Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Dear Family,
Last August, I wrote here that I was considering adding a kitchen to McDonnell Parish Center. I had some good input from some wise people including our best culinary event coordinator, and a good architect. The Archbishop gave us permission to build if we have the money in the bank.
Last January I wrote:  I’d like you to think about and pray about is the possible kitchen for Msgr. McDonnell Hall. I have been talking about it for a while. I have received funds for the kitchen and one generous parishioner has pledged to match gifts up to $100.000.

Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Dear Family,
Our prayer to avert storms is working pretty good when the third storm this year, Colette, doesn’t even bother forming near us much less reach hurricane strength. Would we be having storms if we were not saying the prayer? I have no need to test the theory.

Listen closely: “Help us to prepare our hearts and our homes…”Through our prayer we ask God to put us in the best circumstance possible to deal with whatever we have to deal with. It reminds me of the spirit surrounding the Sacrament of the Sick. “Lord, help this person deal with whatever is confronting them, and heal them in whatever way best helps them in their journey to you.”

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 
Dear Family,

I just finished reading the Twitches that Linda and Frank and Nancy and Annie wrote while I was on vacation. I thought all of them were just great. The most moving part of reading them was getting a sense that we have a community that works. Jesus is at the heart of this community and you can see it in what your sisters and brother wrote.

Did you read them? I hope so. I hope that - like me - you’d come away from those expressions of parish life feeling very proud and pleased. My heartfelt thanks to our four great Sebastianites. (I just made that word up for the occasion.) Guest “Twitches” definitely have a future.

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 
Dear Family,

Happy Independence Day weekend! It has been an interesting few weeks at St. Sebastian, and I for one will be thrilled to welcome Monsignor Jim home on Monday. Just in case you haven’t heard, the majority of the air conditioning system in our church building breathed its last several weeks ago. We are in the process of replacing two 20 ton units. The company has the units ready to install. As this bulletin goes to print, it looks like we are ready to begin the permitting process with the City of Fort Lauderdale. Hopefully the project will proceed quickly from this point. In the meantime, my heartfelt thanks to those of you who helped to make Monsignor McDonnell Parish Hall a suitable temporary worship space, (Patricio and Peter, especially) and to those who spread the word and stood out in the sun (Nancy and Frank, among others) pointing folks in the right direction.