E-News from Father Frerichs

July 16, 2010

Dear Friends in Christ,

It is hard to believe how quickly the summer is passing us by. When thoughts like this capture my attention I also begin to reflect upon how important it is to cherish each and every moment God gives to us and what it must be like for those who have already passed into and experience eternity – just imagine life without a watch… A couple of weeks have gone by since the last Enews and so I thought this might be a good time to bring you up to speed on a few happenings.


Parish Happenings:

• The first thing worth mentioning is that we have recently lost a couple members of our parish community. The first is Don Tentis. Don was a lifelong member of Saint Agnes, a farmer and someone who always lent a helping hand to whoever could use one. His funeral will be Saturday morning at 11 a.m. Please keep Don and his loved ones in prayer.
  
  
• The second, and more recent passing, is that of Orville Roemer. Orville passed away yesterday afternoon at about 1:35 p.m. He passed while in the presence of his loving wife and daughter. The funeral will be held Monday morning at 11 a.m.. We also keep Orville, his wife Catherine and the entire family in our prayers as well.
  
  
• Please note that there will always be morning Mass on those days when a funeral has been scheduled.
  
  
• You may remember that last fall I began making my way around the parish to bless family homes. At the time I mentioned that my goal was to get into everyone’s home before being reassigned. You may be interested in knowing that I continue to do this. The initial goal was five homes per week. That was a very ambitious endeavor which has now been downsized to three. I needed to take some time off last winter and early spring due to an illness. As time moves forward so do the blessings. Until now I have been contacting people at random. If you would like to be placed toward the front of the line then please give either Heather or me a call so that we can find a workable time. It is nice to visit after the blessing so my stay usually lasts from thirty to ninety minutes, and sometimes more.
  
  
• Just a quick mention that Fr. Lovas will be joining you at the 9:30 Mass on August 25th. This is because St. Columbkills parish, just outside of Goodhue, recently extended an invitation for me to join them for the 150 year anniversary of their parish. When Fr. Tissot, our founder, started the parish 150 years ago – just two years after Saint Felix – he would travel by horse on a monthly basis to celebrate Mass for them. As a re-enactment they will be having the Wabasha Pastor arrive in a horse drawn carriage once again. This time with their Bishop who will be the main celebrant of the Mass that day.
  
  

Church News:

• The Steubenville North Youth Conference will be held in Rochester on July 16th - 18th. This is an annual conference hosted for teens. The draw very large crows and is spoken very highly of by all who attend. Registration is available at http://www.partnershipforyouth.org/steubenville2010Rochester.html.
  
  
• Since my last posting the Bishops of Minnesota have issued a statement on immigration. This is an important issue affecting our state and our nation. Those who would like to read the text may go to http://www.dow.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=AAnZW1AoBLQ%3d&tabid=75.
  
  

 

On a Personal Note:

For many people, greeting someone you have not seen in a long time can be most enjoyable. I had the opportunity last week to gather with all but two of my seminary classmates in order to catch up on old times. Many of us have not seen each other for the full ten years. Some people came from as far away as Colorado to join us at Assisi Heights in Rochester for almost three days of conversation and laughter.

My how the years pass by…. Yes, there were a few more grey hairs but that is okay. Of the fourteen ordained, two have gone home to the Lord and one has fallen out of ministry due to illness. During our time together we were able to share seminary memories as well as some of the unexpected turns God has provided in our ministry since then. Perhaps the most surprising turns is classmate being given the responsibility of learning the Ojibwa language in order to minister to the Indian community in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

I think the most enjoyable portion of our time together was having the opportunity to concelebrate Mass together for the very first time.

In Christ,

Fr Glenn Frerichs