Dear Friends,

Please forgive me for failing to update the blog in over a month! Lent and Holy Week tend to be a very busy time for pastors! So...my apologies.

Thank you for your gifts of alms to the Kloska Relief Fund. Saint Joseph Parish has been forwarding your generous gifts to Bob and Margy on a regular basis, and you know how grateful they are to receive them. Please know that you are welcome to continue to forward monetary gifts to Bob and Margy through Saint Joseph Parish. You should receive a letter from our office acknowledging your gift (with the exception of two families whose letters were returned to us as "unknown").

Thank you for praying the novena to John Paul II. You can certainly pray the novena any time! The Mass celebrated at the Holy Cross College chapel on April 2 was well-attended. Following are some pictures from the Mass, at which Fr. Kevin Russeau, CSC, presided.

Remember, it's never too late to post your words of support to Bob and Margy. Simply scroll all the way to the bottom of the page, and click on "comments." Bob and Margy continue to need our support, especially as Bob begins the more intensive phase of his treatment on May 18.

God bless you all...and keep up those prayers!!

Thank you to all who are praying the novena for Bob and Margy and for their intentions! We also thank the priests who are offering Mass for Bob and Margy on each day of the novena. Please be aware that the time of the Mass at Holy Cross College on Sunday, April 2, has been changed. The Mass will be celebrated at 2 p.m., and not at 1 p.m. as previously announced. We hope that as many of you as possible will come out to celebrate Mass at Holy Cross College that day - the last day of our nine days of prayer. See you Sunday, April 2, at the Holy Cross College chapel at 2 p.m.!

Below...a message from Bob. The novena to JP II follows Bob's letter. We are still welcoming words of support for Bob and Margy. To make a comment, scroll all the way down, and click on "comments" at the bottom of the original post. Add your remarks to the ones already received!

Dear Friends,
Words cannot describe our gratitude for the love and support you have shown our family during these trying times. This blog, your prayers and fasting, your gifts and your touching comments have been a source of great comfort and joy to our family in the past month. At times of frustration, we sometimes head over to this web site just to re-read the good wishes sent our way. Thank you so much.
In my eyes, the greatest development in the past month has been the gift given to Margy. For the first time in about ten years, she is back in the gym working out. Bearing five children took a toll on her body and some of our chosen lifestyle limitations had prevented her from ever seriously working out. But without complaint Margy selflessly sacrificed herself for the good of our children. What JOY it gives me to see her feeling good about herself again physically. She’s working out at least three days a week. Most of you understand that when the woman of the house is happy, the rest of the house is happy. That is very true for us too. Margy is the first to admit how much this has helped her deal with all the new anxiety, stress and added work that my cancer relapse has precipitated. She is VERY grateful. She has also appreciated your calls and notes of support. They have made a difference.
Then last week, Fr. John presented us with a check that really lifted a burden on our family. As you can imagine, I received the envelope with a bit of a cringe, but I’d be lying to say that it hasn’t helped us. We are not destitute, but the lifting of some financial strain has significantly alleviated one source of angst for me in particular. Besides making me very grateful, it has benefited me by teaching me some much needed humility. It was an AWESOME gift. I can’t thank you enough. We don’t know exactly who our benefactors are, but we have been told loud and clear that people love us.
And another thing… through your prayers and generosity, a subtle peace has descended on our household. For instance, last night Michael shared with me that he didn’t want to pray the rosary because he was mad at the Blessed Mother for letting me have cancer. There was anger and hurt in his eyes; his chin was quivering. It was a teachable moment. I could feel God’s presence. After explaining that the Blessed Mother really was not responsible for allowing the cancer, he shifted his anger towards God who IS the one who allowed it. This led to a wonderful conversation that left me tearfully witnessing to he and Nicholas about God’s tremendous love and care for us as well as Our Lady’s great intercession. We connected last night on a very deep level. Even if things take a turn for the worse, I don’t think they will ever forget what I told them. Friends, these are the sorts of things that happen when people pray for other people. The Holy Spirit works. Thank you so much for this great family moment.
Sacred scripture teaches that to whom much is given, much will be asked. Please know that I offer my suffering for every one of you. I will not squander this prayer opportunity. In all honesty, chemo has been a bit more difficult this time around and I realize we are only getting started. I pledge to you my prayers and remembrance as we continue. My intentions:
· For the well-being of Margy and our children.
· For my own conversion and in reparation for my sins. (Even when sins are forgiven you can still make reparation)
· For blessings on all of our family and friends. (I often list everyone I can think of)
· For blessings on my work, especially the programs and people at Holy Cross College and Antioch.
· For Fr. John Jenkins and Catholic renewal at Notre Dame.
· For various other specific intentions that arise daily
When you pray for us, I invite you to pray for these intentions too. Thank you for everything!
Keep the Faith!
Bobby Kloska

Dear friends,

This Saturday, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, begins our nine days of prayer to John Paul II, asking his intercession for Bob's health and recovery, and for Margy and the children during this challenging time. Please note that this prayer is not an official novena of the Church. Rather, its creation was inspired by Bob's devotion to John Paul II, and as a way of inviting the friends of Bob and Margy to join together in prayer. Each day of the novena is intended to connect to the Scripture readings for Mass for that particular day. The nine days of prayer are also intended to make reference to the major themes of the Holy Father's pontificate. Each day is on a separate page, which makes it convenient to print. Let us pray together then, confident that God will hear our prayer and the prayer of the pope who spent his life in His service!

Click here to download a PDF of the novena.

Dear friends,

Lent is now upon us! As we move forward, let's stay in touch. To do so, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "comments." Also, be sure to check back now and then for new postings!

Dear friends,

Welcome to the Great Lenten Prayer Storm of 2006: Shake Down the Thunder for the Kloskas website!

As our brother in Christ, Bob Kloska, is battling cancer, we - his friends and loved ones - wish to do our part to assist him and Margy in this struggle. We offer a three-pronged strategy that is consistent with the ancient tradition of the Catholic Church and which coincides with the season of Lent:

prayer, fasting and alms-giving.

We ask God that the grace resulting from our prayer, fasting and alms-giving be directed to Bob for his healing and recovery.

If you've been looking for something to do to support Bob and Margy at this time, then we hope you'll consider joining in this common effort to assist Bob and Margy in their hour of need.

This site was established by friends of Bob and Margy. We are: John DeRiso, CSC, Catherine Gehred, Michael Griffin, and Kevin Russeau, CSC). Bob and Margy are aware of this site and the strategy outlined below, and have given their permission for it to happen. In their humility and modesty they accept our efforts with deep appreciation. We, in turn, are grateful to Bob and Margy for allowing us to support them in this way.

Prayer

Novena to John Paul II - We begin praying a novena (nine days of prayer) to John Paul the Great on the feast of the Annunciation (March 25). The novena will be posted on this site sometime in the next couple of weeks. Mass will be offered for Bob's healing and recovery on each day of the novena. The Mass presiders are priest friends of Bob and Margy. Here is the schedule of Masses and where they will be offered. Feel free to go to the Mass that day as a way of praying for Bob. We're especially hoping you'll be able to join us for Mass at Holy Cross College on April 2!

Saturday, March 25 (St. John the Baptist, 7:40 a.m. - Fr. Jim Seculoff)

Sun., March 26 (St. Joseph, South Bend, 10 a.m. - Fr. John DeRiso, CSC)

Mon., March 27 (Siegfried Hall, ND, 10 p.m. - Fr. John Conley, CSC)

Tuesday, March 28 (St. Matthew Cathedral, 9 a.m. - Fr. Michael Heintz)

Wed., March 29 (Holy Cross College, 12:25 p.m. - Fr. Mike Sullivan, CSC)

Thurs., March 30 (Dillon Hall, Notre Dame, 10 p.m. - Fr. Paul Doyle, CSC)

Fri., March 31 (St. Mary of Lake, Culver, 8:30 a.m. - Fr. Glenn Kohrman)

Sat., April 1 (Holy Cross College, 11 a.m. - Fr. Merwyn Thomas, CSC)

Sunday, April 2 (Holy Cross College, 2 p.m. - Fr. Kevin Russeau, CSC)

We conclude the novena on Sunday, April 2, with Mass at the Holy Cross College chapel at 1 p.m. This fifth Sunday of Lent is the anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II. Bob has a special devotion to the late pope. In the novena - confident as we are that the pope enjoys eternal life with God - we ask the Holy Father to pray to God with us for Bob's strength and healing.

Fasting

We observe the fasting and abstaining prescribed by the Church for the season of Lent.

Additional fasting of bread and water only, on Wednesdays and Fridays (recommended by the visionaries at Medjugorje), for those who are able and who so desire. (Note: you may wish to substitute soup for water. Children, the elderly, and expectant or nursing mothers cannot and should not fast.)

Adding a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer in honor of Bob is in keeping with the Fast. Indeed, for some, drinking PBR is a penance.

Alms-Giving

Caring for five children under the age of nine is challenging, even in times of health and security. It will be even more challenging during the time of Bob's medical treatment. Therefore, the alms-giving portion of our strategy aims to provide support and relief to Margy especially. To this end, we have established the Kloska Relief Fund. With your donation, we would like to provide for Margy - for a couple of hours three days a week - dependable and reliable child care, so that she can have some time out of the house to relax and recharge. Your donation would also allow us to purchase for Margy a gym membership, in order that she might have a place to go to, to unwind and decompress! Finally, your donation would help to cover the costs associated with traveling multiple times to Chicago during the time of Bob's treatment. You can imagine how the cost of gas, tolls, and parking can quickly add up!

This was the most difficult portion of our effort for Bob and Margy to accept, even as they acknowledge that this would be a great relief for them. They are extremely grateful, and we thank them for allowing us to give them this gift.

If you are able and willing to contribute to this alms-giving effort, please give what you can in the form of a check made payable to St. Joseph Parish. Checks can be mailed or delivered to:

Administration Manager

St. Joseph Parish

211 N. St. Louis Blvd.

South Bend, IN 46617

Please be sure to write Kloska Relief Fund on the memo line, and we'll be sure that it's used for that purpose.

Thank you for giving thought and prayer to what you might do to support Bob and Margy in this challenging time. We realize that not everyone who wishes to support Bob and Margy will be able to do all that is listed above. You should do what you can do and what you feel called to do.

Lastly, we invite you to post a comment on this site expressing your support for Bob and Margy. They would be grateful to know that you are praying for them! It might also serve as an encouragement to others, as together we offer up our prayers and sacrifices for Bob and Margy, who are so dear to us.

Mary, Health of the Sick, please pray for Bob and Margy!