We postulants set off on an adventure last Sunday night, and arrived in Philadelphia shortly before midnight. The following day, we got acquainted with our surroundings in the historic district of Philadelphia and then met Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM Cap. for lunch - he was a very entertaining host and was very honest about all that has confronted him since his arrival from Denver - the Church in Philadelphia can certainly use much prayer.
Later that day, we had our tour of Independence Hall and the historic sights there. We visited the Shrine of St. John Neumann, at St. Peter the Apostle church, for Mass, and afterward got to hear about the history of Redemptorist missionary work during his ministry. This was my favorite stop out of the trip, with the Dead Sea Scrolls in Times Square a close second, because in my discernment with the Redemptorists, I had come to really appreciate their spirituality, and as I learned later, Fr. Lanteri also took great inspiration from Redemptorist (specifically Liguorian) moral theology at at the founding of the Oblates. It was very powerful to be there in such a historically symbolic place for not only the great work of Redemptorists and Cardinal Neumann but for the growth of the Church in America.
We headed to New York City the next morning, to have lunch with Fr. Richard at St. Malachy's in Midtown. After learning about the unique ministry to the Broadway community there, we hiked a few blocks to Times Square to see the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Discovery center. That was a very well-done exhibit showing the cultural-historical context of pre-biblical times and the environment in which the scriptures were written, and it was just incredible to stand there and peer in on the ancient parchment that bears the carefully-written and most complete collection of scriptural texts that we have today. I was able to pick out a bit of Greek that was also included there, though most of the scrolls are in Hebrew.
We headed over to Old St. Patrick's Cathedral for Mass and Rosary with Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction, then hopped on the subway down to Little Italy for dinner. We swung by Ground Zero, which was also a powerful experience to see "the gap" the fallen towers left, and the construction in progress of the Freedom Tower. Several of us shared the sentiment that it was like visiting a cemetery, very cognizant of the thousands of lives that were lost there.
We stopped for Mass the next morning in North Bergen, New Jersey, at Our Lady of Fatima, which we learned from the pastor is the parish where a come-and-see guest last year is the music director. We swung by Josh's parents in Holden, MA for lunch before returning to Boston - a great way to finish the trip!
So that was a crazy three days of our Spring Break, and we've been relaxing a bit more since we returned. Now it's time to gear up for a couple midterm exams next week. Please continue to pray for my discernment of how to proceed next year, and challenge yourself to live Lent better - we're closing the second week of Lent, which means the first third of it is already behind us - renew your zeal for the Lenten practices you set for yourself, or commit to some for the remainder of this powerful season!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
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