Dear St. Gertrude - June 4, 2006
Pentecost reminds me of all the Spirit Award recipients around here. We have about 150 people over the years who have received the revered award. They have lifted our hearts and raised our spirits. Their example showed us what church is all about. They ran blood drives, coached teams, organized some social action, did the grunt work, taught the catechism classes, offered their unusual talents, provided from their treasure, supplied help where needed, came up with a great idea, or shut off the lights after the clean-up.The Spirit brings out the best in people and sometimes puts in the best that a person can be. We have been a blessed parish with lots of highlights and only a few bad moments. We get along pretty well and, it seems to me, we like each other. There isn’t much holier-thanthou nor I’ve-got-a-bigger-car-than-you around here. Not many mink coats or Rolex watches and no one insists on their degrees after their names. So we are a down to earth people with our eyes on the prize. We talk more about the kingdom than about empire. We seem to know where real wealth is; and we are always learning how broad the kingdom is.
So on this particular Pentecost we celebrate all the variety we have at your favorite parish. The old timers have put up with a lot and the new comers are still trying to find the entry points. Those seeking the solemn high Mass with Latin and incense feel a little put off by the casual approach and those looking for Bingo and the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner/ Dance have to settle for the Institute and Taizé. We have a little bit of this and a little bit of that - and a whole lot of Spirit. Glad to see you are here today.
WK
Filed under: Dear Saint Gertrude
