Today through mutual friends I received news of a Serious Tragedy™ that befell a fine and, one might say, heroic priest.
You would know this priest as the one who delivered the superb sermon before the presidential election on 8 November (that O so happy day). HERE
Yes, dear readers, the Serious Tragedy™ befell Fr. John Lankeit, Rector of the Cathedral of Sts. Simon and Jude in Phoenix!
“But Father! But Father!”, some of you faithful Catholics are saying, “What was the Serious Tragedy™, tell us quickly! We know that you will give us the straight stuff in charity because you obviously both READ the documents of Vatican II and you understood them, and you – traditional as you are – are neither rigid, insecure, or hiding something!”
Some 5 years ago or so, Fr. Lankeit crossed my radar because he, quite properly, initiated all male service at the altar at the Cathedral. HERE and HERE
As a token of my esteem, I sent him some Z-Swag, to wit, a coffee mug and other stuff from the Z-Swag Store.
Today I learned that – and I can hardly write this for the tears that brim from my eyes and patter with sad November splashes on my keyboard – he has broken his coffee mug!
No, no, dear readers! Be not distraught, though your sympathetic hearts surely have cracked wide open in pain for him. No, no! Father Z has a remedy, a balm for the wound we collectively sense!
How about this.
Go to my Z-Swag store, pick out a mug, and send it to Fr. Lankeit!
This will serve several purposes, not the least of which is show to him the gratitude we have for his outstanding sermon before the election.
Honestly, I’ll bet that that sermon moved some Catholics in their consideration of the candidates.
Give poor poor Fr. Lankeit a shot in the arm, as it were, a token of thanks, a boost.
Bombard the grief-stricken Rector with Z-mugs of solidarity and love. (I’ll bet he’ll even pass on a few to the mighty Bishop Olmsted and other good priests.)
Send to…
Very Rev. Fr. John Lankeit
Rector
Cathedral of Sts. Simon and Jude
6351 N 27th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85017
Oh no! Poor Fr. Lankeit. We’ll have to alleviate his sorrow.
In all seriousness, I belonged to that parish for quite awhile. He is a very good priest and all of his sermons were outstanding.
He minces no words.
He not only got rid of altar boy girls, he also got over 90 plus % of the congregation to receive Holy Communion on the tongue.
A wonderful priest.
Oh my! The furrow in my brow was growing deeper by the sentence and then I read about a coffee mug. WHEW! You sure know how to pull a leg Fr. Z. lol. Fr. Lankeit is awesome and so is Bishop Olmsted. Fr. Lankeit and Fr. Paul Weinberger from Greenville, TX sound so much alike.
[I am, however, in no way kidding about sending him coffee mugs!]
His kitchen will be “mugged”
Maybe should add some Mystic Monk coffee to further salve the wound.
In his thirst for all things canonical
Fr Lankeit found it most ironical
To have fractured his vessel,
While with satan he wrestled;
Z’s crew to the rescue – a miracle!
Hey – it is what it is, y’all. :-) One mug on the way. God bless!