“For lo, the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.”
“Song of Solomon” 2:11.12
Last Wednesday, Hubby and I decided that we would take advantage of “The Light Is On for You” and go to confession for Easter. First, we stopped at St. Monica’s Church, but it was not open. We figured we were out of luck. Another couple was waiting there. I mentioned that a priest from BC High was hearing confessions at St. Christopher’s. “We know St. Margaret’s (Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta). We’ll go there,” they said. Hubby and I decided that we would go to St. Christopher’s, which was just down the street from where we were.
As we got out of our car, we heard not the sound of a “turtledove,” but the sound of a mourning dove. We stopped dead in our tracks and began looking around. We spotted the little bird on top of St. Christopher’s roof. We’ve seen him there several times before. He is just so beautiful to hear, with his “coo, coo, coo.” As we stood watching the bird, Fr. George came by on his nightly walk. He was wondering why we were staring at the roof. We pointed out the dove on the roof of his church. He was happy to see the dove and off he went to finish his walk.
When we entered the church, there was one person up on the altar with Fr. Joseph Bennet. We sat behind a man and woman who were waiting to go to confession. Who were they but the couple that we had spoken to at St. Monica’s. The man thanked me for suggesting St. Christopher’s. They were delighted that they were there. Then, the doors of the church opened and in came our church friends, Theresa and Sharon. The four of us laughed. We asked if they had heard the mourning dove outside. They hadn’t because they came in so quickly. I told them that the dove could be heard inside the church if it was very quiet. Sharon heard him and put her finger up every time he coo-ed. It was so lovely to hear him inside the church. We waited for Sharon and Theresa and we came out all together, hoping to see the bird. Sadly, he had flown away. We hope he’ll be back when we are at church another day.
***
On Thurs., March 19, we picked up pal Eileen Burke and drove out to the monthly Irish Mass and luncheon at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton. There was still a great deal of snow on site. That is such a large amount of property to clean. A great many people finally came. I think they were just happy to get out of their homes after the long, snowy winter. In came Ronnie, Ann, and even daughter Sue. We had a new gentleman sitting with us, Thomas Leen. He told me that there was a lake in Killarney named Lake Lein, with a little different spelling. Fr. John McCarthy, our Irish chaplain, noted that many of us wore green since it was just two days after St. Patrick’s Day. He said there couldn’t be any snakes left in Boston with all the Irish and Irish Americans wearing green in the city. He spoke about St. Patrick. He told us that St. Patrick was supposed to have said 100 prayers during the day and just as many at night. He urged us to ask God for his forgiveness and to ask St. Patrick for his blessing. We were happy to see that our friend Kathi Sullivan was again one of the lectors at the Mass. The next Irish luncheon will be held on Thurs., April 16. By the way, our table was called second to go to the food-serving line. We all clapped at that.
***
I was saddened by the death of Ann (Louney) Pratt on Mar. 26, at age 88 (89 this week). Ann was the mother of our son-in-law David and mother-in-law of our daughter Jeanne. I enjoyed chatting with her any time we met. I also enjoyed speaking with her late husband Leo Sr. We smiled because she loved her dogs, both Suzy and Suzy 2, so much. I have never heard Ann sing but I know that she must have had a good voice to be a member of St. William’s adult choir for so many years. Our whole family sends its sympathy to her son Leo Jr. and his terrific fiancée, Sarah Wadland, and to her younger son, our son-in-law David and his wife/our daughter Jeanne, and to Ann’s and our grandchildren (“the World’s Greatest”) Brendan and Erin. By the way, both grandkids did a great job reading at their Nana’s Mass.
***
I hope that you were able to get outside the past few evenings. The planet Venus is positively beautiful at this time of year and will remain so for most of the summer.
***
Hubby and I met with our tax man Frank last Tuesday. We enjoy meeting with him because he, like Hubby, is a retired Boston school teacher. I must tell you that the three of us laughed when he told us that our state tax refund would be just $7 this year. At least we don’t have to pay anything. By the way, we now have our appointment next February for our 2015 taxes.
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This is a lovely thought in conjunction with Easter: “Prayer is not asking for what we lack but giving thanks for what we have.” Amen to that!
