Fr. Todd 7/20/25

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,

            I will be gone on vacation July 21-28^th.  I will be with my brother, Fr. Gary, on a trip out to Washington State to visit a friend from college seminary.  Another priest classmate from Minnesota coincidentally has family in the same town and was able to line up a visit for the same week.  The vacation will be a lot of fun and it will be great to have a mini class reunion.

            Next weekend, July 26-27^th, we will be welcoming Fr. Brian Barrons, a priest that is a part of Maryknoll.  Fr. Brian grew up in the Lansing area before entering Maryknoll.  He has been on mission in Tanzania and while there he was responsible for building and developing a vocational training school, known as Chipuka Polytechnic.  Following his years in Tanzania Fr. Brian was assigned to vocations ministry in the US.  After some years in this ministry, he then requested to return to overseas mission and was assigned to Northeast China.  He first worked at Beihua University in Jilin province and later taught medical ethics at Jilin Medical University while serving as a spiritual director at the regional seminary.  After 24 years in China, Fr. Brian is now involved with Maryknoll’s Missionary Formation Ministry in Chicago.  At the Masses that weekend he will take up a second collection for the foreign mission work.

            St. Mary on the Lake Rectory: While currently empty, the long-term plan is to get a retired priest to live there.  I am excited to say I am currently talking with a priest who will be retiring July of 2026 that is very interested in moving down.  This will be a great blessing all around.  He will have a place to live in his retirement and also be some additional help in our area.  Certainly with Fr. Paul regularly covering in Hillsdale when Fr. David is gone for chaplaincy work, he will be able to help fill that gap in our parishes.

            A/C at Sacred Heart Church: The summer has certainly been a scorcher.  As you all well know our beautiful Church warms right up with the outside temperature.  Quite a few people have asked about what putting A/C in the Church would be.  Having celebrated many a Mass in the heat I am quite interested myself!  We are in the process of having someone come in to talk through the possible ways it could be done and also what the cost would be.  I figure it doesn’t hurt to find out.  Once we have some firm numbers, we can decide what to do next.  Pray for a good and not too expensive option!

            Parish Picnic: Please keep in mind the upcoming Sacred Heart/St. Mary parish picnic that will be hosted at St. Mary on the Lake Friday, August 1^st, from 5-7pm.  It is a great time for hanging out with food and lots of games.  It always warms my heart to see our families there with parents hanging out while the kids run around having a great time.  As usual there will be some version of a water dunking game that I will be sitting in.

            Parish to Parish Pilgrimage: We will have our parish to parish walking pilgrimage Saturday morning August 23^rd.  The main problem last year was the lack of bathroom facilities along the 11 mile route between the Churches.  This year, thanks to the ingenuity and generosity of our parishioners, we will have a porta-potty on a small trailer that will be pulled by a truck that goes up and down the route.  We will have water, Gatorade, etc. in the truck along with a ride for anyone who would need it.  It is a great event walking the beautiful country roads between our parishes.  Last year it took 2½-3 hours for most people and we will have food available at the end.  It will be great to have you there!

God Bless!

Fr. Todd