August 2, 2010

Moving In

I arrived at the new friary yesterday afternoon. There are three other friars here right now. What a blessing to have supper and Evening Prayer with them! Perhaps we take it for granted, but one of the deepest supports of life in the Order is being able to go almost anywhere and find brothers who pray and share a meal.

Starting to set up my room and unpack all the boxes is a little overwhelming. Going from a large room and an office to just a smaller room, I've been downsized to about a third of the physical space I inhabited in my last assignment. A lot of books will stay in boxes, and a lot of pictures won't make it onto the wall.

I have an eastern exposure, for which I am grateful. Enjoying it this morning as I prayed the Office of Readings for the feast of the Portiuncula, I realized that my first moving task this morning would be to wash the windows. After that, I'll think about books.

11 comments:

fjm said...

Always exciting to begin again, even with the familiarity of community, church, it is all new. Again. God bless you and best wishes on your new endeavor!

Tina aka Snupnjake said...

I'm glad you made it safe and sound to your new digs. :)

ben in denver said...

On the Feast of the Portiuncula,

If you would, please offer a prayer of thanksgiving today for the unexpected recovery of Fr. Regis Scanlon, OFM Cap, of Denver. He has been suffering with a severe illness for some time and took a turn for the worse over the weekend and was sent to the ICU on Saturday. We had an announcement at mass yesterday that he was not expected to live through the day; and then, God be Praised, an email this morning that he had made an unexpected recovery, and would likely be sent home from the hospital soon.

Brother Charles said...

Thanks friends. Will do, Ben.

Greg said...

Brings back memories of when I moved into the seminary. Many years ago. Prior to my conversion. Chicago Theological Seminary, at the University of Chicago.

I did not last. I found a strange lack of spirituality. And a heavy dose of pop psychology. At night I worked at Mercy Hospital. Life and death issues there were much more influential and educational...

Anyway, praying for your continued blessed journey in Christ.

for narnia said...

hi Fr. C! glad to hear you are settling in nicely and that you're enjoying the simple things in life that matter with your fellow brothers. that's great that you have the eastern exposure! try to take some photos of your new place and post them on your blog. i'm sure we would all enjoy seeing your new surroundings.
please say hi to Fr. Jack for me! :)
~PAX~PEACE~EIPHNH~
~tara t~

Anonymous said...

Does the song, November Rain, from Guns and Roses mean anything to you? Even though we've never met, I have been following your blog for some time. So imagine my surprise when I had a dream about you the other night. The dream took place in a chapel nestled within a university. You were playing November Rain on the organ, and I thought it odd that such a song should be played in a house of worship. Though I must admit, the organ and the acoustics (at least in my dream) sounded wonderful.

Brother Charles said...

Wow, anonymous. I remember being amazed by Appetite for Destruction when it came out (I was 15)but I never followed them much after that.

If I could play the organ, though, it would be my honor to play at a university chapel.

GirlCanChant said...

I know what you mean about the packing boxes. I am back from my mission trip and in my new apartment. I went from a 1br with lots of space to living in community with 23 other people for a week to a small studio apartment with boxes and luggage for company. Hopefully I'm not talking to myself too much.

I have been praying for you in your new assignment. :-)

Brother Charles said...

Thank you, GCC.

Jeanne said...

Moving is always a bit disconcerting. It takes me a long time before the new space feels like home. May you feel like you're "at home" very soon! Good luck and enjoy -