Today has been a fruitful day. It is that time of year to sell picnic tickets for the Mount Saint Joseph picnic to benefit our retired Ursuline Sisters. A friend from Owensboro came to assist me at St. Francis de Sales Church in this annual task. It was good to be with Wendy and also have her help in offering others the chance to help our retired sisters who have served the Church and the People of God so faithfully. We did well, people are kind and generous toward such a good cause.

It also provided time to pause and recall the fruit of perseverance. Someone told me once, to pray daily for the grace of perseverance. As I age, I discover the wisdom of this advice. As I listen to stories about our sisters' years of service I recall their perseverance. Perseverance implies a sense of fidelity to something that engages not just the mind, but also the heart. In an article I read by William Clark, he defines "PERSEVERANCE as integrity sustained over time."

It was a honor to invite the People of God to reverence these Ursuline Women who through the years have lived the virtue of perseverance and have inspired me through the years and still do to this day.

Mark you calendar and come join us in celebrating our 40th BBQ picnic to benefit and celebrate the gift of the Retired Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph on September 12 from 11am-4pm at the Motherhouse in Maple Mount, Kentucky.