Grace Like Rain… Well, Actually INSTEAD of Rain!

“Wow.” That pretty much sums up Wednesday. Oh, and maybe “intense” would convey the right flavor, too.

Fr. Lou Anderson came to celebrate Mass with us this morning, and stayed throughout the day. Woohoo for Fr. Lou! (We’re really glad to see him, as you might guess.) Rather than a “normal” dismissal, the Mass ended with a procession with the Blessed Sacrament to a tent where the Eucharist was reposed, and remained with us throughout most of the day.

We give Wednesday a different tone than the other days. Although the weather was cold and threatening rain, conditions held steady (if gray), and Wednesday’s presentation brought an audio demonstration of the noise present in our lives, and Jim offered the students tools for filtering out noise and tuning into the small, still voice of God. And then we spent a little time listening in silence, praying in silence.

The cold held out until after lunch. The sleeping bags and blankets were assigned extra duties. (That’s Gabby in the sleeping bag… we think.)

The weather warmed up considerably in the afternoon, and the students were much happier.

We had students busily preparing for the variety/talent show scheduled for Thursday night… singing, dancing, writing and playing instruments all over the place. This place is hoppin’ with talent!

In the afternoon, workshops were held on various forms of prayer, including journaling, guided meditation, art, a labyrinth, Taizé prayer, a special nature walk and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. There were more to choose from, but it’s hard to remember them all without a list!

The prayer workshops were followed by an hour of solo time. No conversations, just quiet time, perhaps to use or follow up on something just learned in the workshops.

The Blessed Sacrament was exposed during solo time, and surrounded by several praying students all all times. When it came time to conclude solo time, we gathered around the Eucharist in both song and silence before going in for a quiet dinner that maintained the mood, anticipating the evening liturgy.

The evening liturgy was a Reconciliation liturgy, complete with an extended time of individual confessions. Fathers Lou Anderson, Mark Peacock, Tony Pelak, Fred Brucker and Don Andrie joined Fr. Larry King to offer this opportunity to the students. [Thanks a million for their time and ministry!] As part of the liturgy, we invited the students to write a letter to God, which we then offered up in fire and thanksgiving as the smoke rose to the sky.

To celebrate the grace which sustains us and gives us life, we then danced into the night…

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