"Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence"

As we continue to live this week, I offer this version of "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence":

 

New England Municipal Government News Headlines

Recent news stories related to municipal government in New England (and issues being faced on the local level) include these articles:

CT: West Haven’s downtown revitalization takes step forward with $250k state assist (New Haven Register)

ME: Maine police use AI software developed by a 19-year-old to write reports (Bangor Daily News)

MA: If it's not about 'one big school,' where is the sustainability study for northern Berkshire leading? (The Berkshire Eagle)

NH: New Ipswich faces tough choices under default budget (Monadnock Ledger-Transcript)

RI: Hydraulic study to investigate Cumberland water main issues (The Valley Breeze)

VT: What happens when your town can't afford to fix the roads? (Vermont Public)

National: Rising gas prices impact first responders, city workers (KXJB-LD)

Background information:

City of West Haven, CT

Town of New Ipswich, NH

Town of Cumberland, RI

National Nutrition Month

The month of March is being observed as National Nutrition Month, an observance designed to focus on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. The 2026 theme, "Discover the Power of Nutrition," is designed to address how nutrition has the power to help individuals and communities thrive.

For more information related to this observance, please visit:

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: National Nutrition Month

Background information:

American Society for Nutrition

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

 

Belated Birthday Blessings, Valerie!!!

Belated birthday greetings to Valerie Baldizon-Gonzalez, wife of nephew Christopher Gonzalez,whose birthday was yesterday!!! May each day of the upcoming year be filled with the Lord's choicest blessings!!!

Belated Birthday Blessings, Adam!!!

Belated birthday greetings to son Adam, whose birthday was yesterday!!! May each day of the upcoming year be filled with the Lord's choicest blessings!!!

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of spinach.

Fr. Jack Kolodziej, OSFS, on Holy Week and Holy Days

"When I was growing up, there was a poster in our church that featured a large cross on a hill with the phrase:  'Only one week in the whole calendar is called Holy.' At the bottom of the poster were the dates and times for the Holy Week services and events. That poster and phrase have stuck with me for many years. . . ."

In a recent commentary, Father Jack Kolodziej, OSFS, reflected on how the spirit of Holy Week can be practiced by each of us every day, every week.

To access Fr. Kolodziej's complete post, please visit:

De Sales Weekly: Provincial Reflection: Holy Days, Holy Week (26 MAR 26)

Reflection Starter from Timothy Ferriss

"What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do." - Timothy Ferriss

"Now Behold The Lamb"

As we continue to live this week, I offer this version of "Now Behold The Lamb":

 

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of potluck suppers and for those who bring their dishes to share.

Br. Gabriel O'Neill, O.P., on St. Patrick and Lenten Virtues

"Saint Patrick need not have been the hero of Ireland. Kidnapped and enslaved by Irish raiders as a young man, he understandably could have held bitter resentment toward his captors. When he eventually escaped from his bondage, he could have left Ireland entirely in the past; he could have even sought vengeance for the wrongs done to him. But God changed Patrick in the midst of his suffering and deeply conformed him to his Son. A man deeply conformed to the Son imitates him and obeys his word: 'love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust' (Matt 5:44–45)."

In a recent commentary, Brother Gabriel O'Neill, O.P., reflected on how saint Patrick exemplified Christ's most Lenten virtues: self-abnegation and suffering love.

To access Br. Gabriel's complete post, please visit:

Dominicana: A Symbolically Lenten Feast (17 MAR 26)

Reflection Starter from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

"When a person looks through a colored lens, everything seems to be that color. If the lens is tinted yellow or blue, everything seems yellow or blue. A person who looks at life through the lens of gratitude will always find things to be grateful for." - Rabbi Zelig Pliskin