Immaculate Mary

Mary keeps us in our Father's house.

           https://youtu.be/tyyioCxUxlI         

Cattlemen

The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus reveals that God loves us with a human heart. With that in mind, Kelly and I set off to glorify the Lord with our lives. No better way to do that than by chasing cows. 

Kelly's my right hand man. Whether it's on the Altar or in the pasture, he's always one step ahead of me. 

Today was redemption day. The last horse Kelly was on broke four of his ribs. The only way to heal after something like that is to saddle back up. 

It was time to pull our critters out of John's place. He has some other cows coming in so we decided to get while the getting was good. Of course we found the girls hiding in the trees.

Getting them all going in the right direction was a bit of a chore. 

As well as finding a place to bring them down that's not rim-rocked.

Giddy up. 

Well done. 

A good fence is worth 10 cowboys. 

           https://youtu.be/Z_V1jqEt_b8         

Good ride cowboy. 

Once in the corral we loaded them up in Paddy Wagon. I always wondered if you could fit five cows in the back half of her. Guess so. 

We weren't done though. I wanted to put some fly tags in their ears. John didn't have a squeeze chute so we borrowed the neighbor's. 

Got er' done. 

It was a trick loading them back up again. And to top it off, we had to chain up to get out of there. Any time I can put iron on my tires I'm a happy camper.

Then we unloaded them at Joe's place where they'll spend the rest of the summer. 

But before we kicked them loose we rode the fence. 

This was a cute little find. You can almost step right over these fawns without them moving. Pretty obedient to mom, I'd say. 

Good luck girls. Don't eat it all in one day.

Muy Bien. 

I love chasing cows. And when it's with a good buddy, all the better. I've been around a lot of cowboys, but not as many cattlemen. A good cattleman thinks like a cow. He makes going where he wants them to go their idea. Kelly and I are cattlemen in progress. But what fun is it to be a finished product? Life's about the journey as much as the destination. Jesus not only leads us home to Heaven, He also teaches us how to enjoy life in the process. Thanks Lord for a good day. We're on to the next one! 

Veil

Jesus inserts Himself into the law.

           https://youtu.be/XNhPV4VqARE         

Tea

Jesus took off our training wheels. 

           https://youtu.be/XMGT9wWamgg         

Inculturation

Be salt and light.

           https://youtu.be/PeqY6VmeJ5g         

Corpus Christi

Our Lord want to give us His Eternal Life! That's a big deal. 

           https://youtu.be/NacJcSWA7Lw         

Rainy Rodeo

It takes a lot to stop a rodeo, and rain and mud are not enough. The second weekend in June is Hulett's annual rodeo. I've served my time in the chutes, now it's time to enjoy the ride from the stands.

Thanks be to God it's been a rainy spring. Combine that with cool temperatures and good cattle prices, ranchers around Hulett are happy.

The Burch boys brought out their baddest best. 

Rain or shine, they came to ride.

They bucked bareback, broncs, bulls, and ranch bronc. I only got there in time to see the bulls and ranch bronc.

My buddy Ben Miller stole the show with a 75 point ride.

Bucked his boot off in the process.

I love rodeo. Though I'm more than happy to sit and watch from the stands, it still get's your blood pumping when you see guys grin and bear it. The rain and mud just add to the fun. Life is good. Thank God for cowboys.

2023 Priest Retreat

Every year dioceses around the nation have a five day retreat together. This year ours was at Terra Sancta retreat center in South Dakota. Always good to see the boys. And always good to spend time away with the Lord.

About 50 of our roughly 60 total priests in the Diocese were present, along with Bishop Steven and our retreat director Fr. Ron Mercier, SJ.

This year was also special because I celebrated five years of priestly ordination on June 8th. However, that year it was the feast of the Sacred Heart. So I'll have to celebrate again coming this Friday! God is good. 

Filioque

The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

           https://youtu.be/S_cNywlNijg         

Moving Cows

When you run only 5 cows you’ve got to squeeze all the fun you can out of them. So with a bit of free time on hand, Joe and I got a jump on our Mission circuit by heading to Hulett Saturday afternoon to move our cows. 

Back in the north 40 they can be hard to find. We jumped them in the trees.

Then trailed the for the gate. As you can see they were getting low on grass. 

Joe and Chief put the final push on them.

Happy campers. They’ll live here for the next month before we move them again. 

Another well job done. 

Tough to beat an afternoon ride in the Hills. So beautiful. What a blessing it is to break from the normal hustle and bustle and recharge in God’s good creation. Pure gift. Thanks Lord. 

Branches

Don't just stand there and look pretty. Bear fruit!

           https://youtu.be/jK0XqJ0eDZU         

 

What Do You Want

We gotta know. 

           https://youtu.be/uHLpXNv_0-I