St. Clement Mary Hofbauer Church - Fata

St. Clement Mary Hofbauer The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time August 18, 2013
Quite a few have asked, and so I will share a bit
about my recent trip to San Antonio, Texas. It is a
city I have long hoped to visit, but not in August.
It was at least 100 degrees every day, and two
days set new records for the date. However, the
first few days were mostly inside at the Knights of
Columbus Supreme Convention so it didn’t matter
too much. Each time I have had the opportunity to
attend one of these conventions I have enjoyed the
spirit of fraternity, the organization of the
program, and what the Knights are able to
accomplish as a collective group. Some of us who
have been state chaplains for several years have
gotten to know one another, and so it is a bit of a
reunion as well. The liturgies are always well
done, and the chance to learn about what is going
on in other states and other countries is interesting.
This past year the K of C made the first steps into
Lithuania and the Ukraine, joining the expansion
of a few years ago into Poland. There has been a
long presence of the Knights in Canada, Mexico,
the Philippines and Cuba. Among other topics, we
learned about the progress of the Shrine to Blessed
John Paul II in Washington, DC that is now run by
the Knights, and previewed a “made-for-TV”
movie about the life of Pope Francis that the
Knights have sponsored.
The convention ended Thursday morning and I relocated
to the friary in San Antonio. On the way I
had a chance to visit the string of missions started
by the Friars in the 1730s, and these are again
operating as parishes. The last one I visited serves
as the Cathedral of the City today, and while the
building has been expanded one can see the
original part in the sanctuary. Visited the Alamo
(also originally a mission), the site of that famous
battle where Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie and so
many others died. And of course toured the
famous Riverwalk, which is really quite nice. It
was about 103 degrees that day, so a little tough
walking around, but we persevered.
On Friday visited the town of Panna Maria, about
an hour from San Antonio. It was the first Polish
settlement in this country, in 1854, and one of our
Conventual Friars was the guiding force and is
buried there. It is a place I have heard about for so
long it was interesting to see. Also visited the
Oblate School of Theology where some of our
Friars have studied; it is an impressive campus.
Driving around the area is an experience as well.
The big city highways are fairly typical, but it was
especially going to Panna Maria that I noticed a
difference from Baltimore—dual lane highways,
sometimes with speeds of 65 and 70, and then
traffic lights! They gave a new meaning to
defensive driving.
Certainly worth visiting San Antonio and the
Southwest, but won’t recommend summertime for
it.
God bless,
Fr. Donald
Memorial Gifts
We are grateful to those who suggest Memorial
Gifts to St. Clement Church or School. Recent
Memorial Gifts to St. Clement Church include:
In memory of John Slomba:
Jessie & Ken Wilson
Newly Baptized
We welcome two newly
baptized to our parish:
Angelina Mukudi, daughter
of Violine Akotch, and
Eunice Moraa, daughter of Onsomu Onchonga
and Beatrice Rutakinikwa. The two girls were
baptized on August 11, 2013.
Pilgrimage to the graves of the
Three Holy Women of Paca Street
End this Year of Faith with a Pilgrimage – a Holy
Journey! Join us on Saturday, October 12, 2013
as we visit the graves of the Three Holy Women
of Paca Street. Depart at 8:30 a.m. from St.
Mary’s Seminary and University and visit the
graves of Mother Mary Lange, Mother Theresa
Maxis, and Mother Elizabeth Seton. We will end
the day with Mass and dinner at the Seton Shrine
in Emmitsburg (Dinner is included in price.)
Total cost of the Pilgrimage is $60.00. For more
information call 410-728-6464 or visit our website
www.stmaryspiritualcenter.org