My Sabbatical in Australia 2007

Heading Home

2007-06-02T16:56:00.000-04:00

Our time in New Orleans is soon coming to an end. Soon Ray will head out to Providence and I will journey back to Fairport. I am scheduled to preach and preside on June 16. My time in the next two weeks will be one of integration and preparation for re insertion into the normal flow of life in Fairport. It has been quite a journey. I have driven 3019 miles from Los Angeles to New Orleans in just under three weeks. My rental car has performed well. I am glad that I did not have to drive all the way myself! We have not tried to over do it, but even driving that many miles, no matter how interesting the travel is and how frequent the stops are, is very draining. I am glad that there will be time for rest before work starts.

New Orleans Street Cars

2007-05-31T16:44:00.000-04:00

My fascination with railroads is no secret to folks who know me. Street cars clearly fall within this interest and much of New Orleans Street Car system has been restored since the flood two years almost ago now. We had the chance to ride some of the routes of this street railway before we left. In fact, one of the several lines ran right past our hotel on St. Charles St. One day while driving away from the hotel we chased the street car for a while. They are not in any big hurry, but do exercise their right of way when it comes to turns and intersections.

New Orleans has 32 of these cars operating in all. They were build in the early 1940’s and have been maintained and restored over the years. While they are used by the natives for basic transportation, they are also a favorite attraction with tourists like us. The ride is bumpy but steady and the motormen (and women) are generally friendly and offer guidance to bewildered and slightly lost visitors.

As we moved along the “Canal Street” line from the French Quarter to the Cemetery and back ( about an hour’s ride) I had a strange feeling of familiarity about the experience. During the night it came to me that these cars are very similar to the ones which the City of Rochester used first in its street car trolley lines and then in its ill-fated subway system which. When I was just a tike my dad took me for a ride on Rochester’s subway just before it ended in 1954. The gentle sway of the street car ride through New Orleans reminded me of that fine adventure.

Food, Glorious Food!

2007-05-30T00:17:00.000-04:00

I begin this entry with the sign that I saw on the wall of one of the exhibits that Ray and I visited today.

It says it all!

We have been eating our way around New Orleans these last few days and it has been delicious! Everywhere you go there is some stand or restaurant out of which waft wonderful aromas of the haute cuisine for which the Big Easy is noted.
They only thing that keeps the bulging waste line in check (somewhat) is the amount of walking we are doing around the French Quarter!

From simple street vendors to major high end restaurateurs, food is a way of life here in the bayou! I shall be returning to Weight Watchers as soon as I return.

At this rate, they may levy a surcharge for excess baggage (me) on plane ride back home!

Mardi Gras

2007-05-29T19:41:00.000-04:00

Today we spent some time in the National Museum of Louisiana. The weather is a bit cloudy with a few sprinkles in the air, so it was a good day to be inside. The crowds of the Memorial Day weekend were gone and we walked along the streets with no difficulty. The first stop was a National Historical Park and Preserve Center on Decatur Street on the edge of the French Quarter. There we learned even more about Hurricane Katrina and the reasons it was "the perfect storm". This same site gave us more information on the history of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. This was quite the deal for the US. We paid 15 million dollars for just about all the all of the west and northwest. The picture shows the commemorative banner that was made for the occasion.

We walked down the street to San Luis Cathedral which the bulletin says is the oldest cathedral in the United States. This building was constructed in the late 1700's and re-built several times thereafter.

The highlight of the day was a visit to the "Presbytere" which was next to the Cathedral Although it was built as a residence for the priests and bishops who served the French Colony of Nouvelle Orleans, none ever lived there. The building was used from the beginning of its construction for other purposes, both during the French and Spanish colonial period.
Today it contains the State Museum of Mardi Gras, from its beginnings in the parades of Europe and the ritual processions of Africa. Throw in the Creole, Caribbean and Native American cultural experiences and you have 12 days of Mardi Gras as it is celebrated today.It was a very enlightening day and told us far more than we ever knew (or wanted to know)about this annual Carnival. By the way, did you know that the word "Carnival" comes from two Latin words: "carne and valle" meaning "Farewell to Meat" That's why Mardi Gras (meaning Fat Tuesday in French) comes on the days before Ash Wednesday.

As you can see from the picture, Mardi Gras is serious business (about 1.5 billion each year in tourist dollars) and much planning is needed for every year's celebration.

In 2008, Mardi Gras is February 8!

Beignets for Breakfast!

2007-05-28T22:59:00.000-04:00

This morning we began Memorial Day with a traditional New Orleans French breakfast treat. Beignets are the specialty of the French Quarter - the Vieux Carre - as they say here. These wonderful treats are made of deep fried dough which are then dredged through confectionary sugar - hum good; lately two of my most frequented food groups. They are the equivalent of "pizza frete" We waited 30 minutes in line at a small local cafe to grease our innards with these treats. I topped off my heart-healthy breakfast with homemade Pralines. These little sugar bombs are filled with nuts - probably pecans and tasted great for the first few bits then sugar shock set in. We didn't eat again until 8pm!

The day took us to the Canal Street Trolley line for a 40 minute ride out to Lake Ponchartrain and back. It remindered me of the street car ride that my Dad took me on as a young boy. The City of Rochester put its streetcars in the present 490 Expressway and operated them as a subway (unsuccessfully)for a few years. Anyway, Dad took me on a ride the week before the line was shut down. This delightful clanking, rumbling, purring experience reminded me of that day 55 years ago! Most of the street car lines are operating as New Orleans tries to get back on its feet.

We also took in an Imax movie called "Hurricane on the Bayou." It was produced by the Audubon Society. It was an excellent explanation of why Katrina was so disasterous and what can be done to keep these weather systems from reaking so much damage in the future. While it evoked a deep sense of sadness in me, it also left me with a feeling of hope.

CD's of the music in the movie were on sale afterwords. The profits support the educational efforts of the Audubon Society.

The sun was beating down upon us northerners so we retired to our hotel for a few hours until we stepped out for dinner. We have decided NOT to go to Mississippi tomorrow as we had planned as we have lots more to see in the Big Easy.

More to tell tomorrow!

The Big Easy!

2007-05-27T10:13:00.000-04:00

Today is our second day in "The Big Easy." We arrived in New Orleans yesterday afternoon and after checking into our St. Charles St. Hotel next to Lafayette Park, we programmed Karen, my "GPS" unit, to direct us to the Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord in East New Orleans. As usual, she was right on the mark in getting us around the maze of highways and back streets. We arrived at the church, which we have been supporting in these post Katrina days, in time for 4:00pm Mass. We had called Fr. MichaelJoseph Vinh Nguyen ahead of time to arrange a rendezvous. He introduced Ray and me to the community at the beginning of Mass and we received a big round of applause from the folks gathered to celebrate. The church was very beautifully laid out and smelled freshly painted - because it was!

After Mass, while Fr. MichaelJoseph worked with several Confirmation candidates, Glen, a life long member of ROOL, gave us the grand tour of the plant. He explained with great enthusiasm and passion how, inspired by Fr. MichaelJoseph's leadership, the parish has been working very hard to get the parish back in working order. He showed us the high water mark on the Parish Center - just part of the four feet of water that covered everythiong.
Because of where the parish is located, their highest priority is to get their school fully functioning. We toured the newly painted classrooms which have been in use since the beginning of the school as well as the additional 10 classrooms and pre-school building that will open in the coming school year.

It was a fascinating tour which ended in the rectory where we had a glass of wine in anticipation of dinner at a local restaurant on the shore of Lake Ponchartrain. Fr. MichaelJoseph and Glen and his wife, Maria and another couple joined us for a delightful meal in the shoreline restaurant. On the way to the restaurant we drove through some of the areas which got really damaged by the hurricane's waters. In fact, the restaurant had only reopened three weeks ago. The evening ended with Ray and I taking home a delicious, large portion of Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce.

Today we began our second day here with a trip up the Mississippi River on the Riverboat Natchez. This stream boat is the ninth one to bear the name. All have plied the waters of this great 2300 mile long river. It was a great experience and quite a thrill to sail upstream on this mighty giant.

Time is beginning to run out. We have one more day here in New Orleans and then it's off to Biloxi to see what the State of Mississippi is like.

Church visits!

2007-05-25T09:54:00.000-04:00

Today we drove to the Baton Rouge and Covington, LA to see a cluster of mega churches in this area. They have several things in common: they are growing fast, are relatively young (less than 25 years old), are dedicated to serving a cross cut of people of all ages and backgrounds and they use technology to enhance the worship experience. Several are charismatic in style, several are "seeker sensitive" - for people who do not feel connections with the churches of their origins.
We were greeted warmly and graciously in every church we stopped into unannounced. They tended to be large in size and multifaceted in their ministries.

Almost all had education programs for children as well as adults. Most had separate programs (and buildings) for smaller children whom they encouraged not to come to the adult service. Many of these communities were actively engaged in expansion of their facilities.

What I enjoyed the most was the sense of pride and ownership that came from the folks with whom we talked about their churches. They were admiring and appreciative of their Pastors, but it was their church, they were speaking for the body of sisters and brothers who together are the Body of Christ. Delightful!

Galveston!

2007-05-24T00:02:00.000-04:00

I am feeling a little road weary as we pull into Galveston, Texas. It's been a long journey across the southwest. I had no idea how big Texas is!
We decided to stay two nights in a motel near the famous 32 mile long beach. It was a good rest from over 2200 miles in 6 days. I spent more time in the sun than Ray was able to, but when the day was done we were both more rested and relaxed and ready for today's driving to Lake Charles, Louisiana.

We left Galveston on TX Rt 87. To our delight this highway includes a free ferry across the Houston Shipping Channel to the Bolivar Peninsula.

On the way to a mega church in Lake Charles, we stopped around lunch time in Beaumont, TX, at a museum of energy. What's that, you ask? Well, it was two hours of touring a museum touting the effects/affects of oil exploration in the great state of Texas! The museum did a good job of historically tracing the need for A) a source of lighting energy for a burgeoning Industrial Revolution...candles, through whale oil, through coal oil/kerosene, through electricity; B) a heat energy source; C) a lubricant energy source to "grease" the new machinery of the Industrial Revolution; and D) Ka-boom!...transportation for the individual consumer, i.e. the personal automobile!

All this and Texas' role in it, too. It was way more than we wanted to know.

We did get to see the Trinity Baptist Church mega-church in Lake Charles by late afternoon. It amazes us how easily it is to get into these churches unchallenged, yet welcomed. Everyone we've met in these mega-churches so far have been friendly, smiling and helpful.

Tomorrow we head for Baton Rouge, four more mega-churches, and New Orleans by Saturday morning. I emailed the pastor of the Church of the Resurrection there, which Assumption and the other churches in Fairport have been assisting since Hurricane Katrina. So far I have yet to hear back from him.

A Mega Church in Houston

2007-05-21T06:35:00.000-04:00

Today we visited two of the mega churches that were on the “check them out” list. Both of these were in the suburbs of Houston; one in Baytown, the other in Conroe. What impressed me most was the energy and warmth that even the buildings conveyed at the Fellowship of the Woods in Conroe. This church is presently involved in a massive 35 million building program. Like many of the mega churches, there is something there for everyone and the ministries that they offer are many and inspiring.

My principle interest was what they do with video systems and how they use media and technology in their worship. It was a Monday and their media staff was on their day off after a full weekend, but we were able to walk around the place where the community gathers and inspect the video equipment. Their cameras are bigger than ours and they are not remotely controlled, which means that many camera operators are required.

The auditorium where the community gathers for worship seats 4400 people. This church began with 15 members thirteen years ago. It now has 13,000 members. Clearly there is a great appeal to the folks in this affluent Houston area. This is not a church which follows a liturgical cycle as we do, so they rely upon the creativity of the leadership to proclaim the Word of God in creative and novel ways. But more about that later.

Tomorrow, off to the Johnson Space Center while we are in the neighborhood.

Remember the Alamo

2007-05-20T07:43:00.000-04:00

This morning we awoke to the rain that was following us from Ft. Davis. It was hard times but we were not deterred. Our goal was to tour the Alamo and learn some of the history of that time period.
I must confess that my knowledge of the Alamo comes from the Disney production of "David Crockett - King of the wild frontier." As it turns out, this 1950's story of the Alamo and the fight for Texan independence was pretty accurate - even if a bit romanticized. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas maintain the Alamo to this day. They have well trained tour guides who tell the story of the brave band of 189 soldiers who defended the Alamo in the face of Mexican General and Presidential Dictator, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, and his army of several thousand men. From Feb. 23 until the morning of March 6, 1836 the volunteers and regulars held the Alamo until it finally fell. Santa Anna burned the remains of all those who gave their lives at the Alamo and the fragments of their remains were placed near the altar of the then parish church of San Fernando in San Antonio. (See picture below.)

While the facts surrounding the siege of the Alamo continue to be debated, there is no doubt about what the battle has come to symbolize. People worldwide continue to remember the Alamo as a heroic struggle against overwhelming odds - a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. "Remember the Alamo" was the battle cry that energized the freedom fighters in their efforts to repel the Mexican Army from Texas and ultimately brought about independence for the Republic of Texas in 1836. Santa Anna surrendered to General Sam Houston after suffering a crushing defeat which lasted only 18 minutes. This defeat marked the end of Mexican hegemony in what is now the US. It also established Texas an an independent nation for the 10 years before it joined the Union and became the 28th State. The Alamo (which, by the way, means "cotton wood tree") is revered by people everywhere, but especially Texans. It is visited by three million people every year.

I can still hear the words of the song: "Born on a mountain top in Tennessee, prettiest state that you ever did see, Killed him a b'ar(sic) when he was only three, Davey, Davey Crockett, King of the Wild frontier" Now what the song didn't teach us was that Davey Crockett, lawyer, politician, sharp shooter, elected representative to the Congress, hunter and frontiersman lost his seat in Congress and subsequently said to his constituency: "You can go to hell, I'm going to Texas." It was in Texas at the Alamo that he made the ultimate sacrifice.

Amazing.

Ft. Davis to San Antonio

2007-05-19T09:47:00.000-04:00

Today we traveled the same route that many many explorers and gold seekers traveled a century ago. We, of course, were in a car driving the 400 miles in the opposite direction.
We got an early start and stopped in Ozano, TX for lunch at a Subway (seen one you've seen them all - same menu, same wall paper and same good low fat fast food). We made good time and arrived about 3:30pm. After a short nap, I was ready to begin our exploration of the city of the Alamo.

San Antonio is known for its famous "River Walk" (Paseo Del Rio) which runs through the heart of the business district a few steps below the city streets. Tonight it was teaming with life!

We took the River Walk on our way to San Fernando Cathedral to catch the 5:30pm bilingual Mariachi Mass. What a treat that was - good music, good community, good homily - all together good liturgy! This church in the heart of the city is also the "heart of the city". The civic literature given to visitors refers to the church as the soul of the city. I can see why.

Colonists sent from the Canary Islands by King Philip of Spain arrived in San Antonio in 1731 and began building the church, the oldest parish in Texas. It has been renovated and remodelled several times over the centuries, but it remains a marvelous piece of architecture which proudly proclaims our Catholic faith.

Orginaly next to the altar, and now in its foyer, are the remains of several famous people who lost their lives in the battle of the Alamo. A plaque on the coffin bearing these remains lists: Davey Crockett, Jim Bowie and William B. Travis - remember them??? Amazing!

The celebration was wonderful and it came as no surprise when, at the sign of peace, twelve ushers came walking down the center aisle and joined hands with the people of each side of the church while the Mariachis sang an upbeat song in their own great style.
The assembly was about half visitors and the regulars made us feel so welcome. It was an experience that I hope all visitors to our churches feel when they travel away from their home communities.

After mass we walked back to the River Walk and found a restaurant where we enjoyed a great meal and the crowds of folks and water taxis passed by filled with happy tourists. The side walks wound their around the tree lined paths which were illuminated by all sorts of twinkling multicolored lights. It was quite magical. Pretty soon it was 10pm and we were ready to call it a day.

Tomorrow: The Alamo!

Fort Davis, Texas - a window to the past

2007-05-18T05:54:00.000-04:00

I write this in Ft Davis, TX. At the encouragement the Ranger at Carlsbad, we drove to this western Texas town to see the highest town in the state. The 5,050 foot elevation town takes it name from the fort that was established there in 1854 to provide protection for emigrants from the east from the Mescalaro Apache Indians who didn’t like their lands being invaded by the white man. The fort was built on the overland trail from San Antonio to El Paso. It is reportedly one of the best examples of a restored frontier fort in the country. Ray’s new Golden Senior Pass got us into this National Park for free. More information about this fascinating place can be found by clicking at: www.nps.gov/foda. We spent the afternoon walking around the park visiting the portions of the fort that have been restored. The commissary, some of the barracks and a few of the officer’s residences have been reconstructed and furnished with furniture of the period.
The Fort stands on the old overland trail the stretched from San Antonio to El Paso. Many a traveller followed this route in search of California Gold and a new life in the wild west. It was a nice afternoon

We had dinner at the Limpia Hotel and went back to the motel to get a good night’s sleep before our dash to San Antonio some 400 miles to the east.

Roswell to Carlsbad and the Caverns

2007-05-17T08:47:00.000-04:00

Ray and I drove south to Carlsbad, NM today. It was a damp, overcast day. Traffic in this part of the country is scant, but the roads were very good. It was misting all the way to Carlsbad. In short it was a great day to spend time underground - and that that we did. Arriving about noon, we checked into the Carlsbad Inn Motel and then went 18 miles further south to the Carlsbad National Park Caverns. What a treat! We started by descending 754 feet on one of the four elevators which the NPS has drilled into the limestone which makes up most of the country side.

We booked ourselves on a tour at 2pm so that we would have time to have lunch at the cafe almost 800 feet beneath the surface. It was a great experience, even if a bit cool and damp. It's always 56 degrees in the caves. The cavern actually breathes too. Every 32 hours the air completely changes.

We spent a delightful 5 hours on the tour of the King's Palace and exploring the Big Room. The "room" is the area of 14 football fields and is the largest underground room in the western hemisphere. I took many pictures, but the place is so vast that the photos just can't capture the real sense of this beautiful place. Unlike most caves or caverns, the Carlsbad Caverns were the result of sulfuric acid eating through the limestone as a result of chemical reaction of receding water, minerals and oil in the ground.

We learned much about the quarter million bats that live in the caves, but because it was raining and foggy we decided not to wait until dusk to see if they would fly out for their usual evening feast of insects. Any living thing with any smarts was under cover, so we joined in and went back to the motel for dinner.

Tomorrow we are off to Ft. Davis, Texas.

Roswell, NM - Home of the International UFO Museum & Research Center

2007-05-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

Today after touring the Legacy Church we drove south to Roswell, NM. This three and a half hour trip took us across the rolling prairies to the vast ranches where in July of 1947 intense thunderstorms demonstrated the power of the heavens. Amidst a blinding rain and electric-filled sky, radar tracked an object fall towards the Earth. Rumors of debris-strewn fields and a military cover up suggested a UFO had crashed in the Roswell area. The mystery of the "Roswell incident" attracts a host of visitors annually and today it included us. We had a great time exploring the museum various accounts of what happened and the stories of UFO and alien abductions from around the world.

Sixty years later the city of 45,000 seems to have taken it all in stride, some of its citizens cashing in on the rumors of cover up, some carrying on with life. many if the stores and shops around the museum carry the UFO theme. There is the "Out of this World Cafe" and the "Cover up Cafe" and the "Even Alien's Love Music Shop." The street light posts are painted with aliens eyes and several buildings have flying saucers in their motifs. The UFO Museum documents it all with the newspapers of the day as well as many of the UFO stories from around the globe. It was a few hours well spent and when closing time came, Ray and I felt we had gotten our $3 admission's worth.

Tomorrow we are off to Carlsbad Caverns.

The First Mega Church of the Road Trip

2007-05-15T21:45:00.000-04:00

Today we checked out of our motel about 9am and headed over to one of the “mega churches” in the Albuquerque. Parishioner Joe Barnes had sent me contact information overnight via e-mail. Joe’s company manufactures and installs much of the high tech video equipment that many of the “mega churches” use in their worship spaces. Time was short, but we got in the car and went to Legacy Church to see what we could see. We found the place with no trouble and entered to high domed church’s auditorium where they have their Worship and Praise services.
As luck would have it, one of the Pastors named John, greeted us and showed us around in the short time that we had available. I’ll write more of this later, but I am posting a picture of the three screens that hang over the area where 2500 people seat for their Sunday Service. John was welcoming and helpful as he explained that their church is growing very fast and they are currently buildingx`` an area adjacent to the auditorium to accommodate the many children who come with their services. In many ways this church is like so many of the "mega churches": it's growing fast, appealing to famililes, welcomes newcomers and of course, makes use of video technology to enhance its services.

Rendezvous in Albuquerque

2007-05-14T17:36:00.000-04:00

After a journey of over 800 miles I called Ray Tetreault on his now functioning cell phone and he answered on the second ring. He was sitting at poolside in the motel taking in the sun. I was envious driving across the seemingly endless plains and prairies of Arizona and New Mexico. When I finally arrived about 3:30pm the sun was fading and it got too cool to sit outside. No problem, that gave us time to decide on a dinner location.

My brother Marty had told me about the longest aerial Tram ride in the world that is located in Albuquerque. His literature indicated that it was a must see. In our dinner location discussion, Ray had pre-selected 3 sites based on his previous field trips to Albuquerque from Sangre di Christo Center where he was on Sabbatical. One of the three locations was “High Finance,” a restaurant atop the Sandia Peak in the Cibola Mountains which overlook Albuquerque. You reach it by tram he explained. The rest went very fast. We called for reservations and were told to be at the base station by 6:00pm so we could make it to the top for a 6:30pm reservation.

The clouds were coming in fast and the skies darkening as we climbed aboard the tram for the 15 minute, 2 ½ mile trip up to the 10,873 ft. elevation where the restaurant awaited us. I took lots of pictures in the fading light and regret only that the lightening storm that entertained us off in the distance was too difficult to catch with my camera. But I tried.
We had a wonderful meal and enjoyed our evening very much. It was raining heavily at the top by the time the 9:00pm tram returned us to the base lodge. As we descended the mountain the raging rain storm changed into just a sprinkling at the bottom. We scampered to the car and drove back to the motel. It was a good night!

Farewells and I’m on the road again

2007-05-12T20:31:00.000-04:00

This morning I said good bye to Nathan and his Mom and Dad as I hit the road for Albuquerque where I need to be by Tuesday night. There I will pick up my classmate Ray Tetreault who is also finishing his Sabbatical before returning to the Diocese of Providence. After breakfast at a local eatery (there seem to be very many near Beth and Doug’s place), I loaded my car and we said farewells. It was tough to leave the little guy; when I see him later in the summer he’ll be twice as big as he is now. Today he is five weeks old. His parents hope he learns to sleep during the night really soon!

I headed out for my cross country adventure by driving to one of the seven wonders of the modern world – Techacapi Loop in California. This 19th century engineering wonder helps get trains over the mountains in western California. By looping the track around and around and over itself, the engineers were able to keep this gradient to 2.2% for a distance of 28 miles. The summit is 3983 ft! I hunted out the loop amid the back roads and after an hour of searching, found it. Pictures do not do it justice, but here’s a few.

Down the road a piece and around the bend is another amazing train sight. It called Cajon Pass and this line carries the east west traffic of the BNSF – that’s the Burlington Northern Santa Fe – down through the mountains to San Bernardino – the
summit is about 4000 feet. Again pictures cannot present the scope of this beautiful wiggling in and out of canyons and cuts, but here are a few shots to give you a taste of the sight.

Tomorrow it’s off to Albuquerque!

A Trip on the Freeway

2007-05-12T00:43:00.000-04:00

Today I took a trip in my rental car down to Garden Grove, CA to see the famous Crystal Cathedral. It was only 31 miles from Brentwood, but in Los Angeles one measures distance in time not miles. Doug estimated that it would take about 45 minutes to get there. Beth was more realistic and told me to take some CD's or food to occupy my time. There are less calories in CD's so I took them. Sure enough, it took me 1 hr and 47 minutes to get there on a Saturday afternoon. There were times when the 8 lane "freeway" was at a stand still. I learned that this is normal. My rental car has GPS and "Karen" was telling me what to do all along the way. Good thing, I was totally lost and would still be driving were it up to me alone. It struck me that the only thing "free" about the freeway was that there are no charges to drive there. The cost to nerves and frustration and start and stop driving stress is high. I was glad to finally be home and grateful that I don't have to deal with this every day.

The Crystal Cathedral was worth the trip and traffic. it is a huge glass building with steel tube inner supports. There was no service on Saturday afternoon so I could walk about and take pictures, some of which are here.

Snuggling on the couch

2007-05-11T08:45:00.000-04:00

Today while Daddy Doug went off to audition for a movie part (he’s an actor) and Mommy Beth got a much needed nap do to “Nocturnal Nathan’s ” sleeping patterns, I got to play with the newest member of our family for a few hours. After Beth fed him, the transfer was made and Nate nodded off in my arms and then settled in for a long sleep. I reclined on the couch with Nate on my chest as “The View” flashed at me from the TV across the room. I finally squiggled my way close enough to the TV remote to switch to the “I Love Lucy” reruns. We stretched out there together on the sofa until about 1pm when Doug returned from the Hollywood audition and Beth awoke from her nap. After Beth fed Nathan (again!), they got ready while I washed and changed Nathan so we could all go out.

Our destination was Family Theater Productions and Fr. Willy Raymond, the National Director. Fr. Willy has been very helpful in getting Doug connected out here in Movieland. I met him a few years back when he visited longtime friends in Fairport. He invited me to stop by anytime to see the operation.

Today I took him up on it!

You may remember Fr. Peyton of radio fame. Many years ago he was a featured speaker on the Mutual Broadcasting System radio network. His famous saying “The family that prays together, stays together” is etched in my memory from years ago. Fr. Peyton was one of the early pioneers in using media and technology to Evangelize. His great success 50 years ago has evolved into the Family Theater Productions of the present. Fr. Willy Raymond, CSC, is his successor.
You can check out their great work by clicking on this link---> www.worldatprayer.org.

Sleep debt being replenished

2007-05-08T21:19:00.000-04:00

We spent a very long night in our motel last night, in fact, we only awakened when Beth called on Maureen's cell phone to say that she and Doug were taking Nate out for a stroll after they were up all night with him. He has yet to get his days and nights switched to "normal" and consequently his parents are getting very little quality sleep time.

Part of me still thinks it is Thursday but we have crossed the International Date Line. Duh. We are all going out to supper in Manhattan Beach with some long time friends of Marty, Maureen and Beth's.

It will be a short night out for us all.

And here he is!

2007-05-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

Introducing Nathan Douglas DeBeech born on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007 at 6:02pm!

In the air over the Pacific!

2007-05-07T23:56:00.000-04:00

I write these words while flying at 32,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean. It is now 4:48pm Sydney (& body time). The plane left the ground in Sydney at 1:49pm – right on time. We are flying at 594 miles per hour toward Los Angeles for the almost 14 hour flight.
Amazingly enough, we will arrive at 10:07am Tuesday morning! This International Dateline stuff is fascinating! It has been a fine day which started with breakfast and tearful good byes at The Centre.
All the staff bid their farewells as Marty, Maureen and I drove away in a taxi loaded with my 15 weeks of luggage (2 bags, 2 carry on’s) and their five weeks (4 bags, 4 carry on’s). I should explain. I only had to look presentable and be comfortable; they had to have fun clothes, and formal dinning attire as well as business wear.

Our passage through Customs and Security was unremarkable and surprisingly smooth. We spent our final Australian Dollars in the Duty Free Shops and ate our way through the food court. Luncheon conversation revolved around how good it was to travel together for the last two weeks and that we will all be re-committing to Weight Watchers upon return to Monroe County. But Maureen pointed out that they will have a five week jump on me! Good, I’ll need the inspiration!

We are picking up a car at LAX and going to Beth and Doug’s home in Brentwood where M & M will observe the changes in new born Nathan Douglas since they last saw him two weeks ago. I look forward to seeing Nate for the first time. Since we well seasoned child care providers are in town, Doug and Beth are going to go out together for the first time since Nate made the scene ex utero. I can’t wait.

So Long Sydney!

2007-05-06T23:23:00.000-04:00

Today is the last full day here in Sydney. I feel a little sad as I realize that the time has gone by so fast. As the old saying goes, it seems like just a few days ago that I arrived at 14 Frances St in Randwick. In fact it was 103 days ago! It's a bitter sweet departure as I say goodbye to the folks whom I have met here and whose lives have so enriched mine.

Marty and Maureen and I leave tomorrow in the morning on Tuesday to catch the 1:45pm flight to Los Angeles. Now here comes the good part: through the miracle of travel and technology, we will arrive at 10:07am on the same day - May 8! I guess I am finally getting back the day I lost (Wednesday, Jan. 24) while coming here!

We will visit newborn Nathan Douglas DeBeech in LAX before M & M fly back to Rochester and I begin the drive home via Albuquerque, Texas and New Orleans. I will try to keep this blog updated as I travel across the southwest. I have been taking many pictures of my travels, a very small portion of which are posted here. My desktop folder reports that I have 7.39GB of pictures to share when I get back - that's a lot!

Thanks for your faithful readership. I will be in "e-touch" via this blog when possible.

The Last Week in Sydney

2007-05-05T19:33:00.000-04:00

This week has gone by very fast. There has been time for things that I always wanted to do, but never got to, you know how that works. The composition of our house here has changed too. Dan is gone back to Croghen, NY. Peter is back to work in Chicago. Dana went off to Cairns and Figi before he leaves for Oakland the day after I leave. Michael, a new resident, arrived while we were in New Zealand. He is a priest from Melbourne and has a car, so that makes it easier to get around. I must say, however, that I have found no difficulty with the local transit system - there are trains and buses galore.

Today I am meeting Marty and Maureen at their hotel and we are going off to a place called Manly Beach before they move into The Centre for a few days. Manly is one of the northern beaches on the other side of the harbor. I have not seen it as yet.

Back to base in Sydney

2007-05-01T09:12:00.000-04:00

We left Auckland on Monday. Marty and Maureen took a cab to the airport about 11am and I hung around until later in the afternoon since my plane didn't leave until 6:00pm. I spent the time checking out the rail system in Auckland. It is pretty impressive for a small city and improvements are being made to make the city even more tourist friendly.

I was back at The Centre and in my room by 9:30pm. When I woke up on Tuesday morning, I realized that this was the beginning of my last week as a resident of The Centre and the City of Sydney. The time has gone by very fast.

Next week I am off to see my newest "grand" Nathan and his parents, Beth and Doug, in Los Angeles and then begin the slow drive home across the Southwest. My plan is to stop and see some of the mega churches of the Southwest and Texas on the way to New Orleans, before heading northward to Fairport.

"The Overlander" north to Auckland

2007-04-29T08:53:00.000-04:00

We arrive in Wellington late in the afternoon in time to return the rental car. We're pretty pooped from the activity of the past few days and decide to walk around the CND for a short while before having supper. It is a beautiful, but windy city and we wicch we had more time to get to know it better. Wellington, New Zealand's capital city, has only 108,000 people, but then the entire country has only 3.8 million people. I am coming from City of Sydney with 5.2 million people in it.

Saturday started with a 5 AM wake up call so we could catch our 6:15 cab to the train station for our 7:20 departure on The Overlander for the trip back to Auckland. The train ride was quite comfortable and we were seated in the Observation car so our views were grand.

One of the highlights of the ride was a very famous spiral. The spiral represents a terrific response to an engineering challenge faced by the railroad builders over 100 years ago. Coming north from Wellington, the terrain was almost constantly uphill but it rose quite gradually.

As a volcanic country, New Zealand is very mountainous. In the center of the country is a large high plateau several hundred feet above sea level. It is to this plateau that The Overlander made its gradual climb north to Auckland. Unfortunately for the railroad there was no long gradual way back down. As a result the engineers of 1901, with the use only of human labor, dynamite, and horse drawn wagons constructed a way for the train tracks to make their way down 195 feet of elevation in the space of 4 kilometers. To prevent that descent from being like a rollercoaster hill they wound their way around a hillside and created 2 tunnels, 3 bridges and 1 horseshoe curve to get the train gradually down to the level where it could continue its trip northward to Auckland.
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The twelve hour trip through the center of the North Island wnet by relatively fast. We discracted by the beautiful scenery and didn't mind the time. We arrived at the new Britomart Transportation Center in downtown Auckland right on time. We had scouted out where there station was in relations to our hotel so we walked to the same hotel we left on Tuesday to spend our last 2 nights.

Geothermic Intrigue at Rotorua

2007-04-26T08:33:00.000-04:00

We started the day off with a "duck" ride around the town and out into 2 of the many lakes around Rotorua. A "duck" as you may know is an amphibious truck built by GMC in the USA during WWII. It is capable of driving on a road or floating in water - propelled by the same motor and transmission. It was a fun tour and we were grateful that our "duck" ran out of fuel (Driver confessed that he didn't check the tank closely enough) while on land, not in the middle of one of the lakes.

The source of the smell in the area proved to be very interesting indeed. Seems it is a result of the geothermal activitiy in the area that Rotorua is built upon and when the wind condidtions are right, the place smells like rotten eggs. We came to appreciate the distinct aroma and flavor of the Rotorua region the more we got to know the geological history.

Next as we began our journey south to our next overnight stop we came across a
national park built around another of the "hot spots." That resulted in usspending an informative couple of hours walking through a geyser field.

We then headed off to Lake Taupo. This town reminded of Canandaigua 25 years ago. The town sits right at the shore of the lake and is filled with motels and restaurants which line the shore. We had a fine meal in one of these establishments that night.

After a good night's sleep in a great motel apartment (their fond of these in NZ and now so are we), we began the 6 hour trip south to Wellington, the Capital City of New Zealand.

The SkyTower and Stinky Rotorua

2007-04-25T08:17:00.000-04:00

We started the day by checking out of our hotel in Auckland but before moving the car from the underground “car park”, we crossed the street to explored the SkyTower. This is the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere. At 328 meters it gives a magnificent view of the city, the famous Auckland Harbour Bridge and interestingly the volcanic island in the harbour. This island was formed by a volcanic eruption of Mt. Rangitoto just 600 years ago.

As we stood in the SkyDeck over 1000 feet in the air, the natural topography, which has been there for thousands of years, spread below us. Across the harbour was this “geological youngster” formed so relatively recently.

After a nice lunch in the Sky Lounge we headed south to Rotorua. We were advised to hold our noses as this town is the site of famous mineral springs and geyser activity.

What a surprise! The place REEKS of rotten eggs!!!

As the lady who checked us into our hotel told us the natural geothermal activity in the area creates a distinct flavor for the region. The smell of sulfur in the air is almost sickening at times – depending on the wind direction.

The hot springs which lie under the entire region permit some unique opportunities. For one, every motel on a very long street had a pool heated to 40 degrees celsius (about 110 degrees Fahrenheit)

Another interesting feature was in our bedroom closet and bathroom. Water from the hot springs below was fed through pipes in our room as towel warmers.

Up the Coromandel Peninsula - to ride a train!

2007-04-24T07:56:00.000-04:00

The sun is shining in Auckland when we arise and we are off to ride the Driving Creek Railway, it is a narrow gage mountain railway. To get to the location we have to drive almost three hours up the Coromandel Penisula. For part of the way we are driving at water's edge (on the left hand side of the road!) around sharp curves and very narrow road as we wind northward beside the Firth of Thames (a very large inlet from the ocean). The train trip includes 2 spirals, 3 short tunnels, 5 reversing points and several viaducts on its way to the top of the mountain. And the "Driving Creek Railway" lived up to our expectations, making the harrowing car ride fade in the distance.

The small railway was built by one man, Barry Brickel, who operates a pottery shop
on the side of the mountain. It originally was built as a means to bring clay from a clay pit up the mountain down to the workshop. As people came to the pottery shop, interest developed in the unique narrow gage railway.

Narrow gage railroads are the type of rail track usually seen in mines and logging sites in days of old. The rails are about 15 inches apart and they permit very sharp turns and steep grades. Barry, a 71 year old bachelor, kept adding sections to the railway zigzagging its way further up the mountain. It now snakes its way 2 and 1/2 miles up the mountain to a location with a spectacular view. There Barry built the "Eyeful Tower" to permit a view spanning 30 miles.

We returned to Auckland for a great Thai dinner then back to the hotel.

Off to Auckland

2007-04-23T07:35:00.000-04:00

The flight was smooth and the people friendly. My brother and sister in law, Marty & Maureen are waiting for me at the airport. We pick up our rental car and are off to explore and find our way to downtown Auckland - and all this while driving on the left hand side of the road. It sure does feel strange. On our agenda is to head to the hotel and crash. Marty and Mo were in Los Angeles visiting the latest addition to our family - Nathan Douglas DeBeech at 7 PM Saturday night. By the time we are "heads on pillows" in the hotel it was about 27 hours that they have been traveling. For me it was only a 5 hour trip from Sydney. The New Zealanders are very friendly and polite. We are staying at the New President Hotel on Victoria Street directly across from one of Auckland's landmarks, the SkyTower.

We can sit in our room and watch the glass elevators go up to outside of the tower to the 3 observation decks at the top. It was a quick glance out the window and we all crashed for the night.

Back from Retreat and off to New Zealand!

2007-04-22T07:05:00.001-04:00

I returned this afternoon from a wonderful retreat in the Australian Capital District. The ACT as they say it here. It was a fine week of warm sunny Autumn weather with plenty of reflection, walking and just enjoying the beauty of the City of Canberra, the seat of the Government of Australia. We stayed at “The Gathering Place” – a former Bridgitine Sisters Convent. Sr. Lorraine Gatehouse and team mate Meryl Bolland provided us with wonderful hospitality while we entered more deeply into their spirituality while nourishing ours. It was a growth filled experience.

I had the opportunity to walk the many tails of nearby Mt. Ainslie as well as the beautiful Lake Burley Griffin around which the City of Canberra is built. In all we spent 8 days exploring the interior life while exploring the exterior beauty of Canberra.

Monday I fly to Auckland, New Zealand. I will be meeting my brother Marty and his wife, Maureen for a week’s vacation before we all fly back here to Sydney, they for a business conference and I for my final week at The Centre. I will not be accessing the blog sight until I get back so look for more commentary and pictures starting May 1.

Back from Retreat and off to New Zealand!

2007-04-22T07:05:00.000-04:00

I returned this afternoon from a wonderful retreat in the Australian Capital District. The ACT as they say it here. It was a fine week of warm sunny Autumn weather with plenty of reflection, walking and just enjoying the beauty of the City of Canberra, the seat of the Government of Australia. We stayed at “The Gathering Place” – a former Bridgitine Sisters Convent. Sr. Lorraine Gatehouse and team mate Meryl Bladder provided us with wonderful hospitality while we entered more deeply into their spirituality. I had the opportunity to walk the many tails of nearby Mt. Ainslie as well as the beautiful Lake Burley Griffin around which the City of Canberra is built. In all we spent 8 days exploring the interior life while exploring the exterior beauty of Canberra.

Monday I fly to Auckland, New Zealand. I will be meeting my brother Marty and his wife, Maureen for a week’s vacation before we all fly back here to Sydney, they for a business conference and I for my final week at The Centre. I will not be accessing the blog sight until I get back so look for more commentary and pictures starting May 1.

Off to Retreat

2007-04-13T21:08:00.000-04:00

Easter Saturday

Today Dan and I head south from Sydney to a retreat house called the Gathering Place near Canberra the national’s capital. The trip will take about 4 hours on the train; we leave from Sydney’s Central Station at noon. We’ll be on retreat for the week after which we will get a hotel and do some touring in the ACT – that’s the Australian Capital District – before we return to The Centre on Sunday the 22nd. I won’t be able to access the internet while on retreat so this blog will not be added to until after we return. If you are reading this while we are at the retreat house, do remember us in prayer as we will you.

A Meeting of minds

2007-04-12T07:53:00.000-04:00

Easter Thursday
The highlight of today was an appointment with David Walker, Bishop of the Diocese of Broken Bay. Recall that Bishop Walker is the founder of the The Centre’s Sabbatical program for priests around the world. While faced with many responsibilities of a major metropolitan diocese of over 200,000 Catholics just north of Sydney, he still maintains a keen interest in the Sabbatical program. Today Dan and I had the opportunity to sit for an hour with him in his office just a few miles north of Sydney Harbour.

It was a refreshing and stimulating conversation in which we shared about how we saw the Church in Australia wrestling with many of the same things that we deal with in the US. Bishop David is a most wise and gentle leader. He is renowned for his leadership in spirituality and education. His diocese reflects his collaborative leadership style and the passion for empowerment of the Baptised that is dear to my heart. It was a meeting of minds and a sharing of hearts that uplifted my spirit very much. I hope the Bishop David will be able to visit our neighborhood sometime in the future. He would be at home in our midst and is truly a blessing for the church in Australia.

A day at the Royal Randwick Racecourse

2007-04-11T07:41:00.000-04:00

Easter Wednesday
Today we decided that since we were just up the hill from the Royal Randwick Racecourse and it was Easter Carnival (sponsored by a local Brewery called “Twoheys”) that to be patriotic and keep with the social mores of the community, we ought to make a visit to the races. It was quite the day. For the price of admission ($15) and whatever liquid refreshments one wished to indulge in, the Racecourse (at least the “non member” public section) was all ours to enjoy. None of us were particularly interested in betting on the horses, but we did want to check out what the carloads and bus loads of people were doing down there everyday for the past week. I wrote earlier that this is the place where Aussies get dressed up. Today’s experience confirmed this impression to the max. There were all manner of suits, dresses and haberdashery on display. In fact, unbeknownst to us, it was ladies day and this brought out all kinds of fashions and hat contests. It was something to behold.
The races began at 11:45am and continued until 5pm. I placed one $2 bet (and lost), but Joe, who had never been to a race track before, got bit by the bug and wound up winning consistently with his wild hunches. At the end of the day he had won 4 of the 8 races and walked out with over a $100. We big spenders made our way back home in time to be taken out to dinner by one of the women on the staff who has taken a shine to us and wanted to send us off with full stomachs.

The Sydney Tower Experience

2007-04-10T07:21:00.000-04:00

Easter Tuesday
One of the things that we have been looking forward to was going to the tallest structure in Sydney (maybe all Australia?) – the Sydney Tower. Sr. Judee and Bishop David take all the sabbatical people there for dinner in the revolving restaurant at the top of the tower. Today was our turn. The restaurant revolves once every 70 minutes and we got there just as the sun was setting in the west. By the time we had made one revolution, it was well into night time and we looked down on beautiful
Sydney with its many harbours, suburbs and sections. The food was quite good, even the roasted Kangaroo Rump, but the spectacular view commanded our full attention!
It was a great way to celebrate the Easter season!

Easter Carnival at the Royal Randwick Racecourse

2007-04-08T23:08:00.000-04:00

Easter Monday
Today all of Australia is “on holiday”; it’s part of the four day long weekend. This weekend also is the start of a two week school holiday. Many people travel with their kids on family vacations. It’s the weekend when most traffic accidents occur in Australia. The warnings were very similar to our Labor Day travel announcements. This is also the time when Australians dress up for the high social event called “The Royal Randwick Racecourse Easter Carnival” The race course is just down the street from The Centre and today I decided to take a walk down the hill to see what was happening.
As the pictures here show, while it is hard to find an Aussie dressed up for business, church or the opera, they dress “to the nines” for the Easter Carnival.

There are several horse races at the Raceway this week; it is the high society event of the season. The Royal Randwick Raceway is also the location of next year’s (July 08) World Youth Day final mass at which Pope Benedict XVI will preside.

Since I got to The Centre I have been wanting to walk around Centennial Park. This large beautiful space of trees, ponds, paths and people was teaming families out enjoying the sun. It’s been a wet weekend here and today’s break in that weather was enthusiastically embraced by the Sydneysiders who enjoyed time in the park and the raceway. Easter is celebrated differently here. You see Easter Banners and sales in the stores, but it is about the Easter Bunny and chocolate and getting ready for Winter. We do have our challenges, living in a secular culture. I guess as followers of the Risen One we must live our lives in such a way as make his resurrected presence shine through us. I like celebrating the Lord’s Resurrection when nature is unfolding into Spring with its new life and hope.

Easter Sunday

2007-04-07T19:47:00.000-04:00

Today we celebrate the Lord's Resurrection. I went to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church in Randwick for the 10:00am Mass. As you might expect it was a full church. I saw many of the folks that I have been seeing each time I go there, plus a lot more. The church was beautifully decorated and the celebration was festive. The Parish Priest (PP) whom we would call the "Pastor", Fr John Rate presided and preached. He is quite a great guy with a wonderfully welcoming style. I was happy that we chose to stay close to home. The church was beautifully decorated and the traditional style church building was filled with flowers and banners. Particularly interesting was their use of long flowing streamers which extended from the choir loft to the pillars in the nave. As you can see from the picture on the right, they were made of a light see-through material. We welcomed two little babies into the Church and sang with gusto that our Savior is Risen! I couldn't help but miss all the folks who are part of my life on this special day. It was nice, but it wasn't like being home.

Good Friday in Parramatta

2007-04-05T22:01:00.000-04:00

Good Friday I took the ferry from Sydney Harbour for the one hour ride under the bridge, through the inner harbour and up the Parramatta River to the suburb of Parramatta. This is yet another diocese in Sydney. I wanted to be with this community at the newly consecrated St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I had visited this church a few days ago (see the Monday April 2 entry below) and wanted to see how the parish would celebrate the Passion and Death of the Lord on Good Friday. As you may have noticed in Monday’s blog entry, this new Cathedral has a large long center space in which are located the Ambo, the Altar and the Bishop’s chair, the “Cathedra.” The church filled up shortly before 3:00pm when Bishop Kevin Manning processed into the sacred space and began this solemn, sober celebration. There was a large choir supporting the community in sung prayer. I was moved when it came time for the community to sing the response psalm. The whole church sang with gusto! As we sat there the voices of the 375 people across the church from us touched my heart. It was the first time I heard such wonderful participation since I arrived here. An interesting thing happened when it came time for the more than 750 hundred of us to come forward to venerate the cross. The procession moved along well as the choir led the community in sung prayer. At the end of the line of those coming forward, I noticed a group of young males coming forward for the veneration. In any other setting I would have assumed that these guys were tough members of some gang. Their clothing was jeans and tee shirts and each had short cropped hair with a red spiked Mohawk stripe in the middle. As I watched them bend low in reverence before the cross, I asked the Lord to forgive me for my hasty judgments on how things “appear.”

Our need for salvation continues everyday. Today we celebrate its cost.

Holy Thursday in Randwick

2007-04-04T21:58:00.000-04:00

Today we celebrated the Lord’s Supper with the parish community at Sacred Heart Church in Randwick, the suburb in which we live. One of the things that I cherish the most about this powerful liturgy is the way in which we hear Jesus call to service in the context of the First Eucharist, his Last Supper. He makes it very clear that we who follow him are to lead by our service of each other and the community around us. We had a fine celebration, but my heart was lonely for the familiar faces and friends who make up the fine fabric of my community in Fairport.

Spy Wednesday and Maroubra Beach

2007-04-03T06:22:00.000-04:00

Today is “Spy Wednesday” and after a morning Penance Service at our local church I decided to go on a little adventure down the coast to the famous (actually infamous) Maroubra Beach. This place is another of Sydney’s wide wonderful beaches which is enclosed on both sides by cliffs and jagged rocks. The suburb of Maroubra is the territory of the surfing gang, “The Bra Boys.” You may have heard something about this group as they have produced a current movie documentary about their experience. It is the story of the coming of age of several boys who suffer from the loss of effective male presence in their lives (the "father wound") and band together for identity, companionship, security and affirmation in the surfing gang that they called "The Bra Boys." The movie is currently getting high attendance in Australia and is reportedly being considered for distribution in the USA. Russell Crowe, native of New Zealand, but now acclaimed as an Australian actor, is the narrator of the film and saves it from being a C- flick. I rate it as a "B film," but since it has much local appeal, it is doing well here.
I took some pictures of the beach and environs, but the Bra Boys must have been too busy counting their royalties and were not to be seen any where. The dismal over cast of the day seemed to fit this Wednesday of Holy Week when the Gospel tells the story of Judas making a deal with the local establishment to get rid of the “Jesus problem” for the price of thirty pieces of silver.

Chrism Mass at Broken Bay

2007-04-02T20:40:00.000-04:00

During Holy Week every year each local church (diocese) gathers to celebrate the blessing of the Holy Oils which are used throughout the Diocese during the next year. Tonight we went to Corpus Christi Cathedral in St. Ives, NSW for the “Chrism Mass” as it is called. St Ives is one of the over 500 suburbs in the Sydney area and the seat (cathedra) of the Diocese of Broken Bay. Bishop David Walker, founder of The Centre for Christian Spirituality where I live, is the Chief Shepherd of this Diocese. It consists of all the territory north of Sydney Harbour to the border of the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese and now has 25 parishes. I say "now" because, like so many dioceses in our country, it has entered a process of Pastoral Planning for the future that has seen the reduction of its 40 communities into 25. Representatives of every parish were gathered at the Cathedral for tonight’s liturgy. During the celebration the Bishop led the local church in invoking God’s blessing upon the oils that will be used for healing the sick, anointing the Catechumens and in all Baptisms, Confirmations and Ordinations during the next year. At the end of a stirring liturgy, these folks and their Pastors were given the Sacred Oils to take back to their parishes. It was all very nice and reminded me that the people of our diocese would be doing the same ritual gathering and blessing in just a few hours at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Rochester.

We are all one church with many different faces!

Tsunami Warning and Interfaith Dialogue

2007-04-02T01:27:00.000-04:00

I was going to go to the beach to do some more reading today, but there was an earthquake in the Solomon Islands and all the beaches were closed due to a Tsunami alert. The Tsunami never materialized but “NSW-ers” are congratulating themselves as their recently developed early alert system seems to have worked well today.

Tonight I had the opportunity to join Dan, one of my fellow “sabbaticalers” at an interfaith gathering in Parramatta, one of the western suburbs of Sydney. This gathering was sponsored by the Diocese of Parramatta and the Affinity Intercultural Foundation. It was a fine step in bringing Muslims and Catholics together for dialogue and mutual understanding. Dan and I took a harbour ferry out in the afternoon because we wanted to see the new Cathedral of St. Patrick. It replaced the original structure which had been destroyed by a fire in 1996 and is a magnificent modern structure and like ono other that I have seen thusfar in Australia. The pictures here show the view from the main aisle and from the rear near the massive stand of organ pipes.

Before the meeting started went across the street to the ever present McDonalds, known here commonly as "Macca's". On the way back to the meeting hall we stopped back in to see the Cathedral, now illuminated after sunset. The building was even more beautiful at night with its interior illumination of the black marble Altar and Tasmanian Oak woodwork. But as powerful as it was, my heart was touched by what I saw as we walked into the sacred space. There in the middle of the assembly, on the open floor near the Altar Table, a young Muslim man had spread out his prayer rug and was absorbed in deep praise of the One God whom we all worship. I was moved that Bishop Kevin Manning, who was greeting people as they came for the Interfaith gathering, had welcomed this man of faith to pray in the quiet of the Cathedral before the meeting began. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to catch this special moment with my camera in the dim lights.

The Interfaith meeting brought over 200 Muslims and Christians together to learn more about each other in an environment of respect and trust. I was proud to be a part of it and thought how blest we are in Rochester to have the same type of interfaith alliance with our Muslim brothers and sisters. We have so much to learn from each other and the ture peace of the world depends on this kind of friendship.

We took the train back to Central Station as the ferries do not run at night. It was a most fulfilling day!

Autumn is here!

2007-03-31T23:15:00.000-04:00

Today I wore a long sleeved shirt for the first time sunce arriving on Jan 25. Athough it is still sunny and bright most days, the days are getting shorter here in the southern hemisphere. The nights come earlier with the passing of each day – about 6:30 right now. The natives are sporting jackets and sweaters more and more. The ever present thongs (not what you think) )are giving way to sneakers and other more substantial foot wear. When I first got here I was intrigued by the number of people who wear what we call "flip flops." I saw signs in store windows: Thong Clearance Sale. In the summer months, more Aussies wear thongs and sandals than shoes. You seen them every where including the CBD, not just the beach. In case you are still wondering, I am posting a picture of someone in a thong.

Today was the official kick off to "WYDSYDO8" - that’s World Youth Day Sydney 2008. There was a huge concert in the courtyard of St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Sydney. The three hour event included the Rapping Priest, Fr. Stan Fortuna of the Bronx. It was a neat experience of church with 5000 young people from all over the area converging to celebrate. It was a most diverse gathering of people of all races and ethnicities. The Korean community took responsibility for preparing food and there were many Korean delights that I had never tried before. There were Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, PNG’s (that’s Papua New Guinians), Indians and many many others amid the Irish, British, Italian, and German Australians in the crowd. And in the midst of it all strolled straw-hatted Cardinal George Pell. It concluded with the 6:00pm Palm Sunday Youth Mass which was jammed with thousands of people. The Australians are getting very excited about the July 2008 World Youth Day here in Sydney

Sydney goes dark!

2007-03-31T08:15:00.000-04:00

Earlier tonight Sydney's "Earth Day 60" took place. This event was an attempt by the City of Sydney to make a statement about global warming and to inspire Sydneysiders to join in the effort to reduce its green house gas emissions by 5% in the next 12 months. Several of us at The Centre were enjoying dinner together. I stepped out between the salad course and the Chicken Parmigiana (made by me!) to take a picture of the skyline from my 2nd floor bedroom window. The picture to the left shows the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge in darkness as well as most of the tall buildings in the CBD and many of the other land mark sights. Note: you can't see the Sydney Opera House. This photo was sent to me by Mike Bausch who got it off MSNBC. My shots follow.

Twilight view followed by the Earth Day 60 view.

We thought we could do our part by eating by candle light.

More Aussie English

2007-03-29T21:47:00.000-04:00

It’s not just the words that are sometimes different, it’s the way and times that people interact. Last night we “sabbaticalers” went out to dinner with Sr. Judee. As she and I stood at the bar getting drinks for the others at the table, the barman looked at me and said in words that I could barely understand: “How you been feeling?” Now this is not a usual conversation that one would have with a bar tender in my (limited) experience. I didn’t have the context in which to comprehend what he was saying. Fortunately Judee saw my confusion and said: “Oh, we’re just fine mate.” It was a funny moment. I realized that this is Aussie talk for our: “How’s it going?” We really don’t expect an answer or even the truth. It’s just a way to exchange pleasantries. Cultures are different that way!

I do have some more language differences to share as well.

“G’Day” means “Hello”
“Lay by” means “lay away””Take away” means “take out”
“Good on ya’” means “Good for you!”
“No Worries” means “No sweat”
“Capsicums” are peppers – green, red, orange or yellow
“Bathers” are swim suits
A “torch” is a “flashlight”
And Aussies often use “s” where we would use a “z” like “authorisation”

It’s a great place. People are friendly and service people in shops actually seem pleased to be serving you as they take your money!

It is great fun, but I can see the end coming on the horizon.

Back from Perth!

2007-03-26T21:09:00.000-04:00

The great adventure began on last Monday morning as Dan, my fellow train enthusiast, and I departed from Sydney by air. I was surprised, once again, at the vastness of this country. Our flight plan took us over New South Wales, Southern Australia, the South Ocean (a portion of the Indian Ocean) and then the vast desert plains. The five hour flight was uneventful and we quickly settled into our hotel room and began to plan out the two days that we would be in Perth before embarking upon the train trip. Our hotel was on the east end of the city and a walk in our neighborhood revealed to us that this wasn't Sydney! The streets were wider, the traffic slower and the people less diverse in their ethnicity.

That afternoon we explored the beautiful city of Perth (population of 1.3 million). This city is called the most isolated of Australia’s state capitals. Located in the State of South Australia, Perth is closer to Singapore than Sydney. We spent an enjoyable afternoon and evening getting to know the city amid the 94degree heat. You don’t actually notice the heat because of the “Freemantle Doctor.” This is the name given to the gentle, persistent, cooling breeze which blows inland from the Indian Ocean along the Swan River upon which Perth is built. The Swam flows from the nearby Darling Mountains out to the sea – about 30km from Perth.

On Tuesday, after a delightful breakfast at a side walk café, we decided to take a lunch cruise down the Swan River to Freemantle and the Indian Ocean. We walked to the wharf through a beautiful park along the Swan River. The picture to the left shows the wharf and park as we sailed out of Perth. It was a wonderful trip which provided us with magnificent views of Perth and the homes which line the wide river.

At Freemantle the Swan River empties into the Indian Ocean. If you could look across the ocean you would see India to the west and Indonesia to the north west. The huge harbour receives many container ships from the East loaded with goods, raw materials and cars. The captain prepared us for the sight we would see and as it turned out, there wasn't a single ship in the harbour!

The climate here is described as Mediterranean and the red tile roofs and brick homes attest. They say that in Freementle there are 23 dialects of Italian spoken!

Wednesday morning we took a cab to the train station to meet the famous Indian Pacific of the Great Southern Railway. We had a leisurely breakfast in the "Whistle Stop Cafe" in the depot, which also serves as a station for for the Perth mass transit system light rail trains. At precisely 11:55am the train began its 4,352 km (2611.2 mile) journey across the southern Australian outback. It’s not a fast train. It travels an average of 85kph (about 50 mph) on its transcontinental journey from Perth to Sydney via Adelaide. For the most of the distance there is only a single track. This means that frequently our train pulled on a siding to let another train coming from the other direction pass by. This process went on day and night as we moved across the outback.

The route takes us across the Nullabor Plain where we traverse the world’s longest stretch of straight track; not a curve or swerve for 478 kilometers (292.2 miles). There are two towns in the Nullabor, Kalgoorie (population 30,000) and Cook (population 8). When you look out the window, all you see is flat, scruffy gray green very short vegetation, sand and an occasional kangaroo, camel or wallaby. The area was named Nullabor from the Latin: "nullius arbor" - no trees! I guess so!

The scenery in the days on the train were very similar and made it very easy to read a book. But every now and then a glance out the window of my compartment revealed a magnificent view of this part of God's beautiful creation - especially as night time fell upon the outback.

After two nights and almost two days, we arrived in Adelaide in Western Australia. We detrained here because we couldn’t get passage clear through to Sydney. It worked out well because we really wanted to see what Adelaide (population of 1.2 million) was like. Unlike Sydney and Perth, this city was planned out on an easy to understand and get around grid. It is clean with wide streets and many green parks sprinkled within the grid of streets.

We had trouble finding a hotel in Adelaide when we started planning. Once we got there we understood why. Adelaide was hosting 15,000 visitors for the World Fire and Police Competition. Ended up with a great 15th floor room in a classy hotel that we wouldn’t have otherwise chosen. Our two days there were filled with exploration of the city and the nearby famous Barossa Valley wineries.

On Sunday we went to the local Cathedral to Mass and then headed out to the airport for the trip home. The flight home went well and if we had taken the right bus home, we would have been back to The Centre by 7:00pm. As it was, we neglected to notice that the 400 bus we boarded was going the wrong way until we were almost an hour on the road in the dark. The buses come into the airport on a one way loop so you have to be careful. We realized we were going the opposite direction from what we should be, got off and walked to the other side of the street for the ride back through the airport and to Randwick, where we live.

I was in bed by 10pm! A great adventure for sure!

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is 75years old!

2007-03-18T08:11:00.000-04:00

On Sunday March 18 Sydneysiders will celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the opening of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. The people of Sydney (Sydneysiders - no kidding, that's how they call themselves) refer to it proudly as "Our Bridge." On Sunday I will join the hundreds of thousands of others who are exected to march across the bridge from 10am until 7pm. There are so many people coming for this historic parade of people that one has to have a reservation (pardon me - a booking) to walk. Ours is for 12:30pm and as the link to the special site created for this occassion says "bookings are now closed" Click here to see the site http://www.ourbridge.com.au/ It should be quite the event and I am delighted to be part of this bit of Sydney history.

On Monday Dan Chapin and I fly out to Perth on Australia's West Coast. We'll be gone for a week during which time we'll take the famous Indian Pacific Train across the continent. I'll be back blogging next week with lots to tell and show.

The Blue Mountains

2007-03-17T07:59:00.000-04:00

Today Dana of Oakland, Dan of Ogdensburg, newly arrived Joe of Milwaukee, Rick and Lexie of Alabama (Dan’s friends) and I took the two hour train trip into the Blue Mountains. It was a full day but we really had a great time in this beautiful region west of Sydney. I have been wanting to visit it for many weeks. The day was overcast in Randwick as we boarded the bus to the train station, but by the time we were half way to the mountains the sun broke through the clouds and we had us a bright, cool day. It was ideal for hiking through the mountains.

The mountains are called “Blue” because of the fine blue haze that the Eucalyptus trees exude in their tree sap which fills the air. There was indeed a blue mist in the air shining through sun and clouds. We took several trails that lead down into the ravine up from which we could see the mountains surrounding us. After a few hours of this, we found a restaurant over looking the “Three Sisters Rocks” and had a fine meal. It was about that time when the mist became gray and then dark. The clouds soon brought a downpour. We scurried inside from the balcony over looking the valley below where we were eating lunch.

The Blue Mountains were a natural barrier during the colonization period and it was a while before passage over them could be secured. By 1867 the railroad had blazed a pathway up and over the mountains. It’s basically the same route that we traveled today only now it is electrified. It was a long day which started at 7:00am when we caught the bus at the corner in Randwick. Just after 7:00pm we crawled off the bus and were back home.

All in all a good day!

My Sabbatical in Australia 2007: Day 3 Digital Conference

2007-03-15T03:04:00.000-04:00

My Sabbatical in Australia 2007: Day 3 Digital Conference

Day 3 Digital Conference

2007-03-15T02:45:00.000-04:00

Friday I plan to attend a special conference about the use of digital technology in the servoce of the Gospel. It is happening in North Sydney, just a short train ride over the Harbour Bridge. This promises to be a very significant event in the unfolding of my sabbatical as it it exactly what I am here for. Materials that I have seen say: "The Conference seeks to assist ministers of the gospel living in an Information Society by seizing the new opportunities new media presents and proceed afresh and with confidence. The Conference will include presentations from skilled practitioners, opportunities for discussion, the addressing of key questions from the fl oor and the sharing of resources."
Take a look for yourself! Click here-----> http://www.day3digital.org/about/index.htm

I know at least three people who will be there and we all have high expectations. I hope we will be inspired. Just the fact that such things are being actively talked about is a very positive sign of the times. We are fast becoming a digital culture. We already are a visual culture and one which too often revolves around 30 second sound bites and video clips. If we, the Church, are to speak to our world of God's unconditional love, then we must speak the language of our times and embrace its culture!

"IT" at Newcastle

2007-03-13T20:49:00.000-04:00

Today’s adventure was an over two and a half hour train trip to the Diocese of Maitland – Newcastle. This diocese is about 150km (90 miles) north of Sydney and is easily reached by “CountryLink”, the rail service that connects the city with the far suburbs and beyond. The trip began at 6am as Dan and I traveled to Central Station to catch the 7:18am train to Newcastle. Sr. Judee had set up appointments there for Dan to meet with their Interfaith Officer and for me to meet with the IT department team. It was a wonderful trip which took us beyond any of the rail lines that I had ridden before. We arrived precisely on time (10:08 am where a member of the IT team was waiting to “fetch us.” Tracey whisked us off to the Chancery where we went our separate ways, Dan with the Deacon in charge of Interfaith Affairs and me to meet the IT Team.

After attending a Mass for Catholic Schools week, we had lunch together and began the business of sharing our interest in and commitment to putting the gifts of technology and media at the service of the Gospel. The Team in this diocese is headed by Tracey, Lindsay and Cathy, all experts in their respective fields. It was a terrific sharing and a great opportunity to “cross fertilize” what each of is doing. After lunch I had the opportunity to meet with the IT folks in the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Schools Office. This too was informative. I continue to be impressed with the IT infrastructure that Catholic Schools regularly use in the Diocesan School Systems in Australia. They have the fantastic blessing of being funded by the government here in much the same way as nonpublic schools are supported in Canada. Amazing what you can do with a help from the government! In fact, the federal and state governments provide to Catholic schools in Australia about 80% of the per pupil cost in public schools. The difference is made up by fees and other charges to parents (not parishes).

The day ended with a wonderful train ride home through the Hunter and Hawkesbury River Valleys. Here's a picture taken through the train window as we ascended from the river valley on our way back home to Sydney. Five tunnels just came after this shot was taken. It was a delightful day of seeing new things and learning more about how technology can help proclaim the Gospel. It reminds me of an old saying from my seminary years in which one professor told us “to perfect your instrumentality.” The use of technology is one great way to do this very thing for the sake of the Good News!

Downtown Randwick

2007-03-13T04:12:00.000-04:00

Tonight before dinner I went for a walk to a store in the center of Randwick . The streets in the business district were filled with folks as usual. As I walked to my destination I couldn't help but notice that the people I passed along the way were speaking many different languages! Cities in Australia are melting pots of people from around the world who are immigrating here. The first group of people I passed were speaking some language from Malaysea, further on down the block three people spoke in rapid fire Japanese. The next group were speaking German and the next French. I am sure that I also heard some familiar Italian swear words coming from inside one of the shops too! It made for a delightful cultural blend of ethnicity and diversity. So very different from the pews, parks and streets of Fairport. This is a big world and we are but a small part of it!

A Farewell Dinner

2007-03-12T00:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we celebrated the departure of the senior member of our sabbatical group. Peter returns this week to his native Chicago and the parish where he has served for almost 10 years as Pastor. Bishop David Walker joined The Center Staff as we went out to celebrate Peter’s successful completion of six months of study on Aboriginal Spirituality. It was a bittersweet occasion for us all. The restaurant that we went to is called the “Black Stump”.

I also learned a little more “Aussie English” tonight as well. When you say “that is beyond the black stump” in Australia, you mean that the issue in question is beyond imagining, beyond the realm of possibility, or too far out to conceive. We had a delicious dinner from a wide ranging menu which included roasted Kangaroo steak, sautéed Emu breast and Waygu Scotch Fillet (like mignon). I was hungry and didn't want to risk ordering something that I wouldn't like so I ordered the Fillet with mushrooms. I wasn’t disappointed.

Saturday Night at the Opera

2007-03-11T01:41:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to the Sydney Opera House Forecourt to see La Traviata. It was performed by the national company, Opera Australia. Initially both Dan and I were disappointed when we learned that tickets had been sold out for months before we arrived, but then while cruising the SOH (Sydney Opera House) website, we learned about the live broadcast of the last night of this performance on the steps (forecourt, they say) of the Sydney Opera House. Although it was a free event, we still needed tickets. When they arrived by mail we were reminded no chairs or “eskies” (coolers) were allowed but that we could bring cushions to sit on. So we assembled on the steps of the Opera House with about 5000 others as the sun began to set about 6:30pm Saturday night. Behind and underneath us all sorts of people were arriving in cabs and limos for the performance in the theatre. They had tickets, but we had the glorious weather and setting sun.

Promptly at 7:30 the announcer welcomed all of us seated on the steps of the Opera House as well as the other 5000 who were gathered in Melbourne in a simpler outside venue called Templeton Square. Through the wonder of technology the Opera Hall’s 1500 capacity had been augmented by 10,000 for this inaugural event. It was delightful and we were happy to be part of it! The opera lasted until 10:30 and had two twenty minute breaks. The sound was spectacular and the huge 25 x 40 foot screen delivered crisp, clear and well televised pictures of such a nature that we couldn't possible had gotten inside the massive building. I am glad that we couldn’t buy tickets! The outside venue was terrific!

When the performance was over, the crowd dispersed in a heart beat and was quickly disbursed into the nearby bus and railway system. I was amazed at how easily Sydney welcomes crowds, treats them with respect and sends them home happy and unscathed. Peter (of Chicago), quoting Bill Bryson in Downunder, is fond of saying “Australians do things well.” I agree.

Destruction next door

2007-03-08T21:07:00.000-05:00

Each day for the last few weeks I have awakened to the crashing and smashing noises of the demolition of the building next door to The Centre. It seems that this part of fashionable old Randwick is a highly prized area for development. The former convent, Motherhouse and Hospital next door to The Centre has been vacant since the Sisters of the Sacred Heart sold the little used property to a developer. They told us that it was coming, but now that it has arrived, it is quite incredible! There were two large “heritage homes” that years ago were converted to institutional use. They were expanded and added on to over the years. These additions are the parts that are being raised in preparation for the development of 10 Condos. These will have the same wonderful view of downtown Sydney (the CBD) as I have from my back window. Every morning for the last few weeks I have awoken to the crashing and smashing of the walls of the outer structures of the two buildings that in recent years have looked like one structure. The removal of the "outer additions" is where all the racket is coming from. It has been great fun taking pictures of the progress -even if a little noisy.

Tonight we four priests from The Centre were invited by the priests of our local parish, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, to join them for dinner at their home. Frs. John Rate, Tony O’Brien and John Bosman made us feel right at home in their midst and reminded me of the finest aspects of the great fraternity of the priesthood. We spent a wonderful evening comparing notes on how we do ministry and sharing our joys and challenges. In the midst of our delightful evening, I reflected on how blest I feel to be part of this wonderful brotherhood. Though the details and cultures are different, the story of Christ’s love mediated through the lives of priests is the same. It was a great evening at the end of which we all promised each other we’d do again. I hope so.

The Beach, the Ocean and an old friend!

2007-03-06T22:10:00.000-05:00

Today started out rainy and cool, but before long the sun peaked out and it warmed up. Our newly arrived sabbatical guest from Oakland had asked if I would show him how to get to he beach. I never need much encouragement to go to the beach, so off we went. It turned out to be a moderately sunny day, but the wind was high so it was a bit like being sand blasted. But we managed. The picture that accompanies this posting was taken just before I ventured into the wind tossed raging ocean. I wasn’t in the water more than 10 minutes when I was upended by a ferocious wave and smashed into the bottom of the beach. I limped back to the blanket and began what I expect will be a lengthy healing process. Before the night came on I began to ache in my back and shoulder. Lesson: never take the force of the ocean for granted.

I met Dan and his visiting friends, Ric and Lexi Ambrose, for dinner at a German restaurant in The Rocks. (more on that location at another time.) Dan has known them for 30 years and what I came to realize was that Dick (as we called him then) and I had been in St. Bernard’s Seminary together 40 years ago! He and Lexi, both retired now, live in Birmingham, AL. They are touring Australia and Hawaii as part of their retirement travel. It was great fun to compare stories of when we were in the seminary together. They leave soon for a few weeks to see more of Australia and then will return for a few days. At that time we’ll reconnect and travel (by train of course) to the Blue Mountains which are about 2 hours away. What a small world this is! First, Dan Chapin (with whom I shared 3 years at St. Bernard's) and then, Ric Ambrose as well. Amazing!

Sunday Mass, Museum and Mass Transit

2007-03-04T23:42:00.000-05:00

At Sr. Judee’s suggestion we went to St. Francis Church for 10am solemn High Mass today. One of my goals is to see how Australians celebrate the Sunday Eucharist. Three of us set out at 9:00am. We had directions but they were a little vague and I was a little over confident in my reception of them. The result was that we learned more about the suburbs of Sydney. The church is located in Paddington on Oxford St. I have walked up and down this main street in the CBD many times. But, it seems that Oxford Street numbers run in two directions. I knew from the Internet that we were looking for 463 Oxford St., but I didn't realize that it was in the suburb of Paddington. Oh well, it all worked out fine in the end.

It was a good exposure for Dana, our newest arrival in the program. He sailed in (literally) from his diocese in Oakland on Friday. We backtracked a bit and finally found the church. It was a very hot and muggy day and we veteran "Sydneysiders" were not as bothered as our newest compatriot. He will to get used to walking in the heat real soon .

The mass was "very high" with more incense than I’ve seen in a long time. There were tons of servers dressed in white albs (like ours) but with purple collars for Lent, choir members in red cassocks and white surplices and other ministers. The congregation was of mixed ages with a slightly larger number of younger folks than I have been seeing elsewhere we attended. Fr. Pat McGrath welcomed us after mass and when we commented on the all female choir, he explained that their regular choir has as many men but they were off this weekend.

After mass we took a bus to Circular Quay and had breakfast at a favorite restaurant, City Extra. The theme is the newspaper business and the menus came on newsprint. It's located in the heart of Circular Quay where all the ferry boats come and go. Dana and I went to the Maritime Museum after breakfast while Dan went back home to prepare for his guests who arrive on Monday morning. The museum was very fine and our experience was enhanced by the fact that it was air-conditioned and the temperature was over 90 degrees outside.

We returned to The Centre in time for a nap. But I was excited about a steam train excursion that was returning from an outing at 7:15pm so I headed back to the CBD to see what I could see. The picture shows a 2-6-2, 1947 built steam locomotive which hauled 13 coaches in from the Blue Mountains. The fans had mostly departed by the time I got there so I had the platform to myself. Neat.

After the steamer backed out of the terminal, I was so thrilled that I knew I wouldn't be sleepy any time soon, so I took my camera on the next CityRail train across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to take a few night shots of the city and its famous bridge. This picture was a time exposure taken by leaning against a light post, but as the shutter snapped a train came rumbling through. But all in all, it's not a bad shot.

It was a good day!

More "Aussie English"

2007-03-02T08:27:00.000-05:00

This is the second entry in which I deal with idiomatic Australian English. It comes to mind because this week I got a haircut and I had the darnest time understanding what the barber was saying to me. Now this can be problematic when he asks you "How short you want your hair cut?" and you think he is asking you how long you have been in Australia! I survived this challenge and got a decent haircut anyway. But the point is that not only do they speak with a funny accent (note the American prejudice here) but they have different phrases than we do. This requires the astute visitor to really learn and decipher the local speech patterns.

All in all, I am catching on, but here’s a few more idiomatic phrases:

G’day = Hello
Mate = friend, used often to refer to others “me and my mates…”
Bloke = a man, not used as often as mate
Give way = Yield (as in a traffic sign)
Take away = take out ( as in food)
Good on ya’= good for you
Mozzies = mosquitoes
The loo = bathroom or (“rest room”)
Brass razoo= top dog or top banana
Car park = parking lot
A booking = a reservation
The boot = trunk of the car
CBD = Central Business District (downtown!)

What the Aussie's are doing in Catholic Schools with the Internet

2007-03-02T05:31:00.000-05:00

Today I took the "CountryLink" train to Hornsby where I was met by a priest of the Diocese of Broken Bay who pastors two communities which became one parish in July. It has a geographical name KU-RING-GAI CHASE CATHOLIC PARISH. We went off to see the parish office which is tempoarily located in a nearby shopping center. A new building is being constructed on one of the parish sites. Here's a link to their website: http://www.kccp.org.au/
Then we were off to see one of the schools in his parish. The kids there were prepared to show me around the classroom and their internet setup. They were very cute and excited to show off what they were learning.

It ties in very well with what I had learned at the Catholic Schools office a few days before. At one point we asked them to log onto our Assumption parish website. They did this with ease and delight. In less than 10 seconds they were viewing our parish miles 9700 away! When I asked them to click on the “webcam” tab, all 38 of them did so and I think we crashed the server. Amazing!

The day finished with a tour around the boundaries of the parish through a beautiful park like hilly environment called "Brooklyn." When it was time for me to go, we went to the train station where I caught a fast train back to Sydney Central and then a bus home. I arrived in time to join the other guys who love here for dinner. Yesterday marked the arrival of a priest from Oakland, so now we are four. One from Chicago, now one from California and two of us from New York State.

LIFETEEN in Australia

2007-02-28T04:42:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday I met with the Youth Minister of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Randwick. I had met him the week before when we talked about their parish A-V program. In the course of the conversation then, I mentioned that we web cast all our Masses and have especially good feedback from our Sunday 6pm LIFETEEN Mass. He was very interested in our program and asked me to tell him more at another time. That meeting happened yesterday.

I answered the usual questions about LIFETEEN and gave my typical affirmation of its value to our teen and our whole parish. But the thing that really caught the attention of this youth minister was when I said “We have found over the years that teens actually bring their parents to church!” and it is true. I usually watch our LIFETEEN Mass here on Monday morning at 10:00am Sydney time. Now several others from this parish and other people I have told about our web cast system are watching too. This is what my sabbatical is all about – making good use of the technologic al blessings of our time! My reading of recent Papal teachings on Evangelization all affirm the use of the media and technology of our culture to proclaim God’s love and mercy! So far so good!

There is one parish not too far away where they have LIFETEEN and I plan to check it out soon. I’ll keep you posted.

A Trip to the Diocese of Broken Bay

2007-02-26T04:22:00.000-05:00

Monday started a big week of travel for me. I went across the harbour to the Diocese of Broken Bay where I met with Bishop David Walker and several officials of his diocese. They call their headquarters “The Curia.” It’s located in the northern suburb of Pennant Hills in a large office building which the diocese recently purchased. It houses many of the offices which coordinate the major ministries of the diocese. This was a most productive meeting in which I got another look at how this diocese “does church” here in the Sydney area. The bishop was warm and welcoming and very informal. After a while with several of his staff, I continued with the coordinator of the Curia, a layman by the name of David Penny.

From this connection I took many ideas about creative use of the internet. I learned how they use a system called “CASTnet” to link teachers, students and administrators across several dioceses in the eastern part of the country. This is like an expanded version of our own DOR (Diocese of Rochester) Intranet, only its focus is on Catholic Schools, which in Australia are funded by the state and federal governments. I spent two hours with David and members of his staff, it was most instructive. I also shared what we have done using webcasting of our church services. I showed them our website and gave them the link to our parish webcam system. Boy, were they impressed! They are looking for a way to allow the Bishop to be in touch with all households in the diocese. Our system is giving them inspiration.

On the train ride back to The Centre I started processing the conversations that I had had and this started me thinking how we might expand our Webcast system to reach out to folks as well. Think about the possibilities of having a scheduled time when anyone in the parish could watch a presentation, bible study or a teaching put on by at the parish. Anyone with an internet connection could join in and they could have live interaction via phone or email. It boggles the mind.

North Sydney View

2007-02-25T17:54:00.000-05:00

It's a big city! Almost 5 million people live in Sydney. Somewhere I read that there are over 500 suburbs, sections and districts in the greater Sydney area. I have been exploring these via the wonderful mass transit system. One day I had to go to the Diocese of Broken Bay for a meeting with the Information Technology Department. This diocese begins on the northern shore of the harbour; it was established about 20 years ago to make the Archdiocese of Sydney a little more manageable. On my way back to Randwick (which is an eastern suburb) I decided to stop and take a look for the north shore of the harbour. Click here to see another beautiful view of Sydney. http://www.pageset.com.au/Sydneypan.jpg

On this same trip I also had some time and wanted to ride the rail system (called "CityRail")from end to end. Since it was the middle of the day, the trains were not crowded and it was raining. I curled up on the second level of the car (they are bi-level similar to Toronto's) and took in the sights as we went from Hornsby in the north to Botany Bay in the south. It took over an hour on the system. It was also a great time to process what I had just experienced in the meeting with Bishop David Walker and his right hand man, David Penny. The train ride and the gentle swaying of the train cars helped me think through our meeting and its implications for my study of media and technology in evangelization and worship. It was a most profitable day and I saw some great sights too.

One final note. As you may have heard, Australia is experiencing a severe draught for several years now and the rain that I mentioned above is being cheered as a minor improvement. I can see the grass and plants drinking it up as we head for Fall. That's right, summer here is beginning to wind down, schools have started back up; primary and secondary schools a few weeks ago and the universities this week. Amazing this "down under!"

Toranga Zoo! Sydney, of course.

2007-02-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today I had the treat of meeting Tony and Gloria Sciolino for a trip to Toranga, the Sydney Zoo. Our rendezvous began the Circular Quay. I was delayed in meeting them because Vice President Dick Chaney was in town and all the buses were rerouted. We finally connected about 20 minutes later than planned and caught the ferry for the ride across the harbour to the zoo. It was a wonderful day filled with lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) in a delightful setting on a hill side over looking Sydney Harbour. Actually the zoo features critters native to Australia: kangaroos, koalas, meerkats, wallabies and of course, snakes. It couldn’t have been a better day, sunny, nice breeze and good company. The animals, of course, were all well behaved and enjoyed looking at us as much as we enjoyed looking at them. The highlight for me was the bird show in which the trainers directed the eagles, cockatiels, the owls and hawks to fly around on command and perform all manor of wild bird things to the amazement of the audience. We finished our day together with a wonderful dinner at a Circular Quay Chinese Restaurant. Tony and Gloria depart tomorrow on the continuation of their 6 week “retirement vacation adventure.” It was a great day!

The A-V Plan of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church

2007-02-22T05:07:00.000-05:00

Today I had the chance to meet with two staff members of the local parish here in Randwick. Brett and Tristan are responsible for putting a plan together for the use of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish. I first heard about this plan when I went to mass at OLSH in January. It is ambitious and creative and aims at helping the parishioners be drawn more into the liturgy by the use of plasma screens in the side aisles and a large clear glass panel over the altar. This transparent glass becomes opaque when needed so as to allow images to be projected on to it. The idea here is to use the “iGlass” in the center of the church where it is virtually invisible until needed, thus preserving the architectural lines of this 100 year old gothic style church. It was a great meeting and I learned a lot from them. I was very proud of our accomplishments at Assumption and excitedly showed them our website and webcam set up. They watched in amazement as Fr. William finished the 5:00pm Ash Wednesday Mass approximately 9783 miles or 15744 kilometers away! They were also very happy to see our website and decided to take it to their IT team for review since they are in the process of designing their own web site. All very exciting – and the reason why I came!

The Queen Mary 2 Arrives in Sydney!

2007-02-19T21:35:00.000-05:00

Today the Queen Mary 2, the largest passenger ship ever built, arrived in Sydney amid much fanfare and huge crowds of well wishers. The QM2 slipped into Sydney harbour in the early hours, but “Sydneysiders” surprised the crew by being there in the thousands to welcome her in their boats, ferries, yachts and on the shorelines. At 23 stories high, the Q was so large that it couldn't sail under the Sydney Harbour Bridge! It is 2275 feet long and three times the size of the Titanic! People in the thousands came to the Garden Island port where the QM2 was birthed for the day. I went down to check it out in the afternoon as well. There was an atmosphere of excitement and delight that immediately enveloped you as you approached the dock. The ship is huge!

At 7:00pm the Queen Elizabeth 2 also arrived in Sydney and when the two sister ships passed each other in the harbour, they let out a deafening volley of boat horn blasts! The newspapers report that the sound could be heard rumbling around the CBD amidst the sky scrapers for as far away as 20 km. (12 miles). Before the QM2 departed at 11pm for Hong Kong to continue its around the world journey in 80 days, the was a fantastic fire works display! Over 100,000 people viewed the display from all the harbours and hills surrounding the city. It was a fun night.

Of course trying to get that many people home afterwards was a job, but that’s another story.

Sunday in Sydney

2007-02-17T21:04:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to experience different celebrations of the Eucharist on Sundays since I am on sabbatical. It’s a whole different perspective to be a PIP – that’s Person in the Pew. I’ve been to Mass in Mexico (lively, but not understandable to me because of my language deficiency), Tucson Cathedral, Randwick’s Sacred Heart Church and of late, St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney. This very large church is gothic in style and cavernous in scope. It is also quite difficult to fill with the Spirit and enthusiasm that I appreciate at our own celebrations. We spent the day walking around the uptown district after a wonderful breakfast at an out door Italian Restaurant. All in all it was a great day which ended with a swim in the salt water pool that is part of The Centre where I am staying in the eastern suburb of Randwick.

The Sydney Opera House

2007-02-14T18:27:00.000-05:00

One of the most famous buildings in the world and an icon of the City of Sydney is the Sydney Opera House. Yesterday I had the opportunity to take a tour of this great edifice. The hour tour began in the lobby and proceeded up the grand staircase to the front side of the structure. Actually it is a bit misleading to call it the Sydney Opera House. There are actually 5 venues in the complex. The opera hall and the concert hall are the largest of the structures, but as you can see from the picture, there are many arching roof lines that contain the five theaters or “theatres” as we say down here. We were able to view the largest on these, the concert hall. The one on the right in the picture above. These magnificent buildings were the first in the world to use precast concrete in such a manner. I incorrectly assumed that the super structure of the buildings was steel. It’s all concrete. The external is covered in mother of pearl colored ceramic tiles. The shape of the buildings in unique and is said to represent sails on the harbour, sea shells or mere geometric abstractions. It is an open question. The Danish architect, Jorn Utzon, when asked what it looked like to him is reported to have said: “Like the Sydney Opera House!” No matter. It is a powerful work of art. Inside the concert hall one enters a totally wooden structure – a building within a building. It is acoustically designed to resonate the same way whether filled with people or not. It holds 2000 people and I will be one of them on Saturday evening when I attend the Brahm’s German Requiem. It was an inspiring visit. I may go back for the “behind the scenes tour” later. The only thing about that is that it starts at 7:00am (so as to not interfere with rehearsals).

The Sydney Aquarium

2007-02-12T17:18:00.000-05:00

I’m not much on aquaria, but since a friend back home had recommended that I check out the Sydney Aquarium, I figured I’d give it a try. What a delightful surprise it was indeed! There were all the usual tanks filled with glowing exotic fish of the tropics as well as the fish one might expect to see in the streams, rivers and seas around Sydney. But then there was the “oceanarium” where one can see all the fish that might eat you if you are in their hungry sights. One of the distinct features of the Sydney Aquarium is the huge glass tank (easily 75 x 200 feet) into which you walk through a glass tunnel. There on all sides and above swim sharks, eels, sting rays, giant turtles and the like. It was fantastic! While walking through this amazing underwater display there is soothing music and wonderful display boards which tell the visitor what you are looking at. At one point I wondered who was looking at whom!

Rain in Sydney

2007-02-11T22:43:00.000-05:00

It started last night, the rain that is. They had been predicting rain for several days, but last night as I stepped out onto the platform at Milson Point in North Sydney, I walked into a deluge! My intention had been to stand on the platform and watch the trains go by as they passed onto the Sydney Habour Bridge on their way into the underground tracks in the CBD. The phrase "sheets of rain" fits the reality perfectly! It was coming down so hard that even the sheltered platform offer no relief. My intentions thwarted by the much needed rain, I scurried across the platform and jumped into another train going right back across the bridge. Several zig zags on various lines brought be to the bus station in Bondi Junction where I finally boarded (under cover) a 400 bus which brought me back to the Centre. That was Sunday night.

I write these words on Monday afternoon and it is still raining on and off. I guess all the prayers for rain have been heard and I hope that the down pour will alleviate the drought somewhat. The locals are quick to remind that we really need the rain in the catchment areas on the planes and that these coastal rains just run off the land. Well, I can't argue with that, but there sure has been a lot of run off in the last 18 hours!

Australian English!

2007-02-08T19:18:00.000-05:00

The Australian culture is a lay back one. Today one of the leaders of the Broken Bay Institute where I was doing some studying described the "culture of leisure" that pervades his country. It is very often manifested in the commitment to sports. Seems like every where I go there are people playing Cricket, football, soccer, etc. People are certainly very friendly and welcoming where ever I go. They always seem to have time to give directions and answer questions. Nice!

More on “Australian English”:

They say:
sorry when we would say “Excuse me”
Motorway when we would say "expressway"
Ring me when we would say "call or phone me"
Bonnet when we would say "hood of the car"
Barbie when we would say "outdoor grill"
Bookings when we would say "reservations"
Schoolie when we would say "grammar school student"
Unie when we would say "University student "
Pasty when we would definitely say "a piece of pastry! "
Footie when we would say "soccer player"

My favorite saying to day: “I am thrilled to my back teeth!”

On today’s trip to the BBI and diocesan headquarters (called the Curia here), I took a 45 minute commuter train ride from downtown. I’ll retrace my steps on that trip with a video camera soon.

I'm getting used to it...

2007-02-06T22:59:00.000-05:00

When I first arrived here, I was met at the airport by the Director of the program, Sr. Judee Glaister, RSM. She led me to the car and I proceeded to go the "passenger side" - the right side of the car. "You gotta get used to Australia" she said. "Unless you intend to drive," she continued, "you have to sit on the left hand side of the car." Several days of this and I have finally, I hope, gotten used to where I sit in the car. But it is also a challenge to look to the right when you cross the street. In the center of the city the cross walks are marked as the picture illustrates. I haven't stepped into traffic (which is always coming from the right, not left) yet, but I have had a few close calls.

Other peculiar linguistic elements of this culture are: "bookings" not reservations, the "boot" not the trunk of the car, you "ring" people as opposed to calling them on the phone. The list goes on. I'll say more about this at a latter time when I compile more.

View from the Bridge

2007-02-04T19:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was able to walk across the Sydney Bridge and want to share these pictures. The weather as you can see is is warm and wonderful. Australia is presently in the midst of a severe drought, though with all the water in the 16 mile long harbor it's hard to believe. Temperature today is supposed to be over 90!

Information Technology in Sydney

2007-02-03T06:54:00.000-05:00

I was able to meet with some of the IT folks in the Diocese of Broken Bay where David Walker, founder of The Centre where I am living, is now Bishop. It was a fascinating interview with one of their staff of 27. Right now there are 15 contractors working with the 12 permanent IT department folks. Six years ago they invested 1 million dollars in this project. They are about where we were in Rochester three years ago. But they have a plan for the future that is very exciting and more far reaching than where we are going. Among the things that this diocese of 250,000 is planing are: the networking of all parishes, institutions and interested parishioners on one system which will have its own fibre optic network and microwave towers. Excess band width will be leased out to others to off set some of the expenses. They plan streaming video conferencing available at all parishes and institutions which will be supported by the diocesan server (which I saw in an air conditioned 20 x 20 foot glass enclosed room in the IT Dept.) This will allow folks to visually connect through their intranet as a supplement to their email system. When the bishop wants to connect with his priests or all parish personnel, they simply go to their computer stations and there he is! Amazing, just think of the possibilities!

PS For those of you who have asked about pictures from the top of the bridge; the BridgeClimb is highly organized and comtrolled. They do not let you take ANYTHING up there with you. You are given and jumpsuit, eye glass straps, handkkerchiefs attached to your wrist with elastic bands, a very heavy harness which attaches to a cable that anchors you to the bridge structure at all time! But alas, you can't carry your own camera (you are too busy holding on for dear life!)

Some day when I have the chance I will take and post some pictures from the sidewalk level. of the bridge.

Climbing up the Sydney Harbour Bridge!

2007-01-31T06:38:00.000-05:00

Today I got to do one of the things that I had on my “must do” list – the Sydney BridgeClimb. It was a fantastic experience! After an hour of orientation, clothing changing and gearing up, we were led out side to the stairway that leads to the bridge walk itself. Now when they say BridgeClimb, they mean climb. All in all there are 1494 stairs that take you to the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge close to 500 feet above sea level. As you climb of the ladders and stairways, twisting and turning in between the almost 75 year old grid work of the bridge, you finally reach the upper surface of the structure where the pathway of steps arches more gently across the harbour. All the while you climb from the very bottom of the structure you are attached to a guy wire by a very ingenious contraption that was invented by an English sailor to keep him and his mates from falling off a hard keeling sailboat. It works great always following you up and down the stairs, ready to hold you “just in case.” Our guide assured us that since BridgeClimb has operated none of the 1.9 million people who have made the climb has been lost!

The whole thing lasted 3 1/2 hours and it went by in a flash! They offer the climb 24 hours a day in all kinds of weather, only canceling for electrical storms (right!). All in all it was a terrific day! I am glad that I had all the walking around on the previous days to get me ready for this adventure.

The Australian Museum

2007-01-30T06:28:00.000-05:00

Today I took a trip back into the city to see the Australian Museum. My fellow residents at The Centre, Pete and Eddie and I traveled by bus to CBD (remember that’s Central Business District) to the museum. Yesterday’s walk proved to me that one has to use his energy wisely or when you get to your destination, you may be too pooped to enjoy what you can to see.

The museum was quite good featuring the many birds and animals of Australia – all appropriately stuffed and displayed. A special section of the museum offered a very enlightening exhibit on the history of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia. It was only in 1967 that the national government gave these folks full citizenship and formally apologized for the taking of their lands and the disrespect of their traditions. Did we ever do that for our Native Americans?

The weather was again glorious and we went out to one of the many local Randwick establishments for dinner.

Sydney's CityRail System is good.

2007-01-29T05:40:00.000-05:00

I walked to downtown Sydney today, first for some execise and secondly to see how far it really is. As I write these words I can feel my calf muscles tightening up after the 7 mile walk. Those big buildings seem closer than they really are!

I had as my goal today to get to the Central Rail Station to see what kinds of train transportation this city has. I was impressed with the system called "CityRail". There are several lines which stretch out into the suburbs and the airport. The trains are a mixture of 70's and more modern style. I did not have enough time to ride the length of any one line and had to content myself with only a few station stops. Clearly I'll be back to go the whole of the many routes.

Dinner tonight was in an Italian Restaurant in Randwick. The menu was varied and the food very good. The irony was that the waiter was Chinese and the chef was Viet Namese. Sydney is a city of many, many different cultures for sure. This morning I met one of the people who work here at The Centre. Her name is Marquise and she is from New Caladonea, which is a French possession in the South Pacific. Just about everybody here comes from somewhere else. I think this is why the folks are so friendly and lay back, they have all known what it is like to be strangers in a foreign land. Mofe of than later.

A Day at the Beach

2007-01-28T08:14:00.000-05:00

Sunday afternoon, after mass at one of the local churches, I loaded my pack pack and walked down to Coogee Beach. It was a nice 27 minute walk "downhill" to the beach. When I turned the corner in "downtown" Randwick, I caught my first sight of the Pacific Ocean. It was a windy but sunny day and the beach was packed. Summer holiday ends for grammar school kids on Jan 30, so that's why so many folks were getting in a day at the beach, I presume. I had a delightful time, but since I didn't apply sun screen to my back I am paying for it today!

I am doing well and enjoying myself as I get oriented to the Southern Hemisphere. For those who are wondering, the water doesn't seem to swirl in the sink in a counterclock wise direction. When I figure out how to upload video's I will give a propper illustration. I have not as yet mastered the art of looking in the correct direction when crossing the street. I find myself stepping in on coming traffic because I'm looking to the left, when it's the right from which cars a coming.

Off to do some more orientation with the transportation system.

Australia Day!

2007-01-26T17:15:00.000-05:00

What a glorious summer day we had for Australia Day! This annual celebration is like our 4th of July. All sorts of folks and families converge upon the “CBD” to picnic, party, mill about and consume large quantities of various and sundry liquids. I went with two guys I have met here who are from the Archdiocese of Chicago. One of them, Pete has been here on Sabbatical since October, so he knows his way around. The other, Eddie, is visiting Pete, his classmate, and will be here for just another week. We went to the “centre” of Sydney via bus. So many things here are “backwards” from my perspective; like the cars and buses drive on the left hand side of the road. The two times that I have gone out in a car I have instinctively tried to enter the passengers side which here is the “drivers side.” Yesterday’s bus ride proved no less disorienting. I went to the wrong corner to catch the bus because I forgot which direction the traffic flows. It’s all part of being in a different culture! I am a quick study, but this will take some time to absorb.

Because it was Australia Day yesterday many of the streets were closed to vehicles and we got to walk about very freely. The parks are beautiful and grass is green (despite a severe draught). The Botanical Gardens offered a large variety of trees, flowers and critters like I’ve never seen before – like the Flying Fox Bats. As you can see these creatures hang up side down from big trees in the day time and cruise around by night. They are vegetarians and seems to have made the Botanical Gardens, where there are plenty of fig trees, their home.

As we rounded the bend in the gardens, we came upon the sight that is so familiar and so famous: The Sydney Bridge and Opera House. Both of these are on my “see again up close and in detail list.” The Sydney Harbor is magnificent and a challenge to take in. As we walked along toward Central Quay (say “key”), we can to the area where the CityRail and the Ferry Wharf converge. I look forward to getting more acquainted with the rail system, of course.

All in all it was a very exciting day and the crowds, including us, made their way home!

Safe Arrival in Sydney

2007-01-25T00:52:00.000-05:00

1/25/07 My bags were among the last to arrive off the plane and when I had passed through the necessary Customs procedures, Sr. Judee, the Director of The Centre, was there, “Ed Palumbos” sign in hand ready to fetch me from the crowd of arriving people. There must have been over 300 people on that flight! I am typing these words in my new base location for the next few months. As you can see from the picture, I have a wonderful view of downtown Sydney. They refer to it as “CBD” – Center Business District. I unpacked and tried take a nap but getting into this time zone will take a while. Tomorrow is “Australia Day” and the Founder of the Centre, Bishop David Walker, is expected for a picnic. I look forward to meeting him, he moved from here when he was ordained the Bishop of Broken Bay, which is one of the three dioceses in the Archdiocese of Sydney.

Arrival in Los Angeles

2007-01-25T00:42:00.000-05:00

1/23/07 I arrived in Los Angeles on time and after a few futile attempts to get a seat assignment, got the “I’m on my way to pick you up call” from Doug DeBeech, my niece Beth’s husband. After a tour of their really neat Brentwood Apartment, Beth and Doug took me to one of their neighborhood restaurants. As you can see from the photo, they are expecting a baby in a few months and I will be stopping by their home on my trip back and then there will be three of them to visit!
They got me back to LAX for the 10:30pm flight to Sydney. The flight was as full as I have ever seen. Repeated appeals for “volunteers” discouraged the many stand bys as they realized that the flight was overbooked. I had finally got my seat assignment after waiting in line for over an hour. It turned to be an aisle seat about half way back in the plane. I was pleased that United’s new cabin configuration provided for more leg room than I was expecting! We left an hour late but arrived just a few minutes behind schedule. Of courses, we had crossed the International Date Line so it was Thursday, even though we departed on Tuesday. Wednesday, January 24, 2007 is lost forever for me!

SNOW in TUCSON!

2007-01-21T05:45:00.000-05:00

Today I got up in time to go to Mass at the Cathedral of St. Augustine at 10am. It was a nice celebration with Fr. Alanzo Garcia presiding as well as leading the hymns.

After breakfast at a local Denny’s, I drove north to “Biosphere 2.” This is the only place in the world where there is a desert, a tropical rain forest, marshlands, savannah and an ocean complete with coral formations all with in 31/2 acres…and this at 4000 feet above sea level! This is possible because in 1991, Biosphere 2 was constructed out of of glass and steel as a huge terrarium/aquarium like complex buildings. It is a private venture which cost over $150 million. The tour was fascinating and when the tour group emerged from one of the two “lungs” which are engineered to allow for the expansion and contraction of the air in this closed system, it was snowing!

Yes that’s right, it was snowing here in Tucson! In fact, as I write these words at 8:30pm, it is still snowing and it is accumulating! There was over an inch on the car when I came into the motel. There is a weather advisory scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen. They don’t do snow here! It’s funny – I thought I was escaping the snow and cold weather incoming here before departing for Australia!

It's off to Tucson today!

2007-01-19T03:15:00.002-05:00

1/18/07 The sun has been warming up the midday temperatures to almost 60! This means that I have been able to sit in the sun when the wind died down a bit. It was still pretty funny to be sitting on the beach in sweat pants and a winter jacket on the Sea of Cortes (better known to us as the Gulf of California). I have had a wonderful day in the sun today. The temperature was still only 58 degrees, but the warm sun off the white sand and the only slight breeze made it possible to sit on the beach and read.

1/17/07 When I said I was going to Australia because it was a different culture, the same language and far away, I didn’t realize fully how important the “same language” would be when it came to technology. Our hotel here has an area which is “wifi” equipped. Great, I thought. No problem I’ll bring my computer here and then post a few notes onto my blog. Wrong! First, it was getting my laptop to talk to their network. I asked one of the local techs here to help me and in the process he somehow disabled access to all my files. Several calls to the DOR IT folks have led to more frustration, despite their best efforts. Language, even computer tech talk, is very hard to do across cultural and country boundaries.

You may have noticed that several blog postings have been repeated here. Hopefully they are corrected now, but these occurred because I couldn’t decipher the word for “delete” or “edit” or “remove” or “erase” in Spanish and since I was posting from a computer in Mexico, my blog site must have assumed that Spanish was my first language! Oh well, this whole thing is a learning experience!

1/16/07 The TV reports from across the boarder in Arizona say that this is the coldest weather that the southwest has experienced in 16 years! Informative, but not consoling to my warmth starved soul. The sun is out here, but the temperature is still only 45 and the wind makes it feel even colder; not exactly bathing suit weather! To make it all more challenging, the “techs” in the Cybercafé at the hotel did something to my laptop when they were giving me access to their wifi system. I have since been unable to access my own files in the laptop. This has proven to be a source of frustration – ah, technology! Great when it works (which is most of the time!), but troubling when it doesn’t –like now.

Safe Arrival in Tucson

2007-01-19T03:15:00.001-05:00

1/19/07 After a quiet uneventful trip back across the border, with a stop at Organ Pipe Cactus National Park and a trip up to Kitts Peak NOAO (National Optical Astromical Observatory) at 6875ft above sea level and the largest collection of optical telescopes in the world, we arrived at Tucson. Pictures will follow when I get them out of the camera.

Hope for the warm sun tomorrow!

2007-01-14T23:39:00.002-05:00

1/14/07 The sun was out all day today, but the temperature remains in the low fifties. Off to the city of Puerto Penasco to check out the sights and go to Mass. The noon celebration lasted until 1:15 and included a very spirited homily that included a few words that I could understand. I’m sure that the folks around me got more out of it than I did. I was impressed with the devotion of the community and the number of families who were there. The people in the streets are friendly and welcoming. Tonight we had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the port (“Puerto”). My selection was a fantastic shrimp dish. The waiter told us that it was locally caught shrimp – who knows, but it was good.

The highlight of the day was a trip to the local super market. It was far away from where the tourists go and was literally filled with locals doing their weekly shopping. There were lines up and down the aisles with people waiting to be checked out. It took over an hour to buy bread milk and cheese. Believe me, Wegman’s never looked so good.

I am hoping it will be warm enough for the beach tomorrow, even if it a fully clothed and jacketed sun bathe!

Cold in Mexico

2007-01-14T23:22:00.000-05:00

1/13/07 I arrived in Tucson, AZ after a long flight which began with a 3:50 wake up. The plane rides were long, but uneventful. They were followed by a 250+ mile drive from Tucson, across the boarder into Mexico at Lukeville, AZ and then on to Puerto Peñasco. This is beautiful old city on the Sea of Cortes as the Mexicans say. We call it the Gulf of California. There is unusually cool weather here right now. The cold air they tell us is coming from the north. The beach is huge and beautiful but not a soul is walking on it. It was 42 here last night! I swam today in the INDOOR pool and took a long nap. Dinner tonight was in the Restaurant of the resort. It was very good and I am hoping tomorrow (Sunday) will bring some warm weather!

I arrived in Tucson, AZ after a long flight which began with a 3:50 wake up. The plane rides were long, but uneventful. They were followed by a 250+ mile drive from Tucson, across the boarder into Mexico at Lukeville, AZ and then on to Puerto Peñasco. This is beautiful old city on the Sea of Cortes as the Mexicans say. We call it the Gulf of California. There is unusually cool weather here right now. The cold air they tell us is coming from the north. The beach is huge and beautiful but not a soul is walking on it. It was 42 here last night! I swam today in the INDOOR pool and took a long nap. Dinner tonight was in the Restaurant of the resort. It was very good and I am hoping tomorrow (Sunday) will bring some warm weather!

The Last Supper with Staff

2007-01-11T23:18:00.000-05:00

The final piece of my leave taking occurred on Wednesday evening when the staff and their spouses gathered for dinner. It was a wonderful evening of well wishes and good byes which included an appearance by our own famous songsters – The Supremes. As the staff gathered below the balcony, Marie, Cathy and Chris sang their latest hit, “There goes Fr. Ed” to the tune of: “Here comes Santa Claus.” Give it a try!

There goes Father Ed, There goes Father Ed
Rushing for his plane
You have to promise before you leave
That you'll come back again.

While you're away, we promise you
That everything will be fine
We'll help the poor and bury the dead
And pay the bills on time.

Here comes Deacon Ron, Here comes Deacon Ron
Taking the baton
You don't know what you're in store for
Trying to lead our song…

We're good and smart, we know our stuff
We'll carry this tune just fine
But just remember, we like fun
Don't make us tow the line

So...goodbye, Fr. Ed...Godspeed, Fr. Ed
We send you on your way
Take this time to rest and study
Take this time to pray

When you return, you'll find your chorus
Tuned and ready to sing
Get on the plane, and don't look back
We'll see you in the spring!

The send off!

2007-01-08T21:59:00.000-05:00

My sabbatical farewells began at the Saturday evening Mass on the Feast of the Epiphany. The community threw a wonderful pot luck dinner that night and followed up with a coffee hour after all the Sunday Masses. During the Liturgy we had a ritual of transition as I passed the baton of leadership to Deacon Ron Tocci, who will the temporary Pastoral Administrator in my absence. I am very confident that our Pastoral Staff, Fr. William, Fr. Bill and the members of our community will carry on the ministry of the Lord in our parish with joyful service and great commitment while I am gone. Ron will be conducting the Symphony Orchestra which is our parish with confidence and competence.

I depart on Wednesday night (1/10) after dinner with our wonderful staff and spouses. I’ll be keeping a journal of my travels and adventures down under here. Enjoy!

This quote was given to me by Phil and Donna Yawman. I think it sets a great tone as I begin my travels.

This is the true joy in life – that being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, that being a force of nature, instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. it’s a sort of splendid torch which I’ve got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

George Bernard Shaw