NEWS FROM THE LAKE

Weekly Newsletter, 09/08/23 No. 5

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May the Lord give you His peace!

I apologize that it has been so long since I last wrote a Newsletter.

Brian and I have been in Saint Louis spending time with my father who had been sitting at death's door. By the grace of God, the assistance of good doctors and the prayers of so many, my father is now back home at the nursing home resting comfortably.

Thank you all for your prayers and support during these very difficult days. 

Facing death in the face has a way of continuously helping us to rethink our priorities, our life's decision, and how we spend our time. No wonder the Fathers of the Church and all the great spiritual writers highly recommended reflecting on death. Saint Alphonsus Liguori wrote a whole book on death called: "Preparation for Death". It is a spiritual classic designed to scare "the Hell" out of you! If you are looking to read something very sobering, I highly recommend it.

So much has happened here at the Lake that I know I am going to forget a lot of it. I'll do my best to capture the past events and the upcoming ones as well.

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1. Gigi came out for a week and began to get House 1 ready for her and Gene's upcoming move to the property. We are looking forward for Gene's and Gigi's arrival on or about October 2nd.

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2. Our H.V.A.C. guy came over and will be putting an H.V,A.C, unit in the Bathhouse so that we have a tempature controlled place for storage. 

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3. I am expecting our roofing guys to be here next week to start fixing the roofs on the bathhouse and the pavilion.

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4. Hats off to Marty, Mike, and John for all the work on the property. I am so grateful for the lawns being kept low and garbage going to the dumps. 

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5. Thank you to Mike, Ian, and Vonnie for all the help that you gave Gigi. Moving is tough enough, but moving cross country from the east coast to the south can be culture shock. The more we support each other and build each other up in the faith, the better. 

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6. Speaking of Gene and Gigi's house, it now has 5G. 

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7. On August 28th we had a wonderful social gathering and information night. After Brian led us in the Rosary, we had some food and it was followed by a tremendous presentation by Pat Pope on the progress we have thus far made on the Home for Women. It was extremely informative and gave us all the direction to which we hope to be heading. Thank you to Brian for leading the Rosary and thank you to Pat for not only the presentation, but most importantly, the hard work she has put into the home.

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8. I have contacted a door and window specialist. We need to assess the cost of changing out the doors and windows in the Friary. Only three windows in the house open and the doors are not energy efficient nor are they good for keeping out reptiles. Snakes and Salamanders keep sneaking under our doors and getting caught in the mouse glue traps. We don't have mice, but we have plenty of salamanders! And, so far, we have caught two baby snakes.

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9. Linda, a dear friend of Gigi also came for a visit. It was so wonderful to get to meet a fellow New Yorker. We continue  to be impressed by the fidelity of the wonderful people that God has sent our way.

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10. Cynthia Mai Loung will be facing trial at the Hardeman County Court House this Tuesday, September 12th. She is facing charges regarding the theft of over $9,000 from the cellphone tower payments. I have a call into the D.A. and I am hoping that they will also address the stolen vehicle. I have not been called to appear in court, but I do intend to attend.

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11. REMINDER; This MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th is another FATIMA REFLECTON NIGHT 6:00 pm till 8:00 pm. This months topic is THE AUGUST APPARITIONS OF MARY.

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12. Please put on your calendar our September 23rd DAY OF RECOLLECTION where we are going to be talking about GOD THE FATHER'S LOVE. The Day goes from 9:30 am to 3:15 pm. This should give everyone enough time to get home and get ready for the Parish Sunday Vigil Mass. Don't forget to bring a bagged lunch and some snacks. Also, please invite others to come and make it a day of sharing our faith and walking side by side to the greatness of our God.

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13. Just a programming note; I will be heading to Italy from September 27th until October 12th. Last I heard, the Sisters are also planning to be away this same time in New Jersey and Boston. Brian and Ian will be here on the property.

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14. As soon as I have a final moving date for Gene and Gigi, I will let you all know. They may need some help unpacking. We will certainly have a welcome dinner for them some time after they arrive, get settled in, and I return from Rome.

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15. Speaking of Gene and Gigi's move, I'll need someone with a truck to help me move the two extra beds out of house 1. If anyone is free next week to help, please give me a ring.

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16. Last thing: Please be sure to support Saint Mary's Parish. We all love the Lake and the beauty that we experience here as we walk around and enjoy God's creation. However, the Roses of La Salette Foundation should never come before parish responsibilities. Fr Wayne Arnold is a good pastor. He has been very good to me and Brian and I want to make sure that you all know how much we want to support him. Thank you to all of you for your constant care for your pastor. May he always be blessed!

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Let us continue to pray for each other. We should never discount the power prayer. The good Lord loves to hear from us, so, let us beseech His Goodness that He may let His light shine on us and guide us to holiness and peace!

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Your brother in Christ Jesus,

Fr David Mary

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