Into the Longhorn State!

Yesterday morning (6/16) I headed for Livingston, TX! I left Metairie, LA and traveled west… Around Houston, TX! The trip was wet from Baton Rouge, LA to Livingston. I was soaked! It was also warm, and riding in a rain suit makes it that much warmer! 🥵


Today (6/17) I arrived in Cibolo, TX. I hung out with Kathy Robinson and her daughters Megan and Bridgett. I knew the Robinson family from my time in Maryland. After Kathy’s husband, Mark, died, they moved to Texas to be near family. The past several years, I’ve watched the girls grow up from afar. It was a treat to go to lunch with Kathy’s mom and dad and then be with them. We watched Bridget play volleyball. It was nice to catch up with all of them.



Ministry is a difficult vocation. What makes it meaningful is the lives that you get to be part of along the way. To be with folks during their highs and lows, sharing their joys and sorrows, helping them engage their faith to help them navigate life is why I’m a priest. Life is difficult, but it is comforting to know that “the Robinson girls” are doing just fine! 

The rain was miserable yesterday, but the dry made up for it today. It made me think about the journey having its difficulties, but sometimes enduring the difficulties brings great rewards. Pilgrimages are not always easy paths, but are intended to challenge and strengthen as one endures. The heart of the pilgrimage is to make a deeper connection with something larger than yourself. In my case, God or what I sometimes refer to as the divine. There is a characterization of pilgrimage that I read recently that says, “the point of a pilgrimage isn’t about what you can get, but about showing up to see what you can give. Your time, your attention, your interest, your reverence, etc…” The difference between a pilgrim and a tourist is that a tourist shows up to see stuff and a pilgrim lets things be revealed as it happens.


Challenge to St. James and to Self: Think about the challenges and what is being revealed to you as you are trying to connect to God. Show up, always thinking about what you can give of yourself rather than what you can get.




Location: Cibolo, TX, USA

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This Week!

Weekend with Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Doc Holiday

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