Rector’s Reflections

September 13, 2026

Dear People of God,  

It is easy to take much for granted in our everyday living. We may take health, family, relationships, faith, and neighborhood for granted. Yet, life is fragile. Relationships, health, and family are cherished gifts, and we need to assume nothing; instead, we should give thanks to God and cherish our gifts one day at a time.

I’ll share a story given to me over the summer. It is truly a real…

Keeper

I grew up with practical parents who were frightened by the Great Depression in the 1930s. A Mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it. A Father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in his trousers, T-shirt, and a hat, and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dishtowel in the other. It was time for fixing things: a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, the screen door, the oven door, the hem on a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that repairing, reheating, reusing. I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there’d always be more.

But then my Mother died, and I was stuck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn’t any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away…never to return. So…while we have it…it’s best we love it…and care for it…and fix it when it’s broken…and heal it when it’s sick.

This is true…for marriage…and old cars…and children with bad report cards…and dogs and cats with bad hips…and aging parents…and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it. After all, we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.

Some things make life important, like people we know who are special…And so, we keep them close!

Good family members and friends are like stars…You don’t always see them, but you know they are always there.

Keep them close!

Satchel Paige, an outstanding Major League Baseball pitcher, once said:

“Never let your head hang down. Never give up. Find another way. And don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.”

Wonderful food for thought and always give God thanks and praise despite rainy days! 

Though school has started, I have a small request…

Sit with your child. Talk to them — not about homework or grades, but about kindness.

Explain to them that no one should ever be made fun of for how they look, where they live, what they wear, or the things they love.

Let them know that wearing the same pair of shoes every day is perfectly okay.

That a worn backpack carries just as many hopes and dreams as a brand-new one.

That being different isn’t something to be judged — it is something to be respected.

Teach them that school isn’t a place for cruelty, comparisons, or cliques. 

It’s a place to learn, to grow, and to treat others with empathy.

Remind them that some classmates may go home to silence, not support…that their kindness could be the brightest part of someone else’s day.

Let them know: It starts with them.

But more importantly, it starts with us—at home.

Let’s raise kids who lift each other up.

On the journey with you,

Fr. Greg

P.S. Go Bears!