Our parish Christmas dinner was this past Saturday. I was graciously invited to be part of the night’s entertainment, but that meant I had to memorize some songs. Memorizing lyrics is not my strength. The only manner I could do this was constant repetition of saying or singing the words. As I went through this process, there was a line in O Holy Night that [...]
The best gift I received from my mom was given to me when I was very young. Really both my mom and dad gave it to me. They gave me the gift of knowing Jesus. I still have this gift, but it has meant so many different things to me through the years. As a child, I used the gift daily. In grade [...]
Father Carr would be 82 years old today. We still love to celebrate his birthday at the Place 2B, and we should. He certainly deserves our prayers and homage for the work he did during his time on earth. The best way we can remember Father Carr is by continuing this beautiful ministry he started. Father Martin Carr thought the world’s most precious [...]
I visited Father Carr’s gravesite this morning. Since I have been director of Father Carr’s Place 2B, it’s something I have been wanting to do. I tried a few weeks ago, but was unsuccessful locating it. Riverside Cemetery is vast! After a few clues from someone who knew where it was, I found it among the other thousands of tombstones. I wasn’t sure [...]
I am in awe of the committee we have planning our first CARRnival for KIDS. These volunteers abound with great ideas. Nothing stops them from putting an idea into action. It’s been very rewarding to be part of it. We are really excited to bring this event to Oshkosh and beyond. One of the many adjectives we are using to identify our carnival is [...]
The much-anticipated snow storm had already started when a young man walked through the front doors of the Mother Teresa Center. He looked to be of Hispanic descent and said nothing. Peggy, our front desk volunteer greeted him, but still he said nothing. After a few uncomfortable seconds, we realized he spoke no English. He appeared to be in no great anguish or [...]
Do you ever wonder how many times you say “goodbye” in your life? There are so many different ways to do that. We have long goodbyes when we don’t really want to leave that person, but have to. We have the goodbyes where we leave upset and maybe slam the door. There are the goodbyes at parties that take way too long. On [...]
Our brand-new LED message board was installed right before I started in August. I have to admit, I have fun thinking of ways to use the sign. I can grab just about any logo off the web and personalize the sign for visiting groups. It’s fun to hear their reaction when they see their name in lights. Another idea I’ve used since I [...]
At our men’s shelter meeting last night I read from Luke’s Gospel, Chapter 2: vs 41-52. It’s the reading of Jesus staying behind in the temple in Jerusalem, while Mary and Joseph started back with others to Nazareth. They thought Jesus was with them in the caravan until they couldn’t find him. They backtracked and found Jesus amongst the elders and teachers in [...]
We all do it. We sit and stare in awe of newborn babies. They are after all miracles. We look at their tiny features trying to figure out who they resemble. We wait for those very first expressions, that first smile. I can only imagine what thoughts were going through Mary and Joseph as they looked at baby Jesus. They already knew who [...]
