St. Jude Award

Greetings to all of you!
Every year Bishop Lynch writes to all pastors asking if they would nominate someone from their parish to receive the St. Jude Award Medal for outstanding service to their respective parishes. This award goes to an individual who has been instrumental in making our parish a vibrant one. They usually work behind the scenes with no fanfare or benefits but to serve God and His people. Thus it is with deep love, respect, and honor that I posthumously present to you the winner of the St. Jude Award Medal: Mr. Rob Rabil. As many of you know, Rob passed away earlier this year after a long battle with cancer. Even during his illness, he never stopped working behind the scenes due to his great love for St. Mark parish. Accepting the Award on November 22, 2009 will be his wife Fern and their three children, Madeline, Michael, and Eric. This is truly a great honor for the family and for St. Mark. I ask your prayers for them in their time of need and may our good friend rest in the arms of God.
By now many of you (who care) have seen the final round of “The Open” and saw the dramatic final few holes. My heart goes out to Tom Watson for playing so well all week only to miss that short putt on the 18th and eventually lose. To get that far at 59 years old was truly amazing! It goes to show that we “older” guys can still play this game if we put our mind to it. However, my nerves aren’t as solid as they once were; I usually fold by the 3rd hole. I can only imagine what he felt looking over that ball and trying to make a good stroke. However, it was not to be and Stewart Cink snuck in there to take the trophy. The only redeeming thing about the experience was what Paul Azinger said when Cink won. He said that Tom Watson winning another Open championship won’t change his life. However, it will for Stewart Cink! Pretty good call all around. Maybe I should go into sports writing as a side hobby!
Well, that is all for now. Continue to enjoy the gift that God has given us in each other.
Peace,
Fr. David