Did prayer help cure Theresa of cancer?

Remember the novena we all prayed to John Paul the Great for Theresa's healing?

Of course, the chemotherapy appears to be the primary instrument that God used to cure Theresa. However, I'm surprised how rapidly it worked. For comparison, it took me six months of chemo and five weeks of daily radiation to acheive the results Theresa received in merely three months of chemo. Of course, she was in a little better shape to begin, but still...

I think John Paul the Great helped by interceding.

Dr. Bufill, my oncologist, and Dr. Frazier, my radiologist, have both conversed with me about the scientific studies that show that people who are prayed for seem to be cured more often, even when those people are not aware of the prayers. Its interesting stuff. Probably too many theological questions to tackle on the blog though.

Anyway, this believer would just like to say: "Thanks John Paul!"

For comparison: Here is a more recent photo of Ron with his family

A while back, Mary Jo sent me this picture of Ron, Ann(e?) and their beautiful family. What a heartwarming pic. Uncle Ron and Aunt Mary sure produced some great children.

Man of the Year - Ron Kloska?

Was this picture taken in Ohio or Tennessee? From a distance, I think this guy looks like cousin Ron when he was younger and had darker and fuller hair. Of course, he would never be caught wearing a jacket like that. Anyone else see the resemblance? Anyone have Ron's e-mail address so I can send him a link to this post?

Well, at least its an improvement...

Since many Kloska's will probably at least consider Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida for their child's education, I thought this might be mildly interesting.

After much discussion and controversy, Ave Maria has unveiled its final plans for the Oratory on their new campus. Their first couple of attempts were horrible and were met with objections from disappointed benefactors. This one seems more organically linked to Catholic tradition, though I must admit to being a bit disappointed.

Most disturbing is the fact that it looks a lot like Bozo's Rocket Ship before blast off.

Regardless of your opinion of the architecture, it IS nice to see an institution take their Catholic faith so seriously. Click on the headline to see more pictures.

Changes to the blog

Unless someone objects, starting tomorrow, I'm going to limit the number of posts that can be viewed on the front page of the blog. This will enable faster loading for those who still have iceboxes, dial-up service, and coal burning furnaces.

No posts will be deleted, but they will be archived. The archives can always be accessed from the right hand column of the front page.

By the way, if you'd like to save some of the Johnny posts for posterity, you may save the entire blog before I archive parts by hitting "File" then "Save As" then choosing "Web page complete" on your browser. Do it before tomorrow to save every post. You will lose many of the pictures, but will capture all of the content.

BREAKING NEWS: Theresa's cancer is gone!

I had the privilege of visiting with Theresa yesterday while she was taking her chemo. She had just talked to Dr. Ansari who informed her that according to her blood work and CAT scan, all traces of cancer have been eraticated from her body. She must still finish off the next ten weeks of her ABVD treatment protocol, which means that she will be feeling very weak, sick and uncomfortable. So, she still needs everyone's full support. But the good news is that there is no reason to continue onwards with radiation. When she takes her last chemo injection in October, she will be home free. After five years of remission, she will be considered fully cured.

Mike and Cheryl are looking for leads

I am in the market for a used car...ideally something along the lines of a Toyota Camry.
Cheryl had the idea to post a request to the blog with the thought that perhaps someone out there would know of a vehicle for sale in the neighborhood or have a favorite salesman and/or dealership.

Any helpful advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, Mike

Directions for posting a comment

Its really very easy. You do NOT have to sign up for a Google account.

1. Find the post you wish to read and comment upon.
2. Click on "comments" on the bottom of that post (NOT the post you are reading right now)
3. Type your comment in the box
4. Click on "other"
5. Put your name where it says "name"
6. Click on "Publish your comments"

That's all you have to do. Remember, the only rule is please do not pose as another person. You may remain anonymous or mysterious, you may make up a ficticious name, but do not use another person's real name. Thanks and have at it.

Self-Aggrandizing Post of the Year

Before I defended my thesis last week, I was feeling like this:

Here's why:

My thesis director, the gentleman who would guide me through the defense and advocate for me a bit, was out of the country. I sat down across from three extremely learned gentlemen and they peppered me with questions for an hour and a quarter. Some of their questions were so complex that it took two or three minutes to formulate. In addition, I had not been told ahead of time that I'd have to take some time at the beginning to explain my project.

Luckily, I'm a decent talker.

Just to make things more difficult, I gave my panel a slightly different copy of my thesis. I had the same words as they did, but due to altered margins, my page numbers were quite different. In a very dense sixty-two page document, that makes it almost impossible to quickly find the passages they were referencing. Although it was harrowing, I must admit that I revelled in the challenge of such an experience. In fact, it was more fun than....

Happily, when I was done, I was told that I had become a Master of Philosophy - Cum Laude. (pending their acceptance of my Notre Dame intensive Latin proficiency credits). Just before I was dismissed, they gave me my graduation gown and sent for the very attractive new head of the philosophy department who conferred my credentials.

They really have a flair for drama at Franciscan University.

(Side note to Jeff Kloska: You've got to meet this professor. At the moment of this picture I was kneeling there thinking "Geez, I bet my brother Jeff would like to read her philosophical dissertation!")

As I left the John Paul II Conference Room of the Pope John Paul II Library, my friend James who is a professor of theology told me that he had been praying through the intercession of guess who? while I was getting grilled:

That was nice since I quoted him several times in my paper. I wasn't quoting him as pope, however. I was quoting him as Karol "Lolek" Wojtyla, the dashing and brilliant young Catholic philospher of mid-twentieth century:

Incidentally, this unique painting of Wojtyla when he was a college student hangs in the library at Francican University. My big question is whether he is wearing a full sweater, or a very stylish sweater vest. He must be wearing a full sweater since he never married.

Not altogether unexpectedly, as I left the library, this man approached me.
At first, I was afraid, but then I realized it was just a representative of the Franciscan University Alumni Association "asking" why I hadn't donated yet. I gave him something on the spot.

Now, being a "master" of philosophy, my self image has changed. In recent years, while battling cancer, battling my thesis and battling other various and sundry challenges, no fewer than four strangers have told me that I look like Russell Crowe. That just happened again this past week in Steubenville. I used to have no problem with this - the image fit my mental state perfectly:

But now that I am an uncontested "master," I prefer to think of myself like this:


Feel free to call me if you have any questions about the meaning of life, avenues to personal fulfillment, why milk is the perfect drink to have with pizza, or why we park on the driveway and drive on the parkway. I'd be happy to take a walk with you and discuss these things. B.J. has already taken me up on this standing invitation. Sort of vaguely reminds a person of Aristotle and his mentor Plato doesn't it?

Well, that's about all the self-aggrandizing I can do for now. Just wait another eight or nine years for my next accomplishment - then I'll be absolutely unbearable!

Thanks for reading this and celebrating with me. Oh, one more thing. In case you didn't know, the polite gift for someone who just got his master's degree in philosophy is this:

Follow up to yesterday regarding Johnny and "Olaf"

If you haven't yet read yesterdays post, do so before continuing with this one.

Okay, that post wasn't fair because he can't defend himself. But somehow, I think John would appreciate the spirit of my tooling. He always enjoyed the attention when I joked with him and about him.

But just to make things clear, here is a more typical picture of him. He liked this picture very much. Click on it to view.