The Month of February 2026
My Friends,
“Do it anyway…”
As I write this, the Christmas poinsettias decorating the Pro-Cathedral Church are still fresh and vibrant. This is a reminder for me to express thanks, again, to all who had part, in any way, in our Christmas Season celebrations! Grace was abounding as we recalled the Coming of the Lord Jesus in history once, in mystery still, as we await His return in glory!
That said, very soon, on Ash Wednesday, February 18th we begin the forty days of the Great Season of Grace that Lent is. Looking forward to that, a reflection by Mother Teresa of Calcutta for Lent, might provide a good turning point for your itinerary of prayer, fasting, and works of mercy. She titled it “Do it anyway”.
“People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.”
She’s back
After successful heart valve replacement surgery, and a period of rehab to reinforce her rebound, Nettie Moore has returned to the church office to take up again her multi-faceted service as our Pro-Cathedral business manager. Thanks be to God that all has gone so well.
After a January pause publishing the Pro-Cathedral Bulletin, it returns again. Nettie has long been the bulletin editor. She takes delight in preparing the information and images that appear on its pages three and four. Enjoy!
“Unto dust…”
On Ash Wednesday, February 18th Holy Mass will be celebrated, and blessed ashes imposed, here at 7:10 in the morning. For those preferring a noon-time Mass, these are celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica on Lindell Boulevard, and the Old Cathedral on the Riverfront.
We are grateful to Denis & Linda Watson for, again, thoughtfully providing Lenten Reflections by Bishop Robert Barron for all of us. They will be distributing these at the church entrance on February 15th.
A year of jubilee
The Year of Our Lord 2026 marks an extraordinary milestone for the Church of St. Louis. We will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding, in 1826, of the Diocese of St. Louis.
When the Diocese of St. Louis was founded, it included the State of Missouri, the western half of Illinois, and all American territory west of the Mississippi River and north of the State of Louisiana! From it some twenty other arch/diocese were eventually established, including what is now the Archdiocese of Chicago!
This Jubilee Year is a time for thanksgiving for grace abounding. May God continue to prosper, in us, and through us, the good work He has accomplished, to the glory of His name, and for the upbuilding of His holy people.
Commemorative prayer cards celebrating the Jubilee Year are available at the church entrances. They are yours for the taking.
“Did you know…”
Many of you are familiar with the Church Hall on the lower level of the Pro-Cathedral Rectory. This building dates from the 1960, $600,000 restoration of the church, and construction of the new rectory. It replaced a three-story clergy residence that fronted on Chestnut Street.
Did you know that there is also a lower level to the church? Because it has a dirt floor, walking on it, one is walking on the 1860 soil on which the church is built.
In the lower level, among other items of interest, there is a massive brick wall, the dimensions of the High Altar in the sanctuary. At one time, church norms required that for an Altar to be consecrated, rather than blessed, it had to be constructed on a foundation reaching to the ground beneath the church.
Of interest, too, is the original shaft or chute, on the Chestnut Street side, through which loads of coal were delivered to heat the church. A major task on the job description of the maintenance staff in those earlier days was stocking the boilers with that coal throughout the day. The boilers are long gone. Now there is a state-of-the-art HVAC system keeping us comfortable year-round.
A new beginning
Sunday, February 8th will be bittersweet for us as we send Kenny & Rebecca Brandl, and Teresa and Trinity, on their way to their new home in Lincoln, Nebraska. Kenny has accepted a new position with an architectural firm there. Their new home is located in the Cathedral of the Risen Christ parish, a vibrant faith community in the Diocese of Lincoln.
The Brandl’s go with our thanks for the difference for good they have made here. They go with our prayer that God bless the new beginning they now begin.
In Brief
Our Faith Enrichment Group next meets on Sunday, February 8th.in the church hall following the 10:00 am celebration of Holy Mass. The sessions last about one hour. A diverse group of our Pro-Cathedral Family participate. Video presentations of Bishop Robert Barron on faith-topics are the springboard for the conversation. All are welcome.
The Pro-Cathedral website has been experiencing technical difficulties for several weeks. It has served us well for many years. Website technology developments necessitate some necessary upgrades. They are on the horizon. Meanwhile only the Schedule of Services is available there. I am grateful to our webmaster, Marty Baragiola, for his good service.
As part of the Archdiocesan Bicentennial Celebration, and to give focus to the Old Cathedral and the Pro-Cathedral, the possibility of a concert of sacred music at St. John’s is being considered. The tentative date is March 22nd at 2:00 in the afternoon. Scott Kennebeck, the concert director at the Cathedral Basilica is part of the planning along with our Will O’Shea, and with Will Kernell, a member of the Old Cathedral parish. They are members of the Bicentennial Committee. Further details will be forthcoming.
Some of you have noted that on May 22nd my classmates and I will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of our priestly ordination. That day we will concelebrate the 12:05 Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis with Archbishop Rozanski, fifty years to the day when Cardinal John Carberry ordained us there. Hopefully our classmate, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, will be able to join us for our Golden Jubilee. Otherwise, some Catholic Cemeteries and St. John’s folks are planning something here on Pentecost Sunday, May 24th, at the 10:00 Mass. More information will come from them as they disseminate it.
We keep in prayer: Cardinal Justin Rigali, Margaret Czapla, Paul Hogan, and Dan Prater together with all who are ill, together with their caregivers and loved ones.
We “wait in joyful hope” with Will & Eva O’Shea for the arrival of their first-born, due in March.
Faithfully,
Monsignor Delaney