June 2005

I had a chance today to catch up with someone I hadn’t seen in a long time: my “sort-of” cousin, Mary Kate. We call each other “sort-of cousins” because we aren’t really related, but her family is connected to mine by marriage: her uncle married my aunt, meaning that we have common cousins. We would see each other at family functions from time to time, giving a sense of being part of a broader family.

Her email:

Hi Father,
Thank you for this web page where I can discuss my Roman Catholic faith, and ask questions.

I was asked what advice priests should be giving when they see the many dying from aids in Africa and I sided with the Pope that they should learn/be taught Natural Family Planning and start to practice it. They replied that the pope has to be realistic and religion has to evolve to catch up with modern times. They say these African people are unteachable and no matter what we do they’ll never change.

[snip]

When the guy in my office launched into his story, I knew it was one of two things: a truly tragic case, or a scam. And as he went on, it smelled more and more like a scam. It contained a contrite explanation why I might not recognize him even though he is supposedly a parishioner. It contained enough details to make the story plausible, but not enough to make it verifiable. The need for money was terribly urgent, and of course, it involved the suffering of a small baby.

Today was the monthly meeting of our Jesu Caritas group, a group of priests who meet for prayer, sharing of life, and a good meal. I had missed the last two meetings, so it was good to reconnect.

It might not be the Philippines, but this parish covers quite a lot of interesting sights within its boundaries. Today I took Fr. Placido on a tour of area, to let him see what he will be getting into when he comes here to replace me in September.

I’ve written in the past about the trailer I have, parked at a nearby camp site to act as a kind of poustinia for me. Today my father and I headed out to open it up for the season.

Propane? Check. Electricity? Check. Sewer connections? Check. Running water? Wait a second, what’s that hissing sound…..

Oh the joys of plumbing! Two leaky pipes, one that we were able to clamp, but the other (leading to the hot water tank) that will take a bit more work. So the trailer isn’t quite open yet.

The following is an article written in the May edition of the Catholic Times of the Archdiocese of Montreal (not to be confused with the Catholic New Times of Toronto!). I just got a copy today, and it will be going out to the parishioners at the masses this weekend.

Title: ‘Blogging’ the Gospel in cyberspace