Wrapping Up the First Year

I just received an e-mail from one of my classmates: "Dear second years and families..." My first thought was, "Why is he sending this e-mail to me? I'm a first-year...oh...not now, I guess."

It must be true, though, because graduation was this past weekend. I was able to be there to take photos of this out-of-normal graduation, like so many of the graduations around the country right now. Thankfully, our county has been able to open up just enough to allow some sort of in-person graduation, but the speeches were live-streamed. (As a quick aside, I have heard many people express how much they loved Archbishop Michael's comments to graduates; if you want to listen, he is at minute 54 in that video link. It was something like a what-every-priest-needs-to-know-about-being-a-priest speech.)

It is somewhat hard to believe that my first year here is already completed. I am so thankful for the opportunity to learn, especially learning from the lives and examples all around us here. Some of the highlights were the spirituality class the first semester with Abbot Sergius from the monastery across the street, being stretched musically which will help establish and support music in the parish and community some day, and also being able to go to the services...and now, having the opportunity to be confined to our own little church here at home, joining in prayer with all the faithful, all who are tied together by that unquarantinable life in the Holy Spirit.