Mission San Xavier del Bac

Today we went to Mission San Xavier del Bac for Mass. What an experience! The place is magnificent:

Construction of the Mission was completed in 1797, and it's virtually the same inside as it was back then. It really made you stop and imagine for a moment what it must have been like to have been traveling through the desert and come across a place like this.

Desert Dangers

A few more stories from the Arizona desert:

I almost forgot to mention that my first day here, I had a surprise encounter with this little fella:

Okay, so you probably can't really see him, but it was a SCORPION. I think he'd made his home in one of my shoes overnight, and I was less than pleased about this roommate. I must have made an example of him, though, because I haven't seen any since!

My second brush with danger happened on our hike this afternoon. We decided to make it to the top of one of the nearby hills/mountains, so we set off on our trek. We brought with us a newfound friend, Fr. Peter Sweeney. Fr. Sweeney is a 76-year-old Irish priest, and meeting him might just have been the highlight of the entire trip. Throughout our hike, he regaled us with stories and jokes, and he set the brisk pace for us. When we made it to the top, we paused for a photo:

The view was spectacular:

 Fr. Sweeney informed us that before a saguaro cactus can grow an "arm," it must be at least 75 years old. So when you see saguaros that have many arms, they could be hundreds of years old! Fascinating!

Fascinating... and dangerous. At least, it's shorter, pokey relatives are... As we were getting ready to head back down, I had another surprise encounter - this time with a cactus. I got stuck badly enough that I couldn't get it out myself, so Fr. Sweeney came to the rescue. Don't worry - at this point, only my pride is hurt.

We're nearing our last few days in Arizona! Sounds like it's extra cold in Kansas (-5 degrees, I saw on the forecast, and that's not even factoring in the wind chill!). I may be in for a shock! But I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Desert Domers

Hello from Tucson, Arizona! The Domer adventure continues, but this time in a much different environment. (This is probably for the best, because it sounds like 0-degree temps and ample snow have been in the forecast for South Bend lately.) Here we are at the Redemptorist Renewal Center, surrounded by nothing but desert. Cacti abound - including the magnificent saguaro cacti. As challenging as this place is (by its very nature: quiet, desolate, and virtually distraction-free), it is probably the perfect environment for an intensive class. There are 14 of us studying "Jesus and the Spiritual Life." Our days have a consistent rhythm of Mass, class, meals, community prayer, exercise, reading, and some down-time. I quickly remembered from last year feeling as if I was able to get a glimpse into the monastic life - living in community. It's been great reconnecting with the rest of the Catholic Extension girls, as well as some summer ND friends. 

So we've been learning together about the necessary connection between religion and spirituality, and how the doctrine of the Church is truly a safeguard of, not a hindrance to, the spiritual life. We've done this by examining Christological developments throughout our Church's history. We started by reading about the Trinitarian controversies of the early Church, including the works of Athanasius and Gregory of Nazianzus (or G-Naz, as our professor affectionately calls him). We've also read some texts by Augustine, and we've discussed the development of the creed. These past few days, we've been learning about St. Bernard of Clairvaux, which is an extra blessing because our professor is an expert on this particular Saint. We'll conclude the course by discussing Bonaventure. It's been a lot of information to cover in a very brief period of time, but it's been an excellent course! 

When we're not reading or studying, we do have some down-time. Some of us girls have been taking advantage of this unbelievable weather and going on daily runs. We've also had the chance to take some hikes up in the Picture Rocks National Park, which is right next to the retreat center. 

It's been a great time here in Tucson, but I look forward to returning home and seeing all of you! Hope all is well, and I'll see you soon!