Underway Again!

On New Year's Day, after celebrating the Liturgical Feast Day of Mary the Mother of God at Holy Rosary Cathedral, we held the annual Archbishop's Levee in the Cathedral Parish Hall. The Levee is a reception held on New Year's Day in which the people of the Archdiocese can meet their Archbishop and exchange greetings and best wishes at the beginning of the new year.

The Levee ws a very pleasant event for me. The Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree were present to assist in the reception and facilitating my meeting with the people who were present. Msgr. Kenneth Miller the Vicar General of the Archdiocese was with me and was a wonderful help in making introductions. His long service to the Archdiocese has enabled him to know many people in our Church family.

It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to chat with many people

both young and old.

It was a very pleasant way for me to begin the New Year. The Mass in the Cathedral Church celebrating Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of all who follow her Son completed the Octave of Christmas and gave confidence to all who believe to begin another new year secure in God's love and care for us all. Then to have the opportunity to meet and spend some time with the people of our Archdiocese and wish them the Blessings of God for the New Year was "the icing on the cake."

To finish off the day, I was invited by the Sisters at Martha House to come and have dinner with the retired priests and residents who make Martha House their home. The sisters who are members of the community of the Daughters of St. Mary of Leuca, provide a great meal in a very warm and hospitable home.

With me around the table is Fr. Art Vandendriessche, Fr. Louis Kubash, Fr. Gordon Rushka.

And on the other side of the table Fr. Dan McCarthy and Fr. Mike Hogan.


Here we see the Sr. Ninfa, Sr. Vincenza and Sr. Ulrica with Fr. Van.

Along with the priests who live at Martha House, there is also a very nice group of lay people who make Martha House their home as well. It is always a pleasure to see them when I visit.

Along with the traditional Creche for Christmas, the Sisters also have in their chapel a representation of the new born Christ Child as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah: A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. (Is 11: 1-2)

The church celebrates this belief as it is expressed in the Advent Antiphon: O Root of Jesse, you stand as a sign for the peoples; before you kings shall keep silence and to you all nations shall have recourse. Come, save us, and do not delay.

And so January 1 completed the solemn celebration of the Birth of the One who gives us hope and life and the security of salvation in each of our lives.

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