A Community of Faith

With all the activities that surrounded the last few days of our time in Sydney, we've been a little lax in getting things posted on the blog. Like the folks in Mississippi, we're back safely as well, and here's the rundown of our week (also in 200 words or less).

Saturday morning: Mass with all the U.S. pilgrims said by Cardinal George
Saturday afternoon: pilgrimage walk to Randwick Racecourse (about 3 miles)
Saturday evening: Candlelight Evening Vigil with Pope Benedict. Imagine 350,000 candles in an enormous field. Very cool. Check out what the Pope had to say.
Saturday night: slept outside at Randwick (and I use the term "sleep" very loosely)
Sunday morning: The Pope said Mass for 400,000 and we were about as close to him as we could get without wearing a bishop's hat. He gave a great homily (although a bit long for the sleep deprived).

Mass concluded World Youth Day and we spent the rest of the week sightseeing in the Blue Mountains.

Mike Hayes spent WYD recording video of our trip. Check out the videos and his reflections at bustedhalo.com and keep an ear out for a podcast live from Sydney.

At Charis, we conclude our retreats by asking people to share a grace that they received during the weekend. Looking back at this trip, I can name lots of graces that I experienced (which I will spare you from reading here), but the biggest one was the strength, diversity and blessing of the community I was there with. Thank you Mike, Melissa, Lexy, Briana, Lori, Chrissy, Amina, Zulma, Jessica and Ana for sharing this experience with me.

-Lauren G

The Things We Carry

Sunday, July 20, 2008

I know it's a few days past Sunday, and a little late in the game to let you know that we all returned home safely on Saturday night. I never understood what a powerful experience a service trip like this can be, until I tried to say it in less than 200 words.

It was a joyful and tearful good-bye as we left our old and new friends in Pontotoc. We accomplished a tremendous amount of work with a fantastic amount of energy and humor. Our final dinner together was blessed with much food and many t-shirts, and graced with the presence of all our partners and the family that will soon be living in the house we worked on.

I am grateful for Paul, Dave, Blair, Karen, Clete, Chris, Dania, Lindsey, Jay, Tim and Brian, and will carry them in my heart. I will always be thankful for Barbara, Wayne, Keith, Linda, Rachel, Brother Ken, Patrick, Bill, Jerry, Pastor Ken, Glenda, Diane, Fairy, Rosa, Richard & Ruth, Dr. Terry, Susan and everyone else who gave of themselves all week.

Earlier in the week, we prayed together with the pastor of West Heights Church, who thanked the Lord for the sacrifice the 12 of us made. That stuck with me all week, as I never once felt that I sacrificed anything. I was surrounded by kind, generous people (from Pontotoc AND from the Midwest), I was fed more good food than I've ever seen, and I had the time of my life. I will carry this experiece with me forever - not as a sacrifice, but as a gift.

Lauren B.

Mass at the Sydney Opera House

I'm not going to lie, going to Adoration and Mass at the Sydney Opera House today was by far one of the highlights of this trip! Lori and I took an adventure this morning to the SOH for Adoration provided by the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa's nuns!) The sisters sang such beautiful music, and it was really amazing to be with around 200 other people (religious, locals, and pilgrims alike) to share in the divine mystery of the Eucharist in the middle of a small "black box" theater layout.

It has been an interesting week of prayer, chaos, crowds, and blessings in the ordinary. While it feels very much like walking through the streets of Chicago or another large American city (where's the culture shock? It doesn't exist!), it's still amazing to walk by random groups of people chanting "Benedetto" or "Oy Oy Oy!" or one of their national songs. Lots of free hugs, high fives, and general merriment have occurred throughout the week.

Tomorrow we head to Randwick for the big overnight. It will be challenging in many ways - one, it's a LONG walk! Secondly, as we've already experienced at the Opening Mass, the Papal Arrival, and today's Stations of the Cross, it can be hard to find a spirit of reverence and prayer in the midst of so many people. However, as I discovered in St. Mary's Cathedral last night (after going through massive security!), the peace and knowledge of Christ's passion and his presence in this crowd can be felt if one stops to listen, and to let it come inside.

I pray Our Lady of the Southern Cross keeps all of us, our fellow pilgrims, the Mississippi folks, and everyone back home safe during the next few days!

Blessings,
Briana C.

Mississippi Inspiration

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Five days ago, most of us were strangers who knew each other as well as Antartica knows a 70-degree day. Five days later, we've grown into a family called together to serve other people in God's name. I came to Pontotoc this week to serve and be inspired and the 11 people I'm with inspire me every day to live that calling.

Wednesday was our off day: A day of rest and adventure as we explored the undiscovered Mississippi country. One group set out in search of Clarksdale, the mystical home of Tennessee Williams, the beauty of the Mississippi Delta and a good barbecue joint. The group was detoured by a flooded Missississippi River and a couple wrong turns. What could have been a wild goose chase and a very frustrating day turned into a bonding experience complete with a marathon game of 20 questions, some soulful kaoroke and many laughs.

Another group set out in search of a water park in a land far, far away. We found it in the form of our human GPS system, Dania, and rediscovered the kids in ourselves by conquering our fear of heights on Mt. Everwet.

The theme of the day was Christian friendship, which we've experienced from everyone we've met this week and everywhere we've gone. "Love thy neighbor" has always been my favorite Christian law. The people of Pontotoc and my friends on this trip have been inspirational examples for me and powerful examples of God's love.

Clete C.

Popemania!

We saw the Pope today! And thanks to Lexy's planning and some standing of our ground on all of our parts, we were 5 feet from the Popemobile when it passed by us. Granted, it was going about 40 mph at the time, but that's beside the point. There was a lot of excitement throughout the day as we were waiting for the Pope to officially arrive at WYD (obviously). He traveled by boat along Sydney Harbor before disembarking to speak to us in 7 languages, talking about the challenges that we face as young people living in such a secular society while still trying to live out our faith each day. Throughout WYD so far, different people have talked about how "easy" it is to be a faithful Christian during a pilgrimage experience such as this, but how much more difficult it is in our daily lives. Today we were again reminded that there is a universal Church that connects us all to one another.

On a separate note, and on behalf of the Laurens and Briana, I would like to thank Chris for holding down the fort at the Charis office. We will be praying for those on the Come to the Quiet retreat throughout the weekend from down here in the "Great Southland of the Holy Spirit."

-Lauren G

Sequestered in Chicago…Charis Somehow Continues without the Laurens and Briana

I know shocking right?

Somehow in the midst of globetrotting down under and melting in Mississippi heat, Charis is gearing up for our summer Come to the Quiet retreat and closing the books on another fiscal year. Jealous? Maybe a little?

Let me say that there is a lot of glamour and grace in the behind-the-scenes work. Prepping a retreat, cleaning up mailing lists, writing transition plans, and balancing the books may not seem like grace-filled work but it is. This work is the like liver to body, the mirepoix* to the soup…wait…better yet, the bass player in the band. It’s vital. There is such joy in creating the foundation of a successful retreat and organization. So remember friends, the girls may have the cool passport stamp and soaked in southern accents but I have the joy of the Green room (and I am blasting ChrisPod**…you better believe it!)

Stay Positive
ChrisP

*for the non-foodies out there – a mirepoix is a traditional base of a stock that consists of chopped onions, carrot and celery. The trinity if you will…in fact the Cajuns replace carrots with green peppers for base of many dishes and they call that the trinity.

**for the non-music snobs out there – the ChrisPod is filled with many different musical gems that simultaneously keeps the Green room at Charis rocking and annoying Lauren G and Briana C throughout the day!

Tuesday - Ritual and Building Community

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Someone yesterday asked me “Is this typical, what we were able to accomplish on the first day?” I didn’t really know how to respond to the question because I never had really quantified the amount of work done on these service trips. As the only person who has attended all the Charis service trips, I sometimes am looked to as someone with knowledge of the past and of the trade. As a teacher in the classroom during my daily life, I am used to that ritual, people new to an experience asking for guidance from those who have been there before.

If one watches Keith, our construction supervisor, work over the last couple days, one will notice he does not say much, an occasional instruction or a laugh at someone else’s joke, but that is about it. But as a man with forty years or more of carpentry experience, it is easy to see how ritualistic his work-style is, how rhythmic it is. And if one was to watch us today, one could see similar rhythms. Whether it was nailing up wall boards or putting the trusses of the roof into place, each person took up the job that best fit them: stud-finder, nail-gunner, pivoter. We have developed a rhythm where the whole works better the sum of our parts. Catholicism is religion steeped heavily in ritual. We thrive on the communal experience of prayer, song and Eucharist. Maybe there is something to this Jesus was a carpenter thing. And as we build the home for a Habitat family, we build our own community among ourselves.

Dave W.