Author: Vernon Dobelmann

The street decorations were installed in record-setting warmth as our temperatures soared into the mid-seventies yesterday.  We are under a “Winter Weather Advisory” today with an expectation of two to five inches of snow.  It appears that the snowflakes will soon be more than decorations on a pole.

The annual Christmas Parade takes place in Cheyenne on the Saturday evening after Thanksgiving.  This is one time outside of Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) in which the streets are once again filled with people.  Unlike the four parades held in July during CFD the Christmas Parade is held in the evening and the floats are decorated with lights.  While the weather can be brutally cold and harsh, the parade has a wonderful celebratory tone to it.  Due to past experience I have learned to really “bundle up” for standing and watching along the parade route. 

Civic celebrations are nice to bring the local community together.  As people of faith we realize the deeper meaning of “holiday” festivities.  It is the incarnation of Jesus Christ which gives meaning to our Christmas celebrations.  While many parties and festivities take place during the Advent Season, it is my hope that we as people of faith will truly live out the Season of Advent as a time of preparation and anticipation for the Solemnity of Christmas.

We are accustomed to making Lenten resolutions. Advent does not seem to garner the same type of attention as does Lent.  However, I think it would behoove each of us to spend some time in serious preparation and anticipation during the Advent Season beyond Christmas shopping, baking, cleaning, etc.  Let us humbly prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate Christmas well from a spiritual perspective.

The first Sunday of Advent is November 27.  Give some thought now as to how you will make this season holy. Do not be distracted by all of the external activities that will demand your attention.  Stay focused on the Person of Christ.  Join the angels in singing, “Glory to God in the highest.”

I am not thrilled about the weather forecast.  I have really enjoyed having an actual fall season.  In all of the other years I have lived in Wyoming it seemed like we moved directly from summer to winter.  This year has been beautiful.

Giving thanks to God for the blessings of each day rather than focusing on the problems can be easier said than done.  I’ll try to remember to do that tomorrow as I break out the snow shovel for the first time this season.  After a quick hit of snow it will warm up again.  Also, next week is a short week with Thanksgiving Day entering the picture.  We’ll see how often I have to repeat these things to myself while I am shoveling snow tomorrow.

​What are you thankful for today?

Pictures obtained during the course of the summer months need to give way to the scenes of winter.  The forecast for Cheyenne includes a bit of snow later in the week along with much colder temperatures.  I knew it would have to arrive sooner or later.

The end of the liturgical year is knocking on our doorstep.  This coming Sunday we will celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.  That will be the final Sunday of the Church Year.  The following Sunday will usher us into the Season of Advent.

I want to invite you to look back over the last year.  How have you grown spiritually?  What seeds of faith have been planted?  What growth has been nurtured into full bloom?  Are you closer to God now than you were last year at this time?

There are times during the liturgical year which obviously encourage us to pray and reflect about certain things.  The resurrection of the dead has been the focus recently.  Our prayer intentions for the deceased during the whole month of November highlight that message as well.  How much thought have we given to our own mortality?

What are the resolutions you are going to make for the new year?  What is there about your prayer life that you want to address?  Is there anything specific that you want to learn about the faith or the Church?  How will you go about gaining this knowledge?  What acts of service would you like to direct your attention toward?  I am encouraging you to make a plan.  How will you grow in holiness throughout the coming Church year?

Take some time reflecting on the Ten Commandments.  What area of your life is in bondage to sin?  How will you seek freedom?  What are the specific areas that need healing in your relationship with God?  How has love of neighbor been going in your life?  Can you visibly see the fruits of the Spirit growing in your life?

Take some time to reflect upon the Creed.  Does the profession of faith you make each week reflect your day-to-day actions and behavior?  If not, what needs to change?

Have you studied the moral teachings of the Church at all in recent years? What does the Church teach about moral and ethical issues confronting society?  The list of issues is quite lengthy that society as a whole seems to be grappling with in the court of public opinion.  This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
1. abortion
2. contraception
3. physician-assisted suicide
4. euthanasia
5. capital punishment
6. poverty
7. discrimination
8. immigration
9. human trafficking
10. gender ideologies
11. Christian genocide in the Middle East
12. war
13. healthcare

Do we have a basic understanding of these issues?  What does the Church teach?  How do we do our best to uphold those teachings as a public witness to the truth?  Do we even care?

We are people of hope because of our faith in Jesus Christ.  If the flame of faith has died out in our lives, it is impossible to remain hopeful for very long. Be sure you enter into this new Church year with a plan to grow in wisdom, grace, and holiness.  Please do not simply flounder about from one year to the next with no definitive intention to grow closer to Christ.  Be diligent in your quest to know Christ, to love Him, and to serve Him with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  Be a saint!

Priests, deacons, and lay faithful gathered from across the diocese to celebrate the Eucharist one last time with Archbishop-elect Etienne.  It was a beautiful and emotional celebration.  Our prayers and best wishes travel with him to Anchorage, Alaska.

As our diocese prepares to say farewell to our bishop, I have been spending some time looking back over these last seven years.  There have been many great memories created during these years.  One of the most meaningful aspects of my position has been to share in numerous liturgical celebrations with Bishop Etienne presiding.  Many of these celebrations have taken place at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Cheyenne, but there have been other occasions all across the diocese.

The picture above was special for a couple of reasons.  It was a beautiful day in Powell, Wyoming where St. Barbara’s Parish was celebrating its 100th anniversary.   I had gone to Northwest College in Powell back in 1979 and attended Mass at St. Barbara’s Parish while there.  Coming back to celebrate 100 years of faith in 2010 was a wonderful treat.  Being the deacon to assist the bishop was icing on the cake.

I pulled out a few other photos from 2010 to the present.  Celebrating the Sacred Triduum each year at the Cathedral has been beautiful.  My thanks to Matt Potter for being present at these celebrations through the years to capture some of these moments.

The annual September Institute included Cardinal O’Brien in 2015.  

The formal farewell for our bishop will be at a celebration of the Eucharist on Friday (tomorrow) October 28, 2016 at 6:00 P.M. at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Cheyenne.  A reception will follow Mass in Hartmann Hall and all are invited.  I want to encourage everyone in the Cheyenne area (and beyond) to come to this celebration as we wish Archbishop-elect Etienne well in Anchorage, Alaska.

Do you ever struggle with discerning God’s will in your life?  When you reach a fork in the river of life and you are forced to make a decision, do you simply flip a coin and go with that game of chance?  How frequently do you pray that God will equip you well for the plan He has in mind?  Are you wandering through life with no real conviction?

As I grow older I sometimes wonder how many times I have missed God’s guidance in my life.  Did I not catch the signs?  Did I see the signs and ignore them?  Did I see the signs and simply choose to go the other direction?  How has my life and ministry been enhanced when I saw the sign, followed it, and asked God’s blessing upon it during the whole time?  What a difference it makes when we walk humbly with our God!

We are preparing for a major transition in our office as the bishop will be leaving to become the Archbishop of Anchorage on November 9.  How will this impact the flow of things in our office?  How long will we be under the guidance of an administrator before getting a new bishop appointed?  Who will the administrator be?  Who will the new bishop be?  What changes will take place when the new bishop arrives?

Change always brings a little bit of uneasiness and discomfort.  However, we continue to walk in faith through all the ups and downs of life.  God has a plan and I simply want to fulfill my role in that plan as best as I am able.  I want to be faithful to God’s call in my life.  It isn’t always easy, but I know that I can trust in God’s providential care.Let us join together in prayer today.  Let us pray that we each can correctly discern God’s will in our lives.  Let us pray that we will then have the courage to allow God to equip us for the journey.  Let us pray that at the end of our pilgrimage on this earth we will hear those beautiful words, “Well done my good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of your master.”

The orderliness of creation is truly magnificent.  My wife sent the above photo to me from St. Charles, Missouri of this morning’s sunrise.  The Missouri River flows serenely in the foreground.  I reminded her that it was not yet 6:30 A.M. Mountain Time so it was still dark in Wyoming.  She simply said, “I know, but you are usually always up by now.”  I had to wait nearly an hour but I returned the favor by sending her a picture of the sunrise in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The beauty of God’s handiwork is phenomenal.  The cycle of life with each passing day is well-ordered and is indeed “good”.  The natural law provides a keen insight into the creative energy of God.  When man attempts to disorder what God has created in perfect order we see the chaos present in modern society.  

I encourage you to read the story of creation in the book of Genesis (first book of the Bible).  Read chapter one in its entirety with special attention given to verses 27 and 28.  Then turn to St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians and read chapter five in its entirety with special attention given to verses 31, 32, and 33 in connection with what you read in Genesis.

Chapter five in St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians emphasizes the need for us to “live as children of light.”  In verse 17 he says, “Therefore, do not continue in ignorance…”  We each have a responsibility to know what the Church teaches and then do our best to model our behavior based upon these teachings. The teachings of the Church are not created in a vacuum.  They come to us from the Sacred Scriptures and the magisterial teaching authority of the Church. They are provided for our sanctification.  

We have one mission in life–to be holy and blameless in the Lord’s sight.
(See Ephesians chapter 1 verse 4)

“What good is it to gain the whole world and lose your own soul?”
(See Mark 8:36.)
(See Matthew 16:26)
(See Luke 9:25)

God blesses us with each new day as an opportunity to grow in holiness.  We are called to be saints.  Let us honor that calling by being faithful to Christ in all that we think, say, and do.

The autumn season has been very nice in southeastern Wyoming.  I am grateful that we did not move from summer directly into winter as we have some years in the past.  Traveling across the state in dry and warm conditions reduces my stress.  I know the snow will fly soon enough, but for now I will enjoy each mild day with a calm heart.

My schedule has been full over the last four weeks and time off has been limited.  I don’t seem to do very well at taking a day off during the week when I work all weekend, but there are times when my body lets me know that I need to “come away and rest a while.”  I am getting better at heeding those signs and I try to at least shorten some of the work days.

The difficulty for me is the sense of urgency that I feel in regard to proclaiming the Good news of the Kingdom.  As I watch our society drift further and further away from God it seems to me that time is of the essence. Do we really believe that hell exists?  Do we believe that people go there if they reject the love of Christ?  If so, what are we doing to help lost souls? Can we afford to approach this crisis in faith casually?

I would encourage each of you to read slowly the Nicene Creed or the Apostles’ Creed.  Prayerfully meditate on the truths contained in either one of these creeds.  How are these words impacting the way you live?  Is the love of God BURNING within you?  Do you truly THIRST for God?

My dear people of faith, there is no time to be lukewarm.  (Read Revelation chapter 3 verses 15 and 16.  That is the last book of the Bible.)  Our world needs faithful witnesses.  Study your faith.  Pray.  Ask for a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit in your life.  Fulfill God’s plan for your life with zeal and fervor.  Be a saint!