When word got around that I had contracted squamous cell cancer in my neck, several well-meaning cancer survivors reached out and advised me to immediately head for MD Anderson in Houston, one of the nation s premier cancer treatment centers.
If living teaches us anything, it should be how unpredictable and fleeting it is. This fact is never clearer than when we reach our mid-70s when seemingly half the names and faces on the obituary pages hadn t made it this far.
calling, showing up. we have a food pantry. helping clean up the food pantry. right now in our parrish center nobody is allowed in the church. we can t shut the power off. there s sewage. waiting for a cleaning company to help with that. so right now my rectory has been helping with the sewage, trying to save what we can. there s a lot of damage. we don t know a number yet. it s truly heart breaking. you know, a lot of people think of pastors and priests as being comforters and saying masses. you also run the place. help get the management together and to run the place. really it s like an all hands on deck job being a priest and a pastor. i know you have your work cut out for you. we re going to pray for you and your parrish and you can get back on your feet seat. thanks very much.