The seminarians used colored sawdust to create a "carpet" of sorts for each altar.
The first altar, constructed by the seminarians in theology.
Our Lord, on the move.
The procession makes its way to another altar.
Showing posts with label Summer Plans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer Plans. Show all posts
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Pictures!
While it is true that the cable for my camera is home in South Bend, I just realized that I took some photos of the Seminary's Eucharistic Procession with my phone and thus can send them to my computer via blue-tooth. So alas some of my actual pictures from my time here in Guadalajara.
The seminarians used colored sawdust to create a "carpet" of sorts for each altar.
The first altar, constructed by the seminarians in theology.
Our Lord, on the move.
The procession makes its way to another altar.
The seminarians used colored sawdust to create a "carpet" of sorts for each altar.
The first altar, constructed by the seminarians in theology.
Our Lord, on the move.
The procession makes its way to another altar.
Recap: Mexico City
It has been a fairly busy couple of weeks down here in Mexico. Trying to cover everything in one post would be information overload, so I will probably break things down into a couple of different posts over the weekend. However before we get to the recap of the events of the past few weeks, a soccer note. Mexico is most certainly in the thick of World Cup fever. The past few weeks of group play have been exciting and the Cup seems to be the primary topic of conversation for just about everyone. Even us Americans at the language school find ourselves trying to sneak a peek at games during our breaks or even during class every now and then. I figure if the commentators are speaking in Spanish, it counts towards learning Spanish. With group play now over things have intensified as the tournament enters its elimination rounds. The US bowed out this morning against Ghana and the Mexicans play tomorrow against Argentina, which will certainly be interesting to watch/experience. The rest of this post will cover Chris and I's trip to Mexico City last weekend. Yes there are pictures and again I will put them up once I get home and find my cable.
Last weekend Chris and I ventured to Mexico City for a whirlwind trip. We left on a bus at 11:30 PM Friday night and got into Mexico City just about 6 AM Saturday morning. Before any of you conjure up images of a horrible Greyhound trip it needs to be noted that there are actually some extremely nice bus lines down here in Mexico, some might even say luxurious. The bus line we took from Guadalajara to Mexico City and back certainly fit into this category, with only 3 seats a row (1 seat - aisle - 2 seats) with plenty of leg room and a fair bit of recline to be about as comfortable as you can be on a bus. Each seat also had a personal entertainment system fully stocked with all sorts of TV shows and movies, of course all in Spanish. Anyway after making it to Mexico City at 6 AM Chris and I quickly familiarized ourselves with the Metro and went straight to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe to see Our Lady on Juan Diego's famed tilma or cloak (the primary purpose of our trip). The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe really is not so much a singular church as it is a complex. The actual Basilica is a relatively modern church built in 1976 after the original Basilica began sinking into the ground and was deemed unsafe. It is the current Basilica that currently displays the tilma of Juan Diego and in which St. Juan Diego was canonized in 2002 by John Paul II. After Mass and some time to pray in front of the image of Our Lady (which is made slightly difficult by the moving sidewalks that are employed to keep people moving) Chris and I headed to the Old Basilica, which was eventually shored up by engenieers, though still very much tilts to one side. The interior of the Old Basilica however is quite stunning. The third major building in the complex is the Chapel of St. Michael which is at the top of Tepeyac hill and provides great views of Mexico City and the Basilica complex. Our Last Guadalupe related stop was the museum our Our Lady which is more or less in the sacristy of the Old Basilica and houses some great religious art in a variety of styles.
After finishing up at the Basilica Chris and I headed to Chapultepec Park, Mexico City's version of Central Park, the park is very large and home not only to green space, but also to several museums, a zoo, and other odds and ends. We headed to the Museum of National History and the Chapultepec Castle (they're next to each other). These two buildings sit at the top of a hill in the park and provide more spectacularly great views of the city. The museum itself details the story of Mexico from its indigenous beginnings to the present day, with much emphasis on its colonization and its war for independence. The Castle has played home to a variety of things over the years, but is now a tourist attraction, being re-decorated to appear as it did when it was home to Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico, during the short lived Second Mexican Empire.
After the park it was downtown to the Zocalo or main plaza of Mexico City, with the Cathedral on one side of it and the national palace (think the West Wing, or the offices of the President) next to it. The plaza itself which is usually wide open was occupied by tons of high end booths and several large TV screens because it was declared the national gathering spot to watch the World Cup, but alas Chris and I were not deterred. While the national palace was off limits (we didn't have our passports), Chris and I made our way to the Cathedral which is certainly unique, with a strange interior design, it is sort of like 3 different worship spaces in the body of 1 church. The highlight of the visit however was certainly a trip up to the top of the Cathedral bell tower, which again led to some great views of the city.
After finishing up at the Cathedral many of the museums and public buildings were closed so Chris and I planned to walk around the downtown area and get a general feel for the city and to see what might cross our path. This was going well until it started pouring torrentially which drove Chris and I into a random mall to come up with a better game plan (and have a beer). After leafing the guidebook we came upon the Torre Latinoamericana, one of the tallest buildings in Latin America, and conveniently nearby and open late with several indoor observation decks and a bar at the top. After taking in a little museum on the history of the tower and the view of the city from the observation decks, Chris and I capped our day in Mexico City with a drink or two at the Bar on the 41st floor with a great view of the city. Then we caught the 11 PM bus back to Guadalajara, where we arrived 6 AM Sunday morning. While there was a minor stir when I left my wallet in the cab that took us from the bus station back home, all eventually ironed itself out after someone graciously found my wallet (with my phone number in it) and graciously returned it and importantly everything that was in it, later in the day. This certainly counted as a minor miracle, but was a great reminder that there are still people in the world who have the best of intentions and are willing to do that which is right.
That's all for now, more to come later in the day!
Last weekend Chris and I ventured to Mexico City for a whirlwind trip. We left on a bus at 11:30 PM Friday night and got into Mexico City just about 6 AM Saturday morning. Before any of you conjure up images of a horrible Greyhound trip it needs to be noted that there are actually some extremely nice bus lines down here in Mexico, some might even say luxurious. The bus line we took from Guadalajara to Mexico City and back certainly fit into this category, with only 3 seats a row (1 seat - aisle - 2 seats) with plenty of leg room and a fair bit of recline to be about as comfortable as you can be on a bus. Each seat also had a personal entertainment system fully stocked with all sorts of TV shows and movies, of course all in Spanish. Anyway after making it to Mexico City at 6 AM Chris and I quickly familiarized ourselves with the Metro and went straight to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe to see Our Lady on Juan Diego's famed tilma or cloak (the primary purpose of our trip). The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe really is not so much a singular church as it is a complex. The actual Basilica is a relatively modern church built in 1976 after the original Basilica began sinking into the ground and was deemed unsafe. It is the current Basilica that currently displays the tilma of Juan Diego and in which St. Juan Diego was canonized in 2002 by John Paul II. After Mass and some time to pray in front of the image of Our Lady (which is made slightly difficult by the moving sidewalks that are employed to keep people moving) Chris and I headed to the Old Basilica, which was eventually shored up by engenieers, though still very much tilts to one side. The interior of the Old Basilica however is quite stunning. The third major building in the complex is the Chapel of St. Michael which is at the top of Tepeyac hill and provides great views of Mexico City and the Basilica complex. Our Last Guadalupe related stop was the museum our Our Lady which is more or less in the sacristy of the Old Basilica and houses some great religious art in a variety of styles.
After finishing up at the Basilica Chris and I headed to Chapultepec Park, Mexico City's version of Central Park, the park is very large and home not only to green space, but also to several museums, a zoo, and other odds and ends. We headed to the Museum of National History and the Chapultepec Castle (they're next to each other). These two buildings sit at the top of a hill in the park and provide more spectacularly great views of the city. The museum itself details the story of Mexico from its indigenous beginnings to the present day, with much emphasis on its colonization and its war for independence. The Castle has played home to a variety of things over the years, but is now a tourist attraction, being re-decorated to appear as it did when it was home to Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico, during the short lived Second Mexican Empire.
After the park it was downtown to the Zocalo or main plaza of Mexico City, with the Cathedral on one side of it and the national palace (think the West Wing, or the offices of the President) next to it. The plaza itself which is usually wide open was occupied by tons of high end booths and several large TV screens because it was declared the national gathering spot to watch the World Cup, but alas Chris and I were not deterred. While the national palace was off limits (we didn't have our passports), Chris and I made our way to the Cathedral which is certainly unique, with a strange interior design, it is sort of like 3 different worship spaces in the body of 1 church. The highlight of the visit however was certainly a trip up to the top of the Cathedral bell tower, which again led to some great views of the city.
After finishing up at the Cathedral many of the museums and public buildings were closed so Chris and I planned to walk around the downtown area and get a general feel for the city and to see what might cross our path. This was going well until it started pouring torrentially which drove Chris and I into a random mall to come up with a better game plan (and have a beer). After leafing the guidebook we came upon the Torre Latinoamericana, one of the tallest buildings in Latin America, and conveniently nearby and open late with several indoor observation decks and a bar at the top. After taking in a little museum on the history of the tower and the view of the city from the observation decks, Chris and I capped our day in Mexico City with a drink or two at the Bar on the 41st floor with a great view of the city. Then we caught the 11 PM bus back to Guadalajara, where we arrived 6 AM Sunday morning. While there was a minor stir when I left my wallet in the cab that took us from the bus station back home, all eventually ironed itself out after someone graciously found my wallet (with my phone number in it) and graciously returned it and importantly everything that was in it, later in the day. This certainly counted as a minor miracle, but was a great reminder that there are still people in the world who have the best of intentions and are willing to do that which is right.
That's all for now, more to come later in the day!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Whooah were halfway there...
It's hard to believe, but Chris and I have come to the end of week 3 here in Guadalajara, the official halfway point of our summer in Mexico, to mark the occasion Chris and I made a special weekend trip, but more on that later. On Tuesday the students at CIRIMEX (our language school) participated for the 3rd time in a mass and procession to mark the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, this after already celebrating on Thursday and Friday. This time we celebrated the Solemnity at the Archdiocesan Seminary here in Guadalajara. Every year they have their own mass and procession the Tuesday after the Thursday of Corpus as an event to invite family and friends to as well as to gather the entire seminary (both major and minor) community. Usually the Cardinal Archbishop presides, but alas this year he was in Rome to attend festivities for the closing of the Year for Priests, a worthy exemption indeed. In his place, the seminary Rector, who also happens to be an auxiliary bishop presided with 3 of the other auxiliary bishops con-celebrating, one of whom gave the homily. It sounded like a good homily to me, but then again I caught maybe a word or two a sentence. However the highlight was the procession after the mass. There were three extremely elaborate altars set up, each by one of the respective seminary communities (the philosophers, the theologians, and the minor seminarians). These altars would put just about any altar in the US to shame. For being temporary, two of them were close to 30 feet high and one of them had large depictions of the sacred hearts of Jesus and Mary, complete with blood (dyed water) running from their sides. The altars also all had elaborate "carpets" set up in front of them to welcome the blessed sacrament. There were created by packing together dyed sawdust to make some pretty elaborate pictures (again pictures to come one I get back to ND and find my camera cable). Alas yours truly was extremely impressed, it was an amazing way to spend a morning (not to mention we got to skip class for it). On another liturgical note this Friday was the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Patronal Feast Day of the Holy Cross Priests. It was a school day so there was not much partying to be done, however Chris and I did find some time to celebrate with mass (of course), some adoration, and a trip to Dairy Queen (it was after all a Holy Cross Feast Day).
The other major event of the week was a little cultural field trip that Chris and I made on Saturday to mark our halfway point. The town of Tequila is just a 45 minute ride away from Guadalajara and there are more than a few groups in Guadalajara that offer tours of Tequila. Chris and I caught the tour bus at a local hotel and it took us first to a farm (owned by the Cuervo company) where Agave plants (the base for Tequila) are grown. There we had a demonstration by a Jimador (an agave farmer) on how agave is planted and then harvested and prepared for making Tequila. I have to admit that this was actually pretty fascinating (more so for me than Chris) as the tools required include a 3 foot machete and a 6 foot (height) spade with a ridiculously sharp end called a Coa:
The other major event of the week was a little cultural field trip that Chris and I made on Saturday to mark our halfway point. The town of Tequila is just a 45 minute ride away from Guadalajara and there are more than a few groups in Guadalajara that offer tours of Tequila. Chris and I caught the tour bus at a local hotel and it took us first to a farm (owned by the Cuervo company) where Agave plants (the base for Tequila) are grown. There we had a demonstration by a Jimador (an agave farmer) on how agave is planted and then harvested and prepared for making Tequila. I have to admit that this was actually pretty fascinating (more so for me than Chris) as the tools required include a 3 foot machete and a 6 foot (height) spade with a ridiculously sharp end called a Coa:
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Off to Guadalajara
Well friends, after a couple of days back at Moreau to finish sorting and packing up my things and moving into my new 3rd floor room (a place for me to store my stuff and sleep when I visit Moreau from Phoenix next year) I am off again to Guadalajara, Mexico to begin Spanish Language studies. Please keep Chris Rehagen (my partner in crime over the next 6 weeks) and me in your prayers as we both immerse ourselves into the Spanish language and Mexican culture. For now though, I will leave you with this parting tribute to my home for the next 6 weeks.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
On Retreat
Things have finally quieted down here in the Bend, papers are all turned in, final exams taken, and Moreau has for the most part cleared out. There really is not much left to do but pack up and get ready for the summer.
I wanted to let you know that these pages will be quiet for the next week or so as I head to St. Meinrad's Archabbey, in St. Meinrad, IN for my annual personal retreat. St. Meinrad's Archabbey is a monastery of Benedictine monks of the Swiss-American congregation in the southern part of Indiana (about a 6 hour drive) and they have graciously allowed me to join then for the comming week to get in some solid prayer time (and R&R as well) for the next week.
Just a note on "retreats," for many "retreats" are those things you did in high school (if you went to a Catholic one) or for CCD with cheesy ice breakers, corny skits and forced talk about God. If you did retreats in college, there were still probably cheesy ice breakers, but lots of growing closer to God, staying up late, affirmation sessions, praise and worship music, hearing people's faith stories, etc. Which begs the question, what is a "personal retreat" and why go to a monestary? For me an annual personal retreat (which all Holy Cross religious are obliged to take) is a time to step back and reconnect with God. Our lives are often extremely busy with ministry and/or studies and though we certainly try to do our best to pray on a daily basis and reflect on how we are doing, we need to at some time each year take a step back, stop the presses, and just be with God. A retreat is quiet time free from work or study, to more deeply examine how our year has gone, to ask, how have I grown closer to God? or maybe even, in what ways have I distanced myself from God? Retreat is a precious time where I can dedicate myself more intensely for a short period to prayer, self reflection, and spiritual growth.
So for the next week I will join the monk's of St. Meinrad's in their monastic schedule [common prayer at 5:30 (vigils & lauds), 7:30 (mass), noon (daytime prayer), 5:00 (vespers), and 7:00 (compline)]. I choose to make my annual retreat at a monastery because its rythm of prayer keeps me honest and really helps me spend the entire day in contact with God. During the other times of the day I will do some reading (spiritual and recreational), journaling, private prayer, and just get some rest. Hopefully this week of retreat will help me slow down a bit after the hectic end to the semester and get me in a good place before taking off for Mexico.
As always, your prayers while I am on retreat are most appreciated and I promise that I will be spending time praying for each and every one of you as well.
God Bless!
I wanted to let you know that these pages will be quiet for the next week or so as I head to St. Meinrad's Archabbey, in St. Meinrad, IN for my annual personal retreat. St. Meinrad's Archabbey is a monastery of Benedictine monks of the Swiss-American congregation in the southern part of Indiana (about a 6 hour drive) and they have graciously allowed me to join then for the comming week to get in some solid prayer time (and R&R as well) for the next week.
Just a note on "retreats," for many "retreats" are those things you did in high school (if you went to a Catholic one) or for CCD with cheesy ice breakers, corny skits and forced talk about God. If you did retreats in college, there were still probably cheesy ice breakers, but lots of growing closer to God, staying up late, affirmation sessions, praise and worship music, hearing people's faith stories, etc. Which begs the question, what is a "personal retreat" and why go to a monestary? For me an annual personal retreat (which all Holy Cross religious are obliged to take) is a time to step back and reconnect with God. Our lives are often extremely busy with ministry and/or studies and though we certainly try to do our best to pray on a daily basis and reflect on how we are doing, we need to at some time each year take a step back, stop the presses, and just be with God. A retreat is quiet time free from work or study, to more deeply examine how our year has gone, to ask, how have I grown closer to God? or maybe even, in what ways have I distanced myself from God? Retreat is a precious time where I can dedicate myself more intensely for a short period to prayer, self reflection, and spiritual growth.
So for the next week I will join the monk's of St. Meinrad's in their monastic schedule [common prayer at 5:30 (vigils & lauds), 7:30 (mass), noon (daytime prayer), 5:00 (vespers), and 7:00 (compline)]. I choose to make my annual retreat at a monastery because its rythm of prayer keeps me honest and really helps me spend the entire day in contact with God. During the other times of the day I will do some reading (spiritual and recreational), journaling, private prayer, and just get some rest. Hopefully this week of retreat will help me slow down a bit after the hectic end to the semester and get me in a good place before taking off for Mexico.
As always, your prayers while I am on retreat are most appreciated and I promise that I will be spending time praying for each and every one of you as well.
God Bless!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Summer Plans
Many in the past few weeks have asked me what my plans for this summer are. I admit its a pretty full summer with a fair bit of moving around so its perfectly understandable that folks forget in a matter of minutes so for the record here is the rundown of what my summer will look like. If you are anywhere around these locales during these dates, free free to let me know, I'd love a chance to catch up:
May 5 - May 15:
Annual Retreat, St. Meinrad's Archabbey, St. Meinrad, IN
Annual Retreat, St. Meinrad's Archabbey, St. Meinrad, IN
May 15 - May 18:
Notre Dame
Notre Dame
May 18 - July 2:
Language School, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Language School, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
July 2 - July 6:
Notre Dame
Notre Dame
July 6 - July 14:
New York
July 14 on:
Pastoral Year, Goodyear, AZ
Pastoral Year, Goodyear, AZ
It's going to be a jammed packed summer but will also be an awesome summer and luckily this blog now allows me to stay in contact with you all!
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