I’m here! I’m in Rome. We arrived yesterday morning, and after the second group of St. Thomas students arrived, we travelled by bus to our house (which functionally is sort of between a house and a dorm). Before we had even had much orientation, we walked to the Piazza del Popolo, up towards the Villa Borghese for a nice view of the city, over to the Spanish Steps (I think in Italian it would Scale Spagnole…?), and then back to the house. We’ve had mass together in the beautiful chapel here both nights so far, and we’ve prayed vespers with the seminarians both nights so far, and everything has just been great.
Today we had a break in between our two orientation sessions for the house, and so Karlo, four new friends, and I took a nice stroll over to the Basilica di S. Pietro, which is just a fifteen-minute walk away. And while we didn’t go inside, that was alright, because I knew that I could go back there, every day if I wanted (and likely will, often, for mass). We then stopped for a quick panino, and made our way back to the house just in time for the second orientation session. Then there was a holy hour, followed by vespers, then mass, and then a community dinner.
There’s something so great about praying vespers in a group. The alternating back and forth between two sides of the chapel is a nice way to pray the Psalms, and the whole group singing the hymn is great, and I don’t know, it’s just an awesome thing. I’m really glad I’ve got this community around me, people with whom I can pray like that (it seems like everyone else here owns a breviary, many of them well-worn – I’m surrounded by a lot of awesome people).
For mass, Fr. Carola (the chaplain here) asked me to play the organ. Now, I don’t play the organ. I play the piano, but not the organ – they’re actually pretty different. Luckily, this wasn’t a full organ, but an electronic one. It didn’t have foot pedals, and there was only one keyboard. Still, it was a challenge. But also kind of nice. I’ve been wanting to learn the organ for a while, and it was cool to be playing it, even if it wasn’t technically a real organ. It went pretty well for the most part, I think. Luckily, there are two other music majors here too, one other piano major and a liturgical music major. So we’ll all be playing to some extent, I suspect (and hope). But mass was really nice, both priests who are here (Fr. Danda in addition to Fr. Carola) are great.
Then was our community dinner. The tables were pushed together in the dining room to create one long table. We had some great pasta (lasagne, I think), potatoes, salad, meat (pork?), and vino (ok, don’t know if I would call this great – not yet. I think it might be an acquired taste). For dessert, some ice cream and chocolate pudding. All of it was great, and I really enjoyed the community aspect too – all of us (29 students, plus the program director, two priests, a deacon, and a professor and his family) sitting around the same table, eating and enjoying one another’s company.
Then I went out for some gelato at Giolitti’s with Caroline, Jessica, and Katie, who are here for the whole academic year with the architecture program. I’m back at the house now, a little delirious, very tired, and ready for bed. I’m sorry to say I’ll be skipping the Super Bowl watch tonight (go Saints), because we’ve got an early day in the morning – breakfast at 7, then walking over to the Angelicum at 7:50. So, it’s bedtime for me. Please continue to remember me in your prayers.
It occurs to me that, because of my often inconsistent blogging habits and my overall absent-mindedness (second only to one person, I think – I’m kidding, I’m kidding), I don’t think I’ve mentioned much about my plans for this semester. Most of the people reading probably already know all about this, so I’ll be brief. I’m going to be studying abroad in Rome, but not with the Notre Dame Rome program; instead, I’ll be participating in the Catholic Studies in Rome program through the University of St. Thomas, in St. Paul, MN, which will put me at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (or the Angelicum, as it’s commonly called) in Rome.
I leave on Friday and will arrive in Rome on Saturday morning. I don’t know any of the St. Thomas students, of course, so while I’m excited to meet them, I’ll also be very glad to have my good friend Karlo as a companion and roommate. After we arrive, we have several days of orientation; classes don’t start until February 15. But I must say, I think I’m more excited for my classes this semester than I have been for any semester of college so far. I’ll be taking:
- Poets and Mystics of the 20th Century (Fr. Paul Murray, O.P.)
- Church, Culture, and the Biomedical Revolution (Dr. Paul Wojda)
- Christian Art and Architecture (Dr. Liz Lev)
- Fundamental Moral Theology (Fr. Wojciech Giertych, O.P.)
There’s also a conversational Italian class, but the director of the program seemed to think I could test out of it when I told him I had taken two years of Italian already at Notre Dame. Of course, he doesn’t know just how rusty I am (very), so we’ll see. Out of all of these classes, the one I’m most excited for is the Fundamental Moral Theology class from Fr. Giertych. Fr. Giertych is the Theologian for the Papal Household. Traditionally, the holder of this position offers the pope theological advice, but since Pope Benedict is already such an eminent theologian, Fr. Giertych checks his writings for clarity and serves as a sounding board for his theological ideas. And he’s going to be my professor. So while I’m a little nervous about the prospect of writing papers for him, I’m tremendously excited to take his class and learn from him.
But before I start thinking too much about classes and the like, I have to worry about actually getting to Rome – packing, preparing, etc. – which is where I find myself now. I haven’t started packing yet (I just found the suggestions for packing – sent out by UST some time ago – this afternoon, in one of the many stacks of disorganized mess on my desk), and I have several other things to do before leaving. Luckily, not all of them are tedious or stressful (getting my taxes done before leaving, for example – tedious AND stressful). Since I’m leaving the country for four and a half months, I’ve got several things I want to do before I leave, America things, things that won’t be available to me while I’m in Rome. I already got the buffalo wings and sweet tea checked off the list at lunch today (although I wouldn’t mind enjoying either of those things again before Friday. In fact, you can bet I’ll be chugging the sweet tea between now and then). And I’m hopefully watching the cinematic classic School of Rock tonight, depending on how the homework goes for Jon and Hannah.
So, things are good. I mean, I’ve got plenty of time, right? Three days? Cake.
Well, maybe.
All in all, as I wrote to a friend earlier today, I’m feeling ready, nervous, AND excited, all at once, and in no particular order. And from what I gather from friends who studied abroad last semester, that’s pretty much to be expected. So as I continue to prepare for what’s sure to be an incredible semester abroad, and as I travel on Friday, please keep me in your prayers. Next post from Rome. Here we go.
Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence.
- Venerable John Paul II
General intention: That by means of sincere search for the truth scholars and intellectuals may arrive at an understanding of the one true God.
Missionary intention: That the Church, aware of her own missionary identity, may strive to follow Christ faithfully and to proclaim His Gospel to all peoples.
This was just posted on the FOCUS Conference website the other day. If you’re not completely tired of hearing about the conference after my other post about it or after talking to me about it, then go ahead and watch.
You may have heard that a new translation of the Mass will be coming out fairly soon (I don’t think I’ve seen a definite timeframe, but the new missal was approved by the bishops last year). This is not without controversy, of course. Lots of people think that the new translations will be better because they are, in fact, more true to the original Latin, more accurate. Others think that the language will become more confusing, or less accessible to the average church-goer. Others think that a change simply isn’t necessary, and that the confusion about some of the changes will be off-putting. This article, found in the next issue of America, a national Catholic weekly magazine, is written by Fr. Peter Stravinskas in order to defend the new translations and explain why they are a needed change. Some highlights are below:
Ultimately, the Holy See came to the realization that many of the vernacular translations of the liturgy were problematic. (English was not the only example, just one of the more egregious.)…
…What curial officials and the pope are arguing for, with the enthusiastic support of junior clergy, is not a moribund “rubricism” but a genuine ars celebrandi that makes the sacred mysteries palpable…
…What is required now is a careful re-building process. Is this “turning back the clock”? In some sense, it is. Permit me a mundane example. If a man is told by his physician that he must lose 50 pounds or face serious problems, he must “turn back the clock” to the time when he was lighter in order to save his life. Mutatis mutandis—that is what the church at the highest levels is calling us to do.
Fr. Stravinskas then writes about a few of the changes individually, such as replacing the current “And also with you” with “And with your spirit” and replacing “one in being with the Father” in the Nicene Creed with “consubstantial with the Father.” The entire list of approved changes can be found here.
As Haiti still suffers from the effects of the earthquake last Tuesday, let’s continue to pray for the souls of the dead, as well as for those who have lost their homes, lost family members, lost everything. The second Psalm from Vespers for tonight (Psalm 46) seems very appropriate, and serves as a reminder that even in such hard times, in the face of such suffering, God is our refuge and our stronghold:
God is for us a refuge and strength,
a helper close at hand, in time of distress:
so we shall not fear though the earth should rock,
though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea,
even though its waters rage and foam,
even though the mountains be shaken by its waves.The Lord of hosts is with us:
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.The waters of a river give joy to God’s city,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within, it cannot be shaken;
God will help it at the dawning of the day.
Nations are in tumult, kingdoms are shaken:
he lifts his voice, the earth shrinks away.The Lord of hosts is with us:
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.Come, consider the works of the Lord,
the redoubtable deeds he has done on the earth.
He puts an end to wars over all the earth;
the bow he breaks, the spear he snaps.
He burns the shields with fire.
“Be still and know that I am God,
supreme among the nations, supreme on the earth!”The Lord of hosts is with us:
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
I have decided again to start reading more. I periodically come to this conclusion, and increase my reading for a short time, but I want to make it more of a habit. There’s so much great stuff out there to read, right? And I waste enough time anyway, so why not use some of that wasted time to do some reading, right? So, after re-reading C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce yesterday, I’ve got a nice list of books together that I’m going to read (I’ve got a longer list than this one, but this is a good start, I think):
Made for More
Curtis Martin
This book was written by the founder of FOCUS, Curtis Martin. I think I also mentioned that the theme of the FOCUS National Conference this year was “Made for More.” I kind of expect this book to be similar to Mr. Martin’s keynote speech at the conference, but it’s worth hearing (or in this case, reading) again.
Praying Scripture for a Change: An Introduction to Lectio Divina
Dr. Tim Gray
I really enjoyed Dr. Gray’s talk about Lectio Divina at the FOCUS Conference. One of the things that really stuck out to me about it was simply the importance of reading Scripture, and of praying with the Word of God. This is his book about how to pray Lectio Divina, which, if it’s anything like his talk, will be pretty good.
The Bible Compass: A Catholic’s Guide to Navigating the Scriptures
Dr. Edward Sri
After having heard Dr. Gray’s talk about Lectio Divina though, I thought to myself, how do I know where to start reading in the Bible? Surely I shouldn’t just pick it up and flip to a random page, but maybe just starting with Genesis and reading straight through the Bible from front to back isn’t the best way either? And then I saw this book. I’m not sure if it will answer that kind of question specifically, having looked at the table of contents and flipped through it a little bit, but it should still be a helpful guide to praying with Scripture, which I think it is high time I learn how to do.
Switchfoot
Hello Hurricane
Hello Hurricane
The latest Switchfoot release is their seventh studio album, and their first one on their independent record label, lowercase people records. Once John, the biggest Switchfoot fan I know, got this album in the mail, he invited me over to listen to it on his big ol’ speakers. It’s the kind of album that you kind of have to hear all the way through to fully appreciate. The songs by themselves are great, but the album works better as an album. And it is a great album. The “making of the album” DVD included with the CD tells of the difficulties that went along with making this album – the lead singer, Jon Foreman, says that the story of this album begins with the deconstruction of Switchfoot. They pulled it together though, came together as a band, figured out the direction in which they wanted to take this album, and ended up with what I would say is their best one yet. The weekend before Thanksgiving, John, Steph, Jen, and I drove down to Nashville (even though John and I had a big test for our Old Testament class the following Tuesday, the day after we returned to ND) to see Switchfoot perform at the Exit/In on that Sunday night.
It was a great show. For the first part of the show, they played the songs from Hello Hurricane in the order they’re in on the album, then moved into some of their older stuff. During dinner at home before the show, my dad pointed out that since the band was playing another show the following night, they’d probably be just hanging around Nashville during the day and might appreciate a nice home-cooked breakfast. So we decided to invite the band over.
John, Jen, me, and The Sign
They didn’t take us up on our offer. Go figure. But it was still a great show and a really fun weekend.
Steph, Jen, and my and John's chins (gross attempted beards are because we were in the midst of No-Shave November)
me, John, and Jen, after some fantastic barbeque in Nashville
Norah Jones
The Fall
The Fall
I really like Norah Jones’ music. I don’t know a ton about her, but I think the last couple of albums she’s done has been music that she wrote, whereas she didn’t write the songs on her first couple albums. You can definitely tell the difference in sound, but it’s not a bad difference. The Fall is full of very cool, very laid-back, very easy-to-listen-to songs. I especially like “Chasing Pirates” and “It’s Gonna Be.”
John Mayer
Battle Studies
Battle Studies
The latest from John Mayer is, frankly, not as good as his previous album, Continuum, which was fantastic. You know what though, it’s not bad. I think what John Mayer does best is blues – I love listening to his blues guitar solos. There is a little bit of that on this album, which was nice to hear – he covers Cream’s “Crossroads” with an interesting guitar effect, cool harmonies, and some impressive soloing. All in all, it’s a pretty good listen, but if John Mayer focused only on blues, maybe made the John Mayer Trio a permanent thing, I wouldn’t complain.
The Avett Brothers
I and Love and You
I and Love and You
I always say that I don’t really like country music, and generally that’s true. But I can’t say that I just can’t stand all country music – there is some music that could be considered to be “country” that I do like, and I think this is an example (though I’m not sure that all of the songs on here would be considered “country”). I heard the title track on the radio the other day and liked it a lot, so I decided to look up the album when I got home. I ended up getting it on iTunes, and as I listened to it I liked it more and more. I’m not really sure how to describe the music, but I really like this album.
I arrived home a few days ago from Orlando, where I was attending the FOCUS National Conference.
If you’re not familiar with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, you can find their core values here, their vision and mission here, as well as their home website here. All worth taking a look at.
Anyway, they put on this conference every two years, and this year it was in Orlando, at the Marriott World Center Resort, a hotel so big that I was lost in it for the first two days of the conference.
The conference itself was awesome though. The Vandy+Catholic group from Vanderbilt University was kind enough to give us (my friends Nick and Erica, who drove over to Nashville from St. Louis, and me) a ride to Orlando. *As a side note (because there won’t be enough of those in this post), that seems like a really great group that Fr. Baker has started over there. They’ve even got a strong devotion to my man Blessed Pier Giorgio!* Once we had arrived and settled in, we we met up with a couple more friends from ND (Jen and Michael), with whom we spent the remainder of the conference until the drive back to Nashvegas. The drive itself wasn’t a whole lot of fun (sleeping on a bus isn’t easy), but was made much better by the fact that four of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia came with us! I love those sisters, man. Their joy and zeal for Our Lord is overflowing and contagious. It was really fun to get to pray with them (they led the bus in the rosary and in the Liturgy of the Hours during the rides both to and from Orlando) and talk to them. We also happened to stop at some pretty goofy places. One of these stops seemed to be a pretty generic Travel J gas station kind of place in the middle of Georgia, but there was some weird stuff inside that store, including a box with a necklace that was missing a pearl in the place where the pearl should have gone. Where was the pearl? Inside the included oyster, of course. Not only that, but Erica even found this gem: she saw this DVD on the rack and said, “Look, Chris! A movie based on your life!” That’s right, Confessions of a Thug: A Hip-Hop Musical. So it was a great stop.
Anyway, what am I writing about? Oh right, FOCUS Conference. Sorry. Each day of the conference there were several talks, most of which had a designation of A (“recommended for those attendees who want to learn more about Jesus and how Christianity affects our daily lives), B (“recommended for those attendees who are looking for more practical ways to live the Christian life and the sacraments or who want to go deeper in their faith”), or C (“recommended for those attendees who are looking for practical insights on how to evangelize and share the faith with others. These talks will also focus on preparing attendees to live their faith in a more bold and dynamic way after college”). There was also a keynote speaker each day, who spoke to all of the almost 4000 students from around the country who attended the conference. The theme was “Made for More” – I was a little skeptical about this beforehand, worrying that it was a little too broad, but it ended up being really cool because all of the talks, about a large (and I mean large) variety of topics, were able to tie back to it in some way.
There was Mass every day, each one celebrated by a different bishop (with the closing Mass celebrated by Seán Cardinal O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston). My own bishop David Choby was even able to come and concelebrate two of the Masses, which was great. It’s always so good to see him. As for the talks themselves, here’s a list of all the talks I went to:
“Being Single” – Matthew Kelly (keynote)
I guess I should say that the titles of some of these talks are a little bit misleading, often encompassing only part of what the speaker actually talked about. This talk is an example of that. However, it was still pretty good, and a good way to start off the conference. Essentially he talked about what it means to be a young Catholic in today’s world, and how important that is.
“Who Do You Say That I Am?” – Debbie Herbeck
This was the conversion story of a woman who was Jewish and is now Catholic. I love conversion stories to begin with, and I had never heard the story of someone converting from Judaism to Catholicism. She had a pretty interesting story. My dad later pointed out that lots of Jewish converts have interesting and/or unusual aspects of their stories because the idea of accepting that Christ is indeed the Messiah is so incoherent to Judaism that it’s a difficult hump (if you can call it that) to overcome.
“Fighting for Manliness” – Dave DiNuzzo
Made the all-important observation that true manliness is not about being able to lift heavy stuff or liking sports or having any sort of power, but true manliness is virtue.
“Casting into the Deep: Five Steps to Transforming Your Prayer Life” – Dr. Tim Gray
Dr. Gray has actually written a book about this topic, Praying Scripture for a Change: An Introduction to Lectio Divina (which I will probably write about once I start reading it), so he was a pretty good person to give the talk. I was familiar with lectio divina before, but he framed it in sort of a new way and reiterated the importance of praying with Scripture.
“From First Date to Life Mate: Principles for Success in Romantic Relationships” – Stephanie Weinert (keynote)
This is an example of a talk whose title pretty much describes exactly what the talk was about. She had some pretty interesting things to say, one of the most memorable and important of which was that God must be at the center of relationships (both romantic and otherwise).
“Reaching the Lost” – Peter Herbeck
The husband of Debbie Herbeck, Peter spoke about the need for evangelization in today’s world, heavily quoting both Ven. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.
“Life After Graduation” – Msgr. Stuart Swetland, S.T.D.
Msgr. Swetland was one of my favorite speakers. He has seven degrees, one of which came from his Rhodes scholarship. So he’s very intelligent, and his talk reflected that in a way that wasn’t overwhelming for us simple-minded collegians. This was probably my second favorite talk. He spoke not too much about what to do after graduation, but more about discernment and the universal call to sanctity. One of the most important things he said (of the many) was that it is through the intimacy of prayer that we come to know God’s will for us. Now, you know those times when you feel like God is just throwing something at you so hard that you actually can’t miss it? Several speakers before Msgr. Swetland had spoken about the importance of prayer, and now he’s reminding us that it’s actually how we discern God’s will? Alright, God, so you want me to pray more. Check.
“The New Sexual Revolution: JPII’s Theology of the Body and Love and Responsibility” – Dr. Edward Sri
This was a really interesting talk as well. Dr. Sri was a great speaker who talked a lot about the way that love was created to be lived out, about the differences between immature and mature love, between irresponsible and responsible love, pointing out that true love is completely self-giving.
“From the Foundation of the World” – Curtis Martin (keynote)
Curtis Martin, the president and founder of FOCUS, gave the third keynote talk of the conference. He spoke of the importance of the actions of our generation, and how we must be firmly rooted in Christ. In the video (below) to promote the conference, there was a clip of him saying, “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” That was kind of the nature of this talk – it was kind of a pump-up-the-troops-before-they-go-into-battle talk. The battle, of course, is the battle between good and evil, which, he pointed out, is not actually out in the world but in our own hearts.
“World Changers” – Curtis Martin
This was a continuation of Peter and Debbie Herbeck’s talks, especially focusing on Peter’s call to be ready to go out and set the world on fire.
“Friendship: At the Heart of the Christian Vocation” – Dr. John Cuddeback
Dr. Cuddeback is a professor of philosophy at Christendom College, and talked about the meaning of true friendships, citing as an example the friendship of the two saints whose feast days were the day of this talk (January 2), Basil and Gregory Nazianzen.
“How to Be an Everyday Catholic Apologist” – Kevin Cotter
Kevin talked about the most effective ways to evangelize, pointing out at the end that intellect + charity = successful apologetics.
“Don’t Impose Your Morality on Me?” – Dr. Edward Sri (keynote)
This talk, probably my favorite of the whole conference, was on moral relativism, which he called the greatest danger to faith in our era. He stressed that freedom is not the ability to selfishly do whatever one wants, as moral relativism would suggest, this idea that one person’s morality may be true for them but not for me (or vice versa). It’s a way to justify actions in the name of freedom, but as Dr. Sri pointed out, that’s not true freedom! The Christian understanding of freedom is the ability to live life with excellence, the ability to live a virtuous life. To be truly free, we need virtue.
A testimony of the journey of faith of Msgr. Stuart Swetland, S.T.D.
As I mentioned before, Msgr. Swetland is tremendously intelligent, and the story of how he became a priest was quite interesting. He graduated from the Naval Academy, spent some time serving in the Navy, won a Rhodes scholarship, met some Catholic friends there (who eventually became the catalysts for his conversion), went back to the Navy, was sent in on what was essentially sure death, to create a diversion while someone else was rescued, only to be called back at literally the last minute. He had every material possession one could ask for, but wasn’t happy. With the help of those four friends, he realized that he wasn’t following his true vocation in the Navy, he became Catholic, and not long afterwards, entered the seminary. He now teaches at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary.
“The Power of the Spiritual Life” – Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR (keynote)
Fr. Groeschel is one of the priests who founded the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. He has made countless appearances on EWTN, and is well-known for his books and lectures. He never really touched on this topic of the power of the spiritual life, but spoke instead on the importance of Catholic universities and truly Catholic university students in today’s world. One thing that I thought was kind of cool was when he said that, given the way our culture is progressing and the trends the generations are following, the fact that 4000 college students were there in Orlando at a conference to grow in faith was unexplainable from the viewpoint of sociology or psychological anthropology. He (again) reminded us of the importance of prayer, and perseverance.
In addition to the talks, on the night of the 1st there was exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and confessions were going on at the same time. After a good while, there was Benediction, and then everyone went to bed. We were told the next day that an estimated 2500 confessions were heard that night. Just picture that. 2500 people’s sins forgiven in one night, in one building. Amazing.
On the last night there was a swing dance, with music provided by a live band. It seemed like most of the people at the conference attended the dance, and it was actually pretty fun. None of us are very good swing dancers (most of us aren’t good dancers regardless of what kind), but it was fun. After the dance ended, Nick, Erica, Jen, and I went up to Jen and Erica’s room and stayed up until about 3:30 discussing the talks we had been to. We didn’t all go the same talks each day, so we were able to tell each other about the talks the others didn’t hear, which was really cool. And even for the talks that we did attend together, it was neat to be able to discuss them with each other afterwardsas we sat in Jen and Erica’s room and made ourselves sandwiches for dinner. I was really glad to be there with a small group of close friends, and to be able to talk about everything we were learning.
One of the other fun aspects of the conference, besides the almost-but-not-quite-but-pretty-darn-close-to-being-overwhelming amounts of knowledge I gained there (I finished typing out all my notes yesterday so I could have them all in one easy-to-access spot, and it’s an 18-page document) was that it happened over New Years. The beginning of 2010 couldn’t really have started much better than it did. My New Years activities were: Thursday, New Years Eve, there was a talk in the morning (Debbie Herbeck, I believe), Mass, lunch, Confession after lunch, some more talks in the afternoon (Dave DiNuzzo and Dr. Tim Gray), dinner, a keynote talk (Stephanie Weinert), a show by Tim Hawkins (a comedian – look him up on Youtube if you’re really curious), a concert by Matt Maher, and watching the ball drop; Friday, New Years Day (midnight), we celebrated the new year with lots of cheering and balloons dropping from the ceiling, more cheering, then Matt Maher took the stage again for a few more songs, then the four of us (Nick, Erica, Jen, and I) went to go meet Mr. Maher, and then on our way back to our rooms we stopped in at the perpetual adoration chapel and prayed before the Blessed Sacrament. So, to recap: my New Years consisted of Confession, an awesome concert of Catholic rock music, celebrating with three great friends and 4000 other Catholic college students, and adoration. Could it have been any better?
I meant to try to work in the pictures from the conference in the above post, but ended up writing so much that I forgot. So, rather than go back and try to re-format the whole thing to fit the pictures in, I’ll just post them here.
A particularly memorable lyric from one of the praise and worship songs one morning
The praise and worship band that provided the music for most of the conference
Tim Hawkins
Matt Maher
Matt Maher
Nick, Jen, Erica, our new friend Margot, and me, with Matt Maher (he was sort of blocked off behind the table so we couldn't go stand with him, but he was still willing to take a picture with us)
Jen, me, Nick, and Erica at the swing dance
Fr. Groeschel
Nick, Erica, Jen, me, and Michael
