Thursday, August 09, 2007

Weary

It has been non-stop for me since June of 2006 and the word "weary" sort of says it - or maybe burnout… Got back Monday night from Minneapolis - St Paul, and the whole trip back I just listened to music or chatted and did not even try to read - and then we just had meetings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Just got out of the last meeting 15 minutes ago… but happily we covered everything and there is no need to meet tomorrow - nothing until August 23rd…

So that sounds like an invitation to do sweet nothing for a few days and just allow myself to regroup. I am cheering and jumping for joy!

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Meetings, meetings and more meetings

Summer has not finished (and I have been so busy that it seems like it has not started) but we are already having meetings for the new academic year. Our team met this morning at 9.00 and stayed hard at it until past noon.

Perhaps I have not blogged it, but there is a great novelty at Don Bosco Hall (DBH) and the Institute of Salesian Spirituality (ISS) at Berkeley: a new director and new team for Hall and Institute!

Gael Sullivan is director; Marc Rougeau takes finances and plant manager; John Roche is on the teaching team. The great thing is that all three of them are enthusiastic about joining the community at Berkeley. This is certainly encouraging to Mary Greenan, John Rasor, Arthur Lenti and me, who remain from the old and ancient DBH team.

This is not to say that we do not face some real issues of viability for the ISS, for theology in Berkeley for Salesians, and for the work of ongoing formation for the province. The challenges are tremendous.There will be very few doing the ISS this year, and Thien Nguyen will be our only theology student after Tho Bui leaves following his ordination on 29 December.

New approaches need to be developed for DBH. Gael, Marc and John have good ideas and much enthusiasm, so it is a hope-filled time for those at 1831 Arch Street.