In Fairhaven, where I live most of the time, June was a miserable month weather-wise. Almost every day was wet, cold, and dark. Instead of the bright sunlight of spring, there always seemed to be a dark cloud approaching.

O Sun, where are you?

Did God change his mind about giving us spring and summer? That was the worry of many people I talked to. But my friends in the natural world seemed to take the weather in stride. The dogwood tree near my office blossomed with great abundance, the daisies pushed through the enclosed spaces of their yards, the tree trunks turned green, and the mimosa trees put on a floral display worthy of a strutting peacock!

Our Dogwood Tree in Bloom!

Hey daisies, peek-a-boo!

A Green Tree Trunk!

Mimosa Blossoms!

The lesson is that the difficult places in ones life offer no less gifts of life than the agreeable and pleasant places. You just have to know where to look!
That lesson served me well in the dry desert country of New Mexico, where I went to stay for several weeks. What a different landscape that was! Instead of endless rain, there was a thirst for water everywhere I looked. But I learned that, instead of dwelling on the dry and barren landscape,

This land is dry and barren!

I was better off gazing at the places watered by human attention and love. And I found a surprising abundance of life!

Even in the desert, there is abundant Life!


So once more I reveled in the rich communal life of a Community in Mission, an intentional community of a different sort, one part male SSCC and the other part female SSCC, living together in harmony.

Artesia CIM minus Fr. Paul Murtagh SSCC (from left to right-Fr. Brian Guerrini SSCC, Sr. Mary Dominic Reantaso SSCC, Sr. Damien Dang SSCC, Sr. Marie Lemert SSCC

Shortly after I arrived, there was a humble, modest parade for the Fourth of July. Yet, what did I see, but a special float dedicated to Blessed Father Damien, soon to be a Saint! And who was that sitting in the front, but a young Saint Damien!

A Float Dedicated to Saint Damien-Great!


Saint Damien is waving!


Because I did not mention them in my last blog entry concerning ourcommunity in New Mexico, in this one, I would like to focus on Fr. Brian Guerrini SSCC and Sr. Mary Dominic Reantaso SSCC. Sr. Mary Dominic is a great musician and was once a director of liturgy in California. Now, she is happy in the humble surroundings of our rural churches, leading Bible Study groups, supplying and planning music, and playing her keyboard in our rural churches in the Pecos River Valley.

Sr. Mary Dominic Reantaso SSCC at the Keyboard

And, of course, she takes her turn at cooking for the community. Fr. Brian, a newly ordained priest after twenty years as a religious brother, has branched out in his ministry in interesting new wayw. I was pleased to see, while I was there, the new, recently expanded headquarters for the Vincent DePaul Center that Fr. Brian helped establish.

Fr. Brian Guerrini SSCC at Entrance to Vincent De Paul Center

In the tradition of the great Saint Vincent de Paul, who modeled truly heart-focused Christian ministry to the poor,

Saint Vincent De Paul, Model for True Charity to the Poor

this center is feeding double the number of people it did before, an important resource for the poor in these hard times of economic recession.

Food in Storage at St. Vincent De Paul Center

A Lay Volunteer Helping Keep Things In Order

Of course, Artesia is a place where people have shown how they care about the needs of their neighbors long before we Sacred Hearts missionaries arrived on the scene. One proof of that is the loving work of the San Jose Society, an association of lay volunteers who feed the families of the dearly departed who have funerals at Our Lady of Grace Church.

Bereaved Family gets in line for some good food!

Devoted Lay Volunteers Waiting to Serve

Another work of Fr. Brian has been to work with local Legion of Mary members to carry out Enthronements of the Sacred Heart in the Home. While I was there in New Mexico, I accompanied Fr. Brian to the neighboring city of Carlsbad to participate in some of the enthronements. How beautiful it was to fulfill the desire of devoted laypeople who wanted Jesus with his Sacred Heart to be their friend, guide, and ruler.

Family Celebrates with Enthronement Team

and to see how devotion strengthened the family’s bonding with God’s blessing!

Vasquez Family Sheltered under the Cross after Enthronement of Farm

Mary Smith blesses her sons

The people who live here are hardy and strong, like the Ocotillo Cactus that grows tall and strong, despite a shortage of water.

But they are also gracious in their hospitality, as the newest sign on the outskirts of Artesia states: “Artesia, A Great Place to Stay along the Way.”

Greeting Sign for Artesia, New Mexico

Yes, it certainly was and is. So I am praying and I ask you to pray, too, that from this unlikely, out of the way place, young people, like these two dedicated altar servers, will become servants of the Lord, a source of pride for their community and their God!

Two great altar servers posing with me in sacristy of Our Lady of Grace Church

Christopher (left), me (middle), Daniel (right)