Sandy, my older brother, and I both went to St. John Vianney High School in Los Angeles, staffed by Dominican friars. It engendered a great fondness in us for this great cleric, who is the patron saint of parish priests. In the 18th century, with the battered Church in France brought to her knees by revolu-tion, God raised up an unexpectedly gentle champion of the faith.

Vines can be charming and add vertical interest to the landscape. They are considered to be under-used and tend to be over looked at our local nurseries. Silver lace vine is a great choice for gardeners in our diocese who are interested in a fast-growing, easy going and undemanding vine. Silver lace vine (Polygonum aubertii) is a vigorous, deciduous vine that can grow up to 12 feet in one year. This drought-tolerant vine twists its way around arbors, fences, and porch columns. Beautiful, white flowers embellish this low maintenance plant in the summer and fall.

Truly, we are creatures of habit. Used to standing for the Gospel Acclamation’s alleluias immediately following the Epistle, congregations at Mass are usually caught by surprise when the Sequence appears instead. Often left without instruction by the lector or cantor, worshippers stand, hesitate, then self-consciously resume their seats.

It’s time to pray for rain. Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, according to a recent report from the U.S. Drought Monitor. are getting drier by the day. As of April 26, 2022, 45.4% of the U.S. and 54.2% of the lower 48 states are in drought.