We have reached the third and final installment of the story behind my recent purchase of a Chevy Malibu. You may recall that my decade-old 180,000-plus mile Buick Century failed me on a bitter-cold December night as I was making my way to Spring Valley. Having lost confidence that that car could safely transport me (and Deacon Ray and Billy Dodge!), I launched into an intensive search for a new vehicle ? in spite of not being financially prepared to do so because of three years of substantial medical bills. Markquart Motors in Eau Claire made me an offer I couldn?t refuse on the 2014 Malibu. The last time I purchased a new car I was Pastor in Plum City and the parishioners there seemed to take a very serious interest in what kind of car their priest was driving. Should anyone be wondering, the Malibu is assembled in the USA and 68 percent of its parts are from North America. I have been most impressed with the way the Malibu handles in the extreme driving conditions we?ve had this Winter. This past week and for the second time since I?ve had the car, its computer-assisted braking system prevented me from plowing into a small herd of deer that had jumped into my path on ice-covered roads. My old car would never have been able to stop safely under the same conditions.

Another of the priests of our Diocese recently purchased a new pickup. He, too, is Pastor of three rural parishes and it seemed time for him to get a more reliable vehicle. Originally from the Upper Peninsula, he is an avid outdoorsman and puts on many miles among his parishes ? one of which is, literally, in the middle of corn fields. When word spread among his parishioners that their Pastor had purchased a new truck, a number of them badgered him that it was scandalous for a priest to have a new vehicle. They attacked the priest noting that within the Vatican Pope Francis drives a 30-year-old Renault with 190,000 miles on it. The parishioners also used Pope Francis? remarks of July 6, 2013, to beat their Pastor: ?It hurts me when I see a priest or nun with the latest model car. You cannot do this. A car is necessary to do a lot of work. But please choose a more humble one.? This good and sensitive priest was so shaken by the outcry from his parishioners that he traded in his new pickup for a used one. In light of this, I offered some observations on what I considered a misuse of Pope Francis? example and words. First, a high-mileage 30-year-old car works just fine for someone driving in the Vatican City State. The furthest distance the Pope has to drive in the Vatican is one-half mile! Besides that, driving there poses no serious safety concerns as there is no severe weather (Rome gets snow about once every ten years!), there is virtually no traffic, and there are none of God?s creatures jumping out in front of you! Second, Pope Francis? pastoral experience in Argentina is very different from the Diocese of La Crosse. Buenos Aires ? where Pope Francis was Cardinal Archbishop ? is the second largest metropolitan complex in all of South America and has an extensive public mass transit system of buses, commuter trains, and subways. Like New York City, a person in Buenos Aires does not need a car to get anywhere. A safe and reliable car is not necessary for a Pastor serving in such circumstances. The situation is very different for a priest serving multiple parishes in Wisconsin.

?Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God, and saying, ? The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel?? (Mark 1:15). This proclamation of Jesus of Nazareth at the beginning of His public ministry retains its full rigor and vigor for you and me today! He calls us ? indeed, the whole world ? to conversion! ? Baptism is the principal place for the first and fundamental conversion. It is by faith in the Gospel and by Baptism that one renounces evil and gains salvation, that is, the forgiveness of all sins and the gift of new life? ( Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1427). Even after Baptism ?Christ?s call to conversion continues to resound? ( Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1427) in the lives of all those who call themselves Christians. ?This second conversion is an uninterrupted task for the whole Church . . . This endeavor of conversion is not just a human work. It is the movement of a ?contrite heart,? drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God who loved us first? ( Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1427). The liturgical season of Lent is that period of 40 days of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving that ?are meant to help lead the believer to ongoing conversion and a deeper faith in the Lord who redeemed us? ( United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, 518). We enter into the season of conversion with Ash Wednesday. Masses that day are 3:30 PM in Spring Valley, 6:00 PM in Boyceville, and 8:00 PM in Elmwood. We have the opportunity to do penance in union with our Catholic brothers and sisters around the world as we follow the universal Church Lenten discipline regarding fasting and abstinence. Ash Wednesday and all Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence from eating meat for those 14 years of age and older. What is more, all those who have celebrated their 18th birthday, until they celebrate their 59th birthday, are to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday ? that is, eat only one full meal with two smaller meals permitted if necessary to maintain strength but no solid foods between meals.

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