Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we enter mid July, hopefully this is a time for many of us to spend quality time with our families. Last weekend, my family spent the weekend camping.  We didn’t go anywhere.  Since my siblings all have young children (toddlers mostly), we find it easier to “camp” at my mom’s house. Each family brings their own tent or camper. Since the house has a pool and sits on three acres, there is plenty of space for fun and games. 

My sisters, Erin and Holly, are both creative and organized. They do a great job planning the weekend and distributing responsibilities. They split the whole family into teams so that we could compete in a scavenger hunt against one another. Needless to say, after making tie-die shirts, playing cross-net (4-square meets volleyball), and wonderful conversation around the campfire, my family and I had a great weekend together.

Now, to be completely honest, I did not “camp” with them. This probably is not a shock to all of you, but I find sleeping without air conditioning a miserable experience. So I went home every night to sleep in the comfort of my own bed. 

And speaking of air conditioning…it is a wonderful gift. You may have noticed that our air conditioning does not seem to be working very well. That is indeed correct. Our air conditioning units will need to be replaced at the end of summer. I am hoping and praying that it makes it through the summer so we don’t have to any weeks without AC. There is a funny meme on Facebook showing a priest drenched in sweat (because of all the layers) and the parishioners ice cold because the air conditioning is on. Hilarious as it is, I’m sure none of us want to go without it. J  We are currently gathering bids and will decide soon on the timeline for the replacement. 

After two weekends away, it is good to be back. I am so grateful to Fr. Len, one of our retired priests, for covering for me the weekend before July 4. Without the generosity of our retired priests, many pastors would not be able to take vacation. I am also grateful to Fr. Dermot; especially for his willingness to answer the call and serve the SMA fathers. I hope you enjoyed both priests. 

In Christ’s love and friendship