A God Moment

As I am preparing for the 10:30 Mass this morning, the thought came to me that I never apologized to Gerry M. who 37 years ago worked with me in Boston.  It seems, in the final stages  of my alcoholism, I spent too many Fridays and Mondays calling in sick and when there I wasnt able to give my 10% to the job.  Gerry stepped in and literally ran the job till I was admitted to a hospital for my alcoholism. 

As part of my recovery program I was taught to make amends when able and I lost toch with Gerry.  But the voice was strong this morning urging me to try to find out where she might be.  Getting on the computer I typed in her name and up came a funeral notice covering her mother's death and included was her name, now she was married and she was living in Florida.  The  next step I searched out her name, address and phone number on the computer and lo and behold found that she was living about an hour away from me, she in Miami and me in Wilton Manors.   With 20 minutes to go before Mass I picked up the phone, got an answering machine, left my name and phone number and told here the nature of my call, that I was sorry for not being able to be there on the job  37 years go and the reason for it 

Shortly after the phone rang and on caller ID  I saw her name.  She wondered how I was able to find her after all these years and I explained it was what I called "God Moments" when God steps in and does what we are not able to for ourself.   Right away at the begininng of the conversation she told me that she was one of us and I said "you became a priest"  No she says I have been sober for 8 years.  and it was then I said "Wow"   So thats what all this pushing to find her was all about this morning:   for her to share the great things that ultimately happened to her as it had for me years before.   She had married, had two sons, a loving husband and is doing good. I left it, that we one day would have to have a cup of tea together, the old irish ways  from the old neighborhood.

I went into Mass very grateful for what  I had experienced and what I experienced in Mass was another God Moment .  This will be the text of my next blog.  In the meantime.   God Bless You all till we meet again. 

A View of our Chapel Blessed Objects

Crucifix behind our Altar

This is the 300 year old crucifix from a Monastery in France which was donated by Metropolitan Nicholas Poulas. This Crucifix is featured behind the altar, on the wall in the Chapel. This is the construction work and the design of George Molina of Fort Lauderdale.

This picture illustrates the Monstrance which is a sacred vessel for the Blessed Sacrament.  It is used during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament Wednesday at 7PM.

CHRISTMAS MORNING GIFTS

Its 9:30 A.M., Both Father Larry and I got back into the house a little after 2 A.M. We had to clear up the rented space where we had our Midnite Mass, in a large auditorium that seated 400. We had spent weeks before running ads, placing announcements in store windows, putting flyers on cars, going to large events and passing them out and talking to people along the way. Between ads and renting of the space it cost us nearly 1,000.00; maybe more I havent kept count. We were not permitted to advertise on a billboard of the church so it had to be by press and out on the street.

Well midnight came, the space looked beautiful, the music was grand, a friend Doug Blevins' singng voice added that special touch. I looked around amongst the 400 seats and saw 8 people. My heart sank and I must admit for the first part of the Mass, I was nervous and didnt feel right in the space. I just couldnt concentrate, But we very grateful for those 8 who did attend.

It also says that God does not want us in that space. We spent over 2000 initially when we had our first Mass in their chapel People did not want to come at 1:30 in the afternoon, the only time we were permited to be there. We pushed and tried even asking if maybe we could move it up to around 12.00. We learned the hard way but both of us, in our late 70's are still open to learning. I am hearing that God wants us back in a appropriate Catholic oriented space. We have a wonderful chapel that people, if they seek out, will find us

We return to being Fathers of Divine Mercy and not church builders. We will be there for the spiritual needs of the community. People will see us on the street dressed in clerical clothes, celebrate Sunday morning Mass at 10, a Serenity Mass on Monday evening and a Divine Mercy Healing Mass with benediction of the Blessed Sacrament on Wednesday. We wont have to make other spaces look like a church and then have to strip them down again. What a relief.

If others some time ask us to serve their community in the space that they create and maintain, we will do that. In the meantime, no more money spent on ads or rented space that does not have our name on it. If God so ordains, people will seek us.

God has already blessed us with the best gift he can give us. Our own place to pray and worship, a place that looks and feels like a Catholic Chapel.

Our love, from our hearts, goes out to all. It is indeed a Happy Christmas. We have each other . Father Larry has taken in temporarily a man who does not have a home We will help him get settled in a place of his own. And thats what Christmas is about.
All is calm, all is bright.