Last week we buried two of our retired priests.  This week we will bury two more senior priests of our Diocese of La Crosse, Fathers Bill Blazewicz and Robert Altmann.  Pray for the repose of their souls and for all your priests and seminarians!

Earlier this week I visited the second grade religious education class in Spring Valley.  They are a lively bunch and somehow they got on the topic of age.  They asked me how old I was and – as I always do when a child asks my age – I asked them: “How old do you think I am?”  One boy blurted out “50!”  I told him I turn 51 on Saturday.  A girl then said: “No, you’re 39!”  She is now my favorite second grader!  Thank you so much for your kindness on the occasion of my first anniversary as Pastor of Boyceville (February 7, 2013), the third anniversary of my official arrival in Elmwood and Spring Valley (February 22, 2011), and my fifty-first birthday (February 22, 1963)!  I offer thanks to Almighty God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – for the gift of life itself with its joys and sufferings over these past fifty-one years.  I glorify God for the gift of the supernatural life of faith given me through the Sacrament of Baptism and nourished through the Sacraments of the Church.  I am so grateful to my faith-filled parents and extended family for their trust in God and His plan.  And I am grateful for your thoughtful cards, delicious goodies, generous gifts, and, above all, assurances of prayers.  A special thanks to the Elmwood Altar and Rosary Society for the wonderful birthday celebration after Mass last weekend!  The cake was beautiful and delicious.  I always enjoy the occasions where we can gather and just visit with one another!

We are happy to welcome back to our parishes Father Kuss, a staff member from the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity of the University of Saint Thomas.  Our own Billy Dodge is one of the seminarians with whom Father Kuss works.  Obviously, Father Kuss has more than full-time responsibilities at the seminary!  So we are grateful for his generosity in covering all the Masses this weekend so that I can lead a retreat for the men in our Deacon formation program – men from our own Diocese of La Crosse and the Dioceses of Madison and Superior.  Pray for me and for the men on retreat!

In my column last week I described how my 2005 Buick Century with 180,000 plus miles – the rocker panels of which were rapidly rusting through – developed problems with its electrical and computer systems that left me without lights on a bitter cold night in December on the river road between Elmwood and Spring Valley.  That was the straw that broke the camel’s back regarding my confidence in that vehicle to transport me safely among our parishes and the other places my extra-parochial responsibilities take me.  I had been planning on getting a different car, but not just yet!  Staggering medical bills over the past three years had not allowed me to begin saving for a different car.  After extensive research and visiting numerous dealerships, Markquart Motors in Eau Claire “made me an offer I couldn’t refuse” on a 2014 Chevrolet Malibu.  Because of the thousands of miles I drive on winding roads in all sorts of weather conditions among our parishes each year, I wanted a car that handled and rode well and was fuel efficient.  The last time I bought a car new was when I was Pastor in Plum City.  The parishioners there seemed very concerned that I purchase a vehicle made in the USA.  Well, in case you are that interested in what car your Pastor is driving, 68 percent of the parts of my vehicle were made in North America and it was assembled in Kansas City!  The car has already proven its worth.  The computer-controlled braking system and tires handle incredibly well on these snow-covered winding roads.  The car has already saved my life – or at least saved me from totaling my car.  One evening in January I was coming back into Elmwood on Highway 72 when out of nowhere there were on the road a dozen or more deer in front of me, three deep.  I slammed the brakes on the snow-covered road fully expecting impact or to lose control of the vehicle.  Without swerving the car stopped within inches of the pack of deer!  Of course, the deer just stood there – they looking at me, me looking at them.  I sat there for a moment in disbelief that the car actually stopped without even leaving my lane.  Had I still been driving my Buick it would never have stopped that quickly and I would have plowed into the heart of that herd.  With all the miles I drive as your Pastor, I am sorely testing the powers of my Guardian Angel and Saint Christopher!  One last installment on priestly vehicles and Pope Francis next week!

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!  Saint Luke, pray for us!
Father Kevin C. Louis, STL