Happy All Saint's Day

I'm having trouble keeping up with the blog and documenting everything that is going on as it's going on. Chris seems to be keeping up with it a little bit more. So I feel like I'm behind the ball. But for the sake of keeping things up to date I'll keep posting, even if it's past due or has been posted somewhere else already.



On Sunday we met up with my family in the city for brunch. It was a sort of last-minute arrangement and I was so glad to be able to see them, even if just for a short time. Here's a shot of my mom at Friend of a Farmer. The food was so good, as always!



After brunch, we (mom, Chris, I and several MKLMers) attended the centennial Mass of the Maryknoll Father's and Brothers at St. Patrick's Cathedral. To be brutally honest, it was sort of your standard long Mass with a lot of pomp and circumstance. But they had a few cool touches in it.

For example, they started the Mass out with a procession of all the flags from the 47 countries that currently have Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. It was really cool! They also read the Prayers of the Faithful in six different languages (while we read along in English).

I did feel a special sense of pride during the Mass. To be a part of such a great movement with a history of dedication to service around the world is an amazing privilege!

Following the Mass we took a bus to Washington, DC. We're down here for the next 10 days to continue our cross training with 3 other mission organizations. I was sad to leave our temporary home at Bethany, but it's been a good change of scenery. Plus, we've already gotten to see some friends and will continue to see more as the week progresses. For the past 2 days we've been learning about Catholic Social Teaching and community organizing. I hope to post more about those sessions when I have a bit more time.