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Praise the Lord, who heals those who sing the blues!

Deacon's Corner for February 2, 2018  In Sunday’s scripture readings we see how Job “sings the blues” (JB 7: 1-4,6-7). The great lament on the drudgery of life. My mind wanders to early mornings on the Babylon LIRR platform as commuters face another cold Winter’s trek into the “city” and what could be just another day of toil. The hope of an eventless train ride is dashed, as the announcement crackle s over the platform speakers and cries out yet another train delay. Job speaks to our lament of today, “Is this as good as it gets” ? We often feel the longing for something more! Parish life can be the center of activity for us, whether in our Sunday worship, bringing the kids to religious education or tending to our prayer life and spiritual well-being.  For others, particularly the millennials, being drawn to have the Parish of St. Joseph as the central place in their lives can be chalked up to wishful thinking. Bishop John Barres calls us all toward Dramatic Miss

Discovering a Community of Joy!

Discovering a Community of Joy! On the weekend of the First Sunday of Lent in 2017, I had the privilege of celebrating Mass outside my home parish on a Saturday evening with the people of St. Bernadine's in West Baltimore . "Their home under the dome" as they referred affectionately to their parish. For those unfamiliar with West Baltimore , it is a community that struggles with crime and poverty as industry and opportunity abandoned the community decades earlier.   My daughter Faith works with the Sisters of Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry, which supports the community with various charitable services. We stayed at the volunteer house on Saturday night and went to the 5:30 pm Mass. Abandoned buildings and condemned properties abound as you could imagine the neighborhood's heyday as we drove by magnificent churches, old factory mills and remnants of the Baltimore Ohio railroad. Faith had long wanted Debbie and me to come to town and live the experience