I will be on vacation January 10-19. On January 20th I will have a consultation with a surgeon in regards to my lower back. After that appointment I will be taking an additional week off to prepare for a retreat I am giving to the OSF Hospital Sisters at their Motherhouse in East Peoria on February 4-11. During that week with the Sisters, I will be offering them 21 conferences as well as providing daily Mass, adoration, benediction, confessions, spiritual direction etc. I have been spending my days off each week for some time now preparing for the retreat, but I still have a ton of work left to do. There will be no weekday Masses while I am away. The two weekends I am away in January please welcome the priests from the Community of St. John in Princeville, IL. And the weekend I am away in February with the Sisters please welcome a priest representing Cross Catholic International. I appreciate your understanding that a priest’s ministry goes beyond just his parishes, especially in this day and age when there are fewer and fewer priests. Please keep my travels, my back, my retreat preparation and the retreat itself in your daily prayers. And know that all of you are continually in mine. ~ Fr. David