Today is a great feast for our Diocese – the feast of Saint Joseph the Workman. Our Diocese holds this feast in high regard. The cathedral in La Crosse, our “mother church” of the Diocese, is named after Saint Joseph the Workman. Bishop Callahan has indicated that during the next year special focus will be given to Saint Joseph and on his important role in the Church and in our Diocese. Saint Joseph holds the title of Patron of the Universal Church and so we are placed under his powerful and loving protection. We certainly can give thanks to God for our Diocese, for our Bishop and for the continued intercession of Saint Joseph.
As we continue to live under certain restrictions, giving thanks to God for the blessings we have is something good for us to do. For example, among the many blessings, here are some:
- For health care workers who have cared for the sick and the dying during the time of the pandemic;
- For all of the front line workers (police, fire department, military personnel, government officials and staff, sanitation workers, etc.) who have spent countless hours helping to curb the virus and keep us safe;
- For truckers and those who transport many of the essential items that we require;
- For restaurant owners and workers as well as grocery store managers and staff;
- For all who have donated their time, money, food and other supplies in order to help those most in need;
- For all who have been attentive to keeping themselves and others safer and healthier through social distancing and the hygiene practices that we are encouraged to follow;
- For those who are working to create a vaccine to counter the virus and also for the several bishops, moral theologians and Catholic health care professionals who speak out against the use of embryonic stem cells as part of the research for the vaccine;
- For those who are speaking out against the “essential nature” of places like Planned Parenthood which supports abortion of the unborn child.
In addition to these and many others, here at St. Mary’s we can also give thanks to God for the following:
- For our technicians (Jeff Dirks and Joseph Koch) who make the online Mass available on the parish and school website;
- For Mr. Koch, our school principal, the teachers, and Mrs. Lang, our school secretary, who have kept St. Mary’s School up and running in a virtual fashion;
- For parents who have taken a key role in teaching or in providing educational tools for their children;
- For Julie Daul who has weekly taken care of the flowers and plants in church – and providing us each week with beautiful decoration of the sanctuary;
- For our parishioners who have contributed to the financial needs of the parish and school despite many of the other financial considerations that you have right now;
- For the Seraphic Adorers of the Child Jesus and others from our parish who have kept the intentions of our parish family uppermost in their prayer;
- For all who have expressed gratitude for the Masses that have been recorded over the past several weekends;
- For Jen Switlick, our parish secretary, who has been working mostly remotely these past weeks but still keeping everything on track for us.
As the Psalm states: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love is everlasting.”