After another five day road trip in the diocese, I spent a lovely weekend with the people of St. Rose in Torrington. Wednesday evening through Friday night I spent in Lander for a two day board meeting of the Wyoming Catholic College. The college had another great year, espescially with the innaugural graduation. However, the board is not resting, there is still much planning and decision making to do. We had a very good few days together, and please God, made some good decisions regarding the college’s future.
Saturday morning, I was in Casper for a Dean’s meeting. Then, that afternoon, I joined the Wyoming Council of Catholic Women for their annual board meeting. The Wyoming Council of Catholic Women has a great tradition in Wyoming, and are well respected by our pastors for their various roles of service in the respective parish communities. After joining these ladies for the first half of their meeting, I was on the road again to be in Torrington for the Saturday evening Mass to begin the weekend celebration of Ascension.
Ascension Mass at St. Rose in Torrington
It has been a while since I have had the opportuntiy to celebrate all three parish Masses in a given weekend. The Saturday evening Mass was a bilingual Mass, with one of the readings read in Spanish, and several hymns and Mass parts in Spanish as well. I was surprised at the strong presence of the Hispanic community in this part of the state. As is usually the case, all three Masses had a different feel, but the music and participation at all three was very refreshing. As you can see in the picture, the 4th degree KofC members were present as well.
After each of the Masses a small reception was held for people to mingle and enjoy some time with eachother, and of course, to give the bishop a chance to visit. I always enjoy this opportunity to visit with the people and learn a bit about their history in the parish and diocese. And, as is getting to be the custom, there are generally a few good invitations extended to the bishop to do some fishing and hunting!
After the 11:00 mass, a more substantial meal was presented in the parish hall. A good number of people remained and we had a nice visit. Torrington has a strong agricultural base, with many farmers in the area. Of course, the St. Joseph Children’s home is also in Torrington, so I saw quite a few of their employees also.