Father Vince

Hi Everyone,

The news about Fr. Vince continues to be very good – what a surprise, huh? His first and second nights in ICU were uneventful. Yesterday morning he was sitting up and had begun some Occupational Therapy with a little more of the same today. He slept a lot yesterday but that was to be expected, after all he had a pretty big day on Monday. Sometime today or as soon as a room becomes available, Fr. Vince will be moved to a regular room. He does have some pain but it is managed with some very good drugs and some pain is to be expected. Each day should see more improvement. Unless something very important happens today or tomorrow, I will post another message of Friday.  Thanks for all your support and well wishes. He will get a copy of all your messages as soon as he is able to concentrate better and read them.

Sue

GREAT NEWS! Fr. Vince came through his surgery with flying colors. He is doing fine and the doctors are pleased. It was 8 hours pretty much to the minute but again he did very well.  He is in recovery right now (5:30pm) and his family can see him in about an hour – when he wakes up. I’ll keep you posted. Thank God for his grace and thank you for your prayers. Don’t stop yet!

Sue

Hello Everyone,

I know you are all wondering about Fr. Vince but up until now there hasn’t been much to report that you didn’t already know. On Monday, March 2nd Fr. Vince will have surgery at Roswell Park Hospital. The tumor in the esophagus will be removed along with some surrounding tissue (just in case). Because it is so close to the stomach there will also be some surgery to make sure that it is all attached together correctly. This will take about 8 hours, start to finish. Fr. Vince will be in the hospital for 7-10 days; then he will go stay with his sister for several weeks until he can return to work. I know a lot of you might want to go visit him in the hospital but truthfully sending him a card or a brief phone call after 3-4 days is probably a better idea. Cards can be sent here to Immaculate Conception (6 Maple Avenue, Wellsville, NY 14895) and once a week I will send him all his mail. The really good news is that all the tests show there is no cancer anywhere in his body. But we all know that those cancer cells sometimes pop back up again, so that is a major reason for the surgery. All your Prayers, Masses, cards and phone calls have worked so far! And even though you may not have heard from him, please know that he is moved beyond words and very thankful for all that you have done for him.  I will post another message on Tuesday morning, March 3rd so you will be up to date on how Fr. Vince is doing. God’s Blessing to you today.

Sue

Hi Everybody, Our hope is that you had a Blessed, Merry Christmas and a Hopeful, Peaceful New Year. Things remain pretty good for Fr. Vince. He was all done with Chemo & Radiation the middle of December. He continues to feel well and remains very active both at Church and the Farm. (Mark, you may very well have seen him zooming about on a snowmobile)Next week he will make his annual journey to visit his sister in Savannah and is very much looking forward to that. When he returns he will have new doctor’s appointments and medical tests to help determine his next course of action.  It has always been the plan that some surgery would be necessary and somewhere around the 1st of February, he should know all about the next step. We will keep you posted. It means a lot to Fr. Vince to hear from you and to know that so many are praying for him. Your prayers have brought him safely to this point and hopefully will continue to keep him safe. So don’t stop now. Have a great weekend – if you’re into snow then this is perfect!

Sue

Hi,

Fr. Vince is still doing well, great actually. He finished the chemotherapy this past Tuesday and then, as usual, he drove himself to the farm. The chemo was actually supposed to be done on December 2nd but his blood work wasn’t good enough for it to happen. He couldn’t understand why, because he felt great, therefore nothing could be wrong. Next Wednesday is his last radiation treatment and then he will have a month off from everything. At the end of January he will have the scans done again and them meet with the doctors to see what the next step might be. We’re so glad that he will be able to enjoy Christmas. He tells us every day that he can feel the power of all the prayers coming through, so keep on praying. Thanks for all those prayers, cards, phone calls and good wishes. As we all know, Fr. Vince is an amzing man and an inspiration to each one of us.

Sue

Dear Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving. Many Blessings to you and yours. We have much to be thankful for today. Fr. Vince has his last Chemo treatment on December 2nd and he has reached the half way mark for his Radiation Treatments. He has accomplished all this through the grace of God and your wonderful healing, heartfelt prayers.  Fr. Vince still has his hair, his appetite, his sense of humor and his determination. He drives himself to his treatments on Tuesday and Wednesday so that he can still get to the farm for his day off. The other days he has been gracious enough to let others drive him.  It makes the ICC family feel like they are helping. After the last Radiation Treatment he will have few weeks of ease and then he will return to Roswell to find out what’s next.  So as I said, there is much to be thankful for today and for the entire Advent & Christmas Season. Please keep the prayers and cards coming; they are very welcome and in return Fr. Vince is daily praying for each of you and thanking God for the gift of your love.

Sue

Fr. Vince had another good week. All your prayers are helping immensely. Fr. Vince had a couple of scans a week ago and they show that the cancer is being controlled. Father is very encouraged. At the end of last week, Radiation appointments began. So far, so good. Fr. Vince has been able to drive himself to his chemotherapy and radiation appointments plus for all his blood work and other tests. Believe me, we have lots of volunteers to help out with driving him to and from, but truthfully he has felt so good that he has decided to do it himself for as long as he is able – and I’m guessing you all know him pretty well so you understand what I’m saying. His appetite remains good and he eats a regular diet; he looks fantastic and has the best attitude. So keep on praying and sending him your encouragement via e-mail or snail mail. He loves to get them. Together with God’s healing love, your prayers and his faith, Fr. Vince will prevail. God’s blessing to each of you.

Sue

Hi Everyone! Fr. Vince has had another good week. This is the by week for Chemo so he has enjoyed the freedom from that. Next week he will have one chemo treatment and begin his radiation (which will be every day). Father’s spirits are good, his attitude is positive, he has a good appetite and is maintaining a regular schedule. He tells me he can feel the power of all the prayers flowing into him and I truly believe that is exactly what is happening – he is doing so well. So keep up the prayers and the good wishes and we’ll keep you posted. And remember whenever you start to worry; just say another prayer.

Hi All,

Just a little update. I’m doing real fine this week. Last week I had what I call a “fluke week”, but that’s past.

Yesterday (Sunday) I was down in Galeton, PA working with a Mexican family who want their children baptized. The priest there doesn’t speak Spanish and he gave me the go ahead to prepare them a little. I got into that case after some folks from the Mennonite Church asked me to help out with my Spanish for another Hispanic couple.

I want you to know that I literally feel a strong, sensible support, love and prayer chain coming my way. Please keep those prayers, good wishes and positive vibes coming my way. It’s just what my Divine Doctor ordered.

Peace & Love,

Fr. Vince

Father Vince came home from the hospital on Monday afternoon after he had a port put in for the chemo treatments. He is feeling much better and all his problems are under control. He was able to have his chemotherapy on Tuesday and he was feeling so well that he was able to go to the Farm for his day off.  Hooray!