Surprise! After getting a nice email from Ms. Ann Langille, former Maryknoll employee who worked with our late and dear Fr. John Halbert in the Retirement Community, I decided it was time to come out of my hiatal hibernation. (Sounds painful, I know.)
Ann, like several other dear friends of Maryknoll, check in from time to time with Knollnews to keep up with all the intrigue and drama that somehow never make it into "Journey of Faith", much less the Maryknoll Magazine. As I told her in my reply, my silence was part busyness and part laziness, because there is certainly enough going on at Mother Knoll these days to merit mentioning.
A gathering of about 20 Maryknoll Affiliates and their governing board (reps from the Society, Congregation and Lay Missioners) just finished a four-day meeting at the Knoll. It was certainly wonderful having people with pulses join us for meals!
Speaking of which, another 75 vocation ministers swelled our ranks at lunch time on Saturday (yesterday) thanks to the organizing efforts of Deacon Steve DeMartino and Fr. Jim Madden of our vocations office. Ms. Margeret Sheehan, Sodexo manager, gave the men a heads-up on Friday lest there be more complaints of too much noise in the dining room or someone's cheese having been moved.
Early arrivals for our once-in-a century pan-Society Gathering have begun trickling in. Our youngest priest missioner, Fr. Rodrigo Ulloa-Chavarry, is back (at least physically) from Nepal. Due to jet-lag, his mind is expected to arrive by Tuesday. Fr. Ed Shellito is also in from (I want to say) Namibia (?). I want to avoid the annoying Maryknoll habit of citing all missions by country name but then clumping all Africa into one geographic lump. The nice thing about the blog and internet is I can correct a mistake as soon as it is pointed out. So if Shellito is not from Namibia but from Sudan, Mozambique, Congo, Hoboken or Burkina Faso, please let me know and I will change.
Other news: at the house meeting last week it was decided to experiment with a long-proposed earlier wake service. This has been on the back burner since Fr. Ray Hill's council in 1989! So, the next Maryknoller to die (if there is one) will be waked at the Center at 4:15 instead of 7:30. This will also allow Maryknoll employees a chance to attend. An earlier wake will be held at St. T's at their discretion.
Speaking of experiment (and intrigue and drama), the year's experiment with the ambo and new configuration of the main chapel officially ended with the Triduum, as per the original arrangement. Now it's time for the evaluation. A non-biased and impartial survey will be sent to all Society members, asking simply whether to revert to the traditional, tired, and boring set-up or maintain the current, dynamic, awe-inspiring and liturgically excellent arrangement. The survey will be numbered to insure no one stuffs the ballot box, as it were. The Gathering will allow the greatest number of members to see and experience the ambo and chapel in its present configuration, in order for them to make an informed and enlightened choice (not that this has ever stopped us before).
Whatever the outcome, the chapel will remain in its present formation until after he Jubilee celebration.
Ann, like several other dear friends of Maryknoll, check in from time to time with Knollnews to keep up with all the intrigue and drama that somehow never make it into "Journey of Faith", much less the Maryknoll Magazine. As I told her in my reply, my silence was part busyness and part laziness, because there is certainly enough going on at Mother Knoll these days to merit mentioning.
A gathering of about 20 Maryknoll Affiliates and their governing board (reps from the Society, Congregation and Lay Missioners) just finished a four-day meeting at the Knoll. It was certainly wonderful having people with pulses join us for meals!
Speaking of which, another 75 vocation ministers swelled our ranks at lunch time on Saturday (yesterday) thanks to the organizing efforts of Deacon Steve DeMartino and Fr. Jim Madden of our vocations office. Ms. Margeret Sheehan, Sodexo manager, gave the men a heads-up on Friday lest there be more complaints of too much noise in the dining room or someone's cheese having been moved.
Early arrivals for our once-in-a century pan-Society Gathering have begun trickling in. Our youngest priest missioner, Fr. Rodrigo Ulloa-Chavarry, is back (at least physically) from Nepal. Due to jet-lag, his mind is expected to arrive by Tuesday. Fr. Ed Shellito is also in from (I want to say) Namibia (?). I want to avoid the annoying Maryknoll habit of citing all missions by country name but then clumping all Africa into one geographic lump. The nice thing about the blog and internet is I can correct a mistake as soon as it is pointed out. So if Shellito is not from Namibia but from Sudan, Mozambique, Congo, Hoboken or Burkina Faso, please let me know and I will change.
Other news: at the house meeting last week it was decided to experiment with a long-proposed earlier wake service. This has been on the back burner since Fr. Ray Hill's council in 1989! So, the next Maryknoller to die (if there is one) will be waked at the Center at 4:15 instead of 7:30. This will also allow Maryknoll employees a chance to attend. An earlier wake will be held at St. T's at their discretion.
Speaking of experiment (and intrigue and drama), the year's experiment with the ambo and new configuration of the main chapel officially ended with the Triduum, as per the original arrangement. Now it's time for the evaluation. A non-biased and impartial survey will be sent to all Society members, asking simply whether to revert to the traditional, tired, and boring set-up or maintain the current, dynamic, awe-inspiring and liturgically excellent arrangement. The survey will be numbered to insure no one stuffs the ballot box, as it were. The Gathering will allow the greatest number of members to see and experience the ambo and chapel in its present configuration, in order for them to make an informed and enlightened choice (not that this has ever stopped us before).
Whatever the outcome, the chapel will remain in its present formation until after he Jubilee celebration.
No comments:
Post a Comment