This week, I spent some time reading over my past blogs, looking over what I had written in the hopes of coming up with some kind of original thought this time around. The process had the added benefit of reminding me of all the lessons I’ve been trying to learn over the last two years. I also noticed nearly every time I blogged I mentioned the busy, almost hectic nature of the Cathedral. And thinking about the last month, it is clear to me that the bustle has not changed or diminished. We spent the last month welcoming literally (yes, literally) thousands of people for three things in particular: End of the School Year Masses; Grade 8 Farewells; and High School Graduations...

When we bought our home, the yard needed a fair amount of work. It was not quite what we envisioned. But with a demanding work schedule for my wife and I, plus a bit of a limited skill set, we embarked on hiring a landscape company to come in and transform our yard into the beautiful yard we desired. However, even after much research and reference checks, and having them come back numerous times, the final product was still lacking. With a change in my work, the time became available for me to tinker in the yard. The goal was to, at least, get the grass green and hopefully turn it into a lawn. Slowly it has begun to take shape. It is green and it does have a bit of a lushness to it. But amongst the green, there pop up those yellow flowers...

“Are we there yet?” This question, I am sure, still comes up today but was also so true when I was growing up. When school finished, summer offered a wonderful opportunity to have fun and laze away the day. The added bonus was when Mom and Dad announced we are taking a holiday. This usually meant travelling to Baba and Gido’s house 50 miles (about an hour of travel time) North, but, hey, that offered me (a city kid) a new opportunity to play with the farm animals and enjoy the freedom of the open fields...

It’s hard to believe that a full ministry year has come and gone! I am so pleased with the growth I have seen in youth ministry over the past nine months. Our Holy Family Edge Youth Group (for Grades 6-8) wrapped up on May 28th, and I am both relieved and sad about this. Relieved because we made it - there were no big catastrophes throughout the year, and by the last half of the year I did not feel stressed about those events anymore. The team and I hit a groove and it was wonderful to see all the youth and leaders become a family of sorts. And that’s where the sadness comes in. This was my first time organizing a youth group, and I am just so grateful for relationships that emerged and the strong foundation that was built...

Recently we’ve entered a new season. Actually, we’ve begun several new seasons, which can make it seem somewhat confusing, but more on that later. First of all, we’re now a few weeks into winter. This may seem strange because we’ve been living with the snow and cold for several months already. How can winter just be starting?...

A few years ago Jane and I were talking about our bucket lists. I named a few things, then narrowed it down to just one: experience a total solar eclipse. We checked, and saw that one was coming up nearby in 2017. We started planning.