It's been forever!

It's amazing how time can get away from you when you're having fun and keeping busy!  I can't believe it's been over 2 months since I've last written, but at least that means I've been staying busy!

So here's a rundown of what I've been up to for the past couple of months.

I began the month of November by going to Las Cruces to celebrate the wedding of two of my good friends from College.  It was a joy to be at Paul and Carol's wedding, and I wish them a life of happiness together!  It was also great to get to see so many friends from years past, and have a chance to catch up, even though it was just a very brief one.  But with so many people living in so many different places across the country, We sometimes just have to be greatful for the time that we do get to spend with friends, no matter how short it is.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to Albuquerque for Thanksgiving, but thankfully, my Grandparents live 4 hours away from where I am!  I was able to drive to Merillville, IN, for Thanksgiving, and spend it with my Grandparents, my Aunt and Uncle, and several of my cousins that I had not seen in a long time.  It was a great trip, and I very much enjoyed getting to spend time with a part of my family that I don't get to see very often.

I was able to go home for Christmas, and it was great to be able to see my family after being gone for almost 7 months.  It was also great to get some good New Mexican food, and some good green chile!  I was able to see many friends and people from my Parish back home, and it was nice for them to know that I am doing well.

I also went to Houston for a couple of days over Christmas Break, for a gathering of the Basilian Associates.  We went to the Basilian beach house on Galveston Island, and it was great!  There's something kind of strange about being on a beach on the 29th of December, with the temperature in the mid 70's, but hey, I'm not complaining!  It was a great reprieve from the (currently not so) cold north!

Still waiting for the first real snowfall of the year to hit... funny how this winter has been more like a NM winter!  Everyone is dreading what is to come though, because they're worried that we're going to get buried under one massive snowstorm here before too long.

School has been going well, and the Winter sports season is in full swing!  I've taken on the responsibility of announcing the Freshman and JV Basketball games, and it really is a lot of fun!  Hopefully it's something I can keep doing in the future.

That's about it for now.  More to come soon!

Imagine this...

We use this story on one of the retreats at CC.  I hope you find it as profound as I did.

The day is over, you are driving home. You turn on the radio in your car, and you hear a little blurb about a little village in India where some villagers have died suddenly, strangely, of a flu that has never been seen before. It's not influenza, but three or four people are dead, and it's kind of interesting. They're sending some doctors over there to investigate it.

You don't think much about it, but on Sunday, coming home from church, you hear another radio spot. Only this time, it's not three villagers, it's 30,000 villagers in the back hills of this particular area of India, and it's on TV that night. CNN runs a little blurb; people are heading there from the CDC because this disease strain has never been seen before.

By Monday morning when you get up, it's the lead story. And it's not just India; it's Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and before you know it, you're hearing this story everywhere and the news media is refering to it as "the mystery flu." The President has made some comment that he is praying and hoping that all will go well over there. But everyone is wondering, "How are we going to contain it?" That's when the President of France makes an announcement that shocks Europe. He is closing their borders. No flights from India, Pakistan, or any of the countries where this thing has been seen.

And that night you are watching a little bit of CNN before going to bed. Your jaw hits your chest when a weeping woman is translated from a French news program into English: "There's a man lying in a hospital in Paris dying of the mystery flu." It has come to Europe. Panic strikes. As best they can tell, once you get it, you have it for a week and you don't know it. Then you have four days of unbelievable symptoms. And then you die.

Britain closes it's borders, but it's too late. South Hampton, Liverpool, North Hampton, and it's Tuesday morning when the President of the United States makes the following announcement: "Due to a national security risk, all flights to and from Europe and Asia have been canceled. If your loved ones are overseas, I'm sorry. They cannot come back until we find a cure for this thing."

Within four days our nation has been plunged into an unbelievable fear. People are selling little masks for your face. People are talking about what if it comes to this country, and preachers on Tuesday are saying, "It's the scourge of God."

It's Wednesday night and you are at a church prayer meeting when somebody runs in from the parking lot and says, "Turn on a radio! turn on a radio!" And while the church listens to a little transistor radio with a microphone stuck up to it, the announcement is made. "Two women are lying in a Long Island hospital dying from the mystery flu." Within hours it seems, this thing just sweeps across the country. People are working around the clock trying to find an antidote. Nothing is working. California. Oregon. Arizona. Florida. Massachusetts. It's as though it's just sweeping in from the borders.

And then, all of a sudden the news comes out. The code has been broken. A cure can be found. A vaccine can be made. It's going to take the blood of somebody who hasn't been infected, and so, sure enough, all through the Midwest, through all those channels of emergency broadcasting, everyone is asked to do one simple thing: "Go to your downtown hospital and have your blood tested. That's all we ask of you. And when you hear the sirens go off in your neighborhood, please make your way quickly, quietly, and safely to the hospitals."

Sure enough, when you and your family get down there late on that Friday night, there is a long line, and they've got nurses and doctors coming out and pricking fingers and taking blood and putting labels on it. Your wife and your kids are out there, and they take your blood type and they say, "Wait here in the parking lot and if we call your name, you can be dismissed and go home."

You stand around with your neighbors, wondering what in the world is going on, and that this is the end of the world. Suddenly a young man comes running out of the hospital screaming. He's yelling a name and waving a clipboard. What? He yells it again! And your son tugs on your jacket and says, "Daddy, that's me." Before you know it, they have grabbed your boy. "Wait a minute, hold it!" And they say, "It's okay, his blood is clean. His blood is pure. We want to make sure he doesn't have the disease. We think he has got the right blood type!"

Five tense minutes later, out come the doctors and nurses, crying and hugging one another … some are even laughing. It's the first time you have seen anybody laugh in a week, and an old doctor walks up to you and says, "Thank you, sir. Your son's blood type is perfect. It's clean, it is pure, and we can make the vaccine." As the word begins to spread all across that parking lot full of folks, people are screaming and praying and laughing and crying. But then the gray-haired doctor pulls you and you wife aside and says, "May we see you for a moment? We didn't realize that the donor would be a minor and we need … we need you to sign a consent form."

You begin to sign and then you see that the number of pints of blood to be taken is empty. "H-h-h-how many pints?" And that is when the old doctor's smile fades and he says, "We had no idea it would be a little child. We weren't prepared. We need it all."

"But-but... You don't understand! He's my only son!" 

"We are talking about the world here. Please sign."

"But can't you give him a transfusion?"

"If we had clean blood we would. Can you please sign? We're running out of time."

In numb silence you do. Then they say, "Would you like to have a moment with him before we begin?"

Could you walk back? Could you walk back to that room where he sits on a table saying, "Daddy? Mommy? What's going on?" Could you take his hands and say, "Son, your mommy and I love you, and we would never ever let anything happen to you that didn't just have to be. Do you understand that?" And when that old doctor comes back in and says, "I'm sorry, we've … we've got to get started. People all over the world are dying." Could you leave? Could you walk out while he is saying, "Dad? Mom? Dad? Why are you leaving me? Why … why have you forgotten me?"

And the next week,  when there is a ceremony to honor your son, and some people sleep through it, and others don't come because they have other things to do, And some folks come with a pretentious smile and just pretend to care, Would you want to jump up and say, " EXCUSE ME!! MY SON DIED FOR YOU! DON'T YOU EVEN CARE!?" 

I wonder if that is how God feels sometimes.

Father, seeing it from your eyes should break our hearts. Maybe now we can begin to comprehend the great love you have for us.  

A long overdue update!

Events are definitely in full swing at Catholic Central!  Between Sunday Masses for various events, football games, retreats, and everything else associated with High School life, it feels like I am constantly running around , and hardly have any time to rest... much less blog!  But a lot of things have been happening, so it's been fun.

CC's football team is currently 8-1 on the season, with the Catholic League championship trophy now safely in our hands.  the championship game was held at Ford Field, so it was neat to be inside an NFL stadium for the first time.  I can only imagine what that place must be like on a Lions game day! Hopefully I'll get a chance to experience that at some point.  We start State Playoffs this week, and we're looking like we should have a good run (especially if the team keeps playing like they did in the Catholic League championship game!)

Another first is that I attended my first NHL game.  One of the Basilians had tickets to see the Red Wings play the Ottawa Senators, and that was an incredible experience!  It's such a fast-paced game, and because are seats were so close to the ice, you definitely felt like you were a part of the action, especially when one of the defensemen shot a beautiful goal from right in front of where we were sitting!

I haven't done much traveling recently, but I did get the chance to go over to Windsor last night, and visit with a couple of the Basilians who are there, as well as get to meet some of the students involved with University of Windsor Campus Ministry.   Even though the program is only in its second year, it seems to be thriving quite nicely. Kudos to Fr. Chris Valka for all the time and effort he's put into starting the Campus Ministry program there!

That's about it for now.  I'm headed back to NM in less than 2 weeks for a friend's wedding.  Looking forward to seeing a bunch of my friends, and to getting some good green chile!

Where were you when the world stopped turning?

September 11, 2001, started off just like any other day.  I was 15 years old, on my way out the door to go meet my carpool to go to Pius, when I hear on the TV that a plane had hit one of the twin towers.  I didn't think much of it, thinking it must have been cloudy in NYC, and some tiny prop plane must have gotten turned around, and hit one of the towers.  It wasn't until I got to school, and we heard on the radio that a second plane had hit tower two, that we realized that something bigger was going on.  Walking through the hallways, people were almost in a state of shock, wondering what was going on.  Rumors were flying, but when the school day started at 8 AM, and Fr. McKenna, our chaplain, came on the PA and told us that we were in the midst of a great tragedy in our nation, we knew that something big was happening.  I remember how hard it was to concentrate that day, seeing the images on TV in Mr. Torres' English Class, trying to concentrate in classes where teachers were still attempting to teach, but not being able to because of the fear that was setting in over what might happen next- the eerie quietness over the city because all air traffic was grounded, save for the fighters taking off from the Air Force Base.

What has happened that day changed our lives forever.  Looking back, it's hard to believe it's been 10 years since that day, and it's hard to believe how many lives have been changed- not just here, but in Afghanistan and Iraq.

It's interesting to me that the readings for Mass yesterday, the 10th Anniversary, speak of forgiveness.  This wasn't something that the Church cleverly designed, or planned for.  In the normal rotation of readings, This particular set for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time, just happened to land on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11.  I wonder if God is trying to tell us something?

The beginning of the school year, road trips, and retreats

School is off to a fine start. Hard to believe we're already in our fourth week of classes!  I've sure been busy these past few weeks, which is why I haven't written recently, but I finally have time to give you all an update as to what's been happening.

I'm settling into my job at the school pretty well.  It's different to not be teaching all day (I am co-teaching a drama class this semester, and I may teach one section by myself next semester, but that remains to be seen.) But I'm doing alright.  I find myself spending a lot of time looking over music and planning for upcoming school liturgies, which is great, because it gives me a chance to work on my piano playing.

I still haven't settled into a Parish yet, mainly because with the exception of the Sunday we went to Fr. Matthew's first Mass, I've had to sing at Mass for the school every weekend. every Sunday the football team has Mass at 8 AM at the school, before they practice, so I've been going to that Mass.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to be involved in a Parish a bit more at some point, but for now, I'm happy helping out where I'm needed.

Another part of my job is to go on all the class retreats.  I haven't done much in the way of leading any of the retreats just yet, but once I see how the retreats are structured, I will hopefully be able to jump in and help out!

Over Labor Day weekend, I took advantage of the fact that my Grandparents are only 4 hours away from Novi, and I drove down to visit them.  It was good to see them again, because it had  been FAR too long, and I enjoyed the time I spent with them.  I also got to go up to Chicago, and go to the Chicago Jazz Festival with a friend from NM who is now in Chicago for school.  It was a great time, and I was definitely glad the rain didn't spoil our fun.  We heard some great Jazz that day!

Fall is definitely in the air now.  Looking forward to seeing the trees change color, here in a few weeks!

Getting ready for the school year

It's that time again... and it always seems like when school starts, I hit the ground running!

This year is going to be a little different for me- because of my role as Assistant Campus Minister at Catholic Central, I won't really be in the classroom this year.  I'll be working with the drama class as time permits, but there is another teacher who is in charge of the class, so I won't really have any classes of my own.  If I can get a choir going, I will have that as well, but right now, my main job is to help with the planning of school liturgies, and there are three of them in the first 2 weeks of school! We have Mass for the staff tomorrow, Mass for the Freshmen on Monday, and our first school-wide Mass on August 25th.  It's going to be exciting, and hopefully a chance for me to jump in and discover a little more what the ministerial side of my role as a Priest will be like.  I'll also have the opportunity to help with retreats and reflection days, so that will be very nice as well!

Things have been going well since the move from Toronto to Novi.  I've been here for about a week and a half now, and I've mostly been spending my time getting settled in at the house, finding out where things are around town, and taking care of all the things you have to do when you move, such as getting a Michigan license, paperwork at the school, etc.  I also went out to Lansing, and visited a friend of mine who goes to Michigan State.  We were able to go see Casting Crowns in Concert, and it was great to be able to re-connect with someone from my College days!

I also had the opportunity to go to the Priestly Ordination of one of our Basilians.  The last time I had been to an Ordination, I was 12, so it was nice to be able to go to one, and have a greater understanding of what was happening.  It was a very powerful experience, and a very beautiful liturgy.  God willing, I will get to experience many more ordinations in my life, including my own!

That's about it for right now.  School officially starts Tuesday, so pray that all goes well!

Summer's coming to an end...

It's been a busy couple of weeks!  I've now finished up my internship at Salt and Light, and I am now heading to Novi, Michigan, to teach at Detroit Catholic Central High School.  I'm amazed at how fast the time flew by!  these past two months have been great, and I am really glad that I got the opportunity to come up here.

Salt and Light is a great organization, and I enjoyed my time there, not only because of the work that they do, but also because of the people I met.  People always talk about the lack of young adult involvement in the Church, but if those people could only see Salt and Light, I think they'd be truly amazed.  I've never seen an organization such as Salt and Light that is almost completely run by young adults.  Of course, you have Fr. Tom Rosica, and a couple of other "older" people, but it is truly great to see such a great youth involvement in the organization.  I sincerely hope I have the chance to go back there some day.  If you want to learn more about Salt and Light, check out their website at www.saltandlighttv.org

Last week, The three Basilian Associates who were living at Frasatti House welcomed three younger associates to Toronto, and then we all went on retreat in Niagara Falls for a week. It was a great experience, and a great chance to get to bond and connect with each other.  An added bonus was that the retreat center was within walking distance of the falls!  We got to go sightseeing at the falls, ride the Maid of the Mist, and walk by the falls at night.  I do have to admit that when we were doing our "walk and talks" as part of the retreat, it was great to be able to walk down to the falls!  Niagara Falls is truly a spectacular sight to see, and if you haven't been there, I highly recommend you go! (P.S., the Canadian side is the better side to view the falls from!)

Well, onward to the next adventure! I'm on my way to Michigan now (horray for free wi-fi on the train!)  Keep me in your prayers, and know that you'll be in mine.

Blessings,

Steven