Saturday, August 4, 2018At this point, I'm not sure what my involvement will be with the group. There is a certain amount of bad feeling in the OMGC parish toward me and this blog, if no one else, that was the immediate cause of our leaving that parish two years ago. This could cause difficulty for the St Mary's group there if we were to present ourselves. Beyond that, our current parish has numerous resources for growing as Catholics that are available to us there that aren't available at OMGC.Dear Deacon John, Vestry & Flock,
With courage let us face forward, & upward, to our Heavenly Lord, resolved to do His Will. Scripture assures us that He will not give us more than we can bear. The saints before us faced circumstances far more trying than these. Let us ask their holy prayers as we face our present hurdles and decisions. He has a plan to make saints, even of us! -- Keep that in mind. It is a time for all of us to grow in our personal devotion & discipleship. HIS WORSHIP IS our primary Obligation on all Sundays, without exception. We cannot afford to be indifferent about it, for our souls' sake! He does care for our wounds, so fear not to offer them, & release them to Him; don't hold onto them. Do spend time in daily prayer & Scripture-reading, awaiting the Lord, in active, attentive silence --not distraction-- to enliven what you read, speaking to your heart as one of His sheep. He tells us, 'My sheep hear My Voice!' It takes practice -- listening, & discerning.
I am sorry that the day has not afforded me opportunity to get this sent earlier. There is much I have to do. But please share this information in every appropriate way.
Tomorrow, let us again gather for the 10am Mass at Our Mother of Good Counsel, & seek one another out, that we may be relatively close together. Last Sunday, many were on the right of the main aisle, about 1/3 of the way in. Perhaps we can find space in the same general location. Our continued fellowship is highly significant for our future. Until our formal Reception, however, we continue our Eucharistic Fast. I'm informed that we may go forward for a Priestly blessing, crossing our arms to indicate that we will not receive the Blessed Sacrament. (For this reason, do not approach a Lay Eucharistic Minister.) I have been in touch with the Ordinariate Office in Houston; things are not at a 'stand-still;' but they do require some time. The Lord is teaching us patience, once again.
Last Sunday, due to the pressure of time for packing out the Dodd Cottage, I was compelled to leave early. I do not expect that kind of pressure this week! So let us gather somewhere after the Mass to see & speak with each other. Our focus now is not the past, but the future in Christ.
In our Most Holy Saviour, Jesus Christ,
Father Kelley+
As a result, for the time being, while I wish Fr Kelley and the St Mary's group well, it's best to take a wait-and-see attitude. As I've said already, this isn't the first time that a promise of quick reception was made to the parish, and that someone should now need to deny that things are at a standstill is not a good sign, to tell the truth.
