Are you excited?

A rather frequent question asked of me since I first announced my sabbatical last May is “Are you getting excited?” Most are surprised by my answer – but find that they completely understand my rationale.

I equated the time between May and September to be a lot like the last semester of one’s academic career (which is often about four months). Should one contract a serious case of senioritus early in that final semester, it’s quite possible that they’ll do poorly in classes – and, perhaps, fall short of the requisite credits to graduate. But, if one remains focused on ones studies throughout that final semester, the celebration at its completion is well-earned and deserved.

While the above analogy limps, it does convey the point that I’ve found it vitally important to remain focused on ministry to, and the needs of, the people of OLG. Since May I’ve been whittling away at a lengthy “to-do” list … preparing for things that will take place while I’m on sabbatical. One of the biggest tasks over the last several months was preparing a Book of Continuity for Fr. Karg. In that book I tried to document for Fr. Karg some many of the things, in addition to priestly responsibilities, that would be helpful for him to know … including

How do you restart the air-conditioner/heat after the power has gone out?
What are the steps to silencing and resetting the fire alarm, once a pull-station has been activated?
When it comes to setting up for Mass, how many hosts do we set out for each Mass? What are the procedures for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (both those distributing Eucharist at Mass and those bringing Eucharist to the homebound)?
What are the particulars about the annual October Anointing of the Sick Masses – and the annual All Souls Day Mass for those who’ve been buried from the parish over the last two years?
What are the OLG procedures for scheduling a funeral, wedding, or baptism?
Where are the extra keys kept, how do I track who has what key (yes, they’re all assigned by key-code and serial number), and how to determine which key works what door?
Issues of finances – including a detail of all our parish accounts

When I gave the book to Fr. Karg, I think he was a bit overwhelmed. I assured him it was intended to be an indexed resource rather than something he needed to read and study. That being said, I’m sure I’ve omitted many things that should have been included – but that’s where the staff and you the parishioner come into play. I have every confidence that you will all “chip in” to help Fr. Karg during the three months that I’ll be studying abroad.

Now that I’m down to a bit less than three-weeks until my departure, “YES, I am getting excited!” With most of the parish needs tended to, I have a lot of personal stuff to accomplish before my 6pm Labor Day flight. In addition to some serious packing (twelve weeks worth of stuff into one-or-two 50-pound-or-less suitcases could be a challenge) I’ll be trying to tie up any loose ends. Your understanding is appreciated if I’m not able to fit in that “last minute appointment” or return a phone call