From the Desk of Father Martin, July 2

Praised be Jesus Christ! We’ve had a traumatic spring around the rectory and some of us are still reeling. Maude and Floyd (the name of the drake betrothed to Maude) decided to raise their brood on the west side of the church this year and that proved to be disastrous. Some meddling kids destroyed their five eggs and things went quickly downhill from there. Maude was practically inconsolable and while none of us is sure of the cause of her accident, the end result was a very flattened Maude laying just 100 yards from my office in the middle of Chestnut Street. Father Sedlacek offered the requiem Mass for her eternal rest and he spoke eloquently of how much she meant to this scribe. But just when it seemed the summer would be one of discontent Maude was discovered to be alive – if cats have nine lives, then it appears that ducks have at least two! Maude is again safely behind our bleeding heart bush and seems to be raising a new brood. As for who died on Chestnut, it’s too late to do an autopsy. We did receive a mysterious note that admitted responsibility for the poor duck’s death. Signed “J.B.”, the note indicated that his addiction to eating cheesecake while driving has caused more than one of God’s critters to die young! Besides making clear the dangers of consuming cheesecake in cars, the point of this circuitous introduction is to affirm that God’s creation was given to us as a gift. There is humor in creation; the animals entertain us just by being what they are and though we sometimes treat them cruelly, they are God’s gift to us. Get out and see God’s creation this summer – dubbed a 5th Gospel or an 8th Sacrament, nature is a source of wonder for those who take the time to enjoy it. Someone recently gave me a Hiking Wisconsin book and it reminds one of the beautiful state we call home. How many times do you get outside for recreation during an average month? We’re all busy, too busy, and it takes discipline to enjoy the world God created for us. Watching God’s creatures oftentouchessomethingdeepinus,thusbegettingwonderand awe, and these are among the most noble sentiments we can feel. And for those unsure of where to go for such inspiration, here are a few ideas: hiking in Wisconsin is glorious and we have both McMillan Marsh and the Mead Wildlife Area practically in our backyard. Not far to the north is the wonderful Ice Age Trail, and a couple hours south is the famous Sparta/ Elroy trail. Another source of awe and wonder is to visit beautiful churches. Sometimes these excursions are called “steeple chases” – the meaning is obvious, no?! Wisconsin has two minor basilicas, Holy Hill and St. Josaphat in Milwaukee, and they’re both very worthy of a visit. Northeastern Iowa also has a minor basilica, St. Francis Xavier in Dyersville; visit the church and then stop by the “Field of Dreams,” made famous by the 1989 movie. There are other remarkably beautiful churches in that area and you can look them up at spiresoffaith.com. For years I’ve been visiting the various parishes in our own diocese and have only about 20 left to see. Thankfully, you’ll soon be able to see every single one of them from the comfort of your own living room: a handsome new book has been published and will be available sometime this fall. The Diocese of La Crosse will celebrate its sesquicentennial in March of 2018 and this book has been created to help us thank God for all that He has done in our midst. I’ve seen the book and it’s amazing! And for $33.00, it can be yours. More information will be coming soon.

May God help us see the world as He sees it; and may this lead to true worship of God, from Whom all blessings flow!

Your friend in Christ, Father Martin