Back to Mundelein 2011

Hi again,

So I am back here at Mundelein getting ready for the second year of pre-theology.  Our silent retreat starts tomorrow night and runs until Friday so I thought I’d write quickly before then.  I am then occupied the next day, so if you are going to contact me wait until next week Sunday.

Since I wrote last I have had a few things go on while I have been getting ready for the new school year.  One of these is a fundraiser that the seminarians help out with.  The money raised helps the vocation program for the Diocese of La Crosse.  This year it was a bit different than the way it had been in the past, but I liked this a bit better. 

We converted the large dining room at the diocesan center to look somewhat like a place that you would see in Rome.  The event was titled “A Night in Rome with Bishop Callahan”.  We borrowed a lot of props from the local Catholic University’s theater department and I would say that it looked wonderful.  In the past there had been a nice served meal, this year it was kind of buffet style of Italian dishes.  Part way through the night the vocation director and the bishop talked for a few minutes and then it went back to just a socializing evening with seminarians and the bishop mingling and talking to people.  It was nice.  I left shortly after the talks so I had gone down early to set up.  I was leaving to go to a friend’s birthday parting across the state. 

I had thought that the friend’s birthday party was Friday night when I set up to leave early, I found out shortly before the event that it was Saturday, but I still left early to drive part way across the state so that I could get to my friend’s early.  The friend whose birthday it was is one of my dearest friends.  She has moved to the west coast for work and we don’t get to see each other much.  I was so happy to go to this party, see her and some other friends.  We had a bonfire and camped out in the back yard before going to church together the next morning. 

After Mass I headed to see another friend who lived near that area before driving back to Stevens Point for a few days.  Again this time in Stevens Point was nice and relaxing.  I did some chores around the parish, and went out to dinner with a few parishioners before getting ready to head back to Mundelein.  I got in here on Thursday afternoon and got to work setting up my room.  I built a loft for my bed to give me more room, this was a big project but it makes my room very livable, I like it a lot.  It has been great spending time with friends and catching up after the summer before the retreat begins.

You will all be in my prayers during this silent retreat.

Peace,
Adam

End of Scout Camp and Start of Time Off 2011

Hello again,

                Since I wrote last I have had a half a week of being very busy at scout camp followed by a week in Stevens Point without regular internet access, plus I just didn't write for a few days after getting back here.  It is amazing how long it seems since I have written, although it has been pretty low key, not a lot going on.

 

                In my last post I promised that I would write about finishing up at camp, the last week of Boy Scouts and the half week of Weblos.  The last week of Boy Scouts was both great and difficult at the same time.  Attendance at the chapel services was pretty good, and I felt like I connected with quite a few of the scouts. 

 

Although I had been offering to the leaders all summer to come in for an ethics talk with the scouts I had never had any troops take me up on it.  The last week of scouts I had 4 troops ask for this.  For these ethics talks another staff member and I go in and sit down with the scouts, ask the leaders to leave for about 45 minutes and talk about issues that are affecting young men of this age range.  I asked the leaders if there were any specific issues going on in the troop.  Each and every one of them said that they were having major bullying issues with the scouts in their troop, so this was a big part of the talk. 

 

It is expected that boys of this age will have some issues with bullying, but this was an exceptionally bad case of it.  It amazed me how during the summer each week seemed to have its own characteristic of what the troops were dealing with, despite the fact that they were from all over and not really and pattern to when they come in.  But they have some of the same issues, and that week it was bullying.  I am sure that these 45 minute talks weren't going to work miracles with this issue, but the leaders did comment to me that there seemed to be some improvement after the talk.  It gave them some time to think about it, and I think that the way that we presented the issue to them caused them some pause when they were about to be bullying someone. 

 

After that week was the half week of Weblo scouts.  This is the oldest two years of Cub Scouts, before they transition to Boy Scouts.  This half a week ran quite a bit like those with the Boy Scouts, just condensed into a shorter time.  I was surprised with these scouts being a bit younger that I didn't have much for homesick to deal with, I guess that is partially because of how short the time was for them.  I did something pretty cool with them that I hadn't done with the scouts.  We only had one chapel service due to the time, but instead we did a chapel minute at the end of most meals.  There were a couple that time just got too short, or the person coordinating the after meal activities forgot.  It was pretty cool and I got a lot of compliments on it.

 

When I left scout camp I went out for a drink with a couple of friends from camp before heading to Winona for one night.  I left the next morning and after completing a bit of running around in La Crosse I headed over to Stevens Point.

 

Nothing too special was going on in Stevens Point.  I took care of some chores for the parish and I served both Masses on the weekend in addition to catching up with some friends in the area.  It was a nice visit.  I then came back to Winona and will be here for a week and a half before heading out again.  I am keeping up with personal prayer and attending daily Mass often to revitalize myself before heading into the upcoming school year.  I have been looking into the possible move to St. Paul seminary after this year.  It is kind of fun doing this research and having some down time is nice.

 

Peace,

Adam