"Poor people are dangerous." That probably wins statement of the week.
Part of chapter 12: "Those Who Don't" from House on Mango Street reads:
"Those who don't know any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we're dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives. They are stupid people who are lost and got here by mistake....
All brown all around, we are safe. But watch us drive into a neighborhood of another color and our knees go shakity-shake and our car windows get rolled up tight and our eyes look straight. Yeah. That is how it goes and goes" (p. 28).
This selection, along with the comment, "poor people are dangerous" ensued an interesting discussion in class. It was very much a teachable moment, trying to get students to see the danger of ignorance. We are all guilty, "...That is how it goes and goes" I think refers to the cycle of ignorance. How uncomfortable do we get when were with people different from us (culturally, econmically, etc...)?
The stories we read this week in class (Amy Tan's Two Kinds, a selection from Night by Elie Wiesel, and House on Mango Street) had a lot to tell us. When I asked students to list some themes they saw in all 3 works they mentioned: "the need for respect," "you need to work hard to succeed," and "the effects of poverty" were a few mentioned. It made for an interesting Friday discussion and "Lasallian" lesson.
The students here are on top of things, well-prepared. About 45 of the 55 entering freshmen come from two parochial schools. Therefore, 15 of the 17 students I am teaching are from these parochial schools. Apparently, most of them are in the summer program for the math. Again, nice kids.
In terms of my readings, I am still doing my studying of the Catholic Adult Catechism. I am also in the middle of reading, Becoming Who You Are and one I really am enjoying, Traits of a Healthy Spirituality. There are 20 traits discussed in the book. These traits are basic and practical. So far I've read through the following traits of a healthy spirituality: Self-Esteem, Wonder, Friendship, Courage, Teachability, Tolerance, Joy, Interdependence, Perserverance, Freedom, Love, and Generativity. I will share some reflections on some of these in a later posting.
However, before the book begins describing each of these, it begins with the topic of Spirituality in general and asks the question, "Where are You?" It narrows down the definition of spirituality as "the style of a person's response to Christ before the challenges of everyday life, in a given historical and cultural environment." This is a Christian expansion on the initial, and maybe easier definition to understand: "our basic outlook on life."
For me, I interpret it as: who am I in the world today? How do I live in the world today? How do I respond to the world today?
The book adds, "Christian spirituality is lived everyday, in how we deal with the holy things of life, as well as the ordinary things." It mentions that Christian spirituality has three characteristics: "it is one, it is unique, it is ongoing."
Finally, it concludes, "God asks us the question today, 'Where are you?' God asks it not to learn something new, but 'to jolt us into examining our lives and taking responsibility for our way of living.' How far are along are you in your Christian journey."
I had a rather long reflection to all this. But I ended my reflection but trying to articulate my own spirituality at the current moment. My spirituality in light of what I have read and tying it to my ongoing vocation journey:
A spirituality that responds to the realities of the world today as a Christian individual who allows the young to be Jesus to him. He aims to continue to develop his understanding for the mission and spread the Gospel message that is the Lasallian mission. A message of direct service to the poor as a means to salvation, our own and that of our students, all by looking upon everything and everyone with the "eyes of faith, and in view of God, and attribute all to God."
I believe this spirituality can be lived in practical ways. Prayer, teaching (always), relationships, and the list goes on.
Besides teaching, reading, and reflecting, I have kept busy with community duties (making sure I'm pitching in), keeping in touch with people, keeping up with the Dodgers, and all the little details of life!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Midweek Update
The students have arrived! 17 of them!
I think I have all the names down by now. They are a good group. Nice students. We have covered Fiction, Non-Fiction, and have begun reading "House on Mango Street."
I actually found "House on Mango Street" to be an interesting story. It deals a lot with the role of women and the issues of inner-city living. The main character, Esperanza, which means hope in Spanish, is on a path to discover her world and role in it. All in 119 pages.
The length of our discovery story is probably much more than 119 pages and it probably does not lead to the eternal discovery of God, in this world at least. It is simply inching closer to God's magnificence. It is discoverying the goodness of the world and bringing it to others. It is discovering the Gospel call in our lives and then discovering some more.
I finally finished reading, The Work is Yours: The Life of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. You could say it is De La Salle's discovery story.
De La Salle's story included (quoting from the book): "the emphasis on the presence and the Providence of God; the importance given to obedience and self-abnegation in union with the mystery of the incarnate Word; the reliance—unusual for its time—on the guidance of the Holy Spirit; the centrality of the gospel message and its maxims; sensitivity to the divine voice to be discerned in the crying needs of the poor; the call to an apostolic mission and Christian ministry on behalf of young persons 'far from salvation'" (221).
Br. Luke Salm states "The spirit of faith is the core Lasallian spirituality. It is the spirit of radical faith in the Providence of God that leads Brothers 'not to look upon anything but with the eyes of faith, not to do anything but in view of God, and to attribute all to God.' This God is the one, true, real, and Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, prostate before whose 'infinite and adorable majesty' the Brothers 'consecrate themselves entirely to procure the glory of God as far as they are able and as God will require of them.' De La Salle urges the Brothers to nourish this spirit of faith by sensitivity to the presence of God, recalled frequently during the day; by fidelity to the practice of meditation; by self-discipline; and by serious doctrinal study and spiritual reading, especially in the Sacred Scriptures" (212).
I was deeply inspired by this. As I wrote earlier, in our church today, how will we be prophetic? De La Salle's radical faith is exemplifying of our need to be modern day prophets--we must proclaim the truth. For me, it means how will I be a prophetic Brother? How will I allow God to work within me in radical fashion? It must begin with a reliance and openness to the spirit. If we are to rely on and be open to the spirit, then we must begin, as De La Salle states, by nourishing our spirit of faith.
Br. Luke Salm ends his book by quoting the final article of the Brothers' Rule:
The Brothers bear witness to their love for Saint John Baptist de La Salle as their Founder. They imitate him in his abandonment to God, his loyalty to the Church, his creative apostolic spirit, and his definitive commitment to the evangelization of young people.
The life of an Institute is a continual challenge to be creative while remaining faithful to its origins. It can sometimes call for difficult commitments, as John Baptist de La Salle discovered at various points in his life. Today, as in the past, he challenges the Brothers, not only as the one who established the Institute but as the Founder who continues to inspire and sustain it.
Filled with the spirit which he left them as their legacy, the Brothers grow in the living tradition of the Institute. In communion with those who have gone before them, they continue to respond with ardent zeal to the appeals of the Lord, the Church, and the world, in order to procure the glory of God.
For me, a call for radical faith, radical commitment, and radical hope through Christ our Lord. Amen.
I think I have all the names down by now. They are a good group. Nice students. We have covered Fiction, Non-Fiction, and have begun reading "House on Mango Street."
I actually found "House on Mango Street" to be an interesting story. It deals a lot with the role of women and the issues of inner-city living. The main character, Esperanza, which means hope in Spanish, is on a path to discover her world and role in it. All in 119 pages.
The length of our discovery story is probably much more than 119 pages and it probably does not lead to the eternal discovery of God, in this world at least. It is simply inching closer to God's magnificence. It is discoverying the goodness of the world and bringing it to others. It is discovering the Gospel call in our lives and then discovering some more.
I finally finished reading, The Work is Yours: The Life of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. You could say it is De La Salle's discovery story.
De La Salle's story included (quoting from the book): "the emphasis on the presence and the Providence of God; the importance given to obedience and self-abnegation in union with the mystery of the incarnate Word; the reliance—unusual for its time—on the guidance of the Holy Spirit; the centrality of the gospel message and its maxims; sensitivity to the divine voice to be discerned in the crying needs of the poor; the call to an apostolic mission and Christian ministry on behalf of young persons 'far from salvation'" (221).
Br. Luke Salm states "The spirit of faith is the core Lasallian spirituality. It is the spirit of radical faith in the Providence of God that leads Brothers 'not to look upon anything but with the eyes of faith, not to do anything but in view of God, and to attribute all to God.' This God is the one, true, real, and Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, prostate before whose 'infinite and adorable majesty' the Brothers 'consecrate themselves entirely to procure the glory of God as far as they are able and as God will require of them.' De La Salle urges the Brothers to nourish this spirit of faith by sensitivity to the presence of God, recalled frequently during the day; by fidelity to the practice of meditation; by self-discipline; and by serious doctrinal study and spiritual reading, especially in the Sacred Scriptures" (212).
I was deeply inspired by this. As I wrote earlier, in our church today, how will we be prophetic? De La Salle's radical faith is exemplifying of our need to be modern day prophets--we must proclaim the truth. For me, it means how will I be a prophetic Brother? How will I allow God to work within me in radical fashion? It must begin with a reliance and openness to the spirit. If we are to rely on and be open to the spirit, then we must begin, as De La Salle states, by nourishing our spirit of faith.
Br. Luke Salm ends his book by quoting the final article of the Brothers' Rule:
The Brothers bear witness to their love for Saint John Baptist de La Salle as their Founder. They imitate him in his abandonment to God, his loyalty to the Church, his creative apostolic spirit, and his definitive commitment to the evangelization of young people.
The life of an Institute is a continual challenge to be creative while remaining faithful to its origins. It can sometimes call for difficult commitments, as John Baptist de La Salle discovered at various points in his life. Today, as in the past, he challenges the Brothers, not only as the one who established the Institute but as the Founder who continues to inspire and sustain it.
Filled with the spirit which he left them as their legacy, the Brothers grow in the living tradition of the Institute. In communion with those who have gone before them, they continue to respond with ardent zeal to the appeals of the Lord, the Church, and the world, in order to procure the glory of God.
For me, a call for radical faith, radical commitment, and radical hope through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Weekend Adventures
Saturday, Br. Dat and I decided to venture over to Seattle. Seattle is about 2 and a half hours from Yakima. We left at about 8:30 AM. It's quite the beautiful drive from Yakima to Seattle as you could see from the photos taken from inside the car. Nice mountain views and lots of trees! 
Our first stop was actually at Br. Dat's uncle's house where we dropped off some things for him. After that stop, we proceeded to Seattle.
We arrived around lunch time, so Br. Dat suggested we do the Chinese brunch of Dim Sum at a Chinese restaurant in Seattle's Chinatown. It was interesting, but good Chinese food. To the right, is a view from the parking lot of the Chinese restaurant. Being a baseball fan, it was cool to see Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners.
We arrived around lunch time, so Br. Dat suggested we do the Chinese brunch of Dim Sum at a Chinese restaurant in Seattle's Chinatown. It was interesting, but good Chinese food. To the right, is a view from the parking lot of the Chinese restaurant. Being a baseball fan, it was cool to see Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners.
After lunch, we decided to head down to the pier to walk. It was quite an amazing walk, lots of people too. We walked about 2 - 3 miles I would say.
After that walk, we headed over the the Pike Street Market, another amazing place with a lot of hustle and bustle. Bought some postcards to send out and a shot cup for my mom who collects them. We also made a stop at the original Starbucks. Wow! It is, sadly, a tourist attraction, says the guy who went in bought a drink and took a photo. 
It was a nice Saturay!
Sunday, was a day to sleep in since mass was not until 11:00 AM. We attended mass at the St. Joseph Mission, doesn't compare to San Xavier Mission, but it was nice to see it. It was actually an outdoor mass because of the occassion. However, it was cold! Everyone warned me about how hot it would get (still waiting), but no one warned about about the cool weather. Not complaining, but let's just say the Sunday night low was 38 degrees and it was windy!In the afternoon, I headed over to the school for the final preparations. The had been waxing the floors, and since my classroom was last on Friday, it means having to move all the furniture back in! Once that was completed and I got everything else set up, I headed over to Starbucks to read for a while.
Br. Dat prepared dinner, delicious fried rice, and then we took our 2 mile walk around the park. Br. James came in from L.A. in the evening. I did some reading and postcard writing before heading to bed.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Wrapping up the week...
The last two days have been very similar. A lot of reading and reflecting. It's amazing how much thinking one does when they're not working. I find myself pausing for a little prayer a few times a day. I pray for people, issues, etc... that come to mind. Usually, I begin "God please..." I also try so listen if God is saying "Chris please..." That one is a little harder. But we must come to listen to ourselves, to listen to God, to come to rest in God. As I've been reading the life of St. La Salle and the Catholic Chatechism I am more convinced, well more aware, that all must come from and come to God. Jesus and the Holy Spirit should be our guides that give us the grace necessary to continue along the path to God. Wow, that's a lot of work, but ever so rewarding.
In terms of preparing for summer classes, I have done a lot of photo copying and organizing myself. Making sure dictionaries are available, creating homework sheets, etc...
Thursday evening, I cooked some very spicy enchiladas (by accident!). We spent a lot of time talking about the vocation program. We followed our dinner with a 2 mile walk around the park in our backyard (4 laps). I'll post pictures later.
Friday morning, I made my presentation to the La Salle Yakima Board of Trustees on my journey through the Lasallian world and discovering my vocation.
Friday also consisted of a Target run, post office run, reading, and my Catechism class with Br. Dat.
The summer community decided that Friday would be a outing/dinner out day. Since Br. James left to L.A. for a wedding, Br. Dat and I were left to venture on our own. We decided on bowling and dinner. The bowling alley is only 5 minutes away, so we headed there and bowled two games. Chris scores: 134 and 120. We ate dinner at the "Flaming Asian Grill." I had the almond chicken with fried rice. Br. Dat has mentioned that the portions were substantial, but what I got was unbelievable. It must have been the biggest plate I have ever been served, about 12 inches in diameter. It really makes two meals, all for $12.00!
Finally, we headed out for a walk. We kept it consistent and did 2 miles.
Tomorrow, we will visit Seattle. Seattle is about two and a half hours from Yakima. Br. Dat has family there, so we will drop by for a visit before touring Seattle.
Amen!
In terms of preparing for summer classes, I have done a lot of photo copying and organizing myself. Making sure dictionaries are available, creating homework sheets, etc...
Thursday evening, I cooked some very spicy enchiladas (by accident!). We spent a lot of time talking about the vocation program. We followed our dinner with a 2 mile walk around the park in our backyard (4 laps). I'll post pictures later.
Friday morning, I made my presentation to the La Salle Yakima Board of Trustees on my journey through the Lasallian world and discovering my vocation.
Friday also consisted of a Target run, post office run, reading, and my Catechism class with Br. Dat.
The summer community decided that Friday would be a outing/dinner out day. Since Br. James left to L.A. for a wedding, Br. Dat and I were left to venture on our own. We decided on bowling and dinner. The bowling alley is only 5 minutes away, so we headed there and bowled two games. Chris scores: 134 and 120. We ate dinner at the "Flaming Asian Grill." I had the almond chicken with fried rice. Br. Dat has mentioned that the portions were substantial, but what I got was unbelievable. It must have been the biggest plate I have ever been served, about 12 inches in diameter. It really makes two meals, all for $12.00!
Finally, we headed out for a walk. We kept it consistent and did 2 miles.
Tomorrow, we will visit Seattle. Seattle is about two and a half hours from Yakima. Br. Dat has family there, so we will drop by for a visit before touring Seattle.
Amen!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Wednesday, June 20
Hi, Debbie! I got an email yesterday from Debbie Gordon (teacher at San Miguel; first one on left in picture). It was great to know that I'm not the only one reading my blog. Hahahaha. Anyway, Debbie, San Miguel is blessed to have you! I hope Debbie does not mind, but I wanted to share part of her email: "I so enjoy working for the Brothers. It’s taken me 23 years to find the “right” school...I feel that God does have a place for me at SMHS and that he led me there. I feel so at home and I feel that I am growing spiritually."
I must reiterate San Miguel is a powerful place!
Yesterday (Wed., June 20), began with us making it to the correct mass this time at St. Paul's Parish. St. Paul's is about 15 minutes from the Brothers' Community. After mass, we headed home where I had some coffee and toast and even read the paper! It's unusual I do anything besides grab coffee and run out the door. However, one of my goals is to establish healthy patterns.
There was much "academic" work to do so I quickly turned to that. Currently, I am reading four books as part of my preparation for the novitiate. The Work is Yours: The Life of St. John Baptist de La Salle, United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, Traits of a Healthy Spirituality, and Becoming Who You Are. I have not begun the last two yet. However, I must say Br. Luke Salm's The Work is Yours is a powerful book looking at all he and the early Brothers went through in establishing the Institute. One of the recent things I found interesting is all the complaints and lawsuits against De La Salle for doing what he was doing. He was made to close schools, furniture was confiscated, and basically it was illegal to educate in the manner he was educating. Yet, in his own quiet way he persisted with a firm belief that if it is God's work, it cannot fail. What faith!
Anyways, I spent Wednesday morning blogging and reading. After becoming more indoctrinated, I headed over to the school. I basically spent a couple of hours there preparing for my presentation to the Board of Trustees on Friday. I was asked to focus on my journey and its connection to the Lasallian world.
After lunch and a little TV, Br. Dat and I sat down to discuss the first chapter of the Catechism. Chapter 1 discussed "The Universal Desire for God" where there are 3 paths through which every person can come to God: creation, the human person, and Revelation. It describes God as an intelligent, wise, and eternal Creator. We also discussed Thomas Aquinas' views.
Here are a couple of "did you knows" from what I read in the Catechism for Adults.
Doctrinal Statements on longing for God:
- God has planted in every human heart the hunger and longing for the infinite--for nothing less than himself.
- Only in God will we find the truth, peace, and happiness for which we never stop searching. Created in God's image, we are called to know and love the Lord.
- God can be known with certainty from his works in creation and from the spiritual nature of the human person by the light of natural reason, although there are many difficulties in coming to knowledge because of humanity's historical and sinful conditions.
- By our openness to goodness and truth, our experience, our sense of moral goodness, our listening to the voice of conscience, and our desire for happiness, we can discern our spiritual soul and can come to see that this could only have its origin in God.
- We can speak of God even if our limited language cannot exhaust the mystery of who he is.
- While we can come to know something about God by our natural power of reason, there is a deeper knowledge of God that comes to us through Divine Revelation.
After our session, I finally got to doing some laundry, reading some more of House on Mango Street, and worked on some details for the Lasallian Leadership Conference in July at St. Mary's College. 11 students from San Miguel will attend.
Wednesday evening we were invited to attend a potluck at a parish in the next town over, Selah. Our Lady of Lourdes holds a weekly potluck. It was nice to continue to explore the community, and realize how different people are here. I must say it was a very good potluck though. Selah is only about 25 minutes from the community. That's me in Selah!When we returned home I did some more reading. I want to make sure I stay on top of things. Since San Miguel has one of the prayer services at the Lasallian Leadership Conference, I put together a rubric for the students to use as they put the prayer service together. Finally, I concluded the night my putting some finishing touches on the powerpoint for the Board meeting.
Another day in the Northwest!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Settling in...
I am beginning to settle in here in Yakima. I will be here 5 weeks after all.Tuesday morning began at 6:45 AM here at the community. We decided that Tuesday and Wednesday mornings would be mass days and we would travel to a local parish for morning mass. However, this morning we forgot to double check the schedule. We arrived at 7:00 AM to an empty parking lot. It turns out twice a week mass is at 8:00 AM and not 7:00 AM. So, we headed back to the house.
Br. James and I then headed to the school. The classroom I will be teaching in for the summer is room 104, so I began to settle into "my classroom." I have never taught a reading class before, so this is new preparation for me. After looking at the course description and material, I developed sort of a structure for each day. I think it will actually be fun. I think i will convince students that there are many "settings" one could read in. Obviously, the classroom setting, but also a coffee shop, outdoors, home, etc... I will see if we could do some of our own class reading in different settings. Anyway, I spent about 4 hours developing the 4-week course.
La Salle also has various summer day camps going on. On Tuesday, the school was beginning their Soccer plus Science Camp for K - 5th graders. The science teacher, Jeff, is teaching the science class and helping with the soccer camp. Good guy. I was exposed to the science room, which is quite a room. Lots of reptiles in there! Also, two rodents which I can't stand!
Br. James and I headed home at about 3:00 PM. We stopped at Safeway for some quick grocery shopping. It was my cooking day and I decided we would have pasta, salad, and garlic bread.
After dinner and prayer, Br. Dat and I decided how we would cover the U.S. Catholic Catechism. He will be my summer teacher. We then headed to Dairy Queen for some ice cream, followed by a tour of Yakima. It actually does remind me of a very small Tucson.
Today, was also a day where I was able to reconnect with several people from San Miguel High School through email. It was nice to hear how people are doing, man I miss them.
It was also a day where faith and love seemed to stand out for me. Our evening prayer was very much focused on the Spirit of Faith. A selection from the Rule reads, "The life and development of the Institute depend primarily on the mystery of and the power of grace...The Brothers live their faith as a gift to be used for their ministry of Christian education. In faith they contemplate God as the one who chooses them to be workers bringing his salvation to the least and poorest." This was encouraging to read. I must say, as I reflect sometimes, I find myself frusterated by the use of certain resources, frusterated by looking at who we are serving.
Now, I think all the work that is being done by our schools is valuable. I think that there is an incredible Lasallian spirit alive. However, we must be reminded: "especially the poor." We must especially serve low-income families. We must challenge ourselves to have the faith to believe it is possible. We must have the love for the mission to believe it is possible. De La Salle writes, "The spirit of this Institute is first, a spirit of faith, which should induce those who compose it not to look upon anything but with the eyes of faith, not to do anything but in view of God, and attribute all to God..." This serves for me as a personal reminder about looking at the future with faith. The future for me entails shifting to serving "especially the poor." And this must be directly. It cannot be artificial. I find De Marillac Middle School and San Miguel High School as the examples for our future. In a day in age, where, for the survival of the mission, we must focus on working with our lay partners, I think the Brothers have an important role in leading the work towards the roots of our mission, towards "especially the least" of our society. This will be the revitilization of the Institute.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Traveling to Yakima
Br. James Joost and I left Portland this morning at 8:30 AM. It really is a nice drive from Portland out to Yakima.
It was also a great time to catch up. Br. James and I had been real well-connected for about 5 years when he was Director of Vocations.
I must say, Br. James worked tremendously hard while Director of Vocations. You knew something was always happening. The amount of activity that he was doing and how well-connected he stayed with Contacts and Aspirants was great. It was always personal. It was always relational.
So driving up to Yakima together gave us some time to catch up on what has been going on in the past year for each of us.
We arrived in Yakima at about 11:30 AM and headed to La Salle High School. It really is a beautiful campus--lots of green!
We then headed to lunch and at this good taco stand. I am really looking forward to checking out the Hispanic part of Yakima.
It is an interesting city, which I wil get to know over the next four weeks.
We finally arrived at the Brothers' Community. Br. Dat, Br. James, and I will be the main ones here this summer.
I am finally beginning to prepare for my duties. While at La Salle, I will be teaching a Reading and Study Skills course to incoming freshmen. Our main readings will include Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street and The Pearl by John Steinbeck. I will also be helping with the math course and in the admissions office. It should be an active summer.
While I am up here I will also continue my preparation for the novitiate by doing some book reading of books assigned by Br. Kevin and doing some course work with Br. Dat on Church Doctrine.
Where am I with things?
Over the past week, I feel like I have grown closer to God. I feel like there is an active relationship consisting of prayer. Spiritually, I feel I am growing.
I miss San Miguel High School and the apostolic work, but I think the involvement here at La Salle will be good.
I have not enjoyed not being able to settle in a place, but 4 weeks here in Yakima will help.
I am trying to view this journey as part of the big journey of being a Brother and being open to the Spirit. I guess I realize, wow it is hard to leave a place, but that is the life of a Brother, responding to the need. It also brings on a feeling of being disconnected, which I think that has to do with being away from those people I left behind in Tucson. There's a feeling of being dependent, since so much is sort of planned for me for the next few weeks. Yet, I feel like this is all good and will help my development as I enter the Brothers. New relationships will be made, new connections will take place, and the work will come. One walks the journey with God. It has been a blessing to also walk the journey with my family, whom I am in constant communication with and Br. Nick who is encouraging and keeps in touch.
While I do feel some frusteration about being away from the work, I take consolation in the example given by Jesus. He took time for renewal, for rest. As my relationship with God becomes active, I see it not only as a time for rest, but for developing spiritually now and especially in the novitiate.
Well, off to dinner and prayer I go.
Have a nice evening!
It was also a great time to catch up. Br. James and I had been real well-connected for about 5 years when he was Director of Vocations.
I must say, Br. James worked tremendously hard while Director of Vocations. You knew something was always happening. The amount of activity that he was doing and how well-connected he stayed with Contacts and Aspirants was great. It was always personal. It was always relational.
So driving up to Yakima together gave us some time to catch up on what has been going on in the past year for each of us.
We arrived in Yakima at about 11:30 AM and headed to La Salle High School. It really is a beautiful campus--lots of green!
We then headed to lunch and at this good taco stand. I am really looking forward to checking out the Hispanic part of Yakima.
It is an interesting city, which I wil get to know over the next four weeks.
We finally arrived at the Brothers' Community. Br. Dat, Br. James, and I will be the main ones here this summer.
I am finally beginning to prepare for my duties. While at La Salle, I will be teaching a Reading and Study Skills course to incoming freshmen. Our main readings will include Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street and The Pearl by John Steinbeck. I will also be helping with the math course and in the admissions office. It should be an active summer.
While I am up here I will also continue my preparation for the novitiate by doing some book reading of books assigned by Br. Kevin and doing some course work with Br. Dat on Church Doctrine.
Where am I with things?
Over the past week, I feel like I have grown closer to God. I feel like there is an active relationship consisting of prayer. Spiritually, I feel I am growing.
I miss San Miguel High School and the apostolic work, but I think the involvement here at La Salle will be good.
I have not enjoyed not being able to settle in a place, but 4 weeks here in Yakima will help.
I am trying to view this journey as part of the big journey of being a Brother and being open to the Spirit. I guess I realize, wow it is hard to leave a place, but that is the life of a Brother, responding to the need. It also brings on a feeling of being disconnected, which I think that has to do with being away from those people I left behind in Tucson. There's a feeling of being dependent, since so much is sort of planned for me for the next few weeks. Yet, I feel like this is all good and will help my development as I enter the Brothers. New relationships will be made, new connections will take place, and the work will come. One walks the journey with God. It has been a blessing to also walk the journey with my family, whom I am in constant communication with and Br. Nick who is encouraging and keeps in touch.
While I do feel some frusteration about being away from the work, I take consolation in the example given by Jesus. He took time for renewal, for rest. As my relationship with God becomes active, I see it not only as a time for rest, but for developing spiritually now and especially in the novitiate.
Well, off to dinner and prayer I go.
Have a nice evening!
Portland
Sunday, June 17:
Happy Father's Day!
This is a late post as I am trying to catch up.
It was nice to be able to sleep in this morning. I have been journeying so far in a "timeless" mode. With so much going on this summer, I feel it is best to just take things one day at a time. Typically, you would fine me up by 5:00 AM and trying to get something done. These days I take advantage of days where there is not much on the agenda. It may be sleeping in, spending 30 minutes in the chapel praying, journaling/blogging, reading news, or catching up on sports among other things.
This Sunday, Br. Kevin, Br. Jonathan and I traveled to the Portland Cathedral for mass. It was the 11 AM mass with 4 baptisms, which meant mass did not end until 12:45. However, it had a great choir. The mass actually was a very good one with a very decent priest who gave a great homily. I typically find homilies stimulating whether I agree or not with what the priest is saying. It always gets me reflecting.
I found the Sunday readings well connected, and the gospel to be a beautiful one: http://www.usccb.org/nab/061707.shtml. I think it had a lot to say about forgiveness and love. Isn't it interesting how powerful the gift of forgiveness is? What a loving gesture? Yet, one must sin first to experience forgiveness. We are human indeed.
After mass, we headed to brunch at a very nice restaurant in the Pearl District of Portland. It seems to be an old industrial area that is being gentrified. Anyway, I had a burger at Blue Hour Restaurant. We then took a walk around the area, including to the famous Powell's Bookstore. I found it overwhelming, although I did buy my sister a book as a reward for completing 7th grade successfully. Denise is quite the gem!
Following our walk, we headed out to the river walk around the Willamette. We took a 1 and a half hour stroll around the area. Portland is really a nice city. I guess in the time spent in Portland, I could see myself attracted by the city and the work at De La Salle North Catholic.
After our our 2nd walk, which Br. Jonathan really enjoyed, we headed back to the house. The community then went out to dinner at Outback steakhouse where we had a great meal. I guess it was a day of touring and eating and very much enjoyed.
By the way, I did call my great dad and wish him a Happy Father's Day!
Happy Father's Day!
This is a late post as I am trying to catch up.
It was nice to be able to sleep in this morning. I have been journeying so far in a "timeless" mode. With so much going on this summer, I feel it is best to just take things one day at a time. Typically, you would fine me up by 5:00 AM and trying to get something done. These days I take advantage of days where there is not much on the agenda. It may be sleeping in, spending 30 minutes in the chapel praying, journaling/blogging, reading news, or catching up on sports among other things.
This Sunday, Br. Kevin, Br. Jonathan and I traveled to the Portland Cathedral for mass. It was the 11 AM mass with 4 baptisms, which meant mass did not end until 12:45. However, it had a great choir. The mass actually was a very good one with a very decent priest who gave a great homily. I typically find homilies stimulating whether I agree or not with what the priest is saying. It always gets me reflecting.
I found the Sunday readings well connected, and the gospel to be a beautiful one: http://www.usccb.org/nab/061707.shtml. I think it had a lot to say about forgiveness and love. Isn't it interesting how powerful the gift of forgiveness is? What a loving gesture? Yet, one must sin first to experience forgiveness. We are human indeed.
After mass, we headed to brunch at a very nice restaurant in the Pearl District of Portland. It seems to be an old industrial area that is being gentrified. Anyway, I had a burger at Blue Hour Restaurant. We then took a walk around the area, including to the famous Powell's Bookstore. I found it overwhelming, although I did buy my sister a book as a reward for completing 7th grade successfully. Denise is quite the gem!
Following our walk, we headed out to the river walk around the Willamette. We took a 1 and a half hour stroll around the area. Portland is really a nice city. I guess in the time spent in Portland, I could see myself attracted by the city and the work at De La Salle North Catholic.
After our our 2nd walk, which Br. Jonathan really enjoyed, we headed back to the house. The community then went out to dinner at Outback steakhouse where we had a great meal. I guess it was a day of touring and eating and very much enjoyed.
By the way, I did call my great dad and wish him a Happy Father's Day!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Sacramento and Portland
I assumed that Sacramento was not too far from Berkeley, and it is not. However, I did not anticipate a 2 hour drive. I left De La Salle House from Berkeley, CA on Friday, June 15 with Br. Kevin. There was quite a bit of traffic, but we finally made it to the Christian Brothers High School Community. Br. Donald Johanson and Br. Aiden Kilty were there to welcome us. We dropped off our stuff in our bedrooms and headed down for dinner.
Since it was 2:30, by the time Br. Kevin and I made it into the city we decided to head to the Museum of Art where the art of Rembrandt was being displayed. Searching for parking was quite the adventure, but we finally found a lot. We first headed to the Museum cafe as we were starving by this point and had a nice late lunch. The Rembrandt exhibition was a very nice one. In fact, I learned a lot about how spiritual the man was and the Dutch were. It was great because they had these great audio devices to explain some of the art.
After our visit to the museum, we headed to the Brothers' Community of De La Salle North Catholic High School. We ran into something interesting as we headed to the Brothers' house--a moving house! As we approached an intersection a house was making its way down the street. It was quite the interesting site.
It was really hot when we arrived in Sacramento. However, as we lounged outside for dinner the temperature dropped to a very comfortable level. We had a very nice steak, asparagaus, and corn--all grilled! It was a very nice dinner. We also had a very nice conversation from about 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM. We had a great time.
That evening it was a nice surprise, as I checked my email, to recieve one from Daniel Ortiz, a soon to be sophomore at San Miguel, Tucson. He had recently celebrated his 15th birthday with a big bash and told me about his acceptance to the University of Arizona's Science Engineering Academy. What a great opportunity!
The following morning, Saturday, June 16, Br. Donald took us to the Sacramento Airport as we were flying out to Portland, Oregon. We took a 12:00 PM flight that got is into Portland at about 1:25 PM. After claiming our luggage, we picked up the car rental and headed into the city. That is, after a short detour where I couldn't read the map correctly and got us going east instead of west. We finally made it into Portland. 
Since it was 2:30, by the time Br. Kevin and I made it into the city we decided to head to the Museum of Art where the art of Rembrandt was being displayed. Searching for parking was quite the adventure, but we finally found a lot. We first headed to the Museum cafe as we were starving by this point and had a nice late lunch. The Rembrandt exhibition was a very nice one. In fact, I learned a lot about how spiritual the man was and the Dutch were. It was great because they had these great audio devices to explain some of the art. 
After our visit to the museum, we headed to the Brothers' Community of De La Salle North Catholic High School. We ran into something interesting as we headed to the Brothers' house--a moving house! As we approached an intersection a house was making its way down the street. It was quite the interesting site. We finally made it to the community. Many were present: Br. Jonathan Cord, Br. Dan Morgan, Br. Dominic Beradelli, Gil (a Lasallian Volunteer), and Br. Martin Vu.
We settled in and then had a great Chinese dinner, followed by a pleasant walk through the neighborhood, including seeing the site of the future campus for De La Salle North Catholic.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Old Friends...
Thursday night Ms. Garcia, Angelica Garcia, invited me to dinner with Maria and her. They took me out to dinner at a very good Mexican restaurant in Oakland, where they live. We had a great time catching up. We hadn't really seen each other in about 2-3 years. It was so refreshing to be with them and spend an evening out reflecting on the past couple of years and future.
Angelica was the Campus Minister at Cathedral High School while I was a Junior and Senior there (2000 - 2002). We worked together in Campus Ministry and became good friends.
Angelica was the Campus Minister at Cathedral High School while I was a Junior and Senior there (2000 - 2002). We worked together in Campus Ministry and became good friends.
June 13 and 14: Bishop Cummins Institute
It's been quite week. I wrapped up the Bishop Cummins Institute on Thursday, June 14.
We spent two days discussing "Catholicism" and "Catholic identity." There was time sharing experiences, influences, and opinions on how we would define it.
There was time spent talking about dialogue. The fact that as Catholics we should spend time telling "stories in the desert" and listening. We need to let go of our defensiveness. We tend to live in a culture which automatically jumps into "agree v. disagree" mode. We need to step back. We should not be looking for certainty, you can't pin down God.
We talked about what community and world event influences affect our Catholic identity. For me, there are a few things. First, I would say my culture. Seeing Catholicism develop or lived within the Hispanic culture. I've seen Catholicism within the hispanic culture of Los Angeles and the hispanic culture of Tucson. Which, points to the importance of location. The Brothers and Lasallian education have been formative in my identity as a Catholic and my view of the Church.
We spent time in an interesting dialogue about how do we know something is Catholic. Is labeling or naming something Cathoic important to making it Catholic. I firmly believe we have to name things Catholic if we are to believe they are Catholic. If one is able to name something Catholic, then they should be able to articulate why it is Catholic, if they are able to articulate it is Catholic then they know it is Catholic, if they know it is Catholic then their believe in the Catholic identity grows. Finally, if one believes it is Catholic then one should be able to live it. At the same time, I don't think there is a specific order to it. One may be living a Catholic life or acting in a Catholic way and then develop the ability to articulate it; but at some point we should be able to identify our experience, our lives, our actions, etc... as Catholic. I think Scripture points this out to us:
(1 Peter 3: 8-9, 15; 4: 7 -11)
Let us dwell together in peace, proclaiming the gospel of justice.
Be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate and humble.
Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but on the contrary, a blessing, because to this yo were called, that you might inherit a blessing.
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.
Let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining.
As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace.
Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever.
A powerful message I believe to our call as Catholics.
The last day, June 14, for me was a day of seeking questions--questions that challenge us as Catholics. For me that important ones are:
Why is the Church trying to catch up to the world? What "progress" is the Church trying to make? I think there is so much said about the Church not moving fast enough or keeping up with the world, but I wonder if in some ways this might be the call of the Church. Do we need to look at society, at the world and challenge it? If we look at the world events of the 20th century, what world have we created?
The questions then for me are:
What is the role of the Church in our world today?
HOW can the Church be radical?
HOW can the Church be prophetic?
We spent two days discussing "Catholicism" and "Catholic identity." There was time sharing experiences, influences, and opinions on how we would define it.
There was time spent talking about dialogue. The fact that as Catholics we should spend time telling "stories in the desert" and listening. We need to let go of our defensiveness. We tend to live in a culture which automatically jumps into "agree v. disagree" mode. We need to step back. We should not be looking for certainty, you can't pin down God.
We talked about what community and world event influences affect our Catholic identity. For me, there are a few things. First, I would say my culture. Seeing Catholicism develop or lived within the Hispanic culture. I've seen Catholicism within the hispanic culture of Los Angeles and the hispanic culture of Tucson. Which, points to the importance of location. The Brothers and Lasallian education have been formative in my identity as a Catholic and my view of the Church.
We spent time in an interesting dialogue about how do we know something is Catholic. Is labeling or naming something Cathoic important to making it Catholic. I firmly believe we have to name things Catholic if we are to believe they are Catholic. If one is able to name something Catholic, then they should be able to articulate why it is Catholic, if they are able to articulate it is Catholic then they know it is Catholic, if they know it is Catholic then their believe in the Catholic identity grows. Finally, if one believes it is Catholic then one should be able to live it. At the same time, I don't think there is a specific order to it. One may be living a Catholic life or acting in a Catholic way and then develop the ability to articulate it; but at some point we should be able to identify our experience, our lives, our actions, etc... as Catholic. I think Scripture points this out to us:
(1 Peter 3: 8-9, 15; 4: 7 -11)
Let us dwell together in peace, proclaiming the gospel of justice.
Be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate and humble.
Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but on the contrary, a blessing, because to this yo were called, that you might inherit a blessing.
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.
Let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining.
As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace.
Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever.
A powerful message I believe to our call as Catholics.
The last day, June 14, for me was a day of seeking questions--questions that challenge us as Catholics. For me that important ones are:
Why is the Church trying to catch up to the world? What "progress" is the Church trying to make? I think there is so much said about the Church not moving fast enough or keeping up with the world, but I wonder if in some ways this might be the call of the Church. Do we need to look at society, at the world and challenge it? If we look at the world events of the 20th century, what world have we created?
The questions then for me are:
What is the role of the Church in our world today?
HOW can the Church be radical?
HOW can the Church be prophetic?
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
June 11 and 12: From De La Salle House, Berkeley, CA
Monday, June 11:
It was nice to have a day with not much of an agenda, except to prepare for the 3-day workshop I will be taking at St. Mary's College, Moraga, CA. This workshop, titled "The Unfolding and Infolding of Catholicism," is part of the Bishop Cummins Institute. It will be led by author Rosemary Haughton. In preparation, I am suppose to be familiar with two books: The Catholic Thing and The Universe Story.
I spent the morning reading through The Catholic Thing, well at least the first few chapters. At 11 AM, Br. Kevin and I went for a walk through Berkeley, a reddition of sorts. We bought a couple of cards at a card shop and stopped for lunch. During lunch, we chatted about many things: San Miguel High School, vocations, etc... It was during lunch that Br. Kevin informed me that he had received word that I was officially accepted into the Novitiate.
In the afternoon I continued my reading and preparation for the Cummins Institute. At about 4:30 Br. Kevin and I headed out to St. Mary's where we would join the Brothers there for prayer and dinner before heading to the public lecture by Rosemary Haughton. Joining the Brothers at the St. Mary's College community for prayer and dinner gave me an opportunity to meet Brothers I had not met. I must say it was interesting to be in a group of Brothers I did not know. I found myself nervous and unsettled as I had not had this experience in a while. However, by dinner timei had relaxed and it was interesting to see the dynamics of another Brothers' community.
The public lecture by Rosemary Houghton was one where she shared her Catholic experience/journey based on her thesis that our journeys make up the Church. Br. Kevin and I then headed back to De La Salle House with plenty of interesting conversation on the car ride home.
It was also a day of realization. A realization that life for me had slowed down and it's a challenge, but a welcomed one. Although, I must admit I eagerly await the opportunity to be in the classroom while teaching summer school and Yakima and more eagerly await the opportunity to be with San Miguel students during the leadership conference in late July.
Little by little, I will have to adjust to this new pace of life. I will have to learn to value it, appreciate it, and do good with it. I am challenging myself to develop my prayer life, to take the time for reflection, and time to continue to discover myself and continue to develop my calling.
Tuesday, June 12:
Today, I headed off to the St. Mary's for a full-day workshop. A workshop which involved reflection and I had to embrace that opportunity. It was a time to reflect on my Catholicism and journey within. My reflection was very different than from most participants at the workshop. I was the youngest member there and probably 1 of only 3 that had not experience the pre-Vatican II era. My journey had a lot to do with the consistent Catholic environment within whihc I have lived my life in. I was born in a Catholic family, I was born into a Catholic hispanic culture. My parents always exemplified there faith. Something I have come to appreciate more and more. I appreciate it because of the way the exemplified it. Although, they are faithful to Sunday mass, Catholic for them did not necessarily mean rituals or participation within the parish world. They simply exemplified Catholicism by the way they lived their lives. There was a love for each other, a love for their children, and a love for their faith. There was commitment to prayer, commitment to being good, commitment to helping us grow in our faith. They exemplified generosity, sacrafice, and good values. I attended Catholic schools from first grade through 12th grade. I felt I was always in an environment which had a healthy understanding of Catholicism, an openness to questioning the Church, yet faithful, and respect for who the students were and where they were at in their faith journey. I never felt like Catholicism was being imposed on me by my parents, my parish, or my schools. I simply felt like it was exemplified. Even when I attended a public university, I was naturally drawn to a Catholic environment, the Newman Center. By year 2 of my university education, I had moved in with the Brothers, another Catholic environment. I guess my faith is rooted in the examples of the individuals and community I have been surrounded by, the environments God has blessed me with, and my deep belief in divine providence. It is the last of these, which I find so interesting, and yet never knew it at the time until I reflected on what was going on in my life. The most powerful example would be my ending up in Tucson, Arizona at the University of Arizona, which coincided with the opening up of San Miguel High School.
The workshop basically focused all day on the reflection of our Catholic life experiences: its ups and downs.
I headed home to De La Salle House with Br. Kenneth Cardwell, a neat guy!
The evening was a GREAT delight since Br. Nick and Elizabeth Goettl had "taken a break" from SSAA in Napa to come and see me. We walked through the Cal campus and the general vicinity before stopping for dinner. We had a great time catching up and laughing up a storm. I was deeply touched by their visit. After a nice walk home they headed back to Napa and here I find myself sharing the last two days with you.
I look forward to what lies ahead tomorrow...good night!
It was nice to have a day with not much of an agenda, except to prepare for the 3-day workshop I will be taking at St. Mary's College, Moraga, CA. This workshop, titled "The Unfolding and Infolding of Catholicism," is part of the Bishop Cummins Institute. It will be led by author Rosemary Haughton. In preparation, I am suppose to be familiar with two books: The Catholic Thing and The Universe Story.
I spent the morning reading through The Catholic Thing, well at least the first few chapters. At 11 AM, Br. Kevin and I went for a walk through Berkeley, a reddition of sorts. We bought a couple of cards at a card shop and stopped for lunch. During lunch, we chatted about many things: San Miguel High School, vocations, etc... It was during lunch that Br. Kevin informed me that he had received word that I was officially accepted into the Novitiate.
In the afternoon I continued my reading and preparation for the Cummins Institute. At about 4:30 Br. Kevin and I headed out to St. Mary's where we would join the Brothers there for prayer and dinner before heading to the public lecture by Rosemary Haughton. Joining the Brothers at the St. Mary's College community for prayer and dinner gave me an opportunity to meet Brothers I had not met. I must say it was interesting to be in a group of Brothers I did not know. I found myself nervous and unsettled as I had not had this experience in a while. However, by dinner timei had relaxed and it was interesting to see the dynamics of another Brothers' community.
The public lecture by Rosemary Houghton was one where she shared her Catholic experience/journey based on her thesis that our journeys make up the Church. Br. Kevin and I then headed back to De La Salle House with plenty of interesting conversation on the car ride home.
It was also a day of realization. A realization that life for me had slowed down and it's a challenge, but a welcomed one. Although, I must admit I eagerly await the opportunity to be in the classroom while teaching summer school and Yakima and more eagerly await the opportunity to be with San Miguel students during the leadership conference in late July.
Little by little, I will have to adjust to this new pace of life. I will have to learn to value it, appreciate it, and do good with it. I am challenging myself to develop my prayer life, to take the time for reflection, and time to continue to discover myself and continue to develop my calling.
Tuesday, June 12:
Today, I headed off to the St. Mary's for a full-day workshop. A workshop which involved reflection and I had to embrace that opportunity. It was a time to reflect on my Catholicism and journey within. My reflection was very different than from most participants at the workshop. I was the youngest member there and probably 1 of only 3 that had not experience the pre-Vatican II era. My journey had a lot to do with the consistent Catholic environment within whihc I have lived my life in. I was born in a Catholic family, I was born into a Catholic hispanic culture. My parents always exemplified there faith. Something I have come to appreciate more and more. I appreciate it because of the way the exemplified it. Although, they are faithful to Sunday mass, Catholic for them did not necessarily mean rituals or participation within the parish world. They simply exemplified Catholicism by the way they lived their lives. There was a love for each other, a love for their children, and a love for their faith. There was commitment to prayer, commitment to being good, commitment to helping us grow in our faith. They exemplified generosity, sacrafice, and good values. I attended Catholic schools from first grade through 12th grade. I felt I was always in an environment which had a healthy understanding of Catholicism, an openness to questioning the Church, yet faithful, and respect for who the students were and where they were at in their faith journey. I never felt like Catholicism was being imposed on me by my parents, my parish, or my schools. I simply felt like it was exemplified. Even when I attended a public university, I was naturally drawn to a Catholic environment, the Newman Center. By year 2 of my university education, I had moved in with the Brothers, another Catholic environment. I guess my faith is rooted in the examples of the individuals and community I have been surrounded by, the environments God has blessed me with, and my deep belief in divine providence. It is the last of these, which I find so interesting, and yet never knew it at the time until I reflected on what was going on in my life. The most powerful example would be my ending up in Tucson, Arizona at the University of Arizona, which coincided with the opening up of San Miguel High School.
The workshop basically focused all day on the reflection of our Catholic life experiences: its ups and downs.
I headed home to De La Salle House with Br. Kenneth Cardwell, a neat guy!
The evening was a GREAT delight since Br. Nick and Elizabeth Goettl had "taken a break" from SSAA in Napa to come and see me. We walked through the Cal campus and the general vicinity before stopping for dinner. We had a great time catching up and laughing up a storm. I was deeply touched by their visit. After a nice walk home they headed back to Napa and here I find myself sharing the last two days with you.
I look forward to what lies ahead tomorrow...good night!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Events of the past week: June 4 - 10
Well, it's been a while since I've been on this thing. But, I'm back!
I am now in Berkeley, CA. I arrived today from Los Angeles. I will be here until Saturday. It will be an eventful week, which will be dominated by my attending the Cummins Insitute at St. Mary's College. More on that later.
But this past week has been a crazy one: A week where I was gearing up for my parents' 25th wedding anniversary. Thanks to the family support and God it all turned out well. Friday we had a nice surprise event for my parents in Whittier, CA with a blessing, dinner, toasts, mariachi, and a DJ. About 150 family members attended the event. Photos will come soon. It was also a nice time because there was also some focus on my becoming a Brother. There was a lot of genuine interest and happiness in the family about this step in my life. It gave me an opportunity to explain what the heck I was doing!
Anyway, I thought I would share the "toast speech" I prepared and said to my parents, well for those who know Spanish:
The week was also filled with some detail planning for the Lasallian Leaders Conference the San Miguel students will be attending. It is nice to have it as a formal excuse to stay connected with SMHS.
It was also a great week because I had the chance to spend time with my parents and sister, Denise. I tried to be helpful by cooking dinner on Monday and Tuesday--it was edible. I had the chance to spend a lot of time with Denise and even ssaw her practice volleyball on Wednesday and Thursday. She's a great kid!
I was able to go by and visit Cathedral High School and connect with a few people. I even had a nice sushi lunch with John Ferrante, thank you Mr. Ferrante! Great place, I recommend it, "Ai" in South Pasadena. I spent some time with a good friend, Brandon Birr. On Monday, we went to mass at the Cathedral followed by lunch at Calle Olvera. Thursday, we went to the San Antonio Winery and tasted different champagnes as I picked one out for my parents' party. We then had dinner at Liberty Grill in Downtown L.A.
It was an active and nice week in L.A. I look forward to my time there in August.
I am now in Berkeley, CA. I arrived today from Los Angeles. I will be here until Saturday. It will be an eventful week, which will be dominated by my attending the Cummins Insitute at St. Mary's College. More on that later.
But this past week has been a crazy one: A week where I was gearing up for my parents' 25th wedding anniversary. Thanks to the family support and God it all turned out well. Friday we had a nice surprise event for my parents in Whittier, CA with a blessing, dinner, toasts, mariachi, and a DJ. About 150 family members attended the event. Photos will come soon. It was also a nice time because there was also some focus on my becoming a Brother. There was a lot of genuine interest and happiness in the family about this step in my life. It gave me an opportunity to explain what the heck I was doing!
Anyway, I thought I would share the "toast speech" I prepared and said to my parents, well for those who know Spanish:
"Hace 25 anos mis papas, Rosalía y Agustín, se cazaron. No tenían idea deThe celebration continued Saturday when family came over to my parents' house. We had about 50 people there Saturday night. A touching moment during the evening was my uncle singing a song he had written for my parents. It was simply great to get together will family again!
cuantos hijos tendrían, como se llamaran, donde iban ha vivir, si no que solo
empezaba sus vidas juntos.
En 1983, encontraron una casa en la
avenida 32. Una casa con su porche, su sala, cocina, pasillo, y dos
recamaras. Tenía una chimenea, su driveway, una yarda de buen tamaño y su
garaje.
En 1984, nació su primer hijo, Christopher Alexander y en
1985 nació una hija, Nathalie Nicole.
Para Rosalía y Agustín la
familia y la fe siempre era lo más importante. Sus hijos, sus papas, sus
tíos y tías, sus hermanos y hermanas, sus primos, sus sobrinos,
etc.…
La educación y la fe de sus hijos eran muy importantes para
ellos. Después del kindergarten los inscribieron en la escuela San
Bernardo donde también era la parroquia de la familia. Durante el tiempo
en San Bernardo Agustín y Rosalía no solo pagaban lo colegiatura pero también
ponían horas y horas como voluntarios, vendían chocolates, y bueno todo lo que
ustedes han comprado boletos de rifa, papel de navidad y bueno toda vía siguen
ahí.
El ano 1994 fue un ano con mucha actividad. En enero
pues hubo el terremoto que tumbo parta de la chimenea y partió el patio.
Era tiempo para un remodelación de esa casa un la avenida 32. Se tumbo el
porche y se agrando la sala. En mayo de este ano algo muy especial paso,
un regalo de Dios, el nacimiento de la tercer hija, Denise Kimberly
Patiño.
Siguieron los anos con las mismas prioridades, la familia,
la educación de sus hijos, y bueno el trabajo.
Eventualmente,
Denise llego a la esuela San Bernardo, Natalie y Christopher se graduaron.
Christopher siguió a la escuela Catedral y Natalie a la escuela Holy
Family.
Papa, mama gracias por todo. Ustedes han sido en
ejemplo de los buenos valores, de que es vivir una buena vida, de tener
fe. Como maestro, para mi el ejemplo es un modo muy profundo de cómo
enseñar a los demás.
Su amor ha ustedes mismos, su amor a sus
hijos, su amor ha su familia, y su amor a su fe han sido un gran ejemplo para
todos.
Después de 25 anos espero que estén orgullosos de quien son,
lo duro que han trabajado, y todo lo que han hecho. Le pido a Dios que los
próximos 25 sean llenos de más amor, de más fe, y de más
alegría.
Este día es de ustedes entonces brindamos por
ustedes…salud!"
The week was also filled with some detail planning for the Lasallian Leaders Conference the San Miguel students will be attending. It is nice to have it as a formal excuse to stay connected with SMHS.
It was also a great week because I had the chance to spend time with my parents and sister, Denise. I tried to be helpful by cooking dinner on Monday and Tuesday--it was edible. I had the chance to spend a lot of time with Denise and even ssaw her practice volleyball on Wednesday and Thursday. She's a great kid!
I was able to go by and visit Cathedral High School and connect with a few people. I even had a nice sushi lunch with John Ferrante, thank you Mr. Ferrante! Great place, I recommend it, "Ai" in South Pasadena. I spent some time with a good friend, Brandon Birr. On Monday, we went to mass at the Cathedral followed by lunch at Calle Olvera. Thursday, we went to the San Antonio Winery and tasted different champagnes as I picked one out for my parents' party. We then had dinner at Liberty Grill in Downtown L.A.
It was an active and nice week in L.A. I look forward to my time there in August.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Last thoughts on leaving San Miguel...
Well, my last thoughts about leaving SMHS in this blog at least.
I remember driving out of the parking lot on my last day at San Miguel and just feeling breathless. It's as if someone had punched me in the chest (lung collapse 2?).
But as I look back I am simply grateful for all the people that made leaving a lot easier through their care and thoughts. The Brothers. The Staff. The STUDENTS and their families. EVERYONE.
I am especially grateful to Br. Nick Gonzalez, FSC. Br. Nick was a great companion on the journey. From day one (4 years ago) he was there to push me, challenge me, a friend, my boss, a co-worker, a BROTHER!
As the journey was coming to an end, he provided an incredible strength: conversations, letters, acts of gratitude, etc...
I can't thank him enough, except to live what he taught me, and to challenge myself to grow in many ways.
Thank you, Br. Nick!
I remember driving out of the parking lot on my last day at San Miguel and just feeling breathless. It's as if someone had punched me in the chest (lung collapse 2?).
But as I look back I am simply grateful for all the people that made leaving a lot easier through their care and thoughts. The Brothers. The Staff. The STUDENTS and their families. EVERYONE.
I am especially grateful to Br. Nick Gonzalez, FSC. Br. Nick was a great companion on the journey. From day one (4 years ago) he was there to push me, challenge me, a friend, my boss, a co-worker, a BROTHER!As the journey was coming to an end, he provided an incredible strength: conversations, letters, acts of gratitude, etc...
I can't thank him enough, except to live what he taught me, and to challenge myself to grow in many ways.
Thank you, Br. Nick!
Leaving San Miguel High School (part 2)
Founder's Day was also a special day because we witnissed our students having a great time during our first ever "Field Day." Probably one of the most unexpected things happened on this day. As we were cleaning up, after a long day, a student on the way out just ran up to me and cloberred me with a hug saying, "See you later, Patino." It was one of those "wow, what was that?" moments. But it was special. It was a sign of the family San Miguel High School had become. A sign of the special student-teacher relationship within the Lasallian school. A sign of a healthy love that exists.
Another event that took place during our last week of school was an outing to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico. Alma, her husband, Mike, Br. Nick and myself spent the weekend together as a good-bye trip. We had a great time.
From this point on, I was basically gearing up for the big "good-bye." It was important to me, especially because of the advice of various Brothers, to take the time to say good-bye. It meant cards for the friends and family I had made. It meant nice dinners out. It meant taking the time to be with people. I had lunch with my good friend Jenny. The Brothers' Community had a going away brunch out at the Tequila Factory (highly recommend it). They presented me with a nice gift, a St. John Baptist De La Salle box with my name engraved on it.
It was during this time that I also took the time to thank my world history class for the privilege of being their teacher. I took the time to mention something about each student and give them a "Live Jesus in Our Hearts" cross. Of course, food had to be included so on their last day we had a "Viva Burrito" party after their finals.
It also meant saying good-bye to students in general outside the classroom.
During the last week of school, one of our freshman had two strokes. It was quite a shock to us and a scary time. However, again a reminder of the family San Miguel High School had become, it was her friends visiting her at the hospital that seemed to make a big difference in her recovery. The day after she had all her friends visit, she was moved out of ICU. Seeing her at the hospital, was a great reminder to us of the value of life and how things could change so quickly. It was scary, but Darana seems on her way to recovery.
Another event that took place during our last week of school was an outing to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico. Alma, her husband, Mike, Br. Nick and myself spent the weekend together as a good-bye trip. We had a great time.The final week at San Miguel arrived, pretty fast I must say. The week basically consisted of meetings and wrapping up projects.
On the last day, we had a potluck at the Brothers' house. It was a great time together. A celebration of my departure, a celebration of Br. Nick's birthday and a celebration of the end of the year. Lots of great food and fun. I was presented with another special gift on this day. The school presented me with a VERY nice leather book bag filled with the good wishes of all the staff. Again, in reading these cards I was very touched by what people had to say and I will use it as strength for the journey.
Thank you, San Miguel. Here is an excerpt from the good-bye letter I wrote:
“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”-Luke, 5:16
What can I say? San Miguel has changed my life. The individuals who I have worked with, I now call friends and family. The students, who God has given me the privilege of encountering each day, I now call younger brothers and sisters. The Brothers I have lived with, I now call older brothers...
I cannot put into words how much I care for every single person here: faculty, staff, and students. I have a deep affection for each of you. Most importantly, I am glad God has blessed our students and families with you. They are blessed to have you. San Miguel is a Lasallian school and you each carry and live the Lasallian spirit...
I look forward to returning as the Brother you have taught me to be...
“The students must be convinced that they themselves are a letter which Jesus Christ dictates to you…by the Spirit of the living God, who acts in you and by you through the power of Jesus Christ.”
“In order for you to fulfill this duty with as much perfection and exactness as God requires of you, frequently give yourselves to the Spirit of our Lord…”
-St. John Baptist de La Salle [adapted]
“In order for you to fulfill this duty with as much perfection and exactness as God requires of you, frequently give yourselves to the Spirit of our Lord…”
-St. John Baptist de La Salle [adapted]
Monday, June 4, 2007
Leaving San Miguel High School
Well, I know San Miguel is a wonderful place, especially because it was so hard to leave. It is a place of miracles. It is a place of faith. I felt God spoke to me through the students entrusted to SMHS, through the faculty and staff that believed in our mission and made it come alive, and through simply letting God take over. I could probably write a book on San Miguel High School and it's only 3 years old! But our Lasallian mission, our roots are there, visible each day. Visible in the families who want San Miguel for their children, visible in the teachers that love and challenge the students each day, visible in the students who embrace, little by little, what San Miguel has to offer. It's not the perfect school, it does not have perfect students, nor does it have the perfect adults, but it has the faith to believe, the vision to dream, and the willingness to work.I would say my departure became (felt) official on March 29, two days before my birthday. My World History class had decided, through the help of the great Br. Nick, to provide me with a card and cake for the class to share in. It was a great moment of joy, because God had given me the privilege to feel the love of my students, especially as I read what they had to say in the card. 2 days later the Brothers' Communty, again with Br. Nick leading, presented me with a beautiful picture frame which included photos of all the faculty and staff along with my World History students. It was, one of the best, if not the best, birthday gifts I have ever received. I hung the frame in my office right away. I will definitely carry it around everywhere I go.
From this point on, there were constant reminders about leaving. It really humbled me.
In April, we had our annual Student Achievement Awards Banquet at the Hotel Arizona. It was here that I was surprised with some great words written by Br. Nick and read by Br. Steven, followed by a DVD presentation. Wow! I don't cry, but if I did this is where I would cry. I was speechless and all I could do is express my love for SMHS.
In May, it felt more like I was leaving when our new Director of Admissions came on board, Mrs. Fabiola Kenney. She is a gift to SMHS and it is a blessing to have her. She came aboard May 1st, and we were able to work together for a month. She's a natural!
While, all this was going on, I was happy about one constant thing: the classroom. I was still very involved with my Freshman World History class; a group I came to really appreciate. I am thankful to God for not only giving me the opportunity to work with these students, but also to be involved in the classroom with them.
In May, our newsletter was published and Br. Nick wrote a very nice, meaningful article.
May was also the month where we celebrated our Founder's Week. It is something I am very grateful to God for. It was a very special time at San Miguel High School where the Lasallian Spirit and Zeal came alive in a special way. It was seen in every single individual on campus.It was during this week that some special occassions occurred. First, during our sports rally, I was presented with some pretty cool SMHS memorabilia, inscribed with the words, "SMHS Founder." Not only was I given this, but also students signed a big poster board with best wishes and then they came up and bombarded me with hugs. This same evening we took about 50 students to a Sidewinder's Game. For me to see our students together and enjoying a Friday evening out was so special. It was just awesome to watch them be teenagers and enjoying each other's company.
It was at the end of Founder's Week that we celebrated our Founder's Day Liturgy. Br. Dan gave a beautiful homily, which challenged us to say, "Yes!" to God. It was a challenge to all of us to continue to say yes, even when we are called to give up or do more. At the end of the celebration, I was presented with another incredible gift: letters from the students. St. La Salle's words came alive at that moment,
"What ought to engage you further to have great zeal in your state is the
fact that you are not only the ministers of God, but also of Jesus Christ and of
the Church. This is what Saint Paul says when he expresses the wish that
everyone should regard those who announce the Gospel as ministers of Jesus
Christ,6 who write the letter which he has dictated not with ink but with the
Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh which
are the hearts7 of children."But in this, the tables were being turned, I was being asked by God, through our students, to let their words be the "Spirit of the Living God" dictated on my heart.
As I read these letters, I was touched by the fact that they were so spiritual, God indeed was speaking to me through the words and love of the students at San Miguel High School. Br. Nick's challenge to me would be: "Now, what will you do with that?" It is a challenge I take very seriously.
To be continued...
Weekend in L.A.
Saturday, June 2:
Slept in. Unpacked/organized some more. Bought sunglasses. Washed car. I then picked up Br. Dan from Cathedral High School since we were going to go pick up one of the volunteers traveling with him to the Philippines at LAX.
We arrived at LAX quite early and waited for the volunteer to arrive. After picking him up we decided it was time for lunch, a late lunch since it was 1:30 PM by now. We headed to a classic East L.A. hangout, El Tepeyac. The menu: burritos, flautas, and the classic chips and guacamole. It was a great lunch.
After lunch we headed to the Brothers house at Cathedral to unload luggage. Since we had such a big lunch we took the volunteer on a walking tour of Chinatown and Downtown L.A. We headed up Hill through Chinatown to the Cathedral. It's always nice to check the place out. After spending some time at the Cathedral, we headed over to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, this is quite the architectural gem.
I have to get to a concert there one of these days. We continued our tour of L.A. down to the Arco Plaza, Grand Central Market, City Hall, and Olvera St. It was quite the expedition, we really walked down that food (and realized how out of shape we were).
We took a water break at the Brothers' house before heading to Border's Books in Glendale. Br. Dan needed a quote book for the boys at Bahay Pag-asa and a book for the flight. I needed some note cards to send to the young men at Bahay Pag-asa. After all this our day had finally come to an end, as I finally headed home to check in with my family, not before a Starbuck's stop though. I spent the evening at home with the family, not knowing quite the busy Sunday lay ahead...
Slept in. Unpacked/organized some more. Bought sunglasses. Washed car. I then picked up Br. Dan from Cathedral High School since we were going to go pick up one of the volunteers traveling with him to the Philippines at LAX.
We arrived at LAX quite early and waited for the volunteer to arrive. After picking him up we decided it was time for lunch, a late lunch since it was 1:30 PM by now. We headed to a classic East L.A. hangout, El Tepeyac. The menu: burritos, flautas, and the classic chips and guacamole. It was a great lunch.
After lunch we headed to the Brothers house at Cathedral to unload luggage. Since we had such a big lunch we took the volunteer on a walking tour of Chinatown and Downtown L.A. We headed up Hill through Chinatown to the Cathedral. It's always nice to check the place out. After spending some time at the Cathedral, we headed over to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, this is quite the architectural gem.
I have to get to a concert there one of these days. We continued our tour of L.A. down to the Arco Plaza, Grand Central Market, City Hall, and Olvera St. It was quite the expedition, we really walked down that food (and realized how out of shape we were).We took a water break at the Brothers' house before heading to Border's Books in Glendale. Br. Dan needed a quote book for the boys at Bahay Pag-asa and a book for the flight. I needed some note cards to send to the young men at Bahay Pag-asa. After all this our day had finally come to an end, as I finally headed home to check in with my family, not before a Starbuck's stop though. I spent the evening at home with the family, not knowing quite the busy Sunday lay ahead...
Leaving Tucson Continued
Friday afternoon I arrived at my parents' house. My little sister Denise was waiting for me and helped me unload all the stuff out of my car. I have a picture of the loaded up car somewhere. I spent Friday unpacking a few things, at some pupusas, and took my sister to volleyball practice. She's quite the volleyball player!
It's quite a challenge temporarily moving into a place, while at the same time being on the move. Between June 10 and August 3rd I will be living out of a suitcase. I will be at De La Salle House, Berkeley; De La Salle North Catholic, Portland; La Salle, Yakima; St. Mary's College, Moraga; San Miguel, Tucson; and De La Salle House, Berkeley before returning to L.A. in August. I will visit family and then vacation with them at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico before driving off to Napa on August 18th.
It's quite a challenge temporarily moving into a place, while at the same time being on the move. Between June 10 and August 3rd I will be living out of a suitcase. I will be at De La Salle House, Berkeley; De La Salle North Catholic, Portland; La Salle, Yakima; St. Mary's College, Moraga; San Miguel, Tucson; and De La Salle House, Berkeley before returning to L.A. in August. I will visit family and then vacation with them at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico before driving off to Napa on August 18th.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Leaving Tucson
It's June 2nd and I am in Los Angeles. I left Tucson (San Miguel) yesterday morning at 6:30 AM. This was after a gas fill-up and Starbucks stop. Funny story: God's funny way of working gave me one last opportunity at recruiting. As I am paying for my coffee, the barista strikes up a conversation and I find out she has a daughter in 7th grade. She is saying how she doesn't know what she's going to do for high school since there are not many affordable, private schools on the southside. Ding! Ding! Ding! San Miguel! I let her know about the school and give her my old business card.
Anyway, Br. Dan and myself finally hit the road at 6:30 AM. The car was packed, every inch of it with all my junk and Br. Dan's luggage for the Philippines. We were blessed to have smooth riding (a bit of traffic in Phoenix) all the way to Blythe. We hit Blythe at about 9:50 AM and filled up with gas.
We decided we would wait until Indio for lunch. We probably should have had something in Blythe considering that 20 minutes into our drive we came to a standstill on the road because of a car fire. We were probably stuck there for another 20 minutes. A trucker who got off his truck, decided to strike up a conversation. I guess they have to be good at that. Well, we finally got going and hit Indio at about 12 PM where we stopped for lunch at In & Out Burger, yum!
We got back on the road at about 12:45 PM and again had smooth sailing all the way to L.A. It was about 2 PM when we finally arrived to Cathedral High School. We unloaded Br. Dan's stuff and were entertained by Br. Jesus for a while. Br. Dan and I then took a quick walk around the campus and saw the new beautiful building coming to a completion.
I eventually left for my parent's house where my little sister Denise was waiting for me.
I will stop here for tonight, since I'm tired. I will continue tomorrow. I will also be adding a reflection on "Leaving San Miguel High School."
Anyway, Br. Dan and myself finally hit the road at 6:30 AM. The car was packed, every inch of it with all my junk and Br. Dan's luggage for the Philippines. We were blessed to have smooth riding (a bit of traffic in Phoenix) all the way to Blythe. We hit Blythe at about 9:50 AM and filled up with gas.
We decided we would wait until Indio for lunch. We probably should have had something in Blythe considering that 20 minutes into our drive we came to a standstill on the road because of a car fire. We were probably stuck there for another 20 minutes. A trucker who got off his truck, decided to strike up a conversation. I guess they have to be good at that. Well, we finally got going and hit Indio at about 12 PM where we stopped for lunch at In & Out Burger, yum!We got back on the road at about 12:45 PM and again had smooth sailing all the way to L.A. It was about 2 PM when we finally arrived to Cathedral High School. We unloaded Br. Dan's stuff and were entertained by Br. Jesus for a while. Br. Dan and I then took a quick walk around the campus and saw the new beautiful building coming to a completion.
I eventually left for my parent's house where my little sister Denise was waiting for me.
I will stop here for tonight, since I'm tired. I will continue tomorrow. I will also be adding a reflection on "Leaving San Miguel High School."
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