What’s your pandemic story?

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Preserving a Catholic Community
By Kathy Cordes, Diocesan Archivist

Has your prayer life strengthened? Has your family bonded like never before? Have you watched Mass at your parish on social media? A few of our greatest blessings during our quarantine time — priests on social media, Mass and being able to watch multiple homilies on any given day, talks concerning discernment and other areas of prayer-life, the Quarantine Quiz by the Office of Faith Formation, walking with the saints, learning how Star Wars relates to my faith and watching a priest humbly ironing altar linens!

These memories we create now in this 2020 pandemic are of great significance for our future history and for our archives.

The diocesan archives move has been completed and renamed the St. Anthony of Padua diocesan archives. St. Anthony is an archival patron saint, definitely mine! For example, while trying to locate a letter from the era of the 1960’s, I often say the little  prayer my grandmother taught me …. “Tony, Tony come around, somethings lost and can’t be found.” Do you do this, too? St. Anthony does come around, many times. This quarantine has been a boon to the archives as I am able to put, dare I say organize, the archives in working order after the Chancery merge and move.

Did you see the recently released “Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood?” This docu-drama has been very well received. I have had many, many calls from all over the United States and Canada.

After talking with these Black Elk enthusiasts from all over the country, it has really come to light how blessed we are during this pandemic time to have internet and social media to connect with each other. While we pray daily for those suffering or those who have lost a loved one, we must remember past pandemics, when people were without the privileges of modern technology. The influenza pandemic in 1918 or the polio epidemic in which schools closed in South Dakota circa late 1940s … we must preserve the history that belongs with these events.

We must write our stories, photograph and share our stories so that future generations will be able to garner knowledge and valuable information. Future archivists and genealogists will be able to research and find answers to their questions, because of us.

Our parishes were recently asked to send in their pandemic plans to promote the gospel during these trying times. So, please, send YOUR story along with your parish story to the archives. Preserve your family and our church history. The archives are the foundation of our Catholic Church history.  Just like 1948, 2020 will be a year to remember.

1www.sdpb.org/blogs/images-of-the-past/west-river-childrens-hospital-polio-cneter-1949/

 

Stewardship: The theology of weeds

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It felt good to get out into my flower beds this weekend. As I was pulling up weeds, doing a little pruning and planting pots of annuals, I thought about all of the spiritual lessons I have learned over the years in the garden. Weeds have taught me a lot.

When my children were little and we lived in an area with better water and soil, we grew a small vegetable garden. When the vegetables would first sprout, they were small and delicate. Often, they would need to be thinned. And even more often, the weeds would be sprouting right alongside the lettuce, spinach, and other plants. As I would carefully pull those plants we did not want, while carefully trying to protect the little seedlings we did, it occurred to me that there was an analogy to parenting in this task.

As parents we do many things to give our children the rich soil and water they need to thrive. We provide them with our unconditional love and support, food, shelter, education and a variety of activities to help them learn and grow. But we also have the great task of guiding them to a life of virtue; of weeding out the vices that are part of every person because of our fallen human nature. It occurred to me, while crouched down in the midst of a row of new lettuce, that this weeding must be done gently and carefully. If we are rushed; if we are impatient; if we are inattentive, we may very well damage the small shoot we are working so hard to protect. Also, sometimes it is difficult to sort the weeds from the vegetables when they are both so small. Therefore, all of this pruning has to be done with care. It was an image that would come back to me repeatedly as my children grew and it encouraged me to pray for discernment and wisdom to see the “weeds” for what they were and to know the best way to gently remove them.

Another memory I have comes from long hours weeding the 1000-tree shelter belt we have behind and next to our house.  After twenty years of care and growth, it provides us some very good protection against the wind and the snow, but initially it was a large swath of bare ground with A LOT of little twigs we hoped would grow into trees and bushes one day. The first year they were in, we were also busy building the house we now live in and the trees did not get all the attention they deserved. I remember heading into them one day after a particularly rainy stretch and the trees in some places had completely disappeared under a canopy of bindweed. We crawled down the rows on hands and knees pulling the weeds away and unraveling them from the little saplings. If weeds in my musings represent vice, the lesson here is do not turn your back on them! If you ignore them they can soon overwhelm much that is good in your life. In fact, they have the power to choke the life out of you.

In general, all of my tree hoeing taught me that weeds come up much easier the quicker you attack them. The lesson I see is: don’t wait and allow them to take root! The same is true of vice in our lives. Tackling them early on is a much easier task than waiting until they are ingrained habits.

Similarly, St. Ignatius in his Rules of Discernment advises us to resist the temptations of the Enemy quickly and boldly, for when we do, he flees. However, if we do not resist initially, we allow him a stronghold which is harder to dislodge later. This image reminds me often that in our battle to live virtuously, little things matter. Discipline in small things, brings strength to tackle greater challenges. And rooting out bad habits at their beginning prove easier than battling them after they have a hold on our lives. Which brings me to another memory of something I read that touched me so much I printed it and had it on my refrigerator for years: “Discipline is remembering what you really want.”

Today most of my weeding is confined to the area surrounding our front porch where we have a variety of bushes and perennials among the rocks. I spend a bit of most Saturdays out there, doing what I often call “perpetual battle with bindweed.” It seems you cannot ever rid yourself of it entirely. I think the root systems go halfway to China. And it is tenacious in how it works its way around the best landscaping fabric. I find a lesson for the spiritual life here too. Life is a battle.

The pursuit of Christian perfection is a lifetime adventure. And it is done best when we are attentive, persistent, hard-working, diligent and allow ourselves space and time to be quiet and listen. Sometimes my time is spent on the equally reoccurring skirmish with misplaced grass. We struggle to keep some semblance of a lawn in our south facing front yard given the clay soil and limited (and very hard) well water. But that never seems to stop it from cropping up where you don’t want it. My lesson here?  Sometimes our biggest struggles come out of the right thing in the wrong place. For instance, sometimes we have developed coping mechanisms that served us well in a time of great pain or protected us when life’s hurts assail us. But then we have trouble not taking those behaviors into the new day.  The Magnificat reflections during Morning Prayer sometimes

remind us not to let “yesterdays demons spoil today.” Pulling up grass reminds me to seek healing from the Lord for past hurts; to let go of resentments and grudges so that I am free to meet each new day ready to receive all that the Lord desires to give and to generously and lovingly meet those he sends my way.

God is indeed in all things. Go out and find him in the weeds.

A prayer to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus

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“Oh, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but, most of all because I have offended you, My God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Your grace to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.”

I have been praying this Act of Contrition daily since March as part of a Prayer to Stem the Spread of the COVID-19 virus. This experience has led me to a new appreciation of this old prayer.

It begins with a heartfelt “I’m sorry.”  The focus of this deep sorrow is not the shame of our sins. It is not the kind of sorrow that is expressed when we say, “I can’t believe I did that.” The sorrow is not focused on our wretchedness. Rather it is focused on the fact that our choices have offended God. I wonder how often we reflect on that. God loves us. Jesus revealed that central truth. In our sins we offend the one who loves us very much. In my own life, the deepest sorrow I have encountered wells up from the awareness that I have hurt someone who loves me. Likewise, this prayer calls us to explore the sorrow that comes from offending the God who loves us.

The resolution of this prayer is our firm rejection of sin. This is crucial. We must want to not sin again. Another way of saying that is we must be detached from our sin. Quite often I find that I dislike the sin I have engaged in, but at the same time, I really do not want to change my behavior.

I want to hold on to what I think I am gaining from my sin. Truth be told, attachment to sin contradicts our expression of sorrow. It speaks to our failure to accept the depth of God’s love for us.

We are then given two reasons if you will, to detest our sins. The first is called imperfect contrition. I am sorry and reject my sins because if I don’t, I can be separated from God for all eternity. Simply said, if we persist in our sins, we will lose the “prize” of life in heaven. In other words, this prayer reminds us that we are not playing a game here. We are in a pitched battle for our salvation. God offers us that gift in his great love, but we have to respond, and our response is critical to our receiving what God offers. This contrition is imperfect because it focuses on us and what we might lose. Imperfect does not mean it is bad and, thankfully, God loves us so much that imperfect contrition is sufficient to forgive sins.

The second reason given for our sorrow and detesting of our sin takes us back to the beginning of the prayer. I hate my sin because I know it offends the God who loves me and who deserves all my love in return. We are brought back to the essence of the prayer and the essence of our confession of sin. We want to love the God who first loved us. This is called perfect contrition. This prayer invites us to strive for this more perfect contrition with our hearts focused on God and his love for us.

At the end then, we make a clear and firm resolution. We are not just going through the moments. We stand up to be counted. Yet we know that apart from the help of God, none of this is possible. We can quite easily sin by our own power and that power is strong. God’s love is stronger, and we need that love of God poured into our lives. We need God’s grace to do what it is that we firmly resolve to do.

True resolution requires confession. It is essential that we say out loud how we have sinned. We make our sin real by speaking the truth to another who can hear both our sin and our sorrow, the priest who is the human face of the merciful and loving Jesus. We also must do penance and amend our lives. We do something concrete by offering a prayer or kind action that moves us away from the sin we detest and toward the love  God has brought us to in this prayer.

The Act of Contrition is a beautiful and rich prayer that clearly expresses our understanding of contrition and confession.

I come to the end of this journey conformed to God’s will

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All good things must come to an end, so the saying goes, and it is true. When you read the next issue of the West River Catholic our new bishop will have an article for you to read. At least, I hope that is what will happen. Come to think about it, he will be very busy with an ordination, hosting his family and unpacking his life. Well, whether you read an article from me or not next month, this is the last Sede Vacante column, because we will have a new bishop. I am excited for him and for our whole diocese. I know we have been blessed once again.

Almost a year has passed since Bishop Robert Gruss left us and the Consultors elected me as administrator. The challenges have been many but the blessings more. One of the gifts that I have received in this journey is the privilege of connecting once again with my brother priests. We minister together but are not always good about staying in touch. Being the administrator has invited more communication, and I have enjoyed that. I truly love these men that I share ministry with in our diocese and am grateful to God for the privilege of leading them this last year. Their support has been a great gift.

I am also grateful for the opportunity that I was given to meet and interact with the bishops of Minnesota and North and South Dakota. I have also met bishops from around the country. I am amazed, on the one hand, of how ordinary they are and how easy it has been to spend time with them. On the other hand, I have been touched by their deep faith and hard work. Their love for the Lord and their desire to serve him is so clear to me. I have been blessed in my priesthood to work with good and holy bishops from our diocese. Now I have widened that circle. My deepest respect is extended to these brothers in the ministry who carry an enormous burden with grace and dignity.

Another of the highlights of this year was the Ad Limina visit to Rome. Meeting the Holy Father was an experience of a lifetime. Sitting with him and the bishops for a two-hour conversation was something I assumed would never happen to me. Pope Francis’ compassion and kindness were so evident. So, too, were his intellectual acumen and quick wit. His joy in the Holy Spirit shone through, and I will always thank God for that time with him. In addition, I enjoyed learning all about the various offices of the Vatican. I came away knowing that the people who work in the office of the Vatican truly care for us and are there to serve even our little diocese.

Yet another gift to me as been working with the Chancery staff. It has not all been easy, especially in the difficult decisions that had to be made in balancing the diocesan budget for this coming year. The support from the staff has been evident. I have often said, “they make me look good,” and that is the truth. As a whole, the diocese has a dedicated diocesan staff. I have always known that, but now I have a more personal awareness.

As I reflect on all these experiences and so many more, I also have to offer gratitude for all the people of God in our diocese. So many of you have offered your support, your prayers, and your heartfelt gratitude for the administration I have done over this past year. Your care and concern have bolstered me many times over, especially in those moments when I have been most burdened. You probably are not aware of how important your presence is in the lives of all of us priests. We serve God by serving his people and knowing that you appreciate that effort is so important.

On a personal level, these last months have been a journey of spiritual exploration. I have prayed more, asking God to fill my heart with confidence in his love for me. I have asked for an openness to the Holy Spirit that will lead me to seek and follow God’s will. This is not easy due to my self-sufficient and controlling nature. God is so good, and he has gently chipped away at these faults. Mind you, there is a lot more hammering needed, but these months of leading the diocese have been a hidden, if at times challenging, exploration of who I am before the Lord and his desire to form me into a disciple of his own making. I hope and pray that I come to the end of this journey more conformed to God’s will than when I began.

No, I have no sense of relief. I will continue at the chancery in whatever capacity the new bishop wants me to serve, or I will find my way to a parish to serve the people of the diocese. I am not finished, not by a long way. I have been blessed with a love for my priestly ministry and, please God, that will continue. Besides, there is another “show” fermenting in my mind. Stand by for further details.

Pope Francis names Fr. Peter Muhich as Bishop of Rapid City

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WASHINGTON — Pope Francis has named Father Peter M. Muhich, a priest of the Diocese of Duluth as the Bishop of Rapid City.

The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on May 12, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States. The Diocese of Rapid City has been a vacant see since July 2019.

“I am so grateful to the Holy Father for having confidence in me,” Bishop-elect Muhich said.

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago called before a Zoom media conference held for Rapid City journalists. “He was very happy for you and for me,” he said

Father Muhich (pronounced Mew-ich) was born on May 13, 1961, in Eveleth, Minnesota, to Louis and Sally Muhich. The second of seven children he grew up in a devout Catholic family on the Iron Range of Northern Minnesota where mining is the main industry.

He phoned his parents early May 12. “My parents were very, very excited. They’re in their mid-eighties and of course they understand this means moving away. That’s difficult, but they are remarkable people of faith,” he said.

He was ordained to the priesthood on September 29, 1989, for the Diocese of Duluth. Father Muhich attended Eveleth High School and University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minn. He studied theology at the American College of Louvain in Belgium.

He has served the Duluth Diocese in many capacities. He was an associate pastor and pastor in parishes across the diocese, most recently as rector of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary for the last 11 years as well as Pastor of St. Mary Star of the Sea parish in Duluth for the last six years.

The bishop-elect has served on the Presbyteral Council, the Diocesan Personnel Board, and as a Dean and Consultor. Over his 30 years of priestly ministry he has also worked with the Permanent Diaconate Formation Program and the Diocesan Finance Office. In 2012 he led a Strategic Planning Process for the diocese.

He is a friend of  Bishop Donald DeGrood who was ordained in February for the Diocese of Sioux Falls. Bishop DeGrood is also from Minnesota.

“I look forward to this adventure in faith together,” he said about coming to South Dakota. Although he has never been here before, he has been studying the area and is hoping the winters will be milder than in Duluth.

The corona virus is delaying many events and the Diocesan Ordination Planning Committee will have to wait for an exact date to firm up plans.

“In talking to the papal nuncio on the phone, he said there are several priests who have been selected as bishops in other places in our country that are still awaiting ordination to become bishops as well. We are all going to wait until the nuncio can travel safely and we can gather safely,” said Bishop-elect Muhich.

 

(Taken from USCCB and WRC reports)

Difference between an Archive and a museum: The Heritage Center

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Red Cloud Indian School students engage in object based learning through observation and interaction with The Heritage Center’s exhibits and permanent collection.

Archive: A collection of historical documents or artifacts.

Museum: A place that has displays for people to come and view historical documents and artifacts.

Many museums can be considered archives, but an archive is not necessarily a museum. My intention this month is to highlight the difference between an Archive and a Museum. The Diocese of Rapid City is in a unique position with two Native American Reservations holding phenomenal museums. The following is a highlight of The Heritage Museum in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  —Kathy Cordes, Archivist

By Mary Maxon, Director Heritage Center

The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge is one of the earliest cultural centers and museums located on an Indian reservation in the United States. Our programming explores the rich skills and creativity that are mainstays of the local Lakota and other Native American cultures. We are deeply committed to our work to strengthen cultural pride and celebrate, as well as preserve, the local Lakota culture and artistic tradition.

We are more than just a museum or art gallery. We are also an economic engine on the Pine Ridge Reservation. With rates of up to 80%  unemployment here, the Lakota community faces challenging economic and social conditions in southwestern South Dakota. Yet through the Center’s gift shop and online store, local artists are empowered to increase their own economic self-sufficiency by making their incredible work available to a wider community and in doing so, preserve their work and extend appreciation for their artistry to all corners of the globe.

The Heritage Center program began through understanding that arts, creativity, and the making of beautiful objects are essential to Lakota culture and learning. The Annual Red Cloud Indian Art Show was started as an avenue to celebrate native art and artists on the reservation, and a way for native artists to get a foot in the door and learn about the ins and outs of gallery shows and retail selling. To support the show and the participating artists, Red Cloud Indian School staff purchased three award-winning pieces from the 1969 Red Cloud Indian Art Show. Each subsequent year, they continued to purchase new pieces, and ultimately amassed a diverse and important collection of works by local and national native artists.

The Heritage Center facility, located in historic Drexel Hall, is dedicated to protecting, growing, and exhibiting that collection. What began with those three early pieces now includes an estimated 10,000 pieces of Lakota and other native art, from priceless historical artifacts to cutting-edge modern works. Since its formal creation in 1982, The Heritage Center has continued to expand this unique  and diverse collection of native art — and uses it to create groundbreaking exhibitions and arts education programs.

The Heritage Center’s mission is to honor native art and to expand opportunities for native artists. The Center’s gallery exhibitions have brought tens of thousands of visitors to the Pine Ridge Reservation and been displayed in museums across the country. Through its gift shop, the Center purchases and sells works by local native artists to increase economic opportunity on the reservation and beyond. Also, its team develops innovative, arts-based educational programs to increase the public’s understanding of native art and Lakota culture.

We are blessed by the resurrection

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By Fr. Michel Mulloy

I think a little rejoicing is in order. After all, it is Easter! Jesus has risen. The joy of this holy season is beautifully expressed in the opening prayer for the Third Sunday of Easter. The opening prayers of the Mass are rich in history and theology. Taking the time to read and reflect on them, which is easy to do these days with the worship aids available, can enrich the experience of Mass.

The prayer states: May your people exult forever, O God, in renewed youthfulness of spirit, so that rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption, we may look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ            This text comes from two prayers that date back to the 400-600s AD. It begins with a prayer over the people taken from a final blessing. It continues with part of a prayer for the dead. The complex history of how these two texts were brought together is beyond the scope of this article. However, it is significant that this prayer has been used by God’s people for centuries.

The verb tense in the prayer indicates that the renewal of our youthfulness of spirit has happened. It is a done deal. When I looked in the mirror after Easter, I saw the same old face. But this is about a youthful spirit. The prayer attributes our renewal to the restoration of the glory of our adoption. In other words, the resurrection of Jesus has canceled out the debt of our sins and restored us to the status of beloved sons and daughters. Like the prodigal son who is swept up into the love of his father and family, we are also renewed in the resurrection of Jesus. That awareness causes rejoicing. Even if our bodies do not comply, our minds and hearts are dancing and singing a song of joy.

The prayer then goes on to ask that we may have hope for the future because of that renewal and joy — hope for the coming day of resurrection. This is a reference not to Jesus’s resurrection, which has already happened, but to our own. We are speaking here about our own death. That is generally not seen as a moment of joy. Yet for those who are faithful, who have incorporated into their own spirit the joy and the resurrection of Jesus, death is welcome. It is the goal of our lives as stated at the end of our diocesan mission statement. Everything we do in life is “leading to eternal life.” This prayer on the Third Sunday of Easter expresses that simply and clearly. We look forward with joy to our own resurrection.

So, put together, this prayer says that we are grateful for the resurrection of Jesus. It has renewed us and restored our youthful spirit. We rejoice because we are back in the loving embrace of our faith family. God is our Father; Jesus is our brother and we belong to each other. We also know that this relationship is not temporary. This renewed bond of love is meant to be forever. We have the promise of sharing in the fullness of eternal life. This exciting reality causes us to rejoice. In addition, we hear, unspoken but clear, the invitation to live in this youthful spirit preciously because we want to go and be with God forever in heaven.

This prayer expresses the blessing we have received in the resurrection of Jesus. It sets the course and calls us to live in the joy of this newfound path to eternal life. In this prayer we have faith expressed and the road map for living in that faith clearly stated. So, when the priest presider invites your participation with the words, “Let us pray…” you now have a better awareness of the joy and hope of the prayer. That awareness gives you the opportunity to join more fully in this moment in the Mass. You can allow the joy of your own heart to rise up in the resurrection of Jesus. You can offer thanks and, as the words are prayed, resolve to rejoice in this hope of a new life in Jesus leading to your own eternal life. 

Without struggle, joy would be meaningless

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Desperate times call for desperate measures. Two days ago, almost a month into this social distancing reality, I looked out the window of my house onto my snow-covered patio. I envisioned myself sitting out there, at a table with a fully extended, bright-colored umbrella (which I don’t have) sipping a glass of wine (which causes indigestion in me these days) and reading a good book. What has happened to me?

Later I looked past the patio to the standing gardens in my newly rejuvenated backyard and imagined them covered with beautiful wildflowers or garden greens, which I longed to lovingly place in the rich, black soil newly wetted from the spring snows. These are disturbing images of a desperate man!

Well maybe that is too strongly stated, but for those who know me, these are indeed unusual if not downright bothersome thoughts from a man who prefers the inside to the outside.  These present measures to keep us safe from this deadly disease are challenging, to say the least. If I am experiencing this, I suspect you are too. I never thought I would say, “I miss going to the office.”

What is perhaps more evident on the spiritual side is the struggle to say the often-repeated prayers that I hope many are offering, beseeching God to end this scourge. Honestly, these prayer rituals can become monotonous at times.

Then the governor says that June or July will be the peak and the weight is suddenly heavier. The old rebellion that is born into the children of Adam and Eve surfaces. “I don’t want to do this anymore!” I feel inside like a petulant child, stomping my spiritual feet and saying, “NO!” Then my adult self takes over and I sulk for a while and begin praying again.

These moments of resistance and yielding are important to the spiritual journey. I have often said to people I advise that 90% of the spiritual life is showing up. By that, I mean a significant portion of our relationship with God in Jesus is putting in the time and making the effort. We go to Mass (or watch it on TV, as unsatisfying as that may be compared to the real thing), we stop and say our prayers and we treat others kindly.

The fruits of our faithfulness to this relationship with God in Jesus are not always evident and, quite frankly, sometimes at the end of a prayer or even Mass or some gesture of charity all I can muster is, “well, I got that done.” Yet I firmly believe that our faithfulness in making ourselves present to the Lord in these ways, no matter how it may feel or what benefit we may experience, is at the heart of our encounter with God in Jesus.

I compare this to marriage. To be faithful to your spouse means you are present in their lives. The effort to live together, to do the ordinary things that are necessary and to spend time together is crucial to sustaining and building the marriage bond. Every encounter is not wonderful. Sometimes it is an endurance and other times it is a joy-filled coming together that is enriching and renewing. However, without the moments of struggle, the joy would be less meaningful. Twenty years from now, what will bind us together and fill our hearts with gratitude will not be the trip to Disneyland that we had to put off. Rather, it will be the struggle we are currently in and efforts we have made to make it through to the other side, still in love and still together.

This is true in our spiritual lives as well. God in Jesus is our ever-present spouse, the husband to his bride, the Church. There are wonderful encounters and joy-filled moments with the Lord in prayer and in our charity toward one another. There are also moments of quiet assurance; moments of simply being there in the presence of one another. There are also moments when a commitment to doing the right thing is the only motivation for continuing.

Through it all, God in Jesus is there, loving us and inviting us to love him in return. Jesus suffered through the darkness of human existence in total fidelity to God his Father. Jesus, in his time on earth, invited us to be perfect in our relationships with one another as God is perfect in his relationship with us. He also accepts our begrudging compliance. God in Jesus is using these difficult moments to invite us into that deeper fidelity which will cement our union in ways that times of joy and happiness cannot. We are called to embrace a radical change in our hearts toward God.

This might be one of those moments. We are invited to embrace God when daily living becomes difficult, when we look out the window and wish to be anywhere other than where we are, when we look at the rosary or the prayer book or the prayer corner and feel like running the other way. In these moments we are reminded that our faithfulness to Jesus is what he is asking of us right now. We don’t know when this will end and how it will end. What we do know is that our faithfulness to God in Jesus will result in victory. Through it all, we will grow and discover anew, and even for the first time, what God, in his infinite love for us, wants to teach us. We will be the better for it.

I might even find myself running to the garden to plant the flowers. Anything is possible.     

West River Catholic April 2020

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