We all have heard the saying: "If it was a snake it would have bit me/you" which indicates, among other things, that something may be so close to us that we don't realize until it's too late. Perhaps it's a stretch to use that as an analogy about something that took place relatively close to us, that we might not have been aware of and it's definitely too late to do anything about it. I'm refering to the beatification Mass of the first American martyr (officially declared so by Pope Francis), Blessed Stanley Rother which took place in Oklahoma City on September 13, 2017. It was only the second time in history that a beatification Mass and ceremony of an American born person took place in the United States. Over 20,000 persons converged on Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City that day and latecomers were left in the streets outside of the Convention Center (which only holds 15,000 people) to watch what was happening using their smartphones and tuning into EWTN. I'm telling you this not because I was there to see it, but because it is one of many things I read about in a short booklet that has been published (and is available for you to purchase) from a presentation that was given many times by our own bishop, Anthony B Taylor, the first episcopal delegate of the cause of Blessed Stanley Rother. This forty page booklet brings out the most important aspects of this farm-boy priest, who answered the call of the Lord and his bishop 5 years into his priesthood to be a missionary in Guatemala (Santiago Atitlan) where he served for 13 years unto his martyrdom on July 28, 1981. His journey to the priesthood was anything but smooth as he faced dismissal from the first seminary he went to after 6 years of formation (due to struggles in some of his studies). After this happened, his bishop sent him to St Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland where he completed his studies and was ordained a priest on May 25, 1963 for the Diocese of Oklahoma City. I'm hoping that you will want to know "the rest of the story" (as Paul Harvey used to say) about Blessed Stanley Rother and come to rejoice that we are so close to this modern day, homegrown American martyr. As we continue to support the future priests of Arkansas in prayer and in other ways (as was recently show by our Taste of Faith fundraiser) we should surely hope that they and future seminarians will finish their formation (God-willing) and be inspired by the example of Blessed Stanley and other priests to the be selfless, obedient servants of Jesus Christ who faithfully care for their flocks as shepards who, like Blessed Stanley, are ready to give their life for them in the name of Jesus Christ!
It has been a little over a month since my dear mother, Ebby, passed into the loving, merciful arms of the Lord. I am going through the ups and downs of the loss of the most significant family member in my life, my mom, the one who gave birth to me and cared for me and the rest of my siblings in a selfless way throughout our upbringing and beyond the time we left home. One thing that I am reminded of is the fact that everyone's circumstance is different when a loved one dies and the ways of grieving the loss of the physical presence of the person are varied for each person. I feel, overall, that I am doing better than I imagined I would at this point and I know the sources of comfort and consolation that have been there for me and, importantly, that I opened myself up to them in the time since my mother "passed". First and foremost is my spiritual life which is nurtured daily through the celebration of Mass and my holy hour. The comfort and strength I have received and am receiving from the Lord cannot be overstated. The Lord, in the sermon on the mount, pointed out that blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Mth 5:4). The Lord is at my side and his presence and the life he has won for all of faith-filled people, like my holy mother, causes me to long for, and look forward to the day I will see my Lord face to face, and see my mom, dad, and all my loved ones who assed from life to life. I have also been uplifted by so many people, especially my faith family here at Sacred Heart Church, and many of whom have expressed in various ways their thoughts and prayers for my mom and myself and other family members, especially Danny. Invitations to share a meal and conversation with parishioners has definitely been a help, as I have had the opportunity to relax and share about my mother to more than a few listening ears. Of course, the fact that I stay pretty busy doing the Lord's work has been helpful to me as I seek to be a blessing to all, especially the sick and bereaved. I have also been sharing instances where I believe the Lord AND my mother are speaking to me with encouragement and challenges for me as I continue my journey to the Lord. My mom has always encouraged me in my priesthood, and now she is doing so in a new and more frequent way. I must admit that there are two things that I am now and will continue to struggle with at least for awhile. Going into my mom's house where she lived for all of my almost 64 years of life and a few years before that, creates an empty feeling in me and a sadness that I cannot see her or have conversation with her as I did for my whole life when I went "home". I'm also adjusting to evenings that were often spent with her, that are a challenge to fill in other meaningful ways. Finally, there is currently some family discord going on that was not present or lasted very long when my, the peacemaker, was here. I ask your prayers that the peacemakers among my siblings will prevail in efforts to bring us together in family gatherings and in other ways. What I've said many times to people in a time of grief and transition of life, I have come to experience personally in this time after my mom's death...with faith, family and friends we can get through the most difficult of circumstances taht life presents to us, especially the death of a loved one. I thank so many of you for your thoughtfulness and care for me!
One of the many blessings of having a parish pictoral directory is that it helps us to identify and, hopefully, have occasion to meet and get to know our fellow parishoners, some of whom have been here a long and some a relatively short time. The parishioners who have been here 15, 20 or even more years, will hear a name and say "I don't know that person" which, in many cases, is someone who has not been in the parish all that long. One parishioner, Kathy Clark, our VIP for the month of July, has been in the Village only 6 years with her husband, Shawn, and has become more familiar in the parish (and community) because of her willingness to get involved and use her time and talents for the Lord in service to others. She has taken on leadership roles (i.e. president, vice-president and database administrator) of the Ladies of Sacred Heart and now for the glory of God and the benefit of the parish, the coordinator of our Eucharistic Adoration Ministry. In the "Walking With Purpose" lady's bible study group, she serves as a group facilitator, helping our ladies to grow in their life in the Lord. Liturgicallly she works behind the scenes as a sacristan, and is most recently a memeber of our family assistance committee. While all this keeps her plenty busy, she has worked part-time with Good Sam's services for the home-bound, has gotten involved in HSV Players (and our parish dinner theater in 2022) and has worked helping people with visual impairments through FOCUS. Kathy is one of those special people who has a hard time saying no when asked to do something or who steps forward on her own when a need arises to join in some effort or ministry. Doing all of this (and probably more than this) in just six years of living in the Village and being a member of Sacred Heart Church, I have no doubts that she will add to this list of ways she gets involved and continue to be a gift to those whom she serves. One more thing I want to mention is that Kathy assists her husband, Shawn, when he takes on the task of livestreaming our Sunday Mass, which blesses those who cannot come to Mass and others as well. God bless you, Kathy, a well deserved choice as our VIP for the month of July!