Believe What You Read, Teach What You Believe, and Practice What You Teach!*

*from the Bishop’s presentation of the Book of the Gospels to the newly ordained deacons.

Ian spent the week with us in Memphis. He got straight A’s on his report card and a “blue book” which signifies honors. He’s quite an astounding young man! But still, he’s a typical almost teenager. He gets involved in TV or video games and it’s like hollering at the wall to try and get his attention. Yet, if you are having an “adult” conversation, he somehow manages to stay tuned in, and puts you on the spot later with questions about something said on some previous occasion that was really not meant for young ears. And to make matters worse, he doesn’t accept a quick put-off answer, either. Instead he digs and digs, with one question after another until he’s satisfied that you really answered him. Talk about being in the “hot seat”!!

The Homewood Suites has been extremely good to us. While we’ve been staying there they’ve been remodeling the suites and replacing the furniture. They offered us one of the old recliner chairs, and ended up giving us two. Now they are also giving two recliners and possibly one pull-out loveseat to one of my coworkers who lost their home totally during the storm. We really appreciate their generosity! If you’re ever traveling and want a nice suite type accommodation with kitchen, I recommend Homewood Suites by Hilton.

It’s hard to believe that KenEllie’s nuptial Mass is now less than three weeks away! The time is really flying by. For anyone who is coming, you should know that it was 83 degrees at 8AM this morning! It looks to be a long, HOT summer.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans had a diaconate ordination Mass for 18 new permanent deacons. Over their 5 ½ years of training, Linda and I have become close to several of them, and I even had the honor of “mentoring” two of them. We wish them well as they begin their new faith journey in dedicated service to God through service to His people. This class is unique in that they experienced the impact, and for some, the total loss caused by Katrina, yet they remained firm in their commitment, and stayed the course throughout the months that followed, never waivering in their faith in God and His Divine Love and Mercy! Linda and I pray that they receive God’s blessings in abundance as they minister in faith and love to those around them.

After the ordination the Class of 05/06 ( their ordination was originally scheduled for Dec ’05) had a phenomenal reception at Loew’s Hotel, where one of the ordinands is the manager. It was huge, and the food was outstanding!

Later that evening we had a nice social dinner with Patti and the kids at my favorite Italian restaurant. Although we tried to get H2 and KenEllie to go, it just wasn’t happenin’. Oh well. BB was on her best behavior and we had a really nice dinner and chat.

Today we went to St. Cletus Church to attend Mass and hear one of the newly ordained deacons preach his first homily. He did an excellent job, kept it short and to the point, and followed the homiletics outline very well. Once again, a reception followed, this time at his home parish as the parishioners welcomed and congratulated him in his new role as a deacon.

It was good to see Jim and Maureen Thibaud again. We met them when we traveled together to Uganda back in 2001. They attend St. Cletus Church and greeted us as we were walking in. They are great people who we don’t see nearly enough.

So, it’s begun. Tropical Storm Alberto is churning up the Gulf of Mexico. Thankfully it doesn’t appear to be a threat to the Louisiana/Mississippi Gulf coast. And hopefully the people who do end up in its path are spared any severe weather.

This coming Friday begins my journey back to NOLA. On Sunday, however, Linda returns (alone) to Memphis. Well, as alone as you can be with a cockatiel and Senegal parrot. Please pray for her safety and a quick reunion for us in the very near future.

It’s time to pack up and hit the road. Take care, and may God bless you.