No internet

Spent the weekend washing linens, cleaning rooms, making beds. This morning I finished the last three beds before going over to DSPT to meet with MA student Elissa McCormack, who is completing her thesis in these days. We met for 90 minutes. Her theme is religious controversy in 17th Century France (theories of grace, Jansenism and Gallicanism). She is doing a tremendous job really.

Well, the internet has been down since Saturday mid-day at Don Bosco Hall, so I am making this entry from DSPT where I can connect with my laptop.

After the extreme heat of the last two weeks, today was cold and foggy. I do not exaggerate. The mercury stayed at 15° (F) below normal for this time of year. It was refreshing actually. As I spent most of the day at DSPT, it was a refreshing climate in which to work.

Talking with Pete MacLeod, vice-president at DSPT, it seems that our increase in ISS students has been a real boon for the school. Pete told me that recruitment of students is not going as well as hoped for, and that our student population has declined except that the ISS has more students that has been typical in the last five years. So, our little collection of 10 Salesian students is keeping the school population to the critical point. This is good news for the ISS and for the DSPT.

In all fairness, Gael Sullivan has been working hard to make the Salesian provinces aware of the ISS and our programs ever since he became director of Don Bosco Hall last summer. The fact that Gael is fluent in Spanish and English has meant he has been able to reach out to the provinces of our region and make us better represented. Further to this, the publication of the first volumes of Arthur Lenti's study on Don Bosco has gained attention for the work of our Institute. In fact, today I heard from Juan José Bartolomé, my good friend from Madrid (and secretary to the rector major), that steps are being taken in Madrid to translate Arthur's opus. Juan José hopes to have finalized this effort by month's end.

The challenge that we face in the coming months is to build on this, both at the ISS and at the DSPT. But right now there is a new waft of foggy air coming across the San Francisco Bay into our neighborhood, so I had best close this internet connection and go home.

[Photos: Elissa McCormack (above); DSPT (below)]