I am physically sitting at my desk and trying to re-enter this time zone which is a real challenge because I feel like I am in the twilight zone. In Russia there are “white nights” and the sun goes down after 11:00 P.M. At least I have no trouble getting to sleep here, but my challenge right now is to stay awake till 9:30 P.M. to re-enter.
I had a wonderful visit and cruise in Russia and met some wonderful people. I enjoyed talking with individual Russians who were eager to practice their English since they begin studying English in grammar school. Everyone was friendly throughout our journey, and as I passed through passport control Sunday, the Russian inspector stamped my passport, looked up at me and wished me a Happy Birthday! What a nice ending to an adventurous journey.
One of the benefits of being on vacation in a foreign land is getting a respite from the daily news cycle that we hear here at home. It was a gift to be “out of the loop” for a while, yet the World Cup was in full swing and on our ship. We had many people from France, and so the remainder of us not from there were rooting for Croatia! Solidarity with the little guy so to speak.
I was happy upon my return to see that Mike Iacovelli finished the new cabinet and bookshelves in the former choir loft. Mike crafted the cabinet and shelves from the pews that were in the loft. Thank you so much Mike, for your beautiful craftmanship. If there is anyone with library cataloging skills that would be available to organize the books that many of you have donated, it would be greatly appreciated. Just contact the parish office and we will be happy to get you started. In the fall we hope to be dedicating that space, once it is completed.
I know many of you are taking vacation time and remind you once again to take a bulletin from the churches where you worship and leave them on my desk in the sacristy. It is always nice to get ideas from other parts of the country and also to see where you have been.
A sincere thanks to Msgr. John Doran for making it possible for me to be away, knowing that with our very capable staff everything was in good hands! It is great to be back, I just need to return fully from “The Twilight Zone!”