FEBRUARY 18, 2007

The poinsettias (at least some of them) are still decorating the rectory, and we are already facing Lent! God or El Nino or Joe DiNardo or somebody has thrown off my internal clock for the passage of the seasons. Winter had been so mild this year (until it turned bad last week, but I was in 60 degree weather in Houston) that I am still in Christmas mode and now have to regear for Penance mode.

In the next couple of bulletins, there will be notices to keep us informed of all the activity for the Lenten season, and to announce the Parish Share Appeal for 2007. I feel even more harried because I have to plan out all this not just for St. John of God, but for St. Catherine of Siena as well. Yesterday, I was at St. John working on the books, and when the phone rang, I picked it up and brightly answered: "St. Catherine." There was silence, and then a click as the person hung up - thinking it was a wrong number. Fortunately, he called back and this time I let the secretary answer. It was for me - the person had called Crescent, was told I was in the Rocks. He called there and got my misdirected answer. He called back and finally did get connected. By then, I wasn't sure who was the more confused - him or me!

I still feel a bit at odds and ends even as I write this Corner, because there are so many thoughts that I wanted to address. We have secular holidays this month like Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day. We have Church Universal issues like Ash Wednesday and Lent. We have Diocesan issues like PSP and praying for a new Chief Shepherd. We have Parish things like the Mardi Gras Dinner at St. John and the Punczki sale at St. Catherine. We have Fr. Larry's good-bye and the final Mass at St. Mark. I feel like each of these things must be addressed at length and depth by me in this Pastor's Corner, so that they will turn out right. But I have neither the time nor the space to adequately cover them.

But then I remembered the phone call. Even though I was confused, somehow God made it work out OK. And so I have to trust Him that all these other things will fall into place as well - without my micromanaging and manipulating them. Many of these things have been going on in both parishes without me for untold years. Lots of people from our excellent staffs to the wonderful and enthusiastic volunteers to the ordinary person in the pew have participated to such a degree that in the end, things go well. It is time for me just to take a deep breath, slow down, and trust in God and in you that we will fit everything in. Keep an eye on the bulletin!

Ahhh, excuse me, the phone is ringing and I have to figure out how to answer it.