The National Church Life Survey which the parish completed in November 2016 showed some good news which we celebrated on the weekend on our Holy Cross Feast Day: we have improved significantly since the last survey five years ago, and are above the diocesan average on a range of measures.
Any way of prayer or mediation may be considered a spiritual exercise. Just like physical exercise it helps to have a plan, a coach and some discipline. The Spiritual Exercises (notice the capitals) are a series of meditations and contemplations which 16th century St Ignatius of Loyola composed from his own prayer experience, and then taught to his followers, who became the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits). The Exercises are mostly contemplations of scenes in the gospels, where we are to use our imagination to place ourselves within the scene so as to meet Jesus intimately, allowing the gospel account to unfold as we watch, listen, feel and take part. Following the contemplation of the scene is a prayer dialogue with Jesus about whatever we experienced and learned. Woven throughout the program of gospel scenes which Ignatius chose are some specific meditations on sorrow for sin, choosing to follow Jesus, and then giving yourself wholeheartedly to Jesus. The Exercises can be don...
Things have improved a whole lot since I arrived at an empty building two weeks ago. My building, McGloin Hall is now full of people doing summer programs, and my group all live on the second and third floors. There's a chapel on the top floor. It's only a few hundred meters one way to the classrooms, and a few hundred meters the other way to the dining hall. I've got a 14 meals a week meal pass, so I have cereal at home for breakfast and then lunches and dinners in the dining hall. The food is pretty good. Each 'room' is a suite with two bedrooms, a shared bathroom and lounge. This is good for two people to share, but the freshmen (first years) who usually live here during college term have four to a suite, two to a room, which would be very cosy, to say the least. I think the beds can be double bunked, which I remember being fun when I was 11 years old and sleeping at a friend's house for one night. It might be less fun doing it as an adult for a whole ye...
Amazing!!! These cloud pics are definitely great for a homeschool weather topic😊
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