim) and the turns of phrases we get from the British navy. “Toe the line.” “Scuttlebutt,” “Pipe Down,” “Piping Hot,” “Three Sheets to the Wind,” and “True Colors” all come out of the British naval experience.
I didn’t give away the whole plot. All of what I told are recounted in the first three pages of the book. There are more twists and amazing occurrences to be revealed. It is a quick, fascinating read.
Fr. Kevin