Gratitude

If I could take credit for the weather, I would (some offered me credit, but I couldn’t take it.) Many congratulated me on the large crowds, new features, successful organization, or attractive layout. I had to leave that aside as well. I can’t take credit for any of it really. But wasn’t that a terrific Fall Festival?

I hope you managed to come out and enjoy the fun with so many of our parishioners – and our neighbors. I thank you for participating, and for inviting or bringing some guests. I think all who came were glad they did. I also want to thank Mindy Sippel, who was the engine behind the accomplishment. She had lots of help, I know – some of you were very diligent, some very creative. And all of you were generous. So thank you to all who made the Festival happen.

I am giving a bit of my space in the bulletin this week to our seminarian, Don Bedore, who will be with us on weekends throughout the year. He won’t have the higher visibility that comes with preaching, because he is not a deacon yet. I don’t know if he even has been introduced at all the Masses yet, though he has been here the past three weekends. But this little note will help you know about him, so next time you see him, you’ll take the time to get to know him.

You know I count on you all for many things, not least of which is prayer. I would take this chance to ask you for a little extra of that this coming week, as I head off for five days to make a retreat. My time given to silence in the presence of God will include a lot of beseeching on your behalf; I would be grateful if you would send a little support my way, as well, as I make this time available to Jesus to strengthen me as His priest and your Pastor. I remain always grateful for your generosity, and praying that you know God’s.

Monsignor Smith

Lila Update

Thank you for your concern and prayers for Lila -- not just from me, but especially from Michael and Nichole Giroux. As promised, the information on her diagnosis following the biopsy is that the growth is malignant, and she will need to undergo chemotherapy. She came home from the hospital on Friday, where she is resting better and stands on better ground to recover from the surgery of last Monday. What her treatment will entail will be clearer with time, but now it looks like she will have to be have a port for the chemotherapy, and will be able to follow on an outpatient basis, which means she and her family will be able to enjoy the healthier, more restful environment of their home as the deal with all this.

If there are any developments, I will let you know. MEanwhile, your prayers are as valuable as ever. God bless you.

Prayers needed

Your response last week to our request for prayers for young Lila Giroux was wonderful. Lila, who has a menacing brain tumor as I announced, is the 15-month old daughter of Mike and Nicole Giroux and little sister of three-year-old Braden. Many of you came out for our vigil Sunday evening, and many others have given her your time and prayer.

As of Wednesday, when I write this, Lila had full open-brain surgery on Monday morning on order to perform a biopsy. The surgery and medications were hard on her, but she is recovering well from that. The full result of the biopsy will not be known until the weekend, though the surgeon was guardedly optimistic. Since the growth is not removable by surgery, the best case would be for it to be treatable with chemotherapy alone, rather than radiation. Questions remain, but we are hopeful.

Mike and Nichole were at the hospital rather than the vigil, but were grateful to hear of the love and support that came from you. They count on that support and prayer, as they wait to find out what Lila’s prognosis really is, and continue down that long and challenging road. Grandmas have appeared and food supply has commenced, and if you want you can offer to help with necessary logistical support. For the moment, though, the pressing need is for ongoing, large-caliber prayer support.

Many of you have sought follow-up information, and are continuing to follow up with persistent prayer. What I will do in order to make the basic news available to you is to post any significant news on our parish web site. The site is still quite new, and many of you do not even know of it, but this is as good a time to test it as any. You will find us at www.silverspringcatholic.com, and I will post any messages at the blog marked: Pastor’s Corner. Why they put me in a corner, I’ll never know, but it’s cozy.

The new website is the work of parishioner Kathreja Mills, and makes our ‘web-presence” much more representative of our community and faith. You will find much useful information there, not least of which will be Holy Day Mass times. It’s not absolutely complete yet, but neither am I, so why wait for that? Head on over and have a look around.

Speaking of heading over, make sure you do precisely that today for our Fall Festival, Sunday from one to five. The range of activities is expanded this year, and even though I write on Wednesday, I have complete confidence that the weather will be perfect. As usual, I charge you with the daunting task of introducing yourself to someone you haven’t met before, maybe even more than one. Find out about the terrific people who make up our parish community, and welcome our many guests as well. We can’t in good conscience keep all this goodness to ourselves!

God bless you all for your prayer and concern, and may He help us all to grow into the family of faith that He calls us to be

Monsignor Smith