Welcome to Lent, our annual 40-day retreat from the vanities, stresses, and disappointments of this world. The slight fasting the Church requires of us on Ash Wednesday gives us a “taste” of what focused, heartfelt prayer might be in our lives. My body’s demands have been stilled (“stay still now!”), and it seems a wide and clean horizon stretches before me. Lent’s empty landscape affords me room enough to move, to make real progress toward God, to find him in the silence. I have the feeling on this first day of Lent that I have on the first day of a weeklong retreat, that of the deep stillness in which God waits for me.
Back to earth for just a minute: we have surpassed our pledge goal for the San Francisco Oratory. Our hope was to raise $220,000, and thus far we have received pledges of $268,520. I’m quite encouraged by the hope and enthusiasm this idea has received. Many pledges of financial and prayer support have come from folks in San Francisco, so I know we will receive a warm welcome in the City when we arrive (God willing).
There are a few details yet to be worked out, but some of them have worked out, and I hope we will be able to begin building our priestly community this summer. Keep the prayers coming, and let us all beg God’s continued grace this Lent, that He prosper the work of our hands according to His good pleasure.
Back to earth for just a minute: we have surpassed our pledge goal for the San Francisco Oratory. Our hope was to raise $220,000, and thus far we have received pledges of $268,520. I’m quite encouraged by the hope and enthusiasm this idea has received. Many pledges of financial and prayer support have come from folks in San Francisco, so I know we will receive a warm welcome in the City when we arrive (God willing).
There are a few details yet to be worked out, but some of them have worked out, and I hope we will be able to begin building our priestly community this summer. Keep the prayers coming, and let us all beg God’s continued grace this Lent, that He prosper the work of our hands according to His good pleasure.
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