Collegium: Monday

Face of Jesus

Collegium: Monday June 11, 2007

I start the day as usual, with a walk around the campus. I call Cathi at 6:00 A.M. which is 9:00 A.M. her time. She tells me Chloe continues to look like she is in pain. She is trying to make Chloe comfortable, I guess I will be taking her to the vet one last time when I get home. I have a heavy heart.

Today is all work. We have breakfast, go to chapel for prayers and then off to different groups. Today we meet in our Disciplinary Groups to work at identity integration with our professions. I believe this was useful for our newer faculty members and they made up a large section of this group. However I work at a school where this is not a problem. I would have preferred to spend the time with my assigned Small Group.

Realistically I do not know how they could avoid having this group. We are going though enormous amount o information on Catholic Higher Education and on Spirituality. How could we not look at the intersect between those issues and our own disciplines.

After a break we meet with our Small Groups. I love this group. Theresa lights a candle. Then we all hold hands in a circle and say a prayer. We do the same at the end of the session. Our group is bright, funny and active. Today I say the prayer. It is the poem Cathi encouraged me to write. It is well received and they have me say it again at the end of the session.

Today’s session focuses on the Images of Christ. We all read The Illustrated Jesus Through The Centuries by Jaroslav Pelikan. The book is beautiful. I sound intelligent because the night before, while at Powell’s City of Books I bought Linette Martin’s Sacred Doorways: A Beginner’s Guide to Icons. We talk about different aspects or foci of Christ and how they are illustrated though time. Mainly we talk about the importance of concrete images to help grasp the unknowable. We all recognize the dance between illumination and idolatry. It is a great conversation.

During lunch I realize I am not feeling very well. After lunch we have a discussion on Pluralism. It is a good discussion and important if we are to honor our Catholic identities at Catholic Universities and also respect other traditions and worldviews.

After the discussion we all go to chapel for our spiritual lesson and prayer. This is followed by Eucharist but I have to go back to my room and rest. A number of our group members are going to Portland tonight for Chinese food in Chinatown. I would love to go but think it is best I just rest. I take a nap.

That was a good choice. Our dinner is clams, cornmeal lasagna and great veggies. Afterwards we all watch a film Maura Smith has been making. She is a professor of films at Desales University. The film is on apparitions of Mary. Maura has traveled to Bosnia, Syria, India and Ohio to make this film. Afterwards we all critique her film so she can make additional edits. I found the film interesting and I believe the film will have a larger audience then just Catholics if she is good at identifying other faith communities that take apparitions seriously. I just loved being part of the process. I feel like I have a tiny piece of ownership of the film. It was also nice just to support Maura, she is a really neat lady.

It has been a long day and so it is finally off to bed.