Marriage is Unique

I don't know if anyone follows closely what the US Bishops are doing, but I came across their marriage project titled Marriage: Unique for a Reason. I've only read a little bit of the writing portion and haven't watched the video yet. I mean, with all my spare time and all I don't know how I haven't found time. ;) Anyway, just thought I'd give it a shout out on our blog. :)

http://www.usccb.org/marriageuniqueforareason/

First Day

Same place... different job. It feels as if I never left St. Andrew! There are some positives and negatives to staying at the same parish as my apprenticeship: I already know the staff and community, but it doesn't feel any different yet... should it!? Today I spent part of the day filling out paperwork for the real job and then I spent time writing an article for the Monday Greeting from Lee Nagel and NCCL. Now I have an hour and a half left before I'm heading home, so I suppose I should start doing my new real job. So many ideas for youth ministry...

Who blogs on their wedding day?

This guy :-)

What a Show about a Mysterious Island has to do with ECHO

As you may have surmised from perusing the internet, Facebook, my G-Chat Status, or any other form of media these past couple of days, the LOST finale was this past Sunday. A lot has been said already and a lot will continue to be said. As for me, I thought it was beautiful in how inspirational and thought-provoking it was. Emotionally satisfying. Incredibly Theological and Catholic-Communal Redemption FTW!

At the end of the episode, the hero of the story, Jack Shephard, meets his father Christian Shephard (yes seriously that's his name) and they have this conversation:

Jack: Where are we, dad?

Christian: This is the place that you all made together so that you could find one another. The most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people. That's why all of you are here. Nobody does it alone, Jack. You needed all of them and they needed you.

Echo 5-for the past two years, we have lived this conversation. The two years that we had in community and ministry has shaped us indelibly and will continue to influence us wherever we go. The time that we had spent with each other may indeed be the "most important part of [our] life". That sure would make Jerry and Colleen happy. Like the castaways on the island, we needed each other to survive through our constant and helpful emails (Here's to you Kathy Haninger!) or affirming letters (Meli Barber!) or deep conversations (Tom Jackson!). People had no idea what we were doing or there for. Like the concept of the show, being an ACL was hard to explain succinctly to people without losing them. There were moments to rejoice and moments to ruminate-and we discovered in those moments; nobody does it alone. Being an Echo Apprentice-let alone a Catholic-I see that I needed all of you and hopefully you needed me as well(Here's to Echo Minority Council!)

The conversation between Jack and his father continue:

Jack: For what?

Christian: To remember and let go.

Jack: Kate. She said we were leaving.

Christian: Not leaving, no. Moving on.

Jack: Where are we going?

Christian: Let's go find out.

And here we are in our final weeks of being in our parish. As I sit here, my parish staff is going through next year's calendar. It's weird not being there (I will be there for the luncheon however). We did it, Echo 5. Let us remember the good times we had and celebrate what we have gained these past two years from all those we were fortunate to encounter. For some of us, this week is relaxing as we have jobs lined up, simple things to pack, and pleasant farewells ahead. For some of us, this week is stressful as the search is a challenge, more things to finish planning before we leave, and uncomfortable conversations to be had. We know that we are in solidarity through all these experiences and we move on together. So let's go find out. It's going to be crazy. And by crazy, I mean...

The Other Side

We're hiring a new DRE to replace my mentor, the parish saint. She's the only DRE they've ever had (going on 28 years) and built the program from scratch.

I'm a member of the search committee. My invitation was scrawled on the first of a slew of resumes I discovered in my mailbox: "Here's the info-- but you're not voting." Despite that initial welcome, I slithered onto the interview panel and have since spent three full days in interviews.

It's been so helpful to be on the other side. The first time I saw the search committee (friends and coworkers) in interview mode I thought, "If I were the person on the hot seat I would think everyone was mean and hated me. But I know these people. And they're normally nothing like this." As I've undergone my own interviews since this process, I've tried to remember that each person in the room is just a regular person who doesn't intuitively hate me (even if it seems like it).

Another thing I noticed was that we might all go on as if we really liked the candidate, and even talk to her in a way that suggested she was going to be hired, when, really, everyone in the room knew from ten minutes in that she was absolutely the wrong fit! At the end of those interviews I often wondered why we let it go on so long. I'm still not sure. Since then I've decided not to make myself crazy (when I'm on the other side) trying to read what I think are the committee's cues.

I learned that the elite candidates were specific. They could list their top three ministerial qualities without hesitation. They clearly articulated their weaknesses. ALL of their answers included particular examples from previous experience. They could apply seemingly unrelated experiences and skills to answer questions that were a bit outside their background.

So, my advice: apply to join a search search committee, and then apply for jobs.

Just When You Thought My Modeling Career was Over

How can you not want St. Peter T-shirts after this?

But the real models are

Anna and her twin nephews Daniel (left) and Cameron (right)!!!! They like me; they really like me!

On being Darth Vader

"The circle is now complete; when I left you, I was but the learner, now I am the Master."


My Echo mentor is becoming the DRE next year, a job which I've been struggling to manage since returning to work in August. We have a series of meetings scheduled between Wednesday and the end of May (when I leave) wherein I will tell her how to be DRE (well, DFF) at the Cathedral.

As I type out instructions, lists of names and numbers, master calendars and suggestions for the future, the irony is too apparent. There were so many times over the last year when I said to myself, "my goodness! I How wish I had a mentor-figure to tell me how to do what I'm trying to do!" And now I'm becoming that person for the person who was supposed be that figure all along and was simply unable to given her lack of experience and training in position.

God sure does have a sense of humor.

Happy Easter everyone!

I hope your Triduum was awesome and your Easter is going strong.  Next month is our last month in our parish.  Weird.

Let's pause and think communally about what I did on Friday and Sunday

Friday:

• 4th and 5th grade retreat on Holy Week

Sunday:

• RCIA dismissal
• Confirmation Interview
• Praise and Worship, guitar and singing, for ~450 middle and high school youth

 So many different types of ministry.  So little time.

Twentysomething

Hey Echo peoples,

So, I was listening to a random Canadian jazz radio station (just about the only music station I can listen to with my firewall at work), and this song came on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFIjSY0amtc

It's called "Twentysomething" by Jamie Cullum, and it's a rather amusing jazz/swing description of what it means to be in that age bracket. Hope you enjoy.

The Beginning of the End

As you may know, this is the final season of the masterpiece that is LOST. This decision was set back a couple years ago when the complaints of "They're just making this up as they go along" became overly vociferous. As the season began and is now progressing, the advertisements were all in the vein of "This is the Beginning of the End". We had Confirmation this weekend for our 8th graders and as they were getting anointed on their foreheads, I could not help but think-with a only a couple months left-this is the beginning of the end of my time at IHM.

In reflecting on this reality, it's daunting and joyous. Daunting in that we have to wonder WTH we are going to do next year-let alone our lives. That thought alone put me in a funk for weeks and paralyzed me into complete self-doubt. Some people can sit well with uncertainty during transitions. Others cannot. I apparently was in the latter category. It was terrible to now know what I was going to do and it was like standing on a precipice with seemingly no direction to go towards. The best analogy I could give was college application time-all these choices but in reality only one. As I was getting ready to wean myself off of a formal connection to the University I love, I found that I was not ready at all.

But it's also joyous for it's a chance to celebrate but also to go out with a bang. After weeks of grappling with it, I am finally there-thrusting my energies into finishing this year strongly and joyfully no matter what the future may hold. I don't think I ever shook as many hands and took as many pictures as I did yesterday. The only thing missing from it being a political campaign was kissing babies. Several people said that I deserved a raise (I told my pastor that I want to enter a new tax bracket) and asked how I don't have a big ego with how much the kids love me (Jonathan Lewis' Asian jokes and Anna Waechter's humility help with that). The chances to be a role model and more importantly, a "celebrity" are abundant. The Lenten series on learning about other faiths that I thought of and organized has been drawing 30-40 people each event when my mentor thought that 5-10 for each one would be a success. I've been laying the groundwork for a couple articles that I hope to finish by May 28. There are more parties and free dinners to attend. It's been a blessing.

So as I reflect on how it may seem like these last few months are the beginning of the end...it may in reality be more of the end of the beginning.

Woah, three posts in one day!

Keep it up guys.

MISSING - LOST IN THE MAIL!!!

A very important envelope containing the only existing deck of distance 500 cards has disappeared.
Last seen at the Newark, DE post office March 1st.
If spotted, contact one of the three Echo 5 card girls.
Thanks.

Dreams and Visions

You are probably familiar with the name Bill Huebsch. He has written many books on pastoral planning and whole community catechesis and some would probably say he's a big deal (people know him, he probably has many leather-bound books and his apartment smells like rich mahagomy). Many of us at my parish are now reading Dreams and Visions by Mr. Heubsch. It started with the Pastoral Council, then expanded to the finance council, other councils, and Department Heads. We are to read it in preparation for our Leadership retreat coming up at the end of this month. Those actively involved in our parish have a true desire to make St. Andrew's a great parish, and they're even thinking more about whole community catechesis.

What caught my attention in my reading of this book (I'm still on the first chapter), were several questions posed: What do you want the outcome of all your efforts to be in your parish? What do you want people to take away from their encounter with the parish? What do you want to happen as a result of your ministry? (pg 9).

I'm sure we've come in contact with similar questions before, but if you're like me, we sometimes forget the importance of asking ourselves these questions and evaluating where our programs are going. Is it really important that the high school students in religious ed learn the nuts and bolts about our faith, or is it ok if they do not retain much of the information, but instead they actually have an encounter with Christ? I know we know this, but sometimes it's nice to be reminded that conversion comes before catechesis.

Happy catechizing!

Quote of the Day

"Umm... Anthony... it's not a big deal or anything... but why in the world do you have a headless clown...?!" -Allie Greene (visiting ND Vision-ista)

A Good Lenten Practice

We used this as our opening prayer at our staff meeting today, and I thought it was worth sharing. I think it's a worthy challenge for Lent. Start fasting/feasting!

Fast from worry -- feast on God's Word for those who trust in Him

Fast from complaining -- feast on appreciation

Fast from negatives -- feast on affirmatives

Fast from unrelenting pressures -- feast on the power of prayer

Fast from discontent -- feast on gratitude

Fast from anger -- feast on forgiveness

Fast from hostility -- feast on harmony

Fast from bitterness -- feast on acceptance

Fast from idle gossip -- feast on deep purposeful silence

Fast from judging others -- feast on the Christ within

Fast from self-concern -- feast on compassion for others

Fast from words that pollute -- feast on phrases that purify

Fast from emphasis on differences -- feast on oneness with God

Fast from thoughts of illness -- feast on the healing power of God

Fast from suspicion -- feast on the trustworthiness of people

Fast from thoughts that weaken -- feast on words that inspire

Fast from the inconsequential -- feast on the essential

Fast from facts that depress -- feast on the truths that uplift

Fast from problems that overwhelm -- feast on God-given opportunities

Fast from feeling alone -- feast on God's loving presence always

We are all looking for jobs

If there is anyone out there in the Internet world who is reading this blog, just about everyone in the Echo class is looking for a job.  Here are some of the location and interests:

• Ohio
• Indianapolis, IN: 1) Youth Minister/DRE 2) legal secretary/work for the tribunal
• Washington DC Area (multiple people)
• Ft.Worth, TX (and metroplex area): Youth Minister/Young Adult Minister
• Seattle area
• San Francisco, CA
• Portland, OR
• Greater Boston Area (preferably accessible via public transportation): theology teacher/high school campus minister/youth minister/adult minister

If you are interested in hiring an Echo apprentice as full time minister (youth minister, adult minister, child minister) or teacher/catechist, click on a contributor on the right hand column there and one of us will get you in touch with an apprentice who is looking for a job in your area.

Each apprentice is expected to receive a MA in theology from the University of Notre Dame at the end of THIS summer.  In addition to the experience we have gained as an apprentice catechetical leader, most of us have multiple years of experience in ministry prior to entering Echo.

Blessings,
Isaac

So, how's it going?

Well Echo 5, we're in the last stretch. And by last stretch, I mean the last 4 1/2 months left at our parishes. I'm sure we're all crazy busy at our parishes; I hardly have time to G-chat anymore during the workday! So maybe that's a good thing. How are things looking for the future? Anyone have thoughts about where they're heading (or staying) come the new fiscal year? I'm planning on staying in Fort Worth, and if possible, at my parish. That would be awesome...

Is it taboo to post twice in a row?

I would just like to point out the rapid decline in our blogging. We blogged for 5 months (6 if you count the 2 posts in July) in 2008... 164 posts!

All 12 months of 2009? Only 91.

Conclusion: We're overworked. (...and underpaid.)

See you in less than 3 weeks!!

Raise your hand if you like to pray!

Here's a cool website that I thought you might enjoy...

soon and very soon

There are only 24 days until we are all joyously reunited at Winter Retreat!
Hooray! Can't wait to see you all!