A Fruitful Summer

It’s Saturday! Yesterday was FRI-DAY! I am sitting at a café named Fennario’s in West Chester, PA, it’s unique with a good iced coffee! I have been in Philadelphia since Wednesday afternoon. Tess from the TOB institute picked me up and I got a quick tour around and then made it to the office in time to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet with the ladies! It was a good start, in my opinion. I am staying with a friend of the institute for the remainder of the month; her name is Tricia and the other intern, Katie. She has a small kitty and her name is Lady. It’s nice to be with someone who is from this area and can point us in the right direction. Katie and I have hit it off and she is a graduate of Catholic University of America in D.C. It’s motivating and inspiring to be around good, orthodox Catholics who share in the passion! Tricia has really shared some great stories with us; she is a strong woman of faith, a lawyer, and a great Sunday school teacher! Her personality is contagious and I love when she tells stories (she is animated!). We are going to a trip up to the city and specifically from where she grew up and her home parish is the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestachowa!
Smokes!

To set the scene: the office at the TOB institute consists of 5 ladies and then us, the two interns. It is just enough space to get the job done! These ladies organize the courses and work with Ascension Press for publications and bookings. Then, the speakers and teachers are Christopher West, Damon Owens, and Bill Donaghy along with a board of directors and other helpers. Charles and his wife Susan have helped since 2007 since they heard Christopher give a seminar! He helped us moved everything from storage to the classroom! One amazing man with a true understanding of marriage because he said after 43 years they are still on their honeymoon! He said, “Marriage is my vocation and every day I have to work on it just like every day a priest works on his life in the church.” He had some great stories about his 5 children on earth (1 in Heaven J) and his 10 grandchildren with 1 on the way! The biggest thing about being in a new place is connecting with new people and letting each person make an impact on your life. Especially the amazing people involved with the Institute, they all are doing such good work for the Kingdom! To see the course from the bottom – up come together has been enjoyable—meeting the ladies here and getting to know them—praying for the students coming from all across the world (Mexico, China, and all over the USA) Mrs. Kim Sellers from Jackson, MO will be joining for the TOB1 course- Pray for her!

(I will post pictures of the office and retreat center soon)

Besides the office, the courses take place at Black Rock Retreat Center which is in Quarryville, PA (very close to C.W.’s house ;). Its very serene and I will be there all next week (Sun-Fri). The retreat center is where all the TOB courses are held: TOB Immersion 1 and 2 along with the Catholic Sexual Ethics course will be this summer and I will get to attend all three of them!!!!!!!! Oh my lanta!!!! And I promise to take notes ;) It is a summer of growth and learning, to say the least, with site seeing and fellowship along the way! As my friends in Cape study Love & Responsibility, I hope to read that book along the way too!

For lunch, we went to Sam’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant; I had a personal pizza bigger than the size of my face!!! It was a Margarita Pizza and I had the same type of pizza in Venice, Italy, and this was just as good. I recommend Sam’s for pizza anyways! They had cannolis too! (for any italians out there :)  Check them out >>> http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sams-NY-Style-Pizza-Italian-Restaurant/119939481402387?sk=wall#!/profile.php?id=33809421

Sam's & Black Rock is in Quarryville, PA is about 45 minutes from Exton, PA, which is about 40 minutes from Philadelphia! We are very close to the Delaware border and about 2 hours from the beach and about 2 ½ to New York and about 5 hours from Boston, MA! I am trying to make the most of my time here, so planning small trips for the weekends! And we started today, we ventured off to Valley Forge! It is the encampment site during the time of the American Revolution where General Washington & his troops were for about 6 months. We took a guided trolley tour.

The awesome trolley! :)

Mr. and Mrs. Washington (Katie) -- happy ever after!

 Our tour guide was Breanna – she was absolutely amazing, full of joy and very informative! Can you believe a tour on this revolutionary site was awesome?! I hardly blinked. Well it was! The original railing which General Washington and his wife used at that time was still in the re-built house which resembled the original.  

But to begin my first Saturday experience in PA – we went to mass at St. Philip and James at 8:30am and afterwards they pray a novena and then have veneration of a Relic of St. Padre Pio! They have veneration of this relic every Saturday. They pray for the sick especially those with cancer. It was awesome! The Shrine of Padre Pio is about 45 minutes away in New Jersey. Check out this link—they have a Padre Pio Prayer Group too, which meets every Wednesday night at 7pm at the outside Shrine. I will be visiting asap! http://www.padrepioshrine.org/index.htm I also was surprised to see and hear so much about Padre Pio – I saw his body when we were in San Giovanni Rotondo in Italy in 2009 and its awesome to see others’ devotion to him and the miracles of his intercession.

Yesterday, I received a wonderful care package from the soon to be Saint Kristen Rainey – patroness of everything rude & taking Drogo-like pictures & falling in the ocean- it was an amazing surprise—since she creeped to find my address! But the lovely kind box consisted of

Mike & Ikes -- my favorite & Ranch Salad dressing -- inside joke. & Guafre (Waffle) Mix -- self-explanatory (for most of you). & A beautiful crucifix. & the book: Preparation for Total Consecration according to Saint Louis Marie de Montfort (any fans?).

Thank you very much for your prayers and support! I wouldn’t be in Philly if it wasn’t for K-Dawg, she printed off the application for me ;)

Fun fact: No supermarkets or gas stations in the State of Pennsylvania sell alcohol, not even Wal-Mart. So for beer or wine (in moderation ;) one must go to a brewery, wine & spirits, or a liquor store!  There are several BYOB restaurants in West Chester. ha!

Overall, first three days- fabulous! I still can’t believe I am here. I feel like in the right place and I am surrounded by outlets which will only help my spiritual life.

See you in the Eucharist! I will have a big TOB blog after the course ends on Friday. Please pray for the TOB course and those in attendance, along with Bill, the instructor!

Pax!