Where the Rubber Hits the Road

Friends, I haven't spent much time writing on the blog for the past few days as an elderly priest who has entrusted his care into my hands has been admitted into the Pembroke Regional Hospital with a case of pneumonia. Fr. Leon Bélanger suffers from a number of significant medical problems and he has been in a nursing home for a number of years. It doesn't appear as if this is necessarily an end stage event for him, but it is an unsettling and uncomfortable time for a man who no longer possesses the mental acuity to cope with such events. Yours prayers, best thoughts and wishes, positive vibes and energies would be greatly appreciated. I also have found out that comments are not being accepted on this blog for some mysterious technical reason. Hopefully the staff at Blogger will soon get things back to normal. I regret the inconvenience it may be causing anyone.

"Hey Buddy. Can you spare a cup of water?" OK, so we don't often hear that in our daily lives but it's a request I put before you today. Evidently the water line from the main on the street (600+ ft away from church) has frozen somewhere across the school yard behind the Church. The town and the plumber say there's nothing that can be done other than to await the spring thaw. So, I'm willing to give up somethings for Lent but I hadn't considered that it was going to be flush toilets, showers and drinking water. Please say a prayer for warm weather or some other divine intervention as the thaw is still five or six weeks away from beginning in this part of the north. Either that or perhaps a prayer that I can find a plumber to do SOMETHING to get us water!! Fr. Tim

Folks, I've been discharged from the hospital after a sudden illness that befell me on Sunday evening. I feel like death warmed over and have been ordered to keep myself isolated for the next 7-10 days (with 4 X daily trips back to the hospital for Ventolin treatments).  PLEASE remember me in your prayers as I struggle to get back on my feet. Thank you. Fr. Tim

PLEASE visit and respond to the request I make on my facebook account. It would be greatly appreciated by all priests... but especially we here in the latest Canadian 'ground zero' of the sex abuse scandals. A Google search of just the names of the principals in this current revelation of prior knowledge brings 1870 news stories on this condemnatory piece of correspondence. WE REALLY, REALLY, REALLY need your support. Please at least take the few seconds needed to register your 'liking' the idea of praying for priests in Pembroke and around the world. THANK YOU. Fr. Tim Facebook | Fr. Tim Moyle

If ever there was a time for the laity to come to the spiritual aid of their clergy, it's now! It's time for all Catholics to bend their knees in supplication for their priests who have faithfully offered their lives to the Church and to her 'Eternal Spouse', Jesus Christ. Sincerely folks, I ask you to pray for all victims of predator priests. I ask you as well to pray also for the clergy of our diocese. The very fact that the Charles Gibson, Diocesan lawyer was interviewed in preparation of this CTV media report, should have been clue enough of the need of the Diocesan spokesperson to deal with the media at weekend masses at the Cathedral. TV cameras also greeted those entering and leaving the other Pembroke parishes as well. At the very least, local clergy should have been alerted of the likelihood of the media's presence and instructed in how they should be dealt with.  Alas, no one thought of these details. The priests of the Cathedral were left on their own ...

Here is the latest update on the condition of Dr. Rob Susil. As you can see, his condition is approaching a point where major decisions will have to be made as to continuing his treatment or allowing the cancer to win. His wife Gwyneth has been posting on the blog he began when he first received a diagnosis of cancer; a task she has taken up on Rob's behalf during this latest phase of his battle. When in her latest post, she speaks of desiring at least to grant him enough time to allow their three year old son, William to be able to see Rob in a state that will not traumatize him, it is clear that the situation has indeed become desperate. I ask you please to offer your prayers of support in the comment threads of this post so that I can offer them to Rob and his family as a sign of hope in these dark hours. Thank you. Fr. Tim ----------------------- Hello to all - The last two days have been difficult, as Robert has not been able to move any closer to coming off the ve...

Please continue to pray for Dr. Rob Susil, son in law of my friends George & Joan Weigel. He continues to fight for his life this morning having survived a harrowing night but his condition is still grave. I recommend praying as well for the intercession of John Paul II as George is the author both of his biography ( Witness to Hope ) and the soon to be released "Pope John Paul II -- The Struggle for Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy. " John Paul the Great, pray for him! Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for him! Saints of God, pray for him! All holy men and women, pray for him! Totus Tuus!

I beseech all who read this blog to please immediately offer a prayer for Dr. Rob Susil, son in law of my dear friends George and Joan Weigel. He has developed a sudden grave complication during his treatment for cancer as is at this moment fighting for his life.  Rob is husband to Gwenyth and father to a young 3 year old son, William. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE... storm the gates of heaven with prayer that God will grant him either a miraculous return to health or a merciful entry into eternal life. He is a man of great faith, who deserves all the support that we can merit for him through our prayers. Venerable John Paul the Great, intercede with Jesus for the recovery of this wonderful and kind man. Spare his family the pain of his loss. Pray for him. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for him. St. Joseph, pray for him. St. Perigrine, pray for him St. Jude, pray for him