Time to make the donuts ... or write a thesis

This morning I woke up early (for me), ready to start the day with this thought: "Time to make the donuts."

For those of you who were around in the 80s, this is of course the tag line of a series of commercials for a certain donut chain.  Every day, Fred the Baker would wake up bright and early and head out the door to make the donuts.

Given that I need to get my thesis done in pretty quick order during the next 3 months, while simultaneously preparing for my comprehensive exams, I'm not surprised this bit of pop culture popped into my subconscious. I've got a pretty rigorous research, writing and study plan.

And TODAY is the day I switch from research to actually writing the first chapter.  Hence, today is the first of many days when it is "time to write the thesis."

Milestones and a new adventure

It is hard to believe that is almost 2 years since I arrived in Chicago to study at Catholic Theological Union! I finished my coursework for my Masters of Arts Degree in Theology (major in Ethics, minor in Spirituality) last semester.  This summer I have been busy reviewing my research, papers and notes to draft the questions that will be the basis for my oral comprehensive exams in November.

I met with my advisor last week to review my first draft of questions, and just e-mailed off a revised set to my board for approval, which I hope are close to the final product.  Next step is to develop outlines and study guides!

Preparing the questions really was a meaningful process. I learned a lot in the effort, in no small part because turning my ethics papers into comps questions involved a bit of re-engineering.  Typically, my papers involve substantial research and social analysis into a topic or issue to which I then apply insights and methods from theological ethics.  However, because the purpose of the exam is not to show how much I learned about climate change, human trafficking, racism, or the feminization of migration, but rather to prove my knowledge, grasp, and facility with theological ethics, I had to flip everything on its head.  In the process, I surprised myself about how much I understand now about the Catholic moral tradition. Which of course is the point of the degree!

My advisor encouraged me to go ahead and draft outlines now for the questions, while I still have this depth of knowledge on the forefront of my brain. So now that the questions are finished, that's my plan for the next two days.

Then on Tuesday I switch gears and attend the Summer Institute for the National Religious Vocation Conference. Yes, in the mix of whatever else is up next for me in my life and ministry as a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace, I am excited that vocation ministry will be part of that mix. And I am grateful that my community is sending me to this series of workshops so that I can gain the knowledge I need!

Friends, Comps Questions, and Father Daughter Time

I've been back in Chicago since Tuesday. While I'm not taking summer classes, I have been busy. For one thing, my main task this June is to compile a draft set of 10 questions and bibliography for the comprehensive oral exams I will take in the Fall. My faculty board chair will then review them and we will revise them before I head to my Congregation Chapter at the end of the summer. So far, I have a good handle on 4 out of 10 (I think). This is looking more doable!

I've also had a chance to spend a little bit of time with friends this week. A group of Giving Voice Sisters are in Chicago taking summer classes at CTU, so we went out on the town on Wednesday, visiting the "bean" at Millenial Park, having dinner, walking around downtown, and eating dessert on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Building! Last night I visited with some school friends, including one who is moving out of town this weekend. I am so grateful for the community I've built here at CTU and know we will be friends for many years to come, even if at a distance.

I spent my first full day back in Chicago on Tuesday with my Dad at his assisted living, and I plan to spend most of the weekend with him as well for some quality father-daughter bonding time. This time last year he was still living in DC and I went to spend Father's Day with him there. We ended up spending the whole time in the emergency room/hospital as he had some health issues. He's doing a lot better these days and so hopefully our weekend is filled with movies, games, conversation, and fun. Maybe a few naps as well!

Things are busy, to be sure, but it also nice to have a bit of a shift into summer time where there is a bit more time and space for the work that needs to be done as well as the relationships and fun time.

I hope you are finding some of that time and space in the midst of busy-ness too!

The hills are alive ... with the sound of homework

Blog activity has been especially light these past few weeks, especially as we approach the end of the Spring Semester. Papers, projects, and the like with deadlines fast approaching.

Time marches forward so quickly, especially as I get older. This semester is my last one of classes for my MA program here at CTU. Over the summer, in the midst of retreat, community, various religious life stuff, and time with my Dad I will be crafting my questions for my comprehensive exams. Summer has me bi-locating between Chicago & Seattle for various meetings and events with in between time to work on comps questions at CTU.

When I get back to Chicago after our Congregation Chapter (I'm a delegate!) in mid-September, I will study, study, study and get ready for comps in late November. Then, in the winter/spring it will be thesis writing and my final class for my spirituality certificate. Which means, by this time next year, I will be getting ready to graduate!

But for now ... homework.

Except for tomorrow, when I head with my Dad and my sister to see the Sound of Music at Lyric Opera! How's that for a study break?

Epiphany Thoughts & National Migration Week

Today is one of my favorite Church feasts ... the Feast of the Epiphany. As a child, this was always the day when the figurines of the three kings I had carefully been moving throughout the house during the entire Christmas season finally made it to the manger in the living room where they could offer their gifts, gaze upon the infant Jesus, and finally rest (before being promptly packed up into a box and back to the attic until next Christmas!)

Today, thankfully, I did not have to bundle up and trek through the windy snow storm outside to head to mass to celebrate the Feast.  One of my priest classmates who also lives in the CTU residence hall offered to celebrate mass for us in the residence hall chapel. We were a cozy group, praying together in a circle as we watched the snow swirl about outside the 8th story corner window and listened to the howl of the wind. I was asked to read the first reading from Isaiah:

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,the glory of the Lord shines upon you.See, darkness covers the earth,and thick clouds cover the peoples;but upon you the LORD shines,and over you appears his glory.Nations shall walk by your light,and kings by your shining radiance.

These words held a sort of literal meaning as we sought refuge from the elements ourselves and gazed out at thick clouds of snow covering the city.

These words also hold a literal meaning for the millions upon millions of migrants, refugees, and human trafficking victims who are walking through darkness, seeking the light of life, freedom, and human dignity. It is no coincidence that the U.S. Catholic Church celebrates National Migration Week this week (January 5-11). It is also no coincidence that this year's theme is "Out of the Darkness."  In the words of the U.S Bishops Conference:

It is our call as the Church to bring the light of Christ to these populations,banish the darkness, and help to bring them from the margins of society to its center. Doing so will provide vulnerable migrants with a protected space in which they can flourish as human beings. This requires prayer for those who are marginalized, alongside an active presence in the public square to demand that protections are provided to those who need them most.

As you celebrate the coming of the light of Christ into our world and pay him homage, prayerfully consider what you can do for our brothers and sisters walking in darkness.

• Visit the Bishops' Justice for Immigrants Website to send an electronic post card to your members of Congress in support of comprehensive immigration reform
• January 11th, the last day of migration week, is also human trafficking awareness day. Visit the IPJC Website to download a prayer service you can use to pray for an end to human trafficking. The IPJC website also has many resources to learn more and take action about this very important issue.
• Visit the National Migration Week website for more resources, including a downloadable prayer card.

God of all peoples and nations, you sent your son to guide us with the light of compassion, mercy, and justice. Open our hearts and inspire our actions for justice in solidarity with all immigrants, refugees, and victims of human trafficking today. May our care, commitment, and love for our neighbors across all boundaries be the gift with which we pay the Infant Jesus homage. Amen

Home Vacation & Family Time

It's the longest night of the year. I decided to cozy up today in true Christmas vacation fashion and finish a (non-theology) book ... Longbourn by Jo Baker, a creative take on the lives of the servants in Pride and Prejudice.

Of course, many items on my vacation to-do list were also beckoning. I realized the other day that when one says yes to lots of little projects and commitments, they pile up rather quickly! This is true in my case anyway. So these days of winter break from school will also necessarily involve a variety of projects, mostly editing, a little writing and research.

But it's a balance.  Monday I'm planning to have some quality father-daughter time. Christmas Eve will be a quiet Susan prayer day. Christmas morning with my little nephew, big sis and brother-in-law (that's where Santa fills my stocking these days!). Christmas afternoon with my Dad at his retirement facility. Then more family fun the day after Christmas when my oldest sister and three nieces descend on Chicago for a week.

Classes start January 6th (ecclesial Latin) so in between now and then will be a mix of family, quiet down time, and whittling away at my many projects.

While I'm at it, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish each of you, dear readers, a blessed last few days of Advent and a very merry Christmas!

Peace

Thoughts on Prayer, Action & Community

Yesterday was a very good day for this Sister of Peace.  I started out with a floor meeting here at the CTU dorm where the new mix of folks on my floor (I am one of only a few returning residents) met to discuss how we want to care for and share our common space.  Our new RA (also a returning resident and a good friend) invited us to begin with prayer for the situation in Syria.  We then had a good conversation, crossing language and cultural barriers to build community.  The current mix includes 4 US born folks, 3 from China, 1 from Korea, and 1 from Uganda!

Then I headed downtown to participate in a public march for peace.  Well, that's why I was there. It was actually more of an anti-war march with a hodgepode of other agendas thrown into the mix.  That's usually the way things go, in my experience,  and it's a constant struggle for me. Really it's part of my vocation story.  During the marches after 9/11, I felt a deep desire for a community of peace seeking folks.  It led me to join the interfaith peace movement, found a local chapter of Pax Christi, and eventually join the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace.

 I feel the need to speak out publicly for peace and against war, especially when military action is looming by my own government, all the while being a witness to peace and student of nonviolence as best I can.  And so, I find myself at such public events where I am uncomfortable sometimes with the tone and tenor of the speakers.  Often times, they say things I do not agree with, such as those advocating for revolution now (the Communist types) or in this case asking us to bless the syrian army (the Syrian community who I'm guessing support the government and not the rebels, but in any case do not want US military action).  That is the nature of coalitions--it's a dance and sometimes the different agendas bump into each other.  I can deal with that and there's much that I agree with, such as the craziness of spending money on war and not schools, jobs, or health care.   Other times I find myself uncomfortable with the general vibe or angry chants that border on violent, but then that's all the more reason to be present as a peaceful presence.

And as angry anti-war events go, this one was pretty mellow and positive.  I especially enjoyed the "Peace Won't Bring Bombs" chant, given that the sign I made for the occasion said "Pursue Peace ... not bombs."  We marched from the Federal Plaza to the Tribune Building, about 600 folks asking Congress to vote no on war in Syria.  When we got to the Tribune Building, we happened upon a wedding party doing their photo ops.  You might think this would be a potential for conflict, anti-war protesters crashing their photo shoot.  But it turned out the Bride & Groom were also opposed to the war and they borrowed signs and posed for a very special wedding photo.

We say in our CSJP Constitutions that prayer leads to action, while action leads us to pray.  I certain experience the two in dynamic relationship, and so I was grateful that in the evening, 30+ folks from the Catholic Theological Union and some students from McCormick Theological Seminary accepted the invitation of Pope Francis to pray for peace in the prayer service that I organized in the chapel of our residence hall.  It was very full as it's not a big chapel!  I was expecting a much smaller crowd. but was prepared with just enough programs (just in case!).

It was a very powerful moment, knowing that we were joined with the global church and people of Syria in this moment of of hopeful prayer for peace.  I also know that some of our Sisters used the same prayer service I prepared in New Jersey and Seattle, and the CTU Biblical Study Abroad program in Israel used it as well.  We were all connected in prayer!

It made me realize as well how much I miss regular opportunities to gather with my CSJP community to pray for peace, seeing as I am away from them while I study here in Chicago.  Praying for peace is key to our charism, spirituality, and way of life.  Daily in community we pray for peace. Each week we are invited to pray our weekly CSJP peace prayer which Sister Carmel prepares.  It's posted on our website each week so that we can pray it wherever we are (you can pray with us too wherever you are!).  But there is something different about physically coming together to pray for peace.  Further confirmation that I am a member of the community which shares my heart's desires!

There are all sorts of community, though, and I've also been blessed with a wonderful student community here at CTU.  My day ended in the park by Lake Michigan celebrating the birthday of my classmate Melissa.  It was a simple potluck and a mix of folks, some of whom knew each other well, others who were just meeting for the first time.  When I reflected back on my day, I realized that my prayer and action for peace was book ended by opportunities to build community in my daily life.  And you know what, that seems about right.

Peace

A New School Year

Classes start tomorrow at Catholic Theological Union.  It's my second year of graduate studies here.  I am half way through my course work for my research MA in Theology, with a major in Social Ethics and a minor in Spirituality.  I'm also earning a Certificate in Spirituality.

My classes this Semester are evenly split between ethics and spirituality.  Tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM the adventure begins with a seminar called Holocaust & Genocide: Ethical Reflections. Given everything going on in the world today and our sordid shared history of the past 50 years, this is sure to be a challenging class.  My professor is an expert on the Holocaust and has been deeply involved in Catholic-Jewish dialogue for many years.

Tomorrow night I'm starting Medical Ethics.  While I am studying social ethics, I also realize the importance of having a good grounding in reflection and practical application of our Catholic ethical and religious directives. My religious community also sponsors hospitals so this way I can be a resource. This is the same professor I had for sexual ethics last semester so I know it will be a great (if challenging) class.

Wednesday afternoon my class begins on Religious Life in the 21st Century: Creating Communities of Hope on a Global Scale.  Obviously the topic is one close to my heart.  We'll be reading the latest volume of the trilogy by Sandra Schneider, IHM as well as a variety of other thought provoking resources.  I know the professor and several of the students (all young nuns from Giving Voice) so this promises to be an excellent opportunity.

My last class is on Wednesday evenings.  It's a part of a public lecture series on the Spiritual Classics of the Early Church.  A group of CTU students will meet with the professor after the weekly lecture evenings for a more academic class.  We'll be looking at classic writings from early church and desert fathers and mothers and applying them to our spiritual lives today.

I'm also continuing my internship with the Bernardin Center, which involves research on themes of peacebuilding, conflict and reconciliation.

As you can see, it promises to be a very rich and challenging Semester! I feel very blessed that my CSJP community has missioned me for this time of studies and learning. I try to shine the light of our Charism and spirituality on everything I do!

I'm sure there will be insights and learnings that I'll want to share with my bloggy friends.  Please keep all students, teachers, and administrators in your prayers as a new school year begins!

Finals

So the end of the Semester is approaching.  I've still got French for a couple of weeks. But the rest of my classes here at CTU are wrapping up with multiple papers due next week and a final this Wednesday.  Surprisingly, I'm feeling like I've got it fairly under control and not at all like Kermit (via Mary is My Homegirl Tumbler):

Mary Is My Homegirl on FINALS

We'll see how I'm doing on Saturday night, which is when I'm hoping my final gigantic paper will be finished.  That one is on Thomas Merton's ecospirituality and how it intersects with his spirituality of peace.  Should be fun. I've also got a philosophy final Wednesday and a philosophy essay to pull together.  Plus I need to go back to my Trafficking/Reconciliation and Prudence/Conscious Consumer papers to fine tune them and get them ready to submit.  Unless of course I'm feeling like Helena Bonham Carter (at least I think that's who this is, again via Mary is My Homegirl Tumbler):

Mary is My Homegirl's Advice Regarding Final Papers:

Where I've Been

I know that my blog posts have been pretty few and far between.  You might wonder where it is I've been instead.  Well, for the most part I have been engaged in a nerd-festival, reading all about Reconciliation and Forgiveness, Moral Theology and the link between Spirituality/Liturgy and the Quest for Justice.  I've also been wrangling with a required philosophy course, but that's more muddling through than nerding out.

We're reaching the end of the semester.  Which leads me to where I'll be the next three weeks as I launch into my last two research papers (I'm happy to say I substantially finished one!):

"The Delicate Work of Time Management At the End of the Semester" via Mary is My Homegirl

This picture captures it.  I've borrowed it from one of my new favorite solidarity finding study break activities ... perusing the new-ish-to-me tumblr, "Mary is My Homegirl."  Or, as the anonymous author describes it on the tumbler: "Coping with the terrible life choice of studying catholic theology in graduate school."

Here's another favorite:

"When I Get Invited to Something Fun But I Have to Write:"
It's like

That was last weekend.  I skipped out on two fun invites so I could hunker down and finish my Reconciliation paper.  But it's done, and now I'm happy!  Also, my time management is so very important because this year I live in the same city as my sister and her family and get to have a local family Thankgsiving for the first time in 20+years!!!  And, the next day ..... I'm going to the circus with the family, including my little 2 1/2 year old nephew.  Happiness will ensue ... followed by a weekend chock full of research and paper writing!

On Bernardin and Common Ground

This morning I joined a small group to celebrate and remember the life of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin on this, the 16th Anniversary of his death.  Regular readers of the blog might remember that I was lucky enough to be selected as a Bernardin Scholar through the Bernardin Center here at CTU.  As scholars, we learn about the Cardinal and his legacy, in particular his "signature issues"--reconciliation and peacemaking, inter-religious dialogue, consistent ethic of life, and common ground.

We joined some of the Cardinal's friends for a lovely memorial mass at the Bishops' mausoleum.  It was a small group who have gathered every year on this day.  Everyone was very gracious in welcoming our group of Bernardin Scholars to the celebration.  After I selected my seat, I realized that I was seated right next to the crypt where the Cardinal's remains are awaiting the resurrection. Very powerful.

In the last weeks of his life, which ended far too early, the Cardinal launched his Catholic Common Ground initiative.  Looking around the Church these days, it seems to me as if we would do well to reflect upon his insights and visions.  So on this day, I give you a few excerpts from a talk he gave on October 24, 1996, less than one month before he died.

In the Cardinal's words:

Two and a half months ago, I announced an initiative called the Catholic Common Ground Project.  My aim was to help Catholics address, creatively and faithfully, questions that are vital if the Church in the United States is to flourish as we enter the next millennium   At every level, we needed, I felt, to move beyond the distrust, the polarization, and the entrenched positions that have hampered our responses. ... 

Common ground, in this sense, is not a new set of conclusions.  It is a way of exploring our differences. It is a common spirit and ethic of dialogue.  It is a space of trust set within boundaries.  It is a place of respect where we can explore our differences, assured in the understanding that neither is everything 'cut-and-dried' nor is everything 'up for grabs.' ... 

In the Church's history, differences have often been the seedbeds of our most profound understanding of God and salvation.  Differences and satisfaction have spurred extraordinary institutional creativity.  And differences too often have provoked unnecessary, wasteful, and sometimes terrible division. ... 

Are the differences among U.S. Catholics generating reflection, exchange, debate, ideas, initiative, decisiveness? Or are they producing distrust, polemics, weariness, withdrawal, inertia, deadlock? 

No one can answer these questions definitively.  But I and many others representing a range of theological outlooks feel that, in far too many cases, the brave new sparks and steady flame of vitality in the Church are being smothered by the camps and distractions of our quarrels. 

... [T]he Catholic Common Ground Project offers the promise of our rising above hardened party lines and finding renewal in the splendor of truth revealed in the person of Jesus who is our Lord and our savior. 

This evening, I assure you that, having entered the final phase of my life's journey, I am even more committed than before to this central conviction.  A dying person does not have time for the peripheral or the accidental.  He or she is drawn to the essential, the important--yes, the eternal.  And what is important  my friends, is that we find that unity with the Lord and within the community of faith for which Jesus prayed so fervently on the night before he died.  To say it quite boldly, it is wrong to waste the precious gift of the time given to us, as God's chosen servants, on acrimony and division. 

And so, in that spirit I hand on to you the gift that was given to me-- a vision of the Church that trusts in the power of the Spirit so much that it can risk authentic dialogue.  I hand that gift on to you without fear or trepidation.  I say this because I know that it is a gift you already prize and cherish.  I ask you, without waiting and on your own, to strengthen the common ground, to examine our situation with fresh eyes, open minds, and changed hearts, and to confront our challenges with honesty and imagination.  Guided by the Holy Spirit, together, we can more effectively respond to the challenges of our times as we carry forward the mission that the Lord Jesus gave to us, his disciples.  It is to promote that mission that the constructive dialogue we seek is so important.

Amen.  Pray for us Cardinal Bernardin.

You can read the entire text of "Faithful and Hopeful: The Catholic Common Ground Project" online via the Archdiocese of Chicago Archives.  You can also learn more about the project that is now housed at the Bernardin Center at CTU.

Reading week ... on the hudson

It is about the half way point in the semester, which I find hard to believe! We have "reading week" this week. No classes so that we can catch up on assignments and in my case start working on my research papers.

This afternoon I transplanted my studies from chicago to new jersey. I am at our eastern regional center on the banks of the hudson river. This way I can visit with the Sisters (on study breaks of course!) and be here for our Fall Assembly on Saturday.

I just got back from supper with the Sisters. This is where I spent most of my novitiate years so it is always good to catch up with them.

And now this study break is over so time to get my nose back in the books!

Seeking Reconciliation, Building Peace

Tomorrow is the 11th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.  I've written before about the pivotal role that day played in my own life and spiritual journey.  In the days and weeks that followed I discovered my calling to seek peace and reconciliation in the midst of our fractured world.  I became a Catholic peace activist, and eventually my path led me to discover my vocation as a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace as well.

It's fitting then that it is on the eve of the anniversary of 9/11 that I heard the news about a new opportunity I will have to help heal our broken world.  Regular readers of the blog may recall that I was awarded a Bernardin Scholarship from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.  Part of the scholars program involves an internship in one of the programs of the Bernardin Center.  I just learned that I will have the honor and privilege of working with one of the faculty members as an intern in his work on Reconciliation and Peacebuilding.  I know that this will be challenging, but that at the same time it will add a whole extra dimension to my studies and my own research.

And so on this eve of 9/11, I pray for peace, healing and reconciliation.  I keep in mind especially the families of all those who died on that day, those who were killed in the wars that followed, the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, and most especially the children in those countries who have only ever known war.  May they live into a future filled with peace, laughter, and joy.  Amen.

Historic View

I love history.  It runs in my family.  My mom and dad took us to more historic type places than I can count as a kid.  My sister is a historian by trade. I minored in history in college.  As much as I look at things from a political framework, that framework is also usually grounded in history.  It's fun, what can I say?


So, knowing that the Catholic Theological Union resident building used to be the Hotel Aragon before it became the home of CTU, I did a little bit of internet sleuthing.  Indeed, the Hotel Aragon was built in 1924. Here is a postcard from the 1950s advertising this apartment hotel.  "Hotel Aragon, Cornell Avenue at 54th Street, Chicago, IL - Located in the beautiful Jackson Park residential section overlooking Lake Michigan, 200 rooms, each with private bath.  Moderately priced coffee shop, dining room. Ten minute service ..."


In 1968, the three founding religious communities of CTU-Franciscans, Passionists and Servites, bought the Hotel Aragon to house their new theological experiment. The building housed it all--rooms for students and offices, lounges turned into classrooms, and the "moderately priced coffee shop" became a cafeteria.  I gather that eventually, the Hotel Aragon-turned-CTU was bursting at the seams and the campus spread out to rent and buy other neighboring buildings for student residences and office space.

New CTU academic building ... you can
see the reflection of the
residence building in the glass

Then, in 2006 classrooms, the library and the majority of the offices moved across the street to a new building which is the center of the school. The old hotel building now has students living on the top three floors, rooms for participants in special programs and guests, as well as a number of Catholic organizations that rent office space.  The cafeteria is still here as well, although I've chosen to cook my own food in the kitchen on the floor rather than be on the meal plan.

CTU is now sponsored by 24 men's religious communities.  There are lay students, women religious, and students from all over the world that are part of the CTU community.  As of this semester, that includes me.  It's good to have a little grounding in the history.

For a little more contemporary history, President Obama and his family own a house not too far away from here, but they used to live in the immediate neighborhood.  CTU was apparently his polling place when he voted in 2004 as documented by this last picture.  Since the photo was taken in 2004 and CTU didn't move across the street until 2006, that means I'm living in the building where he voted.  Just saying.

[Photo Caption: In this Nov. 2, 2004 file photo, then Illinois Democratic Senate candidate Barack Obama leaves with his wife Michelle, daughters Sasha, front left and Malia, after voting at Catholic Theological Union polling place in Chicago.  Nam Y Huh File: Associated Press]

Chicago Connections

Transitions can be tough.  For one thing, you can be distracted and this can lead to interesting situations. A few days before I left Seattle, for example, I took a tumble down the stairs.  No bones were broken, just some bumps and bruises which are now on their way to healing and made the last bit of moving more interesting.  Such things are not unheard of during transitions.

Aside from the physical transition, there's also the opportunity and challenge of making connections in your new city.  Here I have a leg up, so to speak.  My sister and her family live not that far away.  One of my good friends from Giving Voice is also starting at CTU and living on my floor in the residence hall.  And this evening we had a gathering of other younger Sisters from various communities living in Chicago.  I was the old lady of the group I think at 40!  It  was good to reconnect, share, and just have fun.

Last week I had two orientations at CTU where I met some of my new classmates and many of the names of CTU staff that now have faces attached to them.  I've also met some of the people living here in the residence hall, although not everyone is here and we won't have our welcome gathering until next week.

All this to say, while this is still a rather large transition, I'm also feeling like I have enough connections with people to feel not quite at home, but pretty comfortable in this new space.  And that is a very good thing.

Settling In

Today was a settling in kind of day.  First order of business was a good night's sleep in my new-to-me bed.  I was so tired, I probably would have slept like a log anywhere, but it was nice to accomplish that feat in my own bed.

After making (and eating) a yummy nutritious breakfast, I joined my Sisters from afar in praying the morning office.  I'm using the same book that we use in our three regional centers and in many of our houses, so that's a great way to stay connected in prayer with my CSJP Sisters even though I'm living away from home these days.

Then I went for a long walk, first over to the lake and then exploring a bit of Hyde Park, bought a few more groceries and some bits and bobs to finish up my room.When I got back from my walk my last boxes had arrived!  I was able to unpack them and put the finishing touches on my corner room where I anticipate spending much time these next two years.  I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with the end result.  It feels like the sleep/study/prayer space of a 40 year old woman religious graduate student rather than a dorm room.  I'm happy with that over all effect since that's who I am!

In the end, I didn't ship any of my artwork to adorn my walls.  Today as I was window shopping at the local office supply store, I saw some acrylic plastic sign holders that can be hung with string and had a brain flash.  The end result is that I now have three 8X10 photographs of my own retreat photography adorning my walls.  The added bonus is that since I hung the sign holder/frames with clear fishing line, I was able to use the nails that were already in the wall (left over from the generic hotel-like art that I removed from the walls yesterday).  So now as I sit in my comfy chair, I see photos of beauty and wonder that bring back memories of wonderful God moments.  And if I get tired of looking at these photos, I can have some new 8X10s printed of other photos and switch them out from time to time!

So for those of you who are praying for and supporting me on this new adventure, here are some photos of my new space so you can imagine where  much learning, reading, research and writing will be happening over the next two years (we hope!).  As well as sleeping and other assorted activities.

Added bonus, I have a huge walk in closet with great shelving so hopefully I can keep things organized and relatively clutter free.

Well, that's all I have to report from my physical transition.  Tomorrow I have my first orientation for the Bernadin Scholars program.  Friday is new student orientation.  Classes start Tuesday.  See that top shelf of books on the bookshelf.  I will be reading all of those this semester.  I will certainly be busy!

Hello Chicago

View from my room -
CTU across the street

I am safely settled in my new 9th floor corner room in Chicago.  Originally I was supposed to be in the room next door, but there was some sort of issue with the ceiling.  I must say, I'm happy it worked out this way because I LOVE my corner spot.  Which of course is a good thing as I will be spending the majority of my time in this room for the next 2 years.  Well, I'll also be in class and at the library of course, but since I'm located right across the street from school that will be an easy commute!

While it took me most of the summer to sort through all of my assorted "stuff" and pack, it took me just a few hours to get everything pretty much settled into its new home.  My first Chicago-resident-Aunt-Susan connection has also been made, as I saw my big sister Monica and her adorable little guy Ash yesterday.  We're planning to set up a regular Aunt-nephew bonding date once I sort out my schedule. They took me shopping so that I could get a few things to set up my new room.  I had fun showing Ash my new digs ... he seemed most impressed by the community room and its superabundance of chairs.

Orientations start tomorrow and Friday.  Today I'm going to explore the neighborhood a bit and unpack the last box or two.  All in all a good physical transition ... let's hope the rest goes as smoothly!

Now off to find the park.  Here's a picture of the City skyline I took from the lakeshore when I was here for a visit in March.  I am going to love being able to walk to the Lake each day!  I always feel better with a body of water around to keep me grounded (or watered?).