Daily Breakfast 624 – Cleaning the Confessional
In this episode: Feedback from Lisa Hendy; Flying and Traveling to Texas; More on the Giving Campaign; Star Wars News; Cleaning the confessional; Catholics Next Door podcast.
Links: Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic MMO
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Father Roderck
I just finished listening to your Daily Breakfast Podcast for today and was moved by your show’s feedback and your commentary on the SQPN Giving Campaign. I am writing to tell you that I will be mailing you a check in the amount of $100.00 in the name of my Grandmother, Bolaslava Pauline Ziemineski Oros.
I am sending this in lieu of a gift to her directly. I am presently planning for a family gathering/brithday party in two weeks. My grandmother will be turning 100 years old on March 12th. So I feel that it is a simple act on my part to donate to SQPN one dollar for each of her years.
Growing up, I was close to my grandparents as my father dies when I was still an infant. They helped my mother immensely. I was the oldest grandson and spent a lot of time with my grandfather until he became ill and ultimately passed away in 1976. I feel especially lucky to have gotten to know him as my cousins were all younger than I am and never were old enough to be able to have the same experiences. My grandmother also did a lot with me. For many years, she rode a city bus from her home to my mother’s to work in our yard – we had a vegatable garden on part of the 1 acre we owned. My grandmother would work it with my help. We also tool care of a number of flower gardens. At the end of the day, my grandfather would arrive to inspect “his garden” even though the only work he did besides inspecting it each week and enjoying the food was to lay out the rows on the week that we planted the seeds. We always shared a big family meal before my grandparents went home. All of these meals that followed the yard work defines what family is to me.
I now have 2 sons of my own and in the last 2 1/2 years they have gotten to know my grandmother. We had lived 1200 miles away because of a job I took when they were quite young. Following a complicated set of circumstances, my wife and I moved back to where we both grew up following the death of my mother-in-law. Shortly thereafter, my aunt (mother’s sister) decided she could no longer care for my grandmother as she had done for 9 years before my Aunt & Uncle retired to Florida. My aunt drove my grandmother 1000 miles to leave her with my mother (all without explaining it to my grandmother). Shortly thereafter, long standing issues between my mother and grandmother erupted and I had to step forward to assist caring for my grandmother.
My Aunt used the power of attorney she had to finalize arrangements to place my grandmother into a nursing home (from her retirement community in FLA) while leaving the “pleasure” of taking and leaving her at the home to me and my wife/kids. In the past year or more, I have had to handle a number of the day to day issues while consoling my grandmother for being ‘dumped’ into the home against her will and for being ignored by her three children. If it wasn’t for her grandchildren, she would be alone there.
I try not to judge the actions of my mother, my Aunt who took care of her and then left her for others to care for, and my Uncle who has spent much of the last 45+ years away and detached. I feel blessed that what seemed like unfortunate circumstances in my life that led my wife and I to move “home” ended up being a blessing in as much as it as allowed for my ability to share this time with my grandmother.
Through it all, grandmother has been true to her faith in God as she accepts all that has occurred. She prays that she will be taken care of when she dies for all that she has done in her life. Now she refuses to speak badly of anyone and explicitly refuses to wish ill will towards anyone even though she admits to being angry and hurt about things. I see so much of her Catholic faith in all of this and I feel blessed that my sons get to see, to experience, and to share all of this with her while she is still with us.
I am going to ask that you offer a prayer for my grandmother on March 12th. I pray that she enjoys what remains in her life and that she makes peace with her children while she still can. I also pray that my mother finds this peace as well – she is able to make a gesture and seek/offer forgiveness for whatever disputes exist (that I neither know nor understand) while time still permits. I pray for the same for my mother’s siblings as well.
If I may also ask for your indulgence as I ask that all of your podcast listeners offer whatever prayer they may have for my grandmother on March 12th as well. I do now know that any other members of my family listen to podcasts, let alone listen to the Daily Breakfast. Maybe with God’s assistance, these prayers can melt a few cold hearts that need mending before it is too late.
Thank you Father Roderick for all that you do
God Bless
Rich Gregson
Hi, Fr. Roderick! Just to let you know, I use Google Reader and the DB feed displays no link to your .mp3 file . I noticed this problem more than a week ago but I thought it was something temporary.
Even the episodes that I have already listened to don’t have the link anymore.
I resuscribed to the feed but it did not fix the problem.
Great podcast!
Julio
Mexico
So Knights of the old Republic takes place about a thousand years before Phantom Manace? Does that mean you see a young Yoda?
Hi Fr. Roderick,
First of all @ Rich: I will be praying for your grandmother as you asked of listeners. Quite a story!
Father, your idea about using the confessional and fixing up the Day Chapel for Eucharistic Adoration and Mass sounds awesome! I pray that the patron saint of parish priests, St. John Vianney-not sure I got his name right-will help you in your endeavors.
Also, I’ll be sending a monthly check for SQPN. I’m learning more about how to cook simply at home(Grace before Meals helps)and how not to waste food so that there is money left to send.
Love and prayers always,
Mary from So. Cal.
@ Rich- That is a very moving story and a nice tribute to your grandmother to give the $100.00 in her honor to SQPN. I will say a prayer that your family undergoes healing and that your grandmother can enjoy time with you all on her very special day! Just know that no matter what happens, you have given your grandmother a great blessing by caring about and spending time with her.
God bless you!
Bonita
Hi father, i just wanted to tell you that I’m trying to save money in order to be able to give something to SQPN even if I’m a student and I don’t get any cash for my work.
On the contrary of most of your listeners from United States I’m an european guy and I come from a traditionally catholic region. SQPN helped me a lot freeing from my idea of the Church, helping me rediscover my faith.
You know, it’s strange, but when you speak, even if you are from Europe, it’s like you’re mostly talking to an american target audience and s thaturprisigly helped me a lot. As an european, born in a catholic city, with catholic parents where religion is often mold with tradition, it’s cool to hear that otuside Europe there are people which are actually converting to the catholic faith, and that they have good reasons to do so. Knowing the reasons of the conversions, is making me rediscover the roots of my faith, is helping me to separate tradition from religion, and that’s really cool. Now I know why I’m catholic and why I don’t belong to some other confession or religion. Even if I’m sometime critic with the Church and I don’t always understand some position taken by the Pope, SQPN is there to remember me why I’m catholic and what does it really means.
So, thank you father. Listening to your shows is helping me to grow stronger in my faith and of course …in my English.
God bless you father and all of your listeners all over the world.
your
Neff (from Switzerland)
@Julio and Fr. Roderick: I’m using Firefox 2 on Mac and haven’t been able to see the feeds for about a month (possibly longer.) I’m using dated tech because I have no other options at this point.
I love SQPN and will run my “iTunes” (also dated) to get the “Daily Breakfast.”
@Rich Know that I will be praying for you, your family and especially for your grandmother.
Fr Roderick,
I recently read an article on how confessionals have fallen by the wayside and many are now used for storage. I think that is so sad. When I heard you talk about cleaning the confessional in your parish and putting it back into use, I was so excited. I miss those confessionals. Only one of our nearby parishes have the old confessional still in use. Each of our parishes have long lines for confession. It can be a wait in line for close an hour. Sometimes you finally get to the front of the line only to have the priest have to stop hearing confessions so he can prepare for Mass. I always make sure I arrive very early and am one of the first in line to be sure I can get in. It is encouraging that so many are taking advantage of the opportunity.
In closing, I’ve been sending a monthly pledge for the last year and will continue to support SQPN for the upcoming year.
God bless you!
Pam
Rich,
You and you grandmom will be in my prayers this week and I will say a rosary for her on March 12th. Wow 100 !!!
Thank you for contributing to SQPN. Father Roderick and all of the other SQPN Podcasters are certainly and awesome group of people
My family is a monthly contributor. but I am going to try to send an extra contribution in your grandmom’s honor.
Blessings,
Ruth
We are aware of the feed issues in some browsers/rss readers and are working on a solution.
Father,
It’s wonderful to hear about you setting things up at your church for adoration and regulat confession. I always do another brief examination of conscience at the tabernacle before I go to Confession, and then pray my penance in front of the tabernacle as well. I think it helps me make better confessions!