Take Me Home to Cleveland!

Hey Folks!

After our "Province Days" at John Carroll University this weekend, I now have several days to spend in Cleveland. I'm heading off to my *favorite* brewery - the Great Lakes Brewing Company - in fifteen minutes. My old friend Jeff P. will be joining me (pray that he joins the Jesuits, too!!) and I can just taste the yeasty goodness of Dortmunder Gold. If Dortmunder had been chosen by Jesus instead of wine, I think there'd be more people attending the Eucharist. Yes, it is *that* good.

On Thursday we'll be heading to Chicago, and on Friday to Omaha, and on Saturday we'll wind our way to Denver. We'll be in Denver until the middle of July, so there's no telling whether I'll be able to post much of anything during that time. I expect I shall be able to keep everyone updated, but there'll be no promises.

Oh, let me say something of Province Days. I had a WONDERFUL time getting to meet a lot of Jesuits from the Detroit Province, particularly teachers I'd had in high school and hadn't seen in years. Father Ray Guiao did an absolutely marvelous job with the music, and one singer in particular - Laurence Wallace - was absolutely sublime. The St. Ignatius High School chorus did their school proud, though I hasten to add that their vocal stylings were enhanced by members of the Walsh Jesuit choir. The music, the vocals, the whole ambience was just wonderful...I was so proud to be a part of it all!

There's not too much else to report. It's hard to believe that it's already June...and with five weeks in Denver followed by a pilgrimage to an as-yet-undecided location followed by two weeks vacation (yes, this is truly a hard life. I mean, working in the "vineyard of the Lord" is hard work!) we'll see the current second year men off and then welcome the newbies (aka Fresh Fish) to the novitiate.

I bought a new CD last week - Michael Buble's "It's Time." It's a lovely CD, though the critics among us will call it derivative and un-original. I like it because he has a good voice and I like his renditions of the songs. Track 5 "Home" resonates with my experience of being away from home weekend after weekend, though being at "Jesuit Camp" has, in some ways, curtailed my travel schedule (though it's hard to note with the traveling done this year: Boston, Wyoming, Denver, Cleveland, Chicago, Omaha, etc!!).

One last thing. Father Howard "Abba" Gray, SJ gave several BRILLIANT talks during our Province Days. Besides the fact that he could read the phone book and make it interesting, he's a tremendous knack for pithy aphorisms or sayings that capture succinctly his wisdom. Saturday's line: " We're not called to discipleship because we're efficient. We're called because we have no choice but to be called by the Savior of humanity." Interreligious issues notwithstanding, it's a profound insight into the nature of call and the response of discipleship, of relationship, with the living Christ.

I'll try to post some fun pictures later this week!