As we gather for the Eucharist on this last weekend of August, all of us certainly look forward to cooler weather as we head into the month of September! With the Labor Day holiday and our public and Catholic schools back in session, our parish activities are once again in full swing!

This weekend, we welcome home Fr. David Suwalsky, S.J., to the parish. Fr. David will be in residence at our Carmelite priory for the coming semester, as he does research in local libraries and archives for his doctoral dissertation at St. Louis University. Although he will not be on our parish staff, we hope to see him as much as possible for weekend Masses these coming months.

Fr. David, the son of John and Sue Suwalsky of Immaculate Conception Parish, was born here in Leavenworth, July 29, 1961, and baptized at the Old Cathedral on August 27, 1961, four months before that historic church was destroyed by fire in December 1961. Fr. David attended Immaculate Conception Grade School and graduated from Immaculata High School in 1979. In 1983, he graduated from Rockhurst College with degrees in English and History.

In August 1983, Fr. David joined the Society of Jesus as a Jesuit Novice in Denver, Colorado. After a two-year Novitiate in Denver, Fr. David studied Philosophy for two years at St. Louis University, and taught U.S. History and Theology for four years at St. Louis University High School. After completion of four years of Theology studies at Weston Jesuit School of Theology and Harvard University in Boston, Fr. David was ordained to the priesthood in St. Louis on June 10, 1995.

After ordination, Fr. David taught for five years at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri, beginning his doctoral program at St. Louis University in 2000. While in Leavenworth this fall, Fr. David will be researching his doctoral dissertation topic in the field of Kansas history during the 1854-1861 Territorial Period.

With our upcoming celebrations in 2004 of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial in Leavenworth; the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Kansas Territory and the establishment of the City of Leavenworth; and our own 2004-2005 celebrations of the 150th year of Immaculate Conception Parish, it will be great to have our own resident Jesuit historian with us to guide some of our plans for this significant milepost in our parish history!

Next weekend, we also look forward to the visit of our former pastor, Fr. Terry Cyr, O.Carm., who will be preaching on the Carmelite Missions at all our weekend Masses at St. Joseph's and Immaculate Conception. Also, we await the arrival of our new parochial vicar, Fr. David Fontaine, O.Carm., from California this coming Friday, September 5th.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

God bless you always!