Posts two weeks in a row! It’s a rare occurrence. Today I stumbled across a Saint Dominic Crossword Puzzle. Credit is due, of course, to the Mission San Jose Dominicans. Of note, also, is that among the new additions to our faculty this year is a MSJ Dominican, Sr. Colleen Mary Mallon, OP.
CPE has ended… my two weeks of summer flew by (which I spent sleeping in, seeing my friend Jackie get married, and watching season 2 of Heroes)… and now here I am nearly two weeks into my last (!) semester! There are so many new things to share, I just don’t know where to begin.
This week I began working at Aquinas (again). A change in plans led me back to working in the Admissions office. Having been my home-away-from-home the past two years, I’m excited to work with Jen and Dave in the office. Heck, the more I get to talk about Aquinas the happier I am!
Newly added to my plate this semester is my third semester of SPM (Supervised Practice of Ministry- aka “Field Ed”) and my time (8-10 hrs/wk) at Sacred Heart Villa. I’ll be working with five classes of children, ages 3-6, in the atrium. I’m so excited to gain more experience in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Although, I must admit it’s a bit scary to entertain the idea of working with such young children after being with 9-12 year old the past few years!
Well, that gets me started for now… more on my classes in an upcoming post! Happy New Semester!
Well here we are… the semester has ended (thankfully) and my hiking trip with my dad and sister was GREAT! I’m finishing my last few days working in the admissions office before I start my summer internship. (More on that on Jen’s blog.)
While I was blog-surfing today, I came across this wonderfully prayerful reflection on Pentecost that I wish to share with you all. Peace!
Happy Summer to all!!!
The student brothers who traveled to New York last week got some amazing shots of their adventures.
Here’s the full photo album.
And then some highlights on the Central Province website.
I think actually the reference is the final four… that’s basketball, right? Well, I don’t follow the NCAA, but I do follow the list of classes I need in order to graduate. And earlier this week I registered for my FINAL semester here at Aquinas. My last five classes are:
And then of course there is CPE this summer. But the end is near! In the meantime, we’re well into the month of April and I can hardly believe that there’s just a month of school left. Schoolwork is demanding my attention!
I do enjoy traveling and have always enjoyed road trips. This year’s spring break was no different. I had intended on keeping things a bit more low-key, but then everything I wanted to do fit into my schedule perfectly without any conflicts. And then *POOF* I was out of town for ten days.
I had a lovely trip to Connecticut to visit a religious community and go on a retreat. I’m so grateful that I made my retreat (which coincidentally also counts for my Lay Formation retreat requirement) at the start of my spring break. It allowed me to think, sleep, unwind, and pray–and who can’t use a little R & R now and then? Additionally, I was privileged to witness the joy the sisters live in their life, prayer, and ministry.
Then I was able to visit my little sister at her college–she took me to my first hockey game ever! (And her college won.) She and I have made a concerted effort to visit one another even though we don’t live close. When I was in college she would visit me for “Little Sibs Weekend.” She and I have celebrated Thanksgiving together the past two years, also. But there is something really fun about getting to see how grown up she is now that she’s studying hard in college.
Lastly, this past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to speak on a panel of alums at my alma mater, Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame, IN). In my four years there I had never had the chance to hear first hand what you could do with a religious studies major. It was inspiring to visit with the other panelists and learn where God has led them in the past 15 years since they’ve graduated. The students themselves also seemed to be thankful to engage in conversation about what their degree can mean for/to them. I am very blessed to have the formative experience that Saint Mary’s gave to me. They value my opinion as a graduate and I continue to grown in gratitude for my time there. And as a bonus I got to give a “plug” for Aquinas and what a great school it is!
This semester I’m very excited to be taking Christology. I’ve waited nearly three years to take this class (fitting it into my schedule has been a bear!). And my homework gains even more meaning as we ponder the mystery of Jesus’ death (and resurrection) this Lenten season.
Earlier this semester we read historical descriptions and depictions of Jesus Christ. The following is an excerpt from a handout we received. My small discussion group was deeply moved by these words:
He ate and drank for our sakes, though himself without hunger or thirst, he bore and suffered reproaches for our sakes, he died and rose again because of us. He who defended me also when I sinned and strengthened me with his greatness, will also comfort you that you may love him, this God who is both great and little, beautiful and ugly, young and old, appearing in time and yet in eternity wholly visible; whom no human hand has grasped, yet is held by his servants, whom no flesh has seen, yet now he is seen; whom no hearing has found yet now he is known as the word that is heard; whom no suffering can reach, yet now is chastened as we are; who was never chastened, yet now is chastened; who is before the world, yet now is comprehended in time; the beginning greater than all princedom, yet now delivered to the princes; beauteous, yet appearing among us as poor and ugly; this Jesus you have, brethren, the door, the light, the way, the bread, the water, the life, the resurrection, the refreshment, the pearl, the treasure, the seed, the abundance, the mustard-seed, the vine, the plough, the grace, the faith, the word: He is all things, and there is no other greater than he. To him be praise forever and ever. Amen.
Acts of Peter, 20 (selections)- c. 2nd C. AD
“You O Lord, call me, and I come to you, not through my merits, but through your mercy alone, which I ask of you in virtue of your blood.”
~ St. Catherine of Siena
This quote is taken from a bookmark I received this past weekend at the Ordination to the Diaconate of two Dominican Brothers. I have had the pleasure of having classes with both Br. Simon and Br. Kevin. Their deep faith is worthy of great admiration. And I ask that you join with me in prayer for these two men who come with their whole hearts to serve the Body of Christ!
I think it was Billy Madison who said, “Back to school! Back to school, to prove to Dad that I’m not a fool!” And as I began my “twentieth” consecutive year of education last month, I began to wonder if I was INSANE. Okay, so perhaps I’m being a bit melodramatic. But all those years of education really began to catch up with me. But now that I’ve been at this again for a couple weeks, I feel myself getting back into the swing of things. So I’ll share a bit about each of my classes and what this year has in store for me.
JOHANNINE LITERATURE-
I have wanted to take this class ever since I took Synoptic Gospels in Spring of 2006. I’m most looking forward to reading Sandra M. Schneiders’ “Written That You May Believe: Encountering Jesus in the Fourth Gospel” (Herder and Herder, 2003).
PROPHETS-
I’ve mentioned before my involvement in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd approach to the religious formation of children. Much of the scripture we look at with children is rich in imagery from the Gospel of John… and the prophets! I had Wisdom Literature last semester, and every time we mentioned the prophets I got so excited! And at last, I can sink my teeth into these wonderful saints of the Old Testament!
PREACHING I-
This is the largest class I’m in- 16 of us! It’s quite a diverse group—ages ranging from 24 to 54+; Catholics and Protestants; 7 seminarians; 7 women; 2 lay men; and all of us are at different points in the completion of our studies. I’m beginning to realize how thankful I am that my coursework and formation here requires I take a course on preaching. Already we’re beginning to unpack that word—preaching—and see the awesome power of Christ alive in the proclamation of the Word!
USES OF PHILOSOPHY IN THEOLOGY-
Even though I’m a third year M.Div. student, we don’t exactly have a set schedule or order for the classes we are to take. Sure there are pre-reqs here and there. But nothing is set in stone. This class, however, I probably should have taken a few semesters ago! If I thought I could repress all the Plato and Aristotle I learned in undergrad, it is certainly coming back to haunt me now (in a good way, I think)! I’m also very excited to have this class with Fr. Rick as it is the last class he’ll teach before he’s installed as President in January.
CHURCH HISTORY I-
Again, another class most students take in their first year. I took Church History II, I just couldn’t fit Church History I into my schedule until now. A funny coincidence, my sister is a sophomore (pre-med major) at a state university. She’s taking a Medieval History class, too. And low and behold, we had the same homework assignment the other week- Athanasius of Alexandria’s “The Life of Anthony of Egypt”!
LAY FORMATION V-
This is a “directed” reading-type course. I’m all by myself—the gift and curse of being a lay M.Div. student. One perk is I got to pick what personally, spiritually enriching book I wanted to read: Maria Harris’ “Teaching and Religious Imagination”.
So there you have it folks. It’s “only” 13 credit hours, but along with 20 hours of work (plus ministry) each week, it fills my plate quite nicely!
This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Waterloo, Ontario for the ordination of a classmate, (now Father) Toby Collins, C.R. Ten friends (mostly Aquinas employees, students, and/or graduates) and I road tripped to the north and were warmly welcomed by the Congregation of the Resurrection for the first ordination in their province in 11 years.
Toby, a 2007 M.Div. graduate, is a delightful man. I felt honored to be in attendance for this very important part of his life. On Saturday, June 2, the day of his ordination, the local paper (The Register) wrote a half page article on him. While the article is not available through their website, it has been posted on another blog. I wish to share this link with you so you have some insight into what a great priest we have in our church! Please pray for him and all members of the Congregation of the Resurrection, particularly those studying here at Aquinas Institute!
http://clericalwhispers.blogspot.com/2007/06/man-to-be-ordained-at-church-where-he.html
(Yes he really does like hippos, Spiderman, and kite flying!)