Photo: Down in Texas

To see photos of from Texas near Corpus Christi, click on the link below:

Pics of Texas

Summer's Over?

We are about to flip to the other side of August and weather wise this means changes. Now, it's not as if fall is going come in on the 16th of the month, but daylight is rapidly diminishing and this will have profound affects on our weather. In northern Canada there is a small town called Resolute. Since May, Resolute has enjoyed 24 hours of daylight. In the next 15 days they will lose over 7 hours of that light and by mid-September sunrise and sunset will grow closer together for a loss of another 5 hours. The loss of the sun means temperatures will cool there as well as across the rest of the northern parts of our hemisphere. I am fascinated by Resolute. Temperatures today are in the 30s with periods of cold and snow. Although it may still warm into the 40s this month, the temperature trend is heading lower. You might ask, what the heck does that have to do with us? As colder air builds to the north it will be help to push the jet stream further south. As the jet stream moves south, our air cools, we lose humidity and we generally get a bit stormier. It takes, depending on the year, about 8 to 10 weeks for that jet stream to move more permanently into our area. Once that happens fall and even winter arrive. Last year, the jet stream rarely moved south but this winter I expect that to not be the case. More on the winter forecast in the next couple of weeks.

http://www.boston.com/news/weather/weather_wisdom/2012/08/the_weather_this_weekend.html

A Seldom Used Gem

I am sitting in the Ambulatory given to the Society of Jesus by Iraqi graduates of Al-Hikma University and Baghdad college. It is a stunning piece of architecture that connects the Health Center wing of Campion Center to the Main Dining Room, chapel, and Jesuit residences. It was built for two purposes: to help older Jesuits connect with the Province's past and to give them some space to spread out while enjoying the magnificent views of nature from a glassed-in vantage point.

I'm praying and reflecting upon my impending mission to Amman, Jordan and I am enveloped by plaques that detail our missionary past. I will soon be one of those missionaries whose work is central to Jesuit ministry. I survey parishes we once ran, closed retreat houses and villas, the grand missions to Iraq and Jamaica, and former mission territories. We once had thriving communities in various places. The work is still great and there are far fewer Jesuits to send to those areas.

On my way to the ambulatory I ran into one Jesuit who said he was glad I was leaving Gloucester. Perplexed, I asked why? Most people have said they are sad to see me leave. He cheerfully replied that Gloucester is too small for me and I will flourish in a bigger stage. I asked him how he meant it and thankfully he replied that it is a compliment. I was worried because I don't ever want to give the impression that I am more important than the work. He did not mean it that way. He just sees Gloucester as a very small corner of the world and he sees that I have more to give. What a relief!

It is wonderful to be at Campion Center where a Health Center thrives, the Jesuit community is engaged, and the retreat center is very busy. It is in the wealthy town of Weston so it is often good to leave the property and dialogue with the rest of the world.

A walk through our cemetery tells a wondrous story. It is hard to walk through it without choking up. Many deceased Jesuits have done some excellent work before us and they have built up such good relationships in life. I'm sad to know they are not here with us. Death is hard because it is final and while we have faith, death is still difficult. However, I feel like I am immersed in my province's brief history. Men who have touched so many lives of others so profoundly are in my consciousness. This place once bounded by young Jesuit philosophers and theologians; now it serves mainly the retired and infirm Jesuits, but alive in the corridors are the spirits of many men who came to know the Lord intimately. They formed lives based on being friends of Jesus. I'm glad to just be sitting here in the midst of the past and present.

The story continues....

The Spirit of Silence

From the Australian Provincial

In his concluding speech at the recent Congregation of Procurators, Fr General Adolfo Nicolás SJ urged Jesuits around the world to recover the spirit of silence. It is a timely message for all of us in these busy times.

On this Feast of the Assumption, Fr Nicolás’ words make me think of Mary's prayerfulness and her ability to ponder things in her heart.

The silence of our hearts is indeed a beautiful place to meet God. Here is what Fr Nicolás said on the subject of silence:

I believe that one of the primary challenges facing the Society today is that of recovering the spirit of silence. I am not thinking of disciplinary measures, fixed times of silence, going back to religious houses that look more like monasteries. Rather, I am thinking of the hearts of our men.

We all need a place inside ourselves where there is no noise, where the voice of the Spirit of God can speak to us, softly and gently, and direct our discernment. In a very true sense we need the ability to become ourselves silence, emptiness, an open space that the Word of God can fill, and the Spirit of God can set on fire for the good of others and of the Church.

More than ever, every Jesuit should be able to live like a monk in the middle of the noise of the city – as an Orthodox friend of ours once said. That means that our hearts are our monasteries and at the bottom of every activity, every reflection, every decision, there is silence, the kind of silence that one shares only with God.

Family Gathering

I spent some time on mid-Cape Cod to visit my aunt Nancy (my mother's sister) and her husband, Bill, and their dog, Lucky. It was good to spend some time with them. We had the pleasure of watching a rare athletic event. The Red Sox won against the Cleveland Indians by a score of 14-1 with Jon Lester pitching. It is eerie how siblings can be so alike and dissimilar at the same time.

Nancy and Bill's children (Bob, Ellen, and Julie) plan to visit the Cape later in the week. This is the anniversary of Julie's son, Brian's, untimely death.

 After a while we visited my cousins who are the children of my mother's other sister who is deceased. I haven't seen most of them since my aunt's death seven years ago. I can't believe that much time has passed. Mary was the chef and host in that smooth style much like her mother'. Jamie sounded and had mannerisms a lot like his deceased father. Ann and Valerie visited from Oregon. All the women resemble their mother so much, but in very different ways. It was a pleasure to see all of them with their children.

Since my family of origin lived 40 minutes away from my aunt's family, we hardly spent any time together. It is a blessing to see them again as adults. I'm proud of them and I'm happy they are my relatives.

Photo: Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway

To see photos of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway in Boston, click on the link below:

Pics of the Greenway

Photo: Boston Red Sox in their Centennial Year

To see photos of the 100th Anniversary Year of the Boston Red Sox, click on the link below:

Pics of the Red Sox's Centennial Year