Wyoming Catholic Cowboys

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

God is with Us

Shoot for Heaven.

https://youtu.be/Sg2swodvzwI

Monday, September 27, 2021

Preferential Option for God

Our preferential option for the poor flows from our preferential option for God.

https://youtu.be/WhRLUSdtTNI

Sunday, September 26, 2021

Don't Bug Me

Whoever is not against us is for us.

https://youtu.be/EzcVb33-ELU

Saturday, September 25, 2021

Six years ago this week, the Church held a World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia and Pope Francis was coming to town. Me and my seminarian buddies wanted to go, but we thought simply flying out would be lame. So we asked our Blessed Mother for an old school bus and She provided.

It was on this project that I really began to understand the thirst of desire. We had planned in the spring to go the bus route, but by fall we had no bus. I would have gladly given up on the effort, but the desire in my heart wouldn't let me. It was so subtle, yet so demanding. I looked and looked for the right bus, but to no avail. One day, two days before I headed back to seminary, I was driving down South Flat in Worland and spotted a bus at a distance sitting beside a guy's shop. I thought what the heck and drove in there. Sitting in the weeds was our bus. I knew it from the moment I saw it. The only thing left to do was convince the owner to sell it to us. Our Blessed Mother and the Rosary took care of that.

And so we named it after Her.

My boys were quite happy when I showed up that fall with our ticket to Philly.

The first thing we did was rearrange the seats.

We figured a drain in the back corner would be handy too.

Of course you can't road a school bus to Philly without an air horn. My brother Luke came through with one off his feed truck.

Mission accomplished. It took about 40 hours, day and night, to get from Denver to Philadelphia. We only had one causality, one bro flew home.

Once back at school we used to pull it in the court yard and use it as a hangout. We'd play cards and chill and once it got cold we stuck a wood stove in the corner to knock the edge off.

After seminary, she continued to follow me around. We used it at St. Stephens Indian Mission for trips here and there.

I brought her to Gillette and rocked it a time or two.

But eventually it was time to pass her on. Using it once a year didn't justify the expense of keeping her operational. Andy from NE is now her new owner. Take care of her son.

Nothing but gratitude.

It's been a fun ride with old yeller. But life's about letting go. Our Blessed Mother proved a generous distributer of God’s graces during this project. Though I'm letting go of the bus, I'm maintaining a dependance upon Her. Totus Tuus Virgo Maria!

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Day in the Sun

With the first day of fall upon us, it was imperative to go up into the Big Horns and get some fresh air. The southern end of the mountains was our destination and Dick Williams from Casper was my trail boss.

This area, known as Red Wall on Willow Creek, was a side of the Horns I had yet to see. Bucket list, check.

My heart leaped for joy as we crossed into county 20.

This leg of the journey is called Rough Lock Hill. Rough locking a wagon is when it was so steep that they locked up the rear wheels, usually with a log, and skidded down the slope. Tougher than the rest.

Can't beat a good two track through golden aspens.

Which led right into the Williams' cabin. They built this cabin, along with two others near by, in 1974. It was a project undertaken by the three amigos, friends who banded together to develop this land on the Middle Fork of the Powder River up Outlaw Canyon. Dick spent three months on the building crew that year. It was a nice break from law school. Job well done partner.

Pretty cool construction. The cedar logs were pre-cut and are still tight as a wedge today.

Dick and his late brother Barry, have been the stewards of the cabin since their parents passed away. Slowly the next generation is beginning to take the reins and finding as much joy in it as they have.