Dear Friends:

On September 11, 2001, thirty-eight flights bound for the

United States were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland.

That left over 6,000 passengers stranded in a place where

they knew no one. However, it soon became a place

where they loved everyone, locals offered food, clothing

and shelter with instant generosity and love. And people

from all walks of life met as equals to share their grief.

One of those who landed at Gander that day was a dear

friend of mine, the actress Marisa Berenson. She had

been traveling from France to New York when the plane

was diverted because of the attacks on New York City.

Marisa had an even more pressing burden than most

other passengers that day. Because she knew that one of

the planes destroyed in the attack was carrying her sister

Berry Berenson from Boston to Los Angeles. Berry, the

wife of the late actor Anthony Perkins, was returning to

LA so she could attend a cabaret concert by her son. That

trip, as we know, ended in tragedy. Marisa spoke of the

healing kindness of so many people in Newfoundland,

who gave her both individual comfort for the loss of her

sister, and a deep empathy for all Americans in the face

of this great horror. In author Jim Defede's book entitled

The Day The World Came to Town, he gives a touching

account of those post-attack days in Gander. It's a powerful

book, and offers a reminder that no matter where we

come from or what we do for a living, we need one another

in times of crisis. As the author himself says so

well: "If the terrorists had hoped that their attacks would

reveal the weakness in western society, the events in

Gander proved its strength." People all around us continue

to face many challenges. For some people it's the

loss of loved ones. For others, it's the loss of a job or the

foreclosure of their home. Still others around us are experiencing

the messy tragedy of divorce or separation.

Some folks simply cannot make ends meet, and wonder

how they'll get through the next set of bills. Each of these

burdens, like the experience of 9/11, is made easier by

having others to share in our challenges. When a new

Pastor comes to a parish, he often sets a number of goals

for the future. I have several. I want to see the school

stronger and fuller. I want more young people and young

families regularly attending Mass. I want a vibrant Youth

Ministry program in place. And I'd like us to have a full

time Parish Outreach office working to assist anyone

coming to us in serious need. But my overarching goal is

even more basic and much less program specific. I want

us all to become better believers in the greatness of God.

And I want that belief made manifest by the ways in

which we support and help and encourage others around

us, especially those who are most deeply hurting or in

pain. St. John has written that we cannot love the God

we cannot see without loving God's people who we can

see. On 9/11, the people of Gander, Newfoundland put

God's love into action by bothering to care. May we at

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish be gifted with the same

compassion and empathy for each and every person we

meet this coming week. The plaque on my office door

reads: Kindness Matters. And so it does....

Have a beautiful and peace-filled week,

Msgr. Jim