My last letter, I believe, was for Easter April 4th. I also sent some letters when I first arrived in Cleveland. The summer letters and the Easter letter let you know how and why I am recuperating with the Bethany group needing assisted living care. Having just celebrated the Fourth of July and looking forward to the middle of summer, I thought I would browse through Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Dream to see I might find something to quote. Shakespeare has the line: “What fools these mortals be!” Perhaps in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic and the topsy-turvy world around us, we could find reason to quote the Bard. It is summer and so we enjoy the sunshine very early in the morning, and here in Cleveland at the end of the end of the eastern time zone we can appreciate these long days, beautiful sunshine and short nights.
There is good news. Though I had some difficulties, including a fall in my bathroom, which landed me in the emergency of the Hillcrest Hospital (a part of the Cleveland Clinic), the good news is that Dr. Davis Ray, a Rheumatologist, with other doctors believe my rheumatoid arthritis is what is bothering me at this time. She prescribed medication and a couple weeks of sessions twice a week at the Mayfield Physical Therapy (I had been doing twice a month.) She added the medications needed.
Other good news is that I had a practice session with Roberta Modica, our organist. She was impressed as we played some twenty hymns for a half-hour. She was especially surprised to know I was transposing everything because my trumpet is in the key of B flat not C major. I am a bit rusty, but I had not played with another instrument for a whole year. We practiced after the July 5th Mass and Steve, a cornet player, joined us for Let There Be Peace on Earth. We enjoyed it. I was amazed at the tone in the church and how I was able to pick up the music. Roberta said she will let me know when she and I can get together again. I look forward to it.
Fr. John Chrisman, the editor of Emmanuel Magazine (SSS publication), and I have put our second “Interview” especially for our SSS Associates on youtube.com. I would like to share this new interview with you. It is with other interviews on the internet (either blessedsacrament.com or CEE.com).
I miss celebrating Mass at the chapel of St. Ann, the patron of our SSS Province in the United States. I hope I will be able to start again soon thanks to the progress I am making in my health. I had been celebrating twice a week for several months. We have as many as 20 persons participating in the Mass each day and they love to come to the celebration of the Eucharist at 11:30 am Monday through Friday. We celebrate the feast of St. Ann on July 26th. We call the chapel St. Ann’s Shrine. We have a similar shrine at St. Jean Baptiste Church in New York. We have relics identical to those at the shrine of St. Ann de Beaupré in Canada.
I really enjoy the family zoom sessions each month and look forward to them. May God bless you with peace, grace, joy and happiness. You are in my prayers, please pray for me.
Love and blessings,
Ernest
PS I am celebrating Mass on Wednesdays again and it is a privilege again. Fr. Mike Arkins is celebrating in the chapel as well now on Thursdays and Fr. Roger the rest of the week. He is the chapline of the St. Ann Shrine.
Posted on August 14, 2021 by Fr. Ernest Falardeau, SSS
