Some good rain

After going through part of June and all of July without much rain at all we finally received a good rain on Wednesday, August 8. The total amount was just about five inches which is much appreciated. A storm moved through on Wednesday evening and blew down a large tree in front of the monastery. Pictured on the left is part of tree stump where it broke off. It fell across the front entrance to the monastery and broke out one window in the monastery. In the picture the tree has already been cleaned up and hauled away. The next day the stump was cut off down next to the ground.

I myself returned on Tuesday from about a 10-12 day vacation. I was gone for two weekends and on both weekends I celebrated four Masses at Marceline and Brookfield, Missouri. Both of these parishes formerly had pastors but now they are served by one priest with a religious Sister serving as pastoral administrator at the Brookfield parish. I spent most of my time on the farm owned by my brother at Brunswick. He lives in Kansas City but lets me use the trailer home on the farm when I am down there. I always enjoy this very much. I still have many relatives and friends in that area.

The weather has been very hot during August with heat indexes expected to be well over one hundred degrees all of this weekend and part of next week. Next week our students also start returning and their dorms are not air-conditioned. Fortunately the classrooms and church are air-conditioned.

Last Monday I understand Archbishop Burke from St. Louis was here with about seventy seminarians studying for the St. Louis archdiocese. They were on a pilgrimage trip and spent the night here and the Archbishop was celebrant for the conventual Mass on Monday.

That's about it for now.