IMMACULATE HEART of MARY CHURCH

1905 Portage Trail

Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223

December 2008

Dear Family and Friends,

GREETINGS THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON – 2008. I am happy to report that I had a good year – health wise. No hospital visits - just the usual aches and pains of a guy almost ‘80’ years old.

Every Christmas Season I notice people decorating earlier in November & taking everything down immediately after Christmas. But my experience last year was the limit when I saw a Christmas tree in front of a residential home on Christmas night. It was on the tree lawn waiting for the garbage man to pick up.

In June I went to a four-day conference on SCRIPTURE at St Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. The campus is huge . To save miles of walking from cafeteria to lecture hall to dormitory, they loaned six of the older priests golf carts. It was great transportation until one day my cart disappeared. I began to panic wondering if I would have to report to the rector that my cart was stolen, disappeared, lost in transit or what.

The next day we found an abandoned golf cart that was not mine – a different license. Well finally I was told all the carts had the same key & someone took mine by mistake.

And now for another interesting experience. In summer I was asked by my cousin to take a Mass at the annual convention of PT Boaters (World War II) It was at a big downtown Hotel in Buffalo. My cousin was honored as PT Boater of the year. Well, as 300 of us walked into the Banquet Hall a lady from New Jersey, a stranger, asked to have Confession.

I had to postpone it because the MC demanded everyone sit down immediately. Well there was a break before desert & I walked around the hall to find her. All I knew was her name, Mary Smith. I could not find her in the big crowd so I asked the MC what table she was on. He had no idea why I was looking for her, but to be ‘cute’ he went to the main microphone & asked if the lady who ‘needed’ confession would come forward. Well she felt forced into responding even though everyone thought she must have robbed a bank if it was that important. No one knew she was a pious, sweet person who saw her pastor every month for confession & missed before the trip.

My vacation this year was a dream trip to ALASKA. A week on a Princess Cruise ship and five days on a land tour – to visit Denali National Park & see Mt McKinley. I went with three priest friends with whom I travel every year. Needless to say it was a fantastic experience. In Juneau we visited a l00 year old bar that all the tourists go for a beer and sandwich. The proprietor met us at the door and asked, “Didn’t I meet you guys in Jail?”

I will be with my two sisters Kathryn & Carol for Christmas.

I WILL KEEP YOU IN MY PRAYERS THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON & in the NEW YEAR!

P.S. Please keep in touch. Address above – Tel: 330-929-8361 ext 32 (cell 330-571-6855) & email address is pahler@ihmcfo.org. Note the email address was changed in October. Just a slight change - the removal of ‘r’ for Robert in the old address.

Lots of Love,