Well, there is victory celebrating going on in the Te Deum hermitage tonight!
A note was in the post, from the dear spiritual father. He reports that the issues have been resolved! A priest (who I'd mentioned to the administrator of retirement facility might be the one to talk to the elder priest regarding his being penniless and needing money--) is resolving the horrid situation of the diocese taking all the elder priest's Social Security for his room and board!
As for his being denied his stipend, I doubt the religious sisters behind that will relent. But my spiritual father received the cash I initially sent, and I've never received such a note of gratitude and joy for such a small amount compared to what this holy priest is valued in no amount of money as enough. He reported he will need no more, but I do know how dreadfully slow are the machinations of a diocese, and within a couple of days he should be receiving more cash. And I'd made arrangements for even more cash to send, but God has come through, which is prudent for how my finances remain.
But just today I wrote him a letter, mostly about slowness, and how Wisdom is vindicated by her works (as Jesus tells us in the Gospel), and how ironic it is that the money I have to share is not my own, for I have none other than the low income disability which thankfully covers mortgage, truck payment, utilities, Lowe's loan...but not the costs of construction materials.
For that, I am bleeding out my son's personal, small loan. And that is the irony. For my son lost his Catholic faith by the confusion he encountered when we did not realize the Catholic university we were so excited for him to attend, turned out to be a hotbed of contorted Catholic thinking and twisted theology. Not orthodox in teachings nor practice, by any means. But granted, not all the students there turned away from their faith. He chose to from his own disillusionment, I suppose. The devil, too--obviously thrilled. And then, he entered a career in a location in which atheism and at minimal, agnosticism, is the trend.
Much of his anger and resentment toward me has been over our conversions to Catholicism. At the time, at age twelve, he was insistent that he wanted to become a Catholic. And he was an outstanding Catholic youth who enjoyed his high school years in an excellent Catholic school, far better than what education he'd have received at the local high school. He had good friends there, and he remains good friends with many of his college comrades, and even met up with his priest advisor who happened to be in the city for some gathering that my son decided to attend in which their paths unexpectedly crossed.
So my spiritual father has prayed and prayed for my son to return to love of God, at minimum, and hopefully to his Catholic faith. And at least the son has been in better communication--not often, but at least not the estrangement and anger he'd previously maintained. And here it is, now, that what the spiritual father and I were sharing, and I fully intended to share the loan money until no more, is actually my son essentially sharing with him. I rather think my son would be actually pleased to do so, under the horrible stripping of the elderly priest's income, not to mention his being too cold there in the retirement facility!
And that is the other great news from the spiritual father! They have given him control over the thermostat in his room, and he is now warm and content!
I admit that this has turned out very well, for often when I get involved and step in to right some wrongs, those either intentionally or inadvertently doing wrong resent it. And perhaps in this case, the administrator may not have liked that I had called with the questions as to what on earth was going on there, and why was this elderly priest without a red cent or a plugged nickel; why was he cold; why was stripped of his stipend and not allowed to celebrate Mass?
I'd even suggested I would start a GoFundMe page for the priest, as I would spare no effort to help him, once I ran out of money.
The administrator has not called back as she said she would; and I did not expect that she would, either. So receiving this note today from a most happy priest, again--especially happy to simply be WARM--and to know that he'd have a little bit of spending money for he loves to gift such as the aides in the facility for Christmas, to buy some stamps, to donate to people needing help, to buy a book or two now and then.
For all the talk about his dignity, they forgot that he is not dead yet. He does not need to have his body in a refrigerated room nor to be without some funds. And I am praising God that all but the Mass celebrating has been resolved. As for that, I'd truly not like for him to risk falling, if his instability is truly that sketchy. God knows; I do not.
He wrote that I can stop worrying now. He will be okay.
I am so ever thankful! Yes, victory celebration in Te Deum Hermitage tonight! I praise God that the spiritual father felt close enough despite the temporal distance, to confide his needs, for now I realize he knew I'd take action, as I've done time and again but usually with myself being turned on for when matters are wrong, often enough those who are exposed even if kindly so, do not like it.
They might rectify (forced to) the content of the message, but as is said they want to kill the messenger.
Praise God it all has worked out, at least thus far. Hopefully the diocese will follow through without much time passing. They really do not need to be garnishing all this priest's Social Security money considering his stipend has been halted. They are not hard-put for money, and that is fact.
What wonderful and joyous news on the eve of Gaudete Sunday!
God bless His Real Presence--the Living Word, active and sharp as a double-edge sword!
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