White as Snow

Growing up in a diocesan parish I made my first reconciliation before First Holy Communion. After that first confession, I don’t really remember a time that confession was really talked about again. Now, living with the Salesians and adopting Salesian spirituality as my own I have come to see the beauty and value of this sacrament. As Catholics we generally fear going into the small chamber and owning up to our wrongdoings. Why? Our God is merciful, forgiving, and compassionate. Above all He is a loving God. The sacrament of Confession is a gift to us. Providing is with the chance to be born anew, to begin again…white as snow.

St. Joseph, Pray for Us

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself terribly busy doing work that quite simply I did not enjoy. The reason I did not enjoy it and struggled through it is because I failed to see Christ in compiling an excel spreadsheet. I think often times we find ourselves doing tasks that we know are necessary; yet, they are menial or tedious. It so happened that I was praying the novena to St. Joseph at the same time I was struggling through the assignment. About halfway through the novena is the prayer to the worker.  The excerpt below really struck me and helped me carry out the rest of the assignment. Let us not fear calling on God or the saints to provide us grace and strength.

Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to work side by side with Jesus in the carpenter shop of Nazareth. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to respect the dignity of labor and ever to be content with the position in life, however lowly, in which it may please Divine Providence to place me. Teach me to work for God and with God in the spirit of humility and prayer, as you did, so that I may offer my toil in union with the sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass as a reparation for my sins, and gain rich merit for heaven.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Alright sooo I still haven't been doing so well with these blog posts (I apologize). What I have decided to do with this post in order to best catch you up to speed is share an array of pictures from my time thus far in Tampa. In no particular order here they are...

Fr. Steve with his mother and father who spent a couple weeks with us.

Sharing a laugh with Elisa (left) and Jennyfer (right) at out St. Patricks Day dinner. 

A relaxing day enjoying some of Florida's natural beauty.

Bridget and my bathroom - hasn't worked for most of the time we have been living here. It does provide us with some laughs though.

Steinbrenner Field - Yankees Spring Training Game. Volunteered with the Mary Help Youth Group and worked concessions for a game. A percentage of the profits our stand made goes to the Youth Group as a fundraiser for future events or trips. 

Fr. Jacques (from Haiti) recently celebrated his birthday :) 

This picture as well as the two following are of my bedroom

a view of the lake from the porch - my favorite place to spend time.

Mary Help of Christians Parish

we got this kitten a couple weeks after I moved to Tampa. She was supposed to help with the mice problem not sure how she is doing on that - but she sure is cute!

Back in January during our John Bosco Festival weekend. 

another shot of the lake.

A view of the church from the basketball court.

Fr. Steve juggling in the hallway on a Tuesday afternoon

Brother Kevin's birthday

St. Rita's Retreat

the human knot

"team building" at St. Rita's Retreat

the church during Eucharistic Adoration

Fr. Steve during a presentation at a Vocations Conference

Family Movie Night

a traditional Salesian "goodmorning" given by yours truly during St. Rita's Retreat.

sunsets here in the sunshine state are breathtaking

And last but certainly not least - me pictured with 3 of the greatest people. These ladies have guided me, supported me and prayed with me - helping to make this journey an absolutely life-changing one. Bridget (top right), Elisa (bottom left) and Jennyfer (bottom right).