So today is the feast day of our grandfather. So my thoughts are about him and his patron saint. Today is the feast of St. Henry. Our grandfather’s name was Harry and there is no St. Harry. So St. Henry is the patron saint of all named Harry.
St. Henry was an emperor in Germany and also named a Holy Roman Emperor. At a time when the church was persecuted, Henry protected the church especially in Rome. And he became very unpopular with his relatives because he spent so much money re-establishing dioceses and building many monasteries throughout Europe. I guess they were hoping to get that money. They would have to learn what a deficit is…”That’s what you’ve got when you haven’t got as much as you had when you had nothing.”
But what a great legacy for St. Henry…to rebuild the church. So I don’t have the resources to rebuild church buildings but I could pay tribute to St. Henry by re-energizing the church; bringing more life; bringing more people who have drifted. Our grandfather would be proud.