Father Lance W. Harlow
- 5 days ago
- 2 min
Giving Thanks
(By guest blogger, Laura Duquette). Throughout our lives we face many challenges. When we look at the world, we can see even more...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Nov 15
- 1 min
Thank you, Friend
I received this week some very touching thank-you cards from the boys and girls at the Kurn Hattin Homes for Children. The St. Nicholas...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Nov 8
- 1 min
The Christmas stockings
A few nights ago, one of my parishioners arrived at my door with some truly beautiful, handmade Christmas stockings that she had...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Oct 26
- 2 min
The Christmas Doll
There is a tear-jerking scene in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables when Jean Valjean arrives at the Thénardier's inn on Christmas Eve to...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Oct 19
- 2 min
Never too busy for the kids
(Guest blogger, Laura Duquette) Do you ever feel like you have a hundred things to do and realize you have no idea how you'll accomplish...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Oct 12
- 1 min
Charity is beautiful
Fall in Vermont is quite stunning. The leaves change color quickly and with some rare warm days in October, it's been a pleasure to be...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Oct 4
- 2 min
Yard Sales!!
Although the summer is over and fall is here, it's not too late to have a yard sale to support the Kurn Hattin Homes for Children. I...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Sep 27
- 2 min
Anticipation
(by guest blogger, Laura Duquette) Have you ever looked forward to something so much that you began to think about it daily? Maybe you...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Aug 7
- 2 min
God opens doors
The other day I said Mass at a Catholic retreat center in Northeastern Vermont for a group of people visiting from Rhode Island. It had...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Jul 13
- 2 min
Remember Me
One day at the Warming Shelter, one of the homeless youth gave me a small, wooden statue of an animal as a gift. I still don't know...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Jul 5
- 2 min
Disorientation
Our lives need stability and routine in order for us to feel comfortable and secure. When major disruptions interrupt that stability, we...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Jun 23
- 2 min
For It Is In Giving That We Receive
Gift-giving can be an expression of appreciation, love or esteem, and sometimes it is all these things wrapped up into one! We have all...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Jun 6
- 2 min
A Little Jazz is Good for You!
The Burlington Jazz Festival started the weekend of June 4, 2021 in Burlington, VT. I had the opportunity to play previously with the...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- May 31
- 2 min
Who Inspired You This Memorial Day?
Tomorrow is Memorial Day. It's a day for remembering a lot of people who have died, especially the military men and women who gave their...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- May 24
- 2 min
Two Deacons
The other night I was so deeply touched. We had had a Confirmation ceremony at the Cathedral of St. Joseph where I work. There had been...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- May 16
- 2 min
Out With The Old
(Guest blog by Laura Duquette) Almost every one of us is familiar with the saying: "Out with the old, in with the new." While the...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- May 9
- 2 min
Thankful
Sometimes we think we know what children think, but we often don't give them enough credit for having thoughts much deeper than what we...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- May 2
- 1 min
Compassionate Donors
We have some amazing donors to The St. Nicholas Project who know from their own personal experience the importance of supporting children...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Apr 25
- 2 min
Calling All Gardners
Do you have a green thumb and love planting flowers to make your home beautiful? Or maybe you have thought about planting your very own...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Apr 17
- 2 min
It all goes to the kids.
I am always touched by our St. Nicholas Project donors. They are the best! They support the children in ways that are so humble because...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Apr 9
- 1 min
Spring into ideas
Spring has finally arrived in Vermont. The warm sun fills everybody with energy. People are out jogging, bike riding, raking their...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Mar 28
- 2 min
Seasons Change
(Guest blog by Laura Duquette) Every March I think the same thing. Spring is just around the corner, even though I cannot yet see it....
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Mar 24
- 1 min
Charity is Courageous.
The card read: "Dear Father Harlow and friends: Thank you so much for the amazing new stuff you gave us!" The inside of the card had...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Mar 10
- 2 min
God loves a cheerful giver
"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Feb 27
- 2 min
Detachment
One of the youth at our homeless shelter left during the night. He didn't want to follow our rules. Although the St. Nicholas Project...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Feb 23
- 2 min
An Amazing Concert Opportunity
Please join me on Friday March 12, 2021 at 7:30 PM for a virtual concert by internationally known Christian singer, Ryan Tremblay. Ryan...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Feb 17
- 2 min
Christmas stockings for Lent.
Lent begins February 17, 2021 with Ash Wednesday. It's a time of year when Catholics perform a variety of penances in reparation for...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Feb 12
- 1 min
She had holes in her shoes
Every year the St. Nicholas Project conducts a fundraiser to obtain money for the purchase of shoes and winter boots for the boys and...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Feb 1
- 2 min
Hold Your Head Up High!
The best people I have ever met in my life are those who know how do deal with adversity and persevere through it because they have...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Jan 23
- 2 min
Just Talking.
I was recently speaking with a young woman who wants to help us with The St. Nicholas Project. She has a passion for helping children in...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Jan 15
- 1 min
Joy to the World
There is nothing I enjoy more than a letter from the Kurn Hattin Homes for Children. I recognize it easily by the color of the envelope...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Jan 4
- 1 min
Oh, Star of Wonder, Star of Night....
On December 21, 2020 something occurred in the sky that last happened about 400 years ago in 1623. Saturn and Jupiter aligned in what is...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Dec 13, 2020
- 2 min
Be A Saint. Be a Saint Nicholas!
Every year as Christmas draws closer, we are greeted with familiar Christmas carols on the radio, shiny, bright lights seemingly...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Nov 30, 2020
- 2 min
Fathers and Sons
I was once speaking to a 20-year-old young man whose father had just died. I told him that I was sorry to hear that his father had died....
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Nov 18, 2020
- 2 min
Cold winds
November in Vermont is cold and where I live on Lake Champlain it is both cold and windy. It's the season of breaking out the winter...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Nov 8, 2020
- 1 min
Christmas cards!!!
The St. Nicholas Project is doing a special Christmas project this year for the Kurn Hattin Homes for Children. Because of the...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Oct 31, 2020
- 2 min
Setting Back Time
Tonight is the night in the fall when we turn our clocks back one hour. You all know the rule: "Spring forward, Fall back." With the...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Oct 27, 2020
- 2 min
Let's Raise Them Up!
By guest blogger, Laura Duquette On our life’s journey we have all met face-to-face with moments of sadness and of despair. ‘When...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Oct 14, 2020
- 2 min
Perseverance
One of the core pillars of the Kurn Hattin Homes for Children is perseverance. By that virtue one learns to forge ahead, not to be a...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Oct 8, 2020
- 1 min
When lightning strikes
Have you ever had a day when you ask yourself, "What else can go wrong?" Then lightning strikes. Literally. Tonight, lightning struck...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Sep 13, 2020
- 1 min
This Card Was For You
The following (unedited) note was included in the card that is printed in this week's blog. It is from a young boy at the Kurn Hattin...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Sep 3, 2020
- 2 min
Do you know what the Kurn Hattin Homes for Children is?
The Kurn Hattin Homes for Children is not an orphanage. An orphanage historically was a place where children who had no parents or...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Aug 11, 2020
- 2 min
The Anchor and the Sailboat
Guest blog by Laura Duquette I have always loved the ocean and its surroundings. The sound of the waves, the scent of the salty air, the...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Aug 5, 2020
- 2 min
Overworked and underpaid
Do you know the feeling? It's the feeling of never being caught up to the point of not being able to finish anything. It's that...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Jul 29, 2020
- 2 min
Lost and Found
I was recently dogsitting for a friend. All was going well until the dog jumped through a screened-in window and ran away, which I...
Father Lance W. Harlow
- Jul 20, 2020
- 2 min
It Takes Somebody to Notice
This plant was almost dead by the time I got to it. I have been nursing it back to health for months. It had been left in a room with...
