DESPITE OUR WOES IN CIVIC AND CHURCH LIFE, ALL THESE EVENTS AND THEIR HEADLINERS CONTINUE TO GIVE US HOPE
Jack Sylvester SJP '18 On to Scranton University but his younger brother Jeff will help him stay in touch with the Prep.
Second from the right is Steven Dierkes, Prep '18, on the way to Holy Cross. His brother Andrew, RN, PhD is just finishing his doctoral research at Univ of Penn. Pictured with them is Fr, Shaun Mahoney, Neuman Chaplain at Temple University.
On the left are Jena and Jake Gonzales celebrating their thirtieth wedding anniversary at our Wernersville Chapel. To their left is Jena's sister Annabelle. On the right in Father Jack Barron, S.J. and in between three of the Precious Blood Sisters from Shillington.
My nephew Sean Bur and his bride Marissa Gelber are dancing the Horah!
Father Frank Kaminski, with his sister Phyllis are cutting the cake at a party arranged to celebrate his fifty years as a Jesuit. He serves energetically on the staff of the Jesuit Center for Spiritual Growth and helps us Jesuits celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, etc. I am writing this on National Chop Suey Day but Frank is away and we resort to the ordinary.
Jesuit Vow Day for two young men completing their two-year Novitiate and moving on further to prepare for priesthood: Paul Phillipino and Doug Jones (on our right). They are flanked by our Provincials and the Directors of the Novices.
I try not to miss a special sighting of Moon and Mars, here over the beach in July at Long Beach Island. OK, my camera doesn't do Mars justice but clearly a reddish-tinged globe.
Rob Ambrose and Van Nguyen were married at St. Helena's on 5th St. in Philadelphia. Van escaped Communist Vietnam about forty-five years ago as a child. She was blessed to finally make her way to the USA as a refugee. Rob grew up in Pennsylvania and works hard as a teacher in Philadelphia.
Van's young nieces and nephews all came to celebrate the Nuptial Mass with her.
Kirsten and Troy Sams are flanking their youngest just baptized. He is named for the Prince of Peace and is baptized Pax Charles. His older brother (Emory Ignatius) and sister (Flora Minx) flank the font with the baby's godparents. 
I got blessed to be a stand-in for the priest, Neil Ver'Schneider, who baptized the first two and was out of town. This was a joyful event with mom telling how she was not sure about readiness for a third child...but God had a little surprise for the four of them.
These six talented young men were ordained priests in June at the chapel on the campus at Fordham University. I had the opportunity to be there and enjoy conversations with scores of my Jesuit friends. These six were among about thirty Jesuits ordained this summer in Canada and the United States. Cardinal Dolan called our priestly work "spiritual cardiology."
AND MISSING: THE PREP'S STAGING OF 1776! ; TONY BRAITHWAITE AND HOWIE BROWN OFFERING A COMEDY SKETCH FEATURING THE FOIBLES OF OUR PRESIDENTS AND GETTING US TO LAUGH OFF OUR PTSD...POST TRUMP STRESS DISORDER; LASALLE COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL BACCALAUREATE FEATURING MY GRAND NEPHEW, DREW, AS STUDENT SPEAKER USING JESUIT LANGUAGE WITH THE PHRASE "FINDING GOD IN ALL THINGS!"; A VISIT TO TWO AND THREE GENERATIONS OF FAMILY GRAVES AT HOLY SEPULCHRE WHERE I FOUND OUT THAT TWO PLOTS HOLD PLENTY OF SPACES FOR THEIR HEIRS; AND A MAY WEDDING OF TRICIA MORRIS AND JARRELL JAMES AT ST. RITA OF CASCIA ON SOUTH BROAD STREET.
AT ST RITA'S SOME PIUS MAN CAME UP TO ME AND KISSED MY HANDS THINKING THAT I WAS A LOCAL BISHOP! THE ABSENCE OF A RING SHOULD HAVE PERPLEXED HIM AT LEAST!
