This is from someone I follow on Tumbler:


Will anyone please spare two minutes of their day?
I have been struck with very grave news: a little background- a priest I know, Father Richard Bollea is suffering from lymphoma and the cancer now spread to his bone marrow. It will take a miracle for him to live. I don’t ask for much, but I’m asking for all of my followers to reblog and share this with anyone who is willing to set aside 2 minutes to pray to God for his cure. A Tumblr-wide novena (nine day prayer) is what I found, through my own prayer to be the best petition to God possible.

Feel free to say whatever prayers you want; I just beg that you keep praying once a day for the next 9 days for him. This man is the most compassionate, loving, and open-minded priest I know. Next to Jesus Christ, he was my biggest inspiration to enter the seminary. I have a prayer for the intercession of St. Peregrine, which is what I personally will lead:

O great St. Peregrine, you have been called “The Mighty,” “The Wonder-Worker,” because of the numerous miracles which you have obtained from God for those who have had recourse to you.

For so many years you bore in your own flesh this cancerous disease that destroys the very fibre of our being, and who had recourse to the source of all grace when the power of man could do no more. You were favoured with the vision of Jesus coming down from His Cross to heal your affliction. Ask of God and Our Lady, the cure of the sick whom we entrust to you. (Pause here and silently recall the names of the sick for whom you are praying: FATHER RICHARD BOLLEA:

Aided in this way by your powerful intercession, we shall sing to God, now and for all eternity, a song of gratitude for His great goodness and mercy. Amen.

Thank you! I will be continuing to update you. 9 days of prayer, two minutes is all I’m begging for. God bless you all!

Priestly Courage

We're losing our priest. As of July 1 he's assigned a different parish. I hear our new one is a good man, and I'm sure he is, but the one we are losing is one-of-a-kind. Many in our parish are grieving.

He is as well. He's been with us for 14 years. He's come to know us and care for us, as a whole and as individuals. I've heard about some comments he's made regarding how difficult this is, and I've seen him choke up about it. Yet he's mostly trying to smile and joke around with us, trying to make it as easy as possible on his parishioners.

I find this to be an incredibly difficult farewell.

I've been watching my priest grieve, and it just brings to light one more thing that makes being a priest so very difficult. When he leaves, he doesn't move with family and friends. He moves alone. He starts all over again with a new parish, new faces, while missing us.

This has got to be so very difficult. It makes me appreciate even more what these men give up to serve God in the priesthood. I don't see how they have the courage to do that.

I'm just writing this to process and to say thank you to all of our priests.