Of Mind and Heart
We want to welcome any visitors who join us for our masses on the weekend whether they join us in Standish or in Alger. You are God’s gift to us. I want to welcome any of you who are joining us for the First Communion celebration at the 10:30 Mass this weekend. We have eight young people receiving the Body and Blood of Christ for the first time. We rejoice as they welcome Jesus into their lives in a very intimate way. Congratulations!
You never know who will come through our doors. I had a surprise a couple weeks ago when the brother of a seminarian classmate came to join us for the 4:30 Mass. I think the last time I saw him was over 50 years ago. His brother, Dennis Montie, and I were best friends. We started college together at St. Meinrad’s in Southern Indiana. He was from Alpena. He had gone to St. Paul Seminary in Saginaw for high school seminary. They bused the seminarians from St. Paul’s to my alma mater, St. Stephen High School in Saginaw, for some of their classes. Since I was contemplating going to seminary, I asked Dennis a lot of questions about seminary life. We bonded and talked a lot. He eased a lot of my fears about the world I was about to enter. St. Paul’s closed that summer after graduation and so it was decided for us to attend St. Meinrad’s together along with another classmate, Jim Leonard from Bay City (Lou Ann Reno’s brother). I remember how Dennis and I rode the bus together for 500 miles to get home for that first Christmas vacation. Before he went on to Alpena, he met my family and I showed him my old neighborhood. As the end of vacation neared, I got a call to tell me that Dennis had been killed in a car accident. It was a tough experience and almost ended my desire to be a priest. But through the grace of God, I decided to dedicate my priesthood to his memory. I carry his picture in my wallet. When his brother Tony visited, it was on Good Shepherd Sunday when I was sharing how God had changed my life after I said “Yes” to him. Meeting Dennis was a part of God’s plan for me right from the beginning. Maybe Dennis was telling me, “Don’t forget about me”.
Peace,
Fr. Ron
May 5, 2024
Resurrection of the Lord Parish
From Fr. Ron's Desk...
Fr. Ron Wagner, Pastor