¹û¶³´«Ã½

Some Highlights

I loved greeting the students on the first day, meeting the quieter ones with their hesitant handshake, and seeing them a few days later laughing amidst a group of friends.

I loved sharing the beauty of the Mass with them, and the familiar Latin takes on a whole new significance by seeing it through their new eyes.

I loved talking with them at lunch and dinner after classes, conversing about the day’s reading, smiling at their eagerness to defend a point, gratified by their active desire to ask good questions and attempt good answers.

I loved playing volleyball and Frisbee with them, running around and reveling in the joy of a healthy body and fun camaraderie in the California sun.

I loved the quiet evening Rosary, joining my voice with theirs in offering our intentions to Jesus through Mary.

I even loved dressing in the ¹û¶³´«Ã½â€™s dress code again; seeing the young girls in the formal beauty of skirts and dresses gives me a sense of the young women they will become — beautiful, educated, moral centers of future lives.

I loved rereading the works I encountered as a student myself, and am still amazed by how much the ¹û¶³´«Ã½ has influenced my thinking even in the years past graduation.

I loved playing games with the students in the coffee shop in the evenings, laughing and talking as if we’ve known each other for two years instead of two weeks.

I especially loved the one-on-one conversations with students, on the lawn, in the residence halls, outside the Chapel; it never fails to amaze me how earnest and eager those young minds are to engage in seeking the truth. I loved it when they brought me their questions about the ¹û¶³´«Ã½, offering me the chance to share my continual admiration and gratitude for the education I received here.

I loved forming friendships with both the students and prefects, gratified and honored when they asked me to keep them in my prayers at the end of the program.

I loved spending time with the other prefects, especially the ones who were students working with me on past summer programs, and even though I have never been in school with any of them, I found a kindred spirit in each one of them; they brought so much fun and laughter to my two weeks here.

I especially loved working with our Admissions Director, Mr. Jon Daly, whose selfless kindness and joy energize all around him, and whose deep appreciation for the good the ¹û¶³´«Ã½ does permeates all he says and does.

To be continued tomorrow!