Ascension of the Lord

Hopefully, by the time you read this bulletin, we will have installed a “Fatima Shrine Stone” in the area of the Fatima Grotto East of the church. This stone was originally placed at the main entrance of St. Joseph Hospital (what is now Lovelace Hospital). It is inscribed with the Fatima Prayer and was donated “In memory of the beloved Giulia Baldouni and Adele Catelani whose devotion and ideals wished the glory of this shrine.” When St. Joseph Hospital was sold and ceased being a Catholic hospital, the stone was removed from the entrance and stored away from public view. A few months ago I was contacted by the Hospital Chaplain at Lovelace and was offered the stone which I gladly accepted for display on our church grounds. It had sustained some damage over the years. Scott Lardner and the craftsmen at Rocky Mountain Stone donated their services in cleaning the stone and making some repairs, for which I am very grateful. It gives me great joy to take religious artifacts that have been neglected for many years and restore them to prominent display, as with the paintings that are currently displayed in our church. I invite you to stop by and visit the shrine at the grotto and offer the Fatima Prayer.