Let the Good Times Roll

It has been a rather somber and chilly Spring here in Gotham, so I am very much looking forward to my trip down to Galveston and the Yucatan tomorrow. I'm going on a cruise with a group of high school friends to Cozumel and Progreso to see some Mayan ruins and perhaps swim with the dolphins or go snorkeling, all of which I have never done before. I will be in Galveston only one night but I hope to get to the cathedral there and see the wonderful shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I hope to find her down in the Yucatan also but time is short. I ask her protection for the journey.

I'll miss the beginning of the restoration work, delayed a few weeks by details about how we are going to protect the Ralph Adams Cram Lady Chapel artwork and statutes of St. Ignatius and Our Lady. They're just putting up the sidewalk bridge and scaffolding to start on the outside on Monday so we have a few weeks to figure it out with the help of a few expert consultants. We will have a free-standing altar down by the statue of Our Lord since there will be scaffolding in the sanctury for about 8 weeks. It's going to be a long dusty summer in the shrine church, but the results will be glorious. I never thought I would live to see the Lady Chapel and the north wall including the wonderful St. Ignatius window cleaned. We may need to rethink having the thurifer parking in the Lady Chapel before the consecration in order to keep it clean.

We also must figure out how to pay for some necessary roof work, including a leak over the organ pipes which has already damaged several pipes due to corroded flashing along the outside wall. The roof over the apartment is leaking and must be replaced soon. The Lady Chapel also needs a new roof since it was done in a similar substance that only had a 15 year warranty 12 years ago. The shingles on the main roof also are showing signs of deterioration, well ahead of the 30 year warranty they purport to have. I'll be busy when I get back dealing with shingle manufacturers, roofing contractors and insurance claims so I will do my best to have a good time for a week.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and in the hour of our death. Amen.