Hugh In Saskatoon

Hugh has been in Saskatoon the past 3 days.  He's only the second friend to come and visit me since my move here; Sanjit was the first one.  Of course, my bro and his family were here last year, and my parents have come too...

On Tuesday night we went for Indian dinner buffet at Swadesh on 22nd Street.

On Wednesday we went to Capanna Pizzeria.  Here, a waitress blew us away with her friendly and talkative character.

And today we got up early in the morning and drove to Moose Jaw.  I had to do a pre-op there for my cheek surgery early next week, and after that we met up with John and Lamont for lunch at Bobby's.  The original plan was to head to Regina after lunch, but we enjoyed such a good converstaion around the table that we ended up staying in the Jaw until well after 4.  Before heading back home we went to Crescent Park and breathed in some fresh air.  Hugh read a book on the bench, and I took a much-needed nap on the lawn.

Tomorrow Hugh gets on a bus, off to Bruno for a spiritual retreat, and I head the opposite direction, west, to Cypress Hills on a camping trip with Eric.

Backyard

One of the reasons I wanted to buy a house was so that I could enjoy my own backyard, while smoking a cigarette and enjoying a beer.  It takes some work to make the back yard nice, but as the pictures below indicate, if done right, the result can be a really nice and peaceful place to relax and enjoy serenity.

The past few days I've been staining my deck.  The first picture below shows nicely the"before and after" effect of a good stain job.  I'm pretty happy with the job I did.

Next summer I want to tackle the fence: it'll be stained the same "Muskoka Cottage" brown as the deck.

Prairie Cathedrals

So a few days ago after finishing up at the monastery I crossed the highway to take a look at the cathedral that Muenster is known for.

The drive up to the church gave me a "church in the country feel" - dusty dirt road lined by trees on either side - and the cathedral itself was nice enough from the outside with a basic design (sadly, some of the siding was vinyl), but what really impressed me was the interior.

 

It wasn't as impressive as the cathedral in Gravelbourg (below), but still, it blew me away: a massive structure, "in the middle of nowhere" (the church in Gravelbourg seats 1000 and Gravelbourg itself only has about 1000 inhabitants; the church in Muenster is smaller, as is the town itself), with so much love, care, and effort invested in it.

I know very little about either of these towns or their spiritual histories, but I can't help but think that there must have been a thriving faith community present once.  The frescoes in particular point towards hours and hours of love labour.

And we, subsequent generations, have been left a lasting legacy by those who came before us.

The question that comes to mind is: What kind of a legacy are we leaving behind?

Becoming A Benedictine Oblate

A few years ago, while still living in BC, I was thinking about becoming a Benedictine oblate.  I felt that it was important to adopt for myself a Rule of Life - guidelines, principles to which I adhere in all decisions of life - and be attached to a community of people who support and encourage each other in bringing that rule to life.

Then I got busy: I got a new job, moved to the prairies, bought a car and a house, and so on and so forth.  And of course, my relationship with Michelle earlier this year also kept me busy.

But after breaking up with Michelle, 2 things happened: I had a lot more time on my hands, and I didn't know how to fill that time.  This second point became more acute and stressful when I began feeling tremendous feelings of loneliness and discontent.

Fortunately, around the end of March I ventured out on a day trip to a monastery in Muenster, to participate in Oblate Day there.  My experience was quite positive, attending Mass, lunch, and a lecture afterwards.  I also talked to Fr. Paul, in charge of hospitality and oblates at the monastery, and got a really good feeling about re-engaging in the whole conversation regarding becoming an oblate.

That was March; fast forward to today.  I went to Oblate Day again (there are 4 such days per year), and went through the same routine as last time, attending Mass, lunch, lecture, and a short meeting with Fr. Paul.  We both concluded that since I'm quite familiar with the Benedictine tradition already, I am ready to take the next step: make my novitiate vows.

These vows will take place at the next meeting, on October 24th.  In the meantime, I have "homework", 3 readings: 1- the Rule of St. Benedict; 2- A Mystical Portrait of Jesus (Demetrius Dumm), and 3- Poustinia (Catherine Doherty).

This year is turning out to be a momentous year.  First, joining the Roman Catholic Church in April, and now taking my novitiate vows to join the Benedictines.  I will be a Novice for one year before making full vows.

Here, in short are my vows (BCMSS):

1- Balance

2- Change (Continuous Conversion)

3- Moderation

4- Simplicity

5- Stability (Commitment)

By God's grace, these vows will keep in check my thirst for (GPPSW):

1- Glory / Fame

2- Pleasure

3- Power

4- Security

5- Wealth

Jazz Festival

The jazz festival has been on all this week and I finally went to see a show at the Free Stage (19th and Broadway) this evening with Eric.  I'm not a huge jazz fan, but Ikebe Shakedown did just that: they shook down the place, and thoroughly pleased my musical senses.

It was good to get out and about.  I spend a lot of time at home, so it was refreshing for the soul to be out and listening to some good music.