Collegium 2011: Day Nine

While others were partying and saying goodbye I slept! I awoke at 3 AM and got ready for my van ride to Boston. At 4 AM I left the College of Holy Cross. From Boston I flew to Atlanta. From Atlanta I flew to Fort Wayne. There was an hour delay. The first time I went to Collegium I arrived at 3 AM. The second time it took two days to fly from Minneapolis to Fort Wayne. A one hour delay was almost the same as being on time!

The final day was a day of goodbyes, at the school and at the airports. However, everyone understood it was also a day of hellos. I was looking forward to seeing Cathi. I looked forward to a normal routine. I also looked forward to the next Collegium.

The challenge now is for Collegium Fellows to take what they learned and apply it to their classrooms, their courses and ultimately their institutions. I look forward to hearing how that progress.

Collegium 2011: Day Eight

Well, the final day of Collegium 2011 had arrived. However, that did not mean it was a day of doing nothing. We were busy! We had our second Discipline Group. I co-lead the group with Monica. She was great. The group focused on how they would apply their new knowledge to their respective schools.

Our Small Group then focused on preparing to go home. Again we focused on what the members would take home. Our group had quickly formed its own identity, there was a strong sense of “us.” While it was clear we would miss one another it was time for people to get back to their lives. Some of the members would be traveling and they were excited about that. Others would simply enjoy the remainder of summer. Either way it was time to begin our good byes.

We had our last Prayer/Spirituality group. During that time we had our sending forth ceremony. Looking at the faces of my Small Group members as I lit their candles it was hard not to chock up. They were a wonderful group of folks. Watching all of the other groups having their goodbyes and being blessed by all he participants it was clear that everyone knew they were in the best group ever. That is a perfect way to end Collegium. .

After worship we all got ready for our final social. The social was in the science building. The food was wonderful, the music set the tone and it was just a great way to begin an entire evening of saying goodbye.


Collegium 2011: the Final Social

One of the best parts of the social was simply to watch people interact with one another. It was amazing to think these folks did not know one another a week before and now they were reluctantly saying farewell to new but good friends.


Collegium 2011: Friends, Food, Drink and Jazz

After the social we had our Farewell Banquet. We began the week dining in a huge ballroom/ We ended in a more intimate space. It was a good choice. We were all closer, we all had things to say and things to hear. The food was great, the final statements moving but most of all it was the company that we savored.


Collegium 2011: The Farewell Banquet

After the banquet many participants went over to the Williams social room. There people drank, ate and talked until 3 A.M. It was a great ending to a great week and a great Collegium.

Collegium 2011: The Mentors

I was blessed to work with such a talented and committed group of fellow mentors. Some I had worked with before, two were first-timers. All were great.

Sr. Eva Hooker is an institution at Collegium. She has been there since the beginning and it shows. She is the writer-in-residence at Saint Mary’s College. She has a tool box full of techniques and ideas to engage her group members. She is mellow, supportive, fun and so, so creative.

John Neary is a professor of English at St. Norbert College. He often gives his story or testimony at Collegium. He is published. He served on Collegium’s board. However I know John as a runner and as a person who is all about helping Collegium Fellows get the most out of their Collegium experience. He is a soft spoken man who is worth listening to. He is clearly one of the gems of Collegium.

Karen Eifer teaches in he Education Department at the University of Portland. She also tells her story during Collegium This is an important activity that makes the Collgium experience come to life. Karen is a team player. She is creative, full of life and her energy is contagious.

I had the privilege of working with Eva, john and Karen in the past. They were also mentors during my fellowship year.

My roommate was “Sandy’ or William Karstens. He is an Associate Professor of Physics at Saint Michel’s College in Vermont. He is also a Collegium Board member. Sandy contributed to the music part of our worship every single day. He was at e ach social hour. I found his counselor to be valuable. The stereotype might be that physicists are aloof and not emotionally expressive, that would not fit Sandy. I felt blessed to have Sandy as a roommate.
Matt Schmalz is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the College of Holy Cross. He gave his story this year and everyone talked about how powerful it was. I had never met Matt before. He was flexile, creative and he brought a wealth of inter-faith knowledge to Collegium. I hope to get to know him better in the coming years.

Monica Sylvia was one of two first time mentors. She is an Associate Professor at Le Moyne College. She teaches developmental psychology. Initially she was anxious but quickly found her footing. I am sure her clinical skills as a group facilitator kicked right in. She was always doing something. If she was not focusing on her mentor responsibilities she was helping Joyce or attending to a group member.
Finally there was Nancy Billias who is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Saint Joseph College in Connecticut. Nancy also studied religious studies and was a Fulbright Scholar. She is a licensed psychotherapist and brings a whole palette of skills and experiences to her groups.

Monica and Nancy might have been the new kids on the block but they were major contributors to a great Collegium. So that was the group I worked with. We had a working breakfast meeting every day. We brainstormed together. We supported one another. While our focus was on our own Small Groups we also found time to enjoy each others company. I t was a really good group of mentors.

Collegium 2011: What Made My Group So Special?

I made the claim all mentors should make, that their Small Group was the best. I hope all the other mentors feel that, I also know my group was special.
Jonathan was this very bright Ph.D. candidate in history from Fordham University.He was bright, funny and caring. Life is not fair, he was also tall, in shape, handsome and had great glasses. Still, while he could have been arrogant he was humble and a team player. He was also incredibly easy to like.

Skylar was a Political Science doctoral candidate from the University of California Santa Barbara. He was a serious pianist in high school and he skied competitively. He had an incredible ability to appreciate multiple sides of an argument without being immobilized by the divergent arguments. Our Small Group was successful in convincing Skylar to play a small concert for Collegium prior to worship. The video I have is of Skylar practicing for his concert. His concert was wonderful, his practice is just getting use to the piano.


Collegium 2011: Skylar Practicing for Concert

Ricardo brought a sociologists appreciation of group processes to our Small Group. He had also lived in Central America and had an appreciation for the need for social justice. He also was able to apply our lecture on Catholic Social Justice to his school. Plus he lived in New York which just made me jealous. I suppose there were moments when he was not smiling but I never witnessed those times.

Cara was the enthusiastic English professor. She was also a self-identified secular Jew. It was great to see Catholic Intellectuals Identity though her eyes. She savored everything Collegium had to offer and like Ricardo she could not stop smiling.

Mark was our resident physic and the scientific method was a corner stone of how he made sense of the universe. He was also a self-described “Protestant Atheist.” Mark questioned our readings, the lectures, the movies. He questioned things enthusiastically. He also respected others and he was just fun to be around. One of the strengths of our group was due to the honest challenging that Mark provided.


Collegium 2011: Skylar Practicing for Concert II

Judith was this wonderful art historian. Now I have a bias, I have never met an art historian who is not brilliant, after working with Judith I can state that is still true. Judith savored life and was able to put ideas and reading into an historical context. She was also deeply moved by the sufferings of others. She made sure our intellectual explorations did not ignore the impact teachings have on real people. She also had a contagious smile.

Ray was our theologian. I was at first threatened by that when I read the bios. I suspect I feared looking under-qualified to lead the group next to someone with his qualifications. Boy that was a waste of time! Ray had to be the easiest person to get along with I had met. He was caring, funny and practical. He made theology and our readings come alive. He was able to describe how our readings were lived in his classes. Ray is the kind of guy I would like to spend time with talking about theology over a couple of beers.


Collegium 2011: Skylar Practicing in the Fog

Sonalini was our multi-talented professor. She taught women’s studies and political science. She was a Hindu teaching at a Catholic university. I loved how open she was to the entire experience. She was able to find areas of commonality. She was able to better understand where her students and colleagues were coming from. I appreciated how seriously she took the assignments of the Small Group. Best of all she was simply good company. She is now a fellow Hoosier and Judith is a neighbor in Dayton Ohio. I hope I get to see both of them in the future.

That was my group. It was a group of very diverse people. It was a supportive group, a happy group and a group that took advantage of all hat Collegium had to offer. Yeah, I had the best group!

Collegium 2011: Prayer and Spirituality

We had daily worship and that was an important part of Collegium. However, we also had daily Prayer and Spirituality gatherings. They were led by Marty Kelly. Marty is the Assistant Chaplain and Director of the Immersion Programs of the College of the Holy Cross. The other leader was his very capable wife Megan Fox-Kelly. Megan is an Assistant Chaplain and Director of the retreat program of Holy Cross College. This was an experienced, high powered and nurturing duo. I am always happy to be in their company and I always know which one I like best. It is the one I am speaking to at the moment! They would introduce a different type of prayer or theological reflection to the participants. There would be a brief description, a hand out and then time for people to individually reflect or meditate. It was not unusual for participants to go outside or to other parts of the chapel for prayer and meditation.

The music was an important part of Collegium. The music reflected the Universal Church and was from around the world. I never videoed the services or spirituality classes, that would have felt intrusive. The videos I have here are simply downloaded from YouTube and are samplings of the songs we sang.


Jesus We Are Here - Valley Steel Drum Ensemble

The first night we gathered. This was the first time the participants entered the lower chapel, the Chapel of St. Mary. The place was quiet and beautiful. As we processed in I had the privilege of carrying in the Paschal Candle which was used to light the participants individual candles. The evening prayers set the tone for the week. We were told the chapel would be a place of silence except for the services. The chapel became a powerful place of refuge and retreat for many throughout the week.


We Are Marching In The Light Of God

As the week progressed we were introduced to a variety of prayer techniques and foci. This included “Remembrance and Spirituality.” This was a topic that fit in well with a week that would be lived sacramentally.


Open My Eyes, Lord - Preparation Hymn - 4/3/11

We were introduced to Christian Meditation or Contemplative Prayer. It is very different to change the focus of prayer from one of asking to one of listening. It is especially helpful in developing a pilgrim identity, of knowing we are only temporarily of this world. It is particularly powerful in learning to be humble. Perhaps most importantly, for a group of type A, task-driven folks it was important to simply stop, to pause and spend time with God.


Lord of All Hopefulness.MP4

We were introduced to Lectio Divina and formal forms of reflection. All of this prepared us for our Day of Retreat. All of this assisted us in our private journeys.
Finally, our last prayer service was one of sending forth. Each group came to the front of the chapel. The mentor spoke some private words to his or her group and then he or she lit the groups individual candles. The group would then face the participants who would raise their arms and bless the group. It was simple and powerful. Marty and Megan, you are a blessing!

Collegium 2011: Day Seven, Boston

The week at Collegium was coming to an end. It could have been depressing having something that was so stimulating and so joyful coming to an end. However, it was not. This was the day that ended after the afternoon Small Group. After that we got to play in Boston. Some folks planned on going to the Pops, others to see Blue Men. Me, I planned on walking around discovering the city. There was no time to be depressed. However, first there was work to do.

After Morning Prayer and the Prayer/Spirituality class we had a major presentation. Christine Firer-Hinze from Fordham University spoke on Catholic Social Thought. She gave a history of Catholic Social Justice. Issues of aligning with workers, caring for the poor, being in many ways counter-cultural permeated her talk. When we met in our Small Group the members were able to readily apply the talk to their universities and to their careers. They were also surprised and encouraged to find a history of social involvement that reflected many of their values. At the end of the day I was reminded of the lecture in a surprising way.

Unfortunately the weather was not exactly perfect for being a tourist. It rained on and off during the day and promised to rain more in the evening. Still, it was 4 PM and time to drive in to Boston. I had the bus drop me off where the folks going to the Pops stopped. As I descended the steps I saw a wonderful church. Turns out it was the Christian Science Cathedral. In front of it was a reflecting pond. Behind it was downtown Boston. Even in the drizzling rain I was happy to have this be my first contact with Boston.


Collegium 2011" Boston: Christian Science Cathedral

After viewing the church I walked over to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. It was incredible. There were floors of Egyptian, Roman and Greek art. There was sculpture, glass, impressionists painting. It was wonderful. However, I only had six hours to see Boston so it was back out into the rain.

Luckily as I was walking past the Christian Science Cathedral I noticed it was open. I went inside and explored. I always associated Christian Scientists with reading rooms. This was incredible. I felt like I was in Europe.


Collegium 2011: Inside the Christian Science Cathedral

After my tour it was time to see more of Boston. I wanted to walk some of the Freedom Trail. As I walked toward it I came to the Boston Public Library. It was raining hard so I went inside to dry off. I was stopped in my tracks by how beautiful the entry way was. It reminded me of the Chicago Cultural Center.


Collegium 2011: the Boston Public Library

As I walked around the library I was amazed at the size of the library. I was impressed with the collections. It was impressed with how friendly the staff was. If I had the time I would have spent the day there. The library also hosted social events. I don’t know what was going on but was there were folks in formal dress sipping wine and listening to chamber music. What a great place.


Collegium 2011: Inside the Boston Public Library


And then I bumped into the courtyard. What a wonderful surprise!


Collegium 2011: The Courtyard of the Boston Public Library

After the library I began what proved to be a long walk, I walked to Boston Commons. There I came up to a church that reminded me my Unitarian-Universalist roots. The church was beautiful. However, the church was closed, it was raining and I had more walking to do.


Collegium 2011: Boston: Arlington Street Church UUC

I walked through Boston Commons. I stopped for some pizza. By then every part of me was wet. My jacket must have weighed 15 pounds. After dinner I began my trek on the Boston Freedom Trail. By the time I was done I had seen the State Capitol, the Old State Capitol, the first public school, King’s Chapel and the site where the Boston Tea Party was planned.
When I came up to the State Capitol I was reminded in a very real way of our earlier lecture on Social Justice. It was raining out and young adults were camping outside. They were holding vigil to protest harsh immigration laws that wee being voted on in the Capital. I was feeling a little sorry for myself walking in the rain and these folks were sleeping in it to help others. I was humbled and encouraged.


Collegium 2011: Boston: State Capital and Social Justice

So that was my day. We learned about social justice in the morning, talked about it in the afternoon and then I saw it in action that evening. I also got a hint of Boston and I know I have to come back for an extended visit.

Collegium 2011: My Small Group

Each day the mentors met with their Small Groups. Each group was picked by Tom and Joyce. They reflected diversity in disciplines, schools, religious identity. The groups usually met twice a day. During that time we would process the readings of the day or a movie or lecture. The goal was to help us understand and appreciate the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and identity. That meant understanding that at Catholic universities faith and reason went together. It meant understanding various views and positions were important. Additionally, to understand identity you need to have points of comparisons. Having groups that were not exclusively Catholic was very important. It also meant not avoiding issues related to Catholicism that were painful.

Each Small Group was named after an important Catholic intellectual. Our group was the Orestes Brownson group. Brownson was a New Englander who started as a liberal minister. He had various Protestant denominational affiliations including Unitarian and Universalist. He published numerous magazines and was a prominent Transcendentalists. He converted to Catholicism and fluctuated in his social and political view. What was important for us was that he was a person whose identify was always in formation.

Our group was also one of identify formation. We had members from different faith traditions, we had an atheist, we had two graduate students and we had enthusiasm.

Collegium 2011: The Best Small Group

We met in Fenwick Hall. Our room looked out over the cemetery which was actually a pleasant view. Our members were diverse but united in wanting to make the week a time of free, honest, and respectful sharing of ideas and values. They were very successful.


Collegium 2011: The View from My Classroom Window

Ricardo Dello Buono was an Associate Professor of Sociology at Manhattan College. He had lived in Central America. Cara Erdheim was a Professor of English at Sacred Heart University. Mark Fisher was a Physic Professor at the College of Mount Saint Joseph. Judith Huacuja was an Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Dayton. Raymond Patterson was an Assocaite Professor of Religious Studies at Saint Michael’s College. Sonalina Sapra was an Associate Professor of Political Science and Women’s Studies at Saint Mary’s College. Jonathan Pettinato was a Ph.D Candidate and graduate fellow from Fordham University. Skylar Covich was also a graduate fellow and a Political Science doctoral candidate from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

This was a high powered group. They studied at important schools and taught at important schools. They came from not only different parts of the nation but from different countries. They also immersed themselves in the work of Collegium. That meant reading Vatican II documents, articles on Catholic education and history and processing lectures. However, what I liked most was their sense of fun and their willingness to dive into the work at hand.


Collegium 2011: The Best Small Group Ever in the History of the Universe (this year)