St. Gertrude Catholic Parish

Have you gotten a flu shot? They are beginning to drop around here. I got a shot early so I’m expecting to be taking care of the rest. Don’t worry about me. Drink lots of fluids and eat lots of ice cream. It seems to work.

Speaking of working: how about those people at the St. Nick’s Bazaar. Joe Glueckert took charge for this year. His experience on the Loyola U. faculty in the Theater Department was very valuable. He got a great team together (many old timers and some new faces) to recruit the crafters and balloon man, do the raffle and the white elephant table, the Pancake Breakfast (serving over 700 breakfasts!!), the book table and the decorations, the clean up “ and it all came together for THE PERFORMANCE. It was great. The Social Life Committee (Tom & Sarah Lisy, etc.) came through with flying colors. Thanks so much for such an effort “ and for the 7 or 8 thousand dollars for the parish.Speaking of money for the parish: If the intruder who snuck into the rectory on Sunday morning with the intent of taking the collection is reading this: Don’t try this again! Unfortunately, one of our staff’s purse was picked. Fortunately, we pay so little that there was not much in her purse to pick. Nothing else was taken. The thief was clever and got away. But we have learned from the experience and we are well fortified. Where was Buddy when we needed him?

Speaking of parish pets, Monica Bernardo who warned me in a letter of condolence (Monica is in the 3rd grade) when Buddy died: “P.S. Do not buy a fish,”bought me a glass fish in a glass vase. She says I can talk to this fish and I don’t have to empty any yucky water nor feed the thing every day. Best of all it will last longer than 2 or 3 days which was her experience with fish. She concluded saying, “The fish’s name is Wal-Mart. That’s where I got him. 

Speaking of Wal-Mart ¦no, I don’t want to say anything about Christmas shopping because, as usual, I haven’t. But I do want to invite everyone to our Advent Celebration of Reconciliation. We have a communal service (that means we all pray together for atonement, which is wonderful word and also a wonderful novel by Ian McEwan) which means that we become at-one with each other and with God (and with ourselves because we have the tendency of splitting into two or three. This tendency is called sin.). Anyway, the Reconciliation Service is this Wednesday at 7:30pm.

Speaking of this Wednesday, that is the day on which we celebrate the 100th anniversary of flight. The Wright Brothers went up the hill on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and on that day one hundred years ago went into flight. That was December 17th, 1903. The next day my mother was born in Balla, County Mayo, Ireland. She missed the first flight.

WK

Filed under: Dear Saint Gertrude