Our Lady of Joyful Hope!

I mentioned the Charleston Diocese Rosary Celebration at the Shrine in Kingstree on Bethune Catholic regularly for weeks-and here it is come and gone. Three families stayed here and caravaned down together for the celebration. Fr. Stan Smolenski opened the celebration by commenting to us and Bishop Baker of Birmingham that the moment he heard the news of Bishop Baker's appointment to Birmingham, he wrote a letter to Mother Angelica's convent saying, (My paraphrase) "You Stole Our Bishop! Now you are obligated to replace him! Please pray we receive a holy bishop soon."

There was about 200 souls there by my estimation. We said the scriptural rosary and then Bishop Baker said Mass.

The homilest (Fr. Phelan CSC) thought he giving a talk not a homily-so his homily was, in his words, "going to be the longest homily we had ever heard". And it was. I think it was over an hour.

After Mass, we met Bishop Baker again. He blessed our families, and we wished him well and promised him our prayers.

We had a picnic lunch and met old friends.

One thing that Mrs. Curley and I felt in one way or another this weekend is that we need to invoke the intercessson of Our Lady of Joyful Hope much more frequently in the coming days and weeks.

Our Lady of Joyful Hope-pray for us! ..... Oremus pro invicem!