October 19 - I don't usually attend Sunday Mass at Rosary Cathedral, but going today is going to change that. Today, the diocese celebrated a White Mass, which is a Mass dedicated to those in health care, doctors, nurses, med students, anyone who works in health care.  I'm told that the diocese hasn't celebrated a White Mass in several years.

The White Mass took place at 11 am, which is the regular time for Sunday Mass at the cathedral (in addition to 9 am) so the weekly attendance at 11 am was definitely bigger, and it was nice to see the cathedral with lots of families and several people who have never been there before. I can always tell when someone enters the cathedral for the first time because they typically look up as soon as they enter the huge front doors, and then they just marvel at the beauty of our cathedral.  I know I am biased, but it truly is rather majestic. I've been to several cathedrals across our country, and I still think ours is the most beautiful.

Today was considered a work day, as I have been working with members of the Northwest Ohio Guild of the Catholic Medical Association as they prepared for this Mass, and I really wanted to be present to pray with them and meet them afterwards. This local guild describes themselves as "just getting their feet wet with this kind of thing,"( the White Mass), and after spending some time with them yesterday, it really inspired me to help them as they plan for next year's White Mass, and perhaps even some other things throughout the year.

September 26, 2008
One of the tv networks has been promoting this as Stay at Home Week with the hope that people will stay home and watch the premieres of the network’s popular tv shows.  This tag line hit me two ways – first I found it clever from a marketing angle, but then I also found it sad that it basically promotes sitting in front of television set like a couch potato. Sure, a person could argue that Stay at Home Week might promote family time watching tv together, but when I heard about some of the content of the new tv shows—especially those aimed at young people like the new 90210, I certainly hope young children aren’t watching such shows. In an ideal world, family tv watching would center around non-violent and educational programs on history, travel, religion, and clean comedy, if such a thing exists anymore.

This week an initiative called Parent Week is being celebrated in our community. It is a collaborative effort between the Parenting Community Partnership (PCP) and faith communities, schools, government, hospitals and social service agencies. Parent Week programs and activities are designed to recognize and highlight the critical role that parents play in the lives of their children. The week included special prayers and blessings offered for parents, panel discussions among public officials on parental responsibility and the role of government, and a national effort to promote “Eat Dinner Together as a Family” day.  How said is it that we have to have a special day to eat dinner together?  When I was growing up, our family ate together every night—this was normal back in the 1960’s and 70’s. 

September 10 - Last Sunday's second reading from Romans tells us:

 "You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law."

How timely, considering that one of the biggest news stories in Toledo this week has a lot to do with neighbors.

On Sunday, Aaron and Jackie Frisch and their family in West Toledo got a door knock around 9:30 am from Ty Pennington and an entourage from the poplular ABC television show, Extreme Makeover Home Edition. If you haven't seen this tv show, families with hardships and heartships are nominated to have their house torn down to receive a completely furnished new home, which is built in one week. All of the work done on the project is done by over 1000 skilled and unskilled volunteers, and the house is being built by Buckeye Builders, co-owned by Tim Schlacter and Mike White, two grads of St. Francis High School.

Jackie and Aaron have adopted 8 children, all boys from Haiti, and when combined with their three biological sons, it's a family of 13 living under one roof. Jackie has some serious health problems, and in interviews this week,she said she won't to have to worry anymore about her home for her firefighter/paramedic husband and her children.

Monday, September 1 - Although technically the last day of vacation for me, a plea from a coworker to post a prayer request on our website brings a short amount of work to my Labor Day. We ask for prayers for our sister diocese of Houma Thibodaux Louisiana as they endure Hurricane Gustav.  They were expected to be inundated with water and wind damage, let's pray that damage was minimal and that everyone is safe.

From this morning's Mass liturgy...thanks to Scott W. who provided these thoughts on Labor Day.

E Na Lima Hana, E Malama Aina; Meke Kino, Meka Puu'wai
With our working hands, we care for and nurture the land, the body, and the heart.

Work is in the first place "for the worker" and the worker 'for work." Work itself can have greater or lesser objective value, but all work should be judged by the measure of dignity given to the person who carries it out.

John Paul II, On Human Work, #6, 1981