Tonight Fr. E arranged for six priests to be available for confession prior to entering the Christmas season. Our prayer group met briefly, then went to confession as a group. Sr. Maria and I helped Ruby, the disabled wife of our recently deceased Bible Studies director, get into the church for confession; it took some work, for which Ruby was very appreciative for it was the first time she had been to confession in a year, she told us. Our prayer group, which Ruby recently joined, is faithful about going to Christmas and Easter Pennance services, which are blessed by an abundance of priests, unlike some parishes.I felt bad because while six priests were there, quite a wealth, considering that we have only two parish priest (Fr. E who celebrates the English Masses and Fr. M who celebrates the Spanish and Latin Masses), the other priests coming from a nearby parish and the local retreat center/monastery, only a small number of parishioners showed up. We hear so much about a dearth of priests. Yet, when we are blessed with them in abundance, we take that fact for granted. I am pleased that our prayer group, at least, always shows up in force.
Sula, our parish cat, shown above in a photo from an Easter Mass since I had no camera with me tonight, also always shows up. She was there tonight, taking care of the parishioners. She would sit beside one until he or she went up for confession to one of the priests, at which point she would look around, spot someone waiting, and move on to sit beside that parishioner. Since Ruby went before me, she had to wait for me. When I finished, I found Sula sitting on the pew beside her.
If the Holy Spirit resides in cats, then, for sure, the Holy Spirit is in Sula. If only we all were as faithful as she!
