This Week in Madonna House - July 5-11

Madonna House is the happening place right now. We are wrapping up the first week of our summer program with a full house of guests and a tremendous spirit of energy and enthusiasm among them.

Full, by the way, means about 40, between the men and the women’s guest dorms. We also have had quite a few priests coming through for short visits, summer being a time when many parishes slow down and the clergy able to have retreats or holidays. We have all been struck this year by the level of enthusiasm, energy, and intense interest in God and in Madonna House that the guests who have arrived in the past weeks have shown. It’s beautiful, really, and the summer looks like it will be ongoing that way, with a continuous stream of people coming through each week for the different themes of the program.

This week the theme was ‘Show Me, God: Finding God Through Truth, Beauty, and Goodness’. Four of the staff gave lunch time presentations related to that topic on Monday and Friday, at the main house and at the farm where many of the guests go to work. Fr. David May gave a class Wednesday evening as well, and at our Friday fast night supper (we have a simple bread and cheese supper on Fridays, to fast for priests) people were invited to share their reflections and thoughts on what had been given them. A simple holy hour in the island chapel, optional, rounded up the week.

Beyond that, it was normal MH life, which this time of year entails a tremendous amount of physical labor. The farm, and especially the vegetable garden, is the place for a great amount of this. We are also in the midst of a long-term project of establishing a blueberry field at St. Mary’s, replacing the strawberries there. This has meant a tremendous amount of hole digging, peat mixing, transplanting, watering, all of which will only bear fruit two years down the line when the bushes are established.

A not so normal event was that a couple from Virginia whose parents live in the area were up visiting and came over one evening to play bluegrass music for us, being very fine musicians of that genre. They are old and good friends of MH, and love to come and share with us the music they love to play, and we love having them do it, so it’s a win-win. Another manifestation of beauty and goodness, in line with the theme of the week.

Well, I’m not sure what else is going on, although I’m quite certain there’s an awful lot that I’m missing here. This is the time of year when we really do start to have so many moving pieces in so many directions that it is pretty much impossible to know everything that’s going on. It is really great, though, especially if you love people, enthusiasm, energy, action (which I do).

That being said, I’m taking my energy, enthusiasm, and action on the road, in about an hour’s time. Heading first for an ordination in Pembroke, then on the road to the Nazareth family apostolate in Quebec for a week of family ministry. No computer, no wifi, and hence, no blog for the week. Pray for me and the families if you can, and I’ll be back next Sunday. God bless you!

This Week in St Therese Institute

Well, no 'This Week in Madonna House' this time around for the simple reason that I wasn't there and have no idea what went on. I did want to share a little bit about my week in Bruno SK, since it was a most interesting and delightful experience.

The website is here. I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed with the place, the St. Therese Institute of Faith and Mission. There are a little over 30 students there, mostly in the first-year program, all in their late teens to mid-twenties.

I had eight second year students along with three other people, for a week long intensive course on liturgy and sacraments. This entailed my giving 19 hours worth of lectures, along with supervising an in-class presentation by the students. In between my lecture sessions, I was well taken up with pastoral ministry--reconciliation, Mass, exposition--and participated fully in the schedule and way of life of the Institute each day.

It is quite a place, offering an intensive nine-month experience of study, prayer, community life. The students receive in-depth courses on Christian doctrine, spirituality, scripture, Church history, Ignatian discernment... and quite a bit more. The 'head stuff' is accompanied by a pretty rigorous schedule of common prayer (Lauds, Mass, Adoration and rosary every day), and considerable pastoral mentoring from the team who run the institute.

The spirituality taught is a beautiful synthesis of St. Therese of Lisieux's little way, Madonna House, and Ignatian principles. Catherine Doherty's books are a significant part of the syllabus, and I found MH literature and references virtually everywhere I turned in the place.

Anyhow, a program can look good on paper (and their program looks very good on paper), but the proof of it is in the students. And by that standard, STI is doing a great work indeed. The young adults I just spent the week with were thoughtful, prayerful, happy, fun, and clearly had already received a tremendous education and formation.

As I said, I was with the second years, which is a new addition this year--it had been a one-year program until now. I had asked them to submit questions on liturgy to me beforehand, so I would know where they were at. The questions blew me away, honestly. "How can we make the liturgy more kerygmatic?" "How do you personally see yourself evangelizing in how you celebrate the Mass?" "What is a way forward to reconcile the traditionalist and charismatic approaches to liturgy?" Those are few of the ones that I remember.

So we had a great time together, as I took them through the theology, history, structure, symbolism of the liturgy, both in the Mass and in the other sacraments and liturgical expressions. From the course evaluations I received, it would appear that I worked them pretty hard, and basically drowned them in information, but they were eager for everything I gave them.

All of which is to say that there are great things happening in little Bruno Saskatchewan, an hour east of Saskatoon on the Canadian prairies. And if you are yourself a young adult, or know young adults looking for a solid formational experience to ground your faith more deeply both in your minds and in your hearts, STI is a good place to consider or suggest. Besides the formation program, there was also a fantastic community spirit, and it is clear that friendships are being forged for life among these young men and women.

And that's what I did this week!

Ottawa, Mark Your Calendars!

OK - I've got two events coming up in the next month in the Ottawa area that might be of interest to readers.

First, on Tuesday, November 5, at 6:30 p.m., I am launching my book I-Choice: Staying Human in a Digital Age, at St. Patrick's Basilica, 281 Nepean St, in downtown Ottawa. Come here me expound on the effects and impact of technology, enjoy the free nibbles and drinks, and buy a signed copy of the book from the author. What's that - you already bought a copy? Well, surely you need an extra one to loan out to people, right? Anyhow... see you there.

Then on Sunday, November 17 I am speaking at Holy Rosary Church on 1153 Wellington (Wellington and Grant), at 6:00 p.m. on The Mercy of God in the Writings of Catherine Doherty. John Allen has identified 'mercy' as the key to understanding Pope Francis' papacy, and this timely subject is well served by examining what Catherine had to say about it. I'll have books for sale at that one, too, and more free nibbles... (it's always about the free food, isn't it?).

So... see you all there, at one or at both, all you Ottawans, and Ottawa Valley types, and general Eastern Ontario folks...

Going to Rome...

Well, I'm out the door again, this time heading for my first visit (hopefully not the last) to Rome. No, Pope Francis hasn't been reading my blog and summoned me to clarify a few points. I am going to represent the Madonna House priests at the diaconate ordination of our seminarian Michael Weitl.

I am planning to continue blogging, and even am bringing a camera with some vague idea of doing some 'travel blogging' - not my usual style, but what the heck.

On the other hand, I have no idea what sort of wifi access/time crunch I will be experiencing there, so blogging might get a bit sparse. If I disappear off the internet altogether, that's what's happened, and I'll see you all later in October. Wish me well!

On the Road Again, But Continuing to Blog

Well, I'm on the road again. This time I'm going to St. Gabriel, Quebec, for a week of ministry with the Nazareth family apostolate. I enjoy this kind of work immensely, but nonetheless ask your prayers for the families I will be with.
Meanwhile, I'm doing the same thing with the blog I did last time, when I was at Cana. Namely, I have written seven posts all scheduled to appear at precisely 7:00 a.m. each day I am away. For those of you who come to the blog via Facebook and Twitter, my posts will not appear on your news feeds, as I have to do that job manually and I am not here to do it. But I'm sure you would hate to miss the thrilling instalments of my journey through the Sermon on the Mount, so you'll just have to remember to come here somehow.
I have put comments on moderation, as I'm not here to receive and respond to them. Comments left will only be posted a week from now.

Off to England

Well, I'm sitting in Toronto's Pearson Airport, waiting for my flight to Manchester. I'm off to our house in Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire, UK for three weeks there, giving retreats and talks and whatnot (whatnot being whatever the director of the house tells me to do!).
I will try my level best to keep up with the blog, especially since we're in these historic times of papal succession. But, of course, being in a different place on a different schedule will no doubt make blogging a bit more sporadic the next few weeks. And while I am committed to the blog re-naming and re-design... well, we'll just have to see when that gets done.
Meanwhile, prayers please, as I jet and then train off to encounter the Yorkshire moors, pudding, and (possibly) terriers.

Retreat! Retreat!

So, off I am heading now to the distant city of Pem Broke Ontario (for those non-locals, it's about an hour away), to give a men's retreat. Expecting about 35 guys there, so should be full and fun.
As always, have no idea until I get there if I have wifi or what, so may be blogging again on Monday, or may be back here tomorrow.
Until then, prayers please, for the event.