Fr. Todd 9/28/25

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,

            My brother, Fr. Gary, and I both agree that we are getting soft in parish life.  At our last day off at the farm we unloaded all of the baled hay and straw from the past summer and we were two pathetic specimens afterwards!

            A reminder that Fr. Paul and I will be gone this week Mon-Thur for our annual priest convocation.  Fr. Paul will still celebrate the Monday morning Mass on the 29^th at Sacred Heart.  Our next Mass will be on Friday, October 3^rd.  This is always such a great week to be together with my brother priests for a few days.  With how busy life and parish ministry is, it is hard to get together for any sustained amount of time.  Please keep us in prayer this week and know we will be praying for you.

            We have a lot going on during the tail end of the week.  We will have pet blessings on Friday, October 3^rd at 2pm in the Sacred Heart Church parking lot.  It is always fun to see the literal menagerie of pets that show up for that blessing.

            Later that evening on the 3^rd is Hudson’s homecoming parade and I look forward to pulling a large percentage of our student body on our Sacred Heart School float.  Thank you to the Weaver family for being able to borrow your beautifully restored Oliver tractor.  These tractor times makes for one happy priest!

            On Sunday the 5^th our Sunday morning Faith Formation kicks off for both parishes.  It isn’t too late to get registered.

            Sunday, October 5^th is also Sacred Heart’s annual Roast Beef dinner going from 12-2pm.  Thank you to the Monahan family for growing the pumpkins, squashes, and gourds that will be available for a free will donation.  (All proceeds from the pumpkins, etc. go to the school.)  I look forward to being the doorman for the dinner and seeing everyone.

An inspiring story of freedom:  I recently watched this video of a gentleman from my hometown area sharing his story of finding freedom and sobriety from alcohol dependency.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX2Nrv8grb4

“Jared shares how alcohol turned him into someone he didn’t recognize…and how one terrifying night nearly cost him his family, his life, and his soul.  From blackouts and broken trust to spiritual awakening and 300 days of sobriety, Jared’s story is a wake-up call for anyone silently struggling with addiction while keeping up appearances.”

I am grateful for his courage in sharing his story in the desire to help others who are also struggling and may have no idea how life could even be different.  His story is so very common – may it bring light to anyone who finds themselves in a similar place.

God Bless,

Fr. Todd