Fr. Todd 7/6/25

Dear St. Mary on the Lake and Sacred Heart,

            Many blessings on you this 4th of July weekend!

            May this weekend be a time of great gratitude for us.  A few practical things:

1.      Thank God for our country because we so very often take it for granted.  After all, for most of us we grew up here and thus we don’t think about all that took place for us to have what we have.  So, take some time in Thanksgiving, perhaps at a meal time.

2.      Pray!  I know this is advice I give all the time but we can forget the obvious.  Take some time to pray for our country, for our leaders, for the men and women serving at home and abroad in the military, for us to live well the role God has for us.

3.      Look for how you can serve, even in a small way.  Our nation is built on families and communities.  Serving in those families and communities builds up the foundation on which our nation is built.  Our nation isn’t built on abstract principles – it is built on people exercising their freedom to live out those principles in the places we live.

A reminder that next weekend, Saturday, July 12, we will have our Youth Hike and Mass.  We will gather here at Sacred Heart at 8am.  It is always a great time – hope to see you there!

Mass at Lost Nations

I want to thank Paul Keenan for his time in our parishes.  Sadly, his internship is cut shorter than usual because of his co-sponsorship through the Archdiocese of the Military to serve as a Navy Chaplain after his ordination.  (The Archdiocese of the Military covers the entire world – wherever there are soldiers they strive to make the Sacraments available for them.)  We have quite a few priests in our Diocese serving in the military to be with and provide the Sacraments for our men and women serving our country at home and abroad.  (This is certainly a great weekend to pray for them and our service men and women.)  Upon his ordination, he will serve in our Diocese for three years and then spend five years in the Navy.  After that five-year term he will discern with the Bishop whether to continue serving in the Navy or to return to serve in our Diocese.  Paul, we will be praying for you.

God Bless,

Fr. Todd