I am writing this on Friday January 19^th and bring to you news of great joy! We have a pastor! Bishop Caggiano has appointed Fr. Declan Creighton as our administrator for 6 months after which he will have the opportunity to become pastor. I have met Fr. Declan, and he is delightful, with a lovely Irish brogue and a gentleness of spirit. Priests who know him describe him as a fine priest, which in priestly circles is high praise. He is Irish born with experience in ministry including in Chile, Denver, Hartford, and now with us. Fr. Declan begins on January 31^st, and you will get to meet him the first weekend in February. Make him a part of the family!

I also want you to know that this Lent our parish focus will be on the Psalms. They are an invaluable tool for anyone who wants to deepen their prayer life. I was reminded of that truth at Tom Larkin’s funeral. Tom was a man of deep prayer and so the family chose psalm 34 for the responsorial psalm. It was proclaimed by Tom’s son, Cody, himself a man of deep prayer. As Cody read the psalm, he choked up a bit. I know it was because the psalm was prayed by Tom as he faced the great torment of living and dying with ALS. It was a prayer of trust and confidence. Tom lived the experience spoken of in that psalm.

So, this Lent, we will have a Morning Study after 9am Mass, and Friday evenings will begin with our usual Lenten Soup & Bread Suppers, followed by entering into the psalms. Both sessions will cover the same ground. We are also ordering a pocket-sized book of the revised Grail Psalms, which is the new translation to be used in the Liturgy of the Hours. It is a beautiful translation. If you would like a copy of the book of psalms, we have a sign-up sheet in the hallway so we will know how many to order. We will offer the books for free and ask for a donation to help defray the cost to the parish.

I have spent the last two months immersed in the psalms and it has enriched my prayer life. The first thing I did was read all 150 and chose my favorites. That list came to well over 40! There is a psalm for almost any human circumstance. Sign up and see for yourself.