On the 4th Monday of each month I go to a restaurant in the evening “with the guys.” We call it, “Priests Nite Out.” And we’ve run the circuit of middle class eateries in Little Rock: Olive Garden for Italian, La Hacienda for Mexican, Red Lobster for seafood, La Scala for eclectic. We went to the Fire Fall Grill in May to say goodbye to the guy behind it all. Msgr David Lesieur was the primary organizer of this monthly meal, and in May the bishop sent him to the NW part of the state. Since David’s departure from our fair city, the talk of our Monday Nites has been the bishop, or lack of one as the case turns out to be, in what the Vatican calls a “Sede Vacante.” Translation: an empty seat.

As our bishop asked a number of Arkansas priests to take a new assignment, the pope’s man in Washington DC asked Bishop Sartain to take a new assignment. The diplomat in DC has a thick Italian accent: “Zee pope vants you to bee bishop of JuJe.” Our bishop asked him to kindly repeat what the pope wanted. Four repetitions later, our bishop replied, “I am sorry Monsignor, but I do not understand to which diocese I am being sent.” Zamboni replied, “Maybee in Englis you say Joliet?” Last year I gave a retreat in Salt Lake City. When I come to the part of the Mass where we pray for the bishop, I always need to ask the congregation the name of their bishop. This time, however, a considerate sacristan had penciled into the priest’s Mass book, the name “George.” With no further ado, I prayed for “our bishop George.” “Oh no,” the congregation responded. “George is no longer with us.” Thinking (correctly, I might add) that they had a “sede vacante” in Salt Lake, I responded, “Oh? So George went to heaven?” “Oh no Father, George went to San Francisco."

My photo of the year was taken with one of those disposible cameras people buy when taking a trip. Not much detail here, but you can see our little five person community. Star of the show is Brother Bernard who decided to don the green wig the AIDS Foundation gave him for his volunteer work. The beard is real. Brother is flanked by Fr. Raphael on the left and me on the right. Our superior, Fr. Ralph, is in back between Bernard and I. The member of our community not present for this Kodak moment was our elder Father, Joseph. Standing in for him in back between Raphael and Bernard is one of our Carmelite students, Br. Joseph Marie, who is studying at the seminary in New Orleans, but spent his summer vacation with us at Marylake.

Carinos is a restaurant chain around these parts. They go for an old fashioned atmosphere with antique photographs on the walls. Last time I was in a Carinos, my attention focused on one of those photographs. From a distance it looked like a Carmelite wearing a white mantle. What could that be? I wondered from my distant table. After the meal, I went over for a closer look. It was indeed a Carmelite and he was posing outside our Marylake kitchen. “Hey,” I called my hosts as they were preparing to check out. “This is a picture of the place where I live! I live in that castle.“ Sure Father, sure you do; you live in the past. ”I do, I do. That’s our kitchen in the back!” Sure Father, sure. “It’s true!” Sure it is Father. Now let’s go home. Later I checked with the Carmelite in that photo. Then he was a novice. Now he is a deacon in Miami. He confirmed that his brother began the restaurant chain in Houston years ago, and used old family photos in the chain’s décor. Ha. Tell that to my hosts. The unbelieving lot.

My trips for the year include Miami in February where I gave a retreat, Cherokee Village AR where I condicted a lenten mission, Lafayette LA where we established a new OCDS community in March, South Carolina in April, Piedmont OK where I conducted the Holy Week liturgy, Utah in May, San Antonio and Oklahoma City in June, Jackson MS and Covington LA in June, St Louis for a wedding, Sioux City in August, Mobile AL in September, Dallas in October. I took my vacation in Houston and in Lafayette in late October, and ended it with a business meeting at Holy Hill Wisconsin in November.

All these trips rack up free airline tickets. I let another free flight expire in October. Packing for vacation, I thought I’d better throw in my free flight coupon for any emergency that might arise. It was only then I realized it had expired a few weeks previously. This is about the third time I let a free trip slide by. I always keep one on hand to fly to San Francisco lest an emergency develop there with my one remaining Aunt and Uncle. New Year’s resolution: fly to San Francisco; do not wait for emergency. Do not pass Go.

God blessed us with a novice this year. He entered the monastery in July and left in November. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

I end this with a glimpse to the scene of our former bishop’s installation in Joliet. Cardinal George was there from Chicago, and Bishop Sartain told his new flock that the Cardinal gave him permission, as a son of the South, to use the term “ya’ll.” And in case you are wondering, the bishop added, what the plural of “ya’ll” is, it’s “alla ya’ll.” May all-a-ya’ll have a blessed Christmas and happy New Year.