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| Departing |
They flew in on Friday, visited the seminary, and swam in the hotel pool.
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| On the airplane |
On Saturday morning, they learned that arriving a full hour before the ordination Mass was not nearly enough time, as there were about 2,000 people in attendance at a cathedral Chris thinks was intended to seat about 1,000. Still, they found a way to squeeze in for the four-hour Mass!
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| All dressed up for the ordination |
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| Archbishop Sample of Oregon |
After the ordination, they attended a reception for the ten new priests at the FSSP seminary, followed by a private party to honor Fr. Cunningham. The boys got to meet my beloved Fr. Berg who was my private catechist when I became a Catholic while attending his parish in Sacramento, California.
On Sunday, Chris and John drove two-and-a-half hours to St. Joseph, Missouri, for Fr. Cunningham's First Mass, which is a very special event for a Catholic to attend.
Then they drove to the traditional monastery of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles in Gower, Missouri. These Benedictines are not cloistered, and their charism is work and pray. These beautiful, young nuns pray and work on the farm, as well as perform music for some successful CDs, sew priest's vestments, and draw cards and stationery.
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| A beautiful nun and her fiddle |
The experience of traditional parish life was so beautiful and so wholesome, it made Chris' heart soar. All ages and generations socialized together. Traditional priests, brothers, and nuns grabbed their instruments and spontaneously played bluegrass music together. What joy! John picked up one or two pen pals while on his trip.
On Memorial Day Monday, Chris and John visited my grandparents in Lincoln. It was heartwarming that they got to see each other after so many years, and that Grandpa John--an avid fisherman of the Canadian wilds for probably fifty years--gave all his fishing equipment to his grandson, who has just begun fishing the past year.
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| Grandpa John and grandson John |
The trip was wonderful and beneficial on so many levels: we are really glad we could make it happen!
What an opportunity for John and Chris. You two really do well in showing the children the joys of sacramental life. I won't be surprised to see more than one vocation coming out of the Lauer household.
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