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!
