My First Kreeft Class

I know I said there would be no more posts until after my retreat, but I couldn't wait to share my felicitous tidings. I was disappointed that I would not be able to take one of Peter Kreeft's courses immediately this semester (apparently taking advanced classes out of sequence is frowned upon), but then it turned out his class Philosophy in Literature was available as an elective. It would be additional on top of my other classes (Ancient Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Latin, Logic & Epistemology, Christian Moral Living, Faith & Reason) and all Dr. Kreeft's classes are notoriously difficult, with at least one book assigned per week plus papers, but I really didn't want to wait to cut my teeth. So with only a few days of rationalizing/wheedling/haggling/pleading I prevailed upon my formation director to allow me to take the course with the upperclassmen. I am very excited for class on Tuesday. I plan to try and record the lectures, so if anyone is interested in hearing about philosophy in literature from Peter Kreeft let me know.

B.C. Exploration, No Time Machine Needed

Yesterday was orientation at St. John's Seminary and Boston College where most of my classes will be.  

The campuses are contiguous, with BC having bought out a large part of SJS during the archdiocese's 2000s financial straits. Both are very picturesque and filled with historic buildings. 

 

Historic Gasson Hall, which houses the 'Hall of Jesuit saints.'

St. Michael

St. Ignatius Loyola, S.J.

St. Stanislaus Kostka, S.J.

St. John Berchmans, S.J.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga, S.J.

Fr. Jaques Marquette, S.J. (Only I and my formation director from Michigan knew who he is).

Mater Dei Est Mater Mea: the Mother of God is my Mother

Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam: for the greater glory of God

 And, finally, my first real shenanigan in seminary: sneaking onto the BC football field while my formation director was looking the other way. As I recall, the exercise resolved an important argument about the shortcomings AstroTurf.

In case you have subscribed and eagerly await whatever priceless wisdom I have to impart on a daily basis, I will be making a silent retreat starting this evening so don't expect a new post until Sunday.

Confessions from Hippo

I don't have much time for a post today, but I couldn't let the feasts of St. Monica (yesterday) and St. Augustine of Hippo (today) pass unmarked. In their honor, here are some excerpts from the Doctor's Confessions that have been significant for me in my spiritual growth:

"Belatedly I loved thee, O Beauty so ancient and so new, belatedly I loved thee. For see, thou wast within and I was without, and I sought thee out there. Unlovely, I rushed heedlessly among the lovely things thou hast made. Thou wast with me, but I was not with thee. These things kept me far from thee; even though they were not at all unless they were with thee. Thou didst call and cry aloud, and didst force open my deafness. Thou didst gleam and shine, and didst chase away my blindness. Thou didst breathe fragrant odors and I drew in my breath; and now I pant for thee. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst. Thou didst touch me, and I burned for thy peace."

"Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in thee."

"And men go abroad to admire the heights of mountains, the mighty waves of the sea, the broad tides of rivers, the compass of the ocean, and the circuits of the stars, yet pass over the mystery of themselves without a thought."

"No one knows what he himself is made of, except his own spirit within him, yet there is still some part of him which remains hidden even from his own spirit; but thou, O Lord, knowest everything about a human being because thou hast made him... Let me, then, confess what I know about myself, and confess too what I do not know, because what I know of myself I know only because thou hast shed light on me, and what I do not know I shall remain ignorant about until my darkness becomes like bright noon before thy face."

Disorientation

There are many things about which I can post, but I figure it is best to start at the beginning and get a feel for the geography and do some ground reconnaissance. Boston is a rather confusing city for navigation and the old part of town has a terrible city plan, so future posts about getting hopelessly lost are inevitable.

As the myth goes, most of the streets in downtown Boston were originally cow paths or deer trails that were used for human traffic as the town grew. This seems to be a myth (See here) and the alternative explanations of hilly topography and a poorly planned village with periods of rapid, unregulated growth  seem more likely. Despite relatively modern architecture, the haphazard road plan lends the older parts of the city an Old World feel, especially in residential areas of the North End.

Fig. 1: the irregular street plan of Boston compared to a very regular grid typical of U. S. cities (Manhattan).

Fig. 2: the labyrinthine warren of Boston's North End, the Italian district. Coincidence? 

Another interesting aspect is the fact that Boston's landscape has been more modified than a Dutch polder. Originally almost an island with a spindly isthmus, the peninsula on which Boston is built was steadily expanded by leveling the hilly landscape and backfilling the swamps, bays, and rivers. This practice was most pronounced during the 19th century, when the Back Bay neighborhood (where I am) was created from what was previously a section of bay on the the Charles River. Not even all of Boston Common is on original land.

Fig. 3: expansion of Boston by backfilling, mid 19th- early 20th century.

St. Clement's Shrine/Our Lady of Grace Seminary is located at the edge of the Back Bay near Fenway Park, at the corner of Boylston and Ipswich. Besides Fenway, other notable landmarks nearby include the Boston Public Library main branch, Trinity Church, the Prudential Center (a massive retail/ convention center/ hotel complex), Boston Symphony Hall, and Copley Square of Boston Marathon fame.

                     

Fig. 4: landmarks of western Back Bay

Speaking of the Prudential Center, the Oblates have a very singular establishment there. St. Francis Chapel is located in the middle of the shopping center. Originally Franciscan, the Oblates took custody of it in the mid-1980s and offer eight hours of confession and Eucharistic adoration daily, four daily masses, and ten Sunday masses. It is also adjacent to the Hynes Convention Center and conventioners from all over the world as well as shoppers and local residents crowd in for adoration and the sacraments.

 

St. Clement's is the Eucharistic shrine of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Blessed Sacrament is exposed 24/7 about 20 steps from my cell. It is not a parish, but people often come to attend lauds, vespers, and the 7 am and 12:10 pm daily masses as well as Sunday masses. The shrine has also long been a center of student activities due to the high concentration of universities and colleges in the area and there are two different young adult groups that meet weekly. Our Lady of Grace Seminary and the provincial office are located at St. Clement's.

And St. Joseph House is located in Milton, MA, a few miles outside the city. Several Oblates in residence provide retreats, days of recollection, and spiritual direction. I am looking forward to a three-day silent retreat there at the beginning of the semester.

Well, that was the overview of Boston, the neighborhood, and Oblate foundations where I am. I will be much busier in the days to come, so perhaps starting with a long, picture-filled post is establishing an unrealistic precedent, but I promise some more spiritually enriching posts with fewer maps and illustrative figures.

Postulancy 101

My first day as an oblate postulant! What to say? There was a lot of activity on moving day, but that was all over as soon as everyone had hauled their three suitcases up the stairs.... so, I had some time to call family members while unpacking. 

But there were many other things to do besides rearrange clothes in the closet, and multitasking ended there. Sundays are usually relatively free, but besides community prayer/ meals/ recreation, orientation activities started as well. I have also figured out that there is more than arithmetic of time involved in figuring out how to stay in touch with everyone; community recreation usually ends ~ 8 pm and the Great Silence starts at 9 pm, thus the blog.

Some documentary footage of the new crib:

 My cell just after arrival. (The Michigan pennant was the first thing I unpacked.)

 Perhaps a little homier after getting a desk chair, but it felt like home to me as soon as I walked in and saw the Mitir Eleousa icon.

My makeshift desk. Everything in this wing was recently remodeled and some of the new furniture has yet to arrive (in case you think it's spare even for a cell, I will be getting a desk and shelf).

The amazing all-in-one closet/bureau/library

It wouldn't be a cell without a sink!

Something to console me for probably not catching many games this fall.

My room overlooks the courtyard. It is below street level and has a fountain, so it is a very quiet and relaxing environment in the midst of a very busy part of the city.

The library: only two floors above me and 24/7 access. And you thought the sink was exciting!

Studying up for class!