N SACRED SCRIPTURE, we read: Thou sendest forth Thy spirit, and there is fresh creation; Thou dost repeople the face of earth (Ps 103:30). Those addicted to reading “news websites” or watching cable television will find no shortage of distressing news each day to preoccupy their mind, fill them with anxiety, and prevent them from doing positive items in God’s service. On the other hand, there are reasons for hope! Recently, our parish was visited by four seminarians from Wigratzbad (Germany). One of them—whom I’d previously corresponded with online—is a deacon who will be ordained next year. This fellow is very young; indeed, he was born in 1999. But in spite of his young age, he speaks ten languages and is fully fluent in six. We spent several hours with him when he was in town, and his English is flawless. His name is Deacon Francis.
There Is Hope! • I found Deacon Francis to be polite, generous, kind, incredibly intelligent, and someone who emanates holiness. From what I can tell, he will make an amazing priest. People like Deacon Francis give me hope. By the way, he’s also a great musician. I showed him the little pipe organ we have near our parish:
Coming Soon! • Deacon Francis possesses some incredibly rare (and important) musical scores from Germany, which he’s promised to send us in November of 2023. I was able to take a picture with Deacon Francis before he left:
