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Fire in my Church

I am reflecting on God's Divine Will.  My Mother likes to call it, The Divine Design!  What caused this reflection was waking up to news that there was a fire at my beloved St. Peter's Church in Steubenville, Ohio.

I fell in love with St. Peter's the moment I walked inside, up the aisle towards the most beautiful altar.  Behind the altar is a mural of Jesus with eyes I recognize, to his left is St. Peter with a fishing net and keys, to his right Blessed Pope John Paul II and Rome.  I was enticed by a most holy man serving the Mass and touching my heart.  He was small in stature and humble beyond words.  His name was Monsignor George Yontz.  Many a homily he gave that brought my husband and myself to tears because of the love behind the story.  Then we would come to St. Peter's and there was another holy man who also touched my heart with his homilies that even my elderly Mother felt educated as we walked out of Mass. Father Ray Ryland.  He comforted me two times in my life in a big way.  First when I was keeping vigil over my Uncle Tom who was dying of lung cancer.  He prayed with me, holding my hands and I felt the directness and purpose for what was about to take place in placing my Uncles soul in Gods hands.  Second after having Katharine Mary in my late age.  Kate has Down Syndrome and my nervousness about even a simple outing to Krogers was almost too much for me.  As we walked into the store there was Father shopping. As I approached him with children in tow, I showed him Kate and told him she has Down Syndrome.  He hugged me, smiled and immediately grabbed my hands and we all bowed our heads in a blessing from Father Ryland.  At that exact moment I was freed of all fear.  Truly a blessing.  When I think about it, I have a picture of God the Father in Heaven directing a lightening bolt to Father Ryland coming straight through to all he prays with.  The Divine Design.

When Our beloved Monsignor Yontz passed away, I was finding myself praying for someone to come and continue my family and my growth.  The first encounter I remember with our new Pastor, Father Timothy Huffman was watching how meticulous he was about his love of serving the Holy Mass.  His homilies were not only feeding my soul but opening up my thoughts in a different way.  I soon was introduced to him after he had cuddled with his new friend Kate!  Father Tim is Kate's first official friend.  My husband and I consider him a great blessing to our Parish.  The love that Father Tim has for his flock is not one that all know about...he is reserved but getting to know him I have come to recognize this quiet gentle man to be a kindred spirit that has given guidance to being human.  Opening up that Priests are people too.  I consider him brother, my friend and such an asset to our Parish with his order and willingness to serve his flock.  The Divine Design.

Father Jonas Shell was not too much of a stranger to me.  He was in Seminary and helping with a vocations camp my eldest son Beau attended.  When it was read that Father Jonas would be appointed to help at St. Peter's my son talked more at length to what an awesome soul he was.  His delivery of a homily makes me in my motherly way, want to hug him and tell him that he is truly a blessing to me.  Many a Sunday I find that I am feeling a great love for what he is teaching, as you can tell by the Heart of Mary's Pastor's corner.  The Divine Design.

So my last reflection is the power of the Adoration Chapel.  The solace I have found.  The many hours of conversation with my beloved Jesus.  The many elderly, fathers, mothers, college students, children and the ones not yet converted that then become converted.  On one night a gentleman, father, grandfather and friend to me, smelled smoke as he was praying in the Adoration Chapel.  Because of his alertness and the whispering to him to investigate, we still have our St. Peter's Church.  Thank you God for all your blessings...we shall carry on supporting the great blessing of St. Peter's, for you see, it is all in your great Divine Design.



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