Sure, parents and families are hastily preparing for the upcoming academic year. Along with them are the students and staff members anxiously awaiting the return of students to the school buildings. Meanwhile, others are cramming in their final days of summer vacation before the Labor Day weekend. All the while, many others are living with the constant reminder that learning has no boundaries.

One of the great life lessons we embrace is to constantly learn something each day. A person with this type of attitude is naturally curious and open to new ideas. New ideas can often sound really exciting, until some of us realize that new ideas might mean change. Change in a personal way, or changes in the way different groupings of people live our normalcy. As believers, we enjoy constant reminders that the only thing which remains constant is change. So, rather than resist change, our call is to embrace change.

Many of you know by now that Amber Newton was hired in June as the Office Administrator for our parish cluster and Catholic School. Her skills and talents have already been well-received by those with whom she interacts. We ask that you continue to help her feel welcome and supported as you find yourself interacting with her in whatever way that may be.

JUSTICE! JUSTICE!! JUSTICE!!! People are gathering and protesting, chanting and yelling for justice. They demand justice. If "justice" is not delivered to them, they will inflict their own brand of it.

I've noticed that "justice" is very angry nowadays. It's furious, in fact. It is intense and explosive. Local crimes don't stay local any longer. Local tragedies become national, and all of our cries for justice go unanswered.

We ask for what we can't define and don't even want to understand. We demand what we cannot hold.

Some of you know quite well that we have had turnover in our Office Staff in recent weeks. Jessica Wolfe, after some good years of service, resigned from her position as Administrative Assistant due to her recent marriage to Randy Dermody and new directions in their life together. We continue to pray for them and all married couples as well as thanking Jessica for her good service to our parishes.

There are several readers of my bulletin article last weekend who commented on the content of the article in one way oranother. Those remarks reinforced the reality that some of you do read the article and pay attention to the points made. So, allow this article to be a sequel to last weekend. Let me begin by mentioning that spiritual getaways were not part of myfamily history, though I think members of my family would be different today if we added a spiritual element to our familytime together. Be that as it may, I have taken some journeys to spiritual sights and can continue to encourage and inviteyou, whatever age you may be, to consider a spiritual site as a vacation destination.

For some supernatural reason, unknown to me, I get really excited about 20 June and 21 December each year. We are aware that these are the annual days of the most and least daylight respectively. One of my dreams is to make two trips to Alaska within a 12 month period; once to be there on 20 June, the other to be there on 21 December. I think it would be a curious endeavor to be somewhere as these daylight hours are rather dramatic in contrast. Seems there are really human instincts which continue to direct our rhythms even in our technologically cluttered world. And so, Monday, the first day of summer, has inspired some thoughts about vacations of the past, present and future.

I think the topics of terrorism, violence, homosexuality, bigotry, racism and the like are the fodder for many pastoral articlesand sermons for obvious reasons. At the risk of jumping on the bandwagon with religious leaders across our country andaround the globe, there are some thoughts I’d like to share on the matter. The thoughts harken back to the words of ourChristian shepherd and His two principle laws: LOVE God above all things; LOVE your neighbor as you love yourself. Somehow, the more we think we know about love, the more we seem to drift away from what our Lord intended.

Most of you are already aware that ordination is the final step for a seminarian before he becomes a clergyman for the Roman Catholic Church.  Some of you are aware that Deacon Daniel Sedlacek is going to be ordained to the Holy Priesthood for our diocese on Saturday 25 June 2016.  I think it’s even more likely that even fewer of you are aware that he is the nephew to Junior and Judy Pieper (members at St. Boniface).  I know that Junior and Judy are among a really small number of people in our parish cluster who are blessed to have a priest in their family.  Please pray for Deacon Sedlacek as he awaits these final days before ordination.

We have come to the point in our annual calendar when school is (or almost) finished for the summer. During these days we enjoy idle time spent with family and friends. I do hope you take some time to establish time away from the busyness of life and take a vacation.

With that being said, my family of origin typically vacationed in northern Wisconsin. Since I was raised in a one and a half income household; my father being a factory worker, and mom working part-time; our vacations were always on budget. Perhaps in God's providence, I was placed into that household so that I could be somewhat of a getaway planner for people on a budget. More particularly, providing suggestions for families with children on a budget. My point is we are at a point in history when household income is really close to household expenses. Surviving is getting more expensive with each passing day. Please, use the resources around you to take a money conscious vacation rather than staying around the home and wishing you would have.