From the Pastor's Pen

It was fun to play my horn for the parish last Saturday at the Fall Festival. It’s been a part of most of my life, from my family. My dad played an alto sax in the ‘30’s at St. Mary’s High School, and that horn’s passed through the family—I used it for two songs at the Festival. I took lessons in 7th grade and high school, Prep South, and played in shows there and in college, where I used a tenor horn. After ordination, I didn’t have a horn till ’88 when I bought a tenor out of Chicago, which I play most of the time.

In more recent years, local guys have given me a lot of practice tips and times. Steve Kish and John Bourgeois, who joined us onstage, included me to play around here. This group I played with here, Hit List, Mike Bahr, a college seminarian friend (now married) asked me to try playing with them 3 years ago, and I’ve learned a lot playing their group of songs. The other members are mostly from Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, where we play the Picnic each June.

Likewise, this trip to Antarctica that I leave on this week is no recent whim. I’ve thought about it for around 20 years; I am a winter person, as you know! And where else to go? I gathered travel information in recent years, and this chance came up. I’ll be on an “expedition” with 200 other people, a couple of whom I already know. For me it feels like a spiritual journey-some seek a “desert experience” of purification and inner discovery, but this is just on the other end of the spectrum. The purity and whiteness of it draws me. And preparing to cross-country ski a couple hours on the continent has strengthened my workouts. And again, it’s great to go seeing that the parish is in basically good shape.

AND: Congrats to our wonderful 2nd Graders, who made 1st Reconciliation Sunday! With reverence and joy.

See you Thanksgiving weekend! Fr. Tom