Beatification of Father Michael McGivney – Halloween
R T 10 26 20
Dear Friends and Parishioners of St. Francis Parish,
Myron and I go for a hot dog, usually to Guida’s on Route 66 between Middletown and Meriden, once a week. While there we talk about the same stuff. We always read the sign that says “Closed on Mondays.” Guess what? They’re not kidding. Two senior moments. So we went to Top Dog in Portland and then down to see the old quarry, now the water park. Very impressive.
Yesterday I got my annual video from a Spanish parishioner about the evils of Halloween. On this video the priest was in full bloom blaming everything bad on Halloween, except Covid 19. I tell the Spanish about my very positive experience of Halloween when I was a kid in Norwich in the 1950’s. I think by now most of them have come around to my way of thinking. Halloween in about candy, costumes and parties, maybe not this year so much, but hopefully in the near future, again. In the almost six years I have been here not one ghost, goblin, power ranger, superman, princess, etc, has stopped by for candy. So I don’t buy any. My dad used to love to pass out candy to the kids and talk with them, especially as he got older. What a great time.
Fr Paul Boudreau, pastor of St. Mary in Portland, is retiring on Monday, August 8, and Fr. John Antonelli, from Storrs campus parish St. Thomas of Aquinas, and St. Mary parish in Coventry, will be replacing him. Unfortunately, John was born and raised in NY and is a rabid, unremorseful NY fan.
Today I passed a tan Toyota pickup with a snow plow on the front. What weather channel are these guys watching????
This coming Saturday Father Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus will be beatified, the last step before sainthood, at a special Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hartford. He was serving as a parish priest at St. Mary in New Haven during the pandemic of 1889-1890 when he became seriously ill with pneumonia. McGivney died on Aug. 14, 1890, at the age of 38. His brother, Patrick, was the first pastor here at St. Francis back in 1904. (cost of building the church was $27,000).
I have a wedding at St. Joseph on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 pm. Long story, Really nice couple from nice families.
