Wisdom has bi\uilt herself a House

July 20, 2010

Peace and Good,

I am doing well. This past week I preached a retreat to the Sisters of Christian Charity in Menden, New Jersey. Their convent is beautiful, on 106 acres of rolling hillside with many Canadian Geese and Deer wandering around the property.

I preached on the book of Wisdom: Sirach, Wisdom, Proverbs, Job, Quoheleth, Song of Songs and Psalms. They present the idea that God reveals through the everyday events of our lives. While it was incredibly hot in the New York area, the convent is nicely cooled. The siters were a joy, the oldest being 96 years old and the youngest in their 20's.

I had a nicely soundproof room where I was able to tape a large number of daily reflections for the internet. It is always difficult to find a place that is quiet enough to do that. You often don't notice until you notice the birds, airplanes, telephones, etc.

I flew back to Mishawaka on Sunday night and picked up my van and drove to Carey, Ohio. This is a Shrine church dedicated to Our Lady of Consolation. I will be back here in a couple of weeks to preach a novena before the feast of the Assumption. I am giving a retreat to the incoming novices in our community (there are nine of them). I am preaching on the vocation stories of various Biblical figures.

I finished a couple of books. The first was a biography of Margaret of Anjou, a French princess who married the English king during an especially chaotic period of their history. The book was by Jacob Abbott. I have already read one book by him, and a number of others are on the list.

The other book is The Czar's Spy by William Le Queux. The book started out good, but ended up sounding like the plot for a mystery dinner theater. It was written in 1905 and it really shows it.

My schedule for the next weeks is:

July 19 - 23, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novice Retreat

July 24 - 31, 2010: Chatauqua Community, Chatauqua, NY - Priest in Residence

August 5 - 15, 2010: Our Lady of Consolation Shrine, Carey, OH - Parish Novena

August 16 - 20, 2010: Maronite Seminary, Washington, D.C. - Seminarian Retreat

August 21 - 27, 2010: Ocean City, MD - vacation

August 28 - September 3, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novitiate Conference

God bless and

Shalom,

fr. Jude