Just as I come to the end of my time in Rome, I finally figure out how to get around the city! I actually successfully gave someone directions on the Metro! We have had brilliantly sunny days this past week – although it has been extraordinarily cold. With the sun in full force, I can only imagine what Spring must be like in this city. One of the side benefits of participating in this month-long conference has been the time in the middle of the day to explore Rome, read, think and discuss. In the day-to-day life of a school we have precious little time to do any of the above (especially the explore Rome part!). We’ve been fed a hefty diet of sophisticated concepts and spiritual theories, so the time to digest them has been essential to the whole experience. Walking the streets of Rome with history and Church-related buildings within arms reach has been, for me, a magnificent backdrop for consideration of concepts like “Shared Mission” and “Association.” More importantly, I’ve had the daily opportunity to stare in awe at magnificent churches and monuments and know that La Salle, Pasadena is connected to all of this (in some respects and thankfully, also separated by four time zones!) and is a part of the “Great Commission” noted in the last chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
Not surprisingly, I have mixed reactions about my departure tomorrow. On the one hand, I am really looking forward to getting back into the “trenches” at La Salle (my employees may not all greet that with enthusiasm). On the other hand, this has been an amazing experience on so many levels that it will take me some time to fully process it all. I can say that the month here has made me even more convinced of the power and the promise of Lasallian education. It has also established, for me, a recognition that the world we occupy at La Salle, Pasadena cannot be divorced from the larger, Lasallian world that exists in 83 different countries. Moreover, I now understand – in ways that were only intellectual prior to my participation in this experience – that the gift of Lasallian education gets articulated in a vast number of highly differentiated ways – many of which don’t even look like the traditional school we have come to know and appreciate in Pasadena. Most importantly, it has been a privilege for me to encounter Lasallians – Brothers and laypeople – from around the world who give me renewed hope that what we do in Pasadena matters.
Tomorrow will be my last blog (boo hoo) - tune in for Richard Gray's Top 10 Lessons Learned in Rome (with apologies to Dave Letterman).
* The 70 of us with the CIL staff on the front steps of the Motherhouse. Even with my glasses, I can't find me (and I know where I was standing!)
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Boo Hoo and Woo Hoo...
Just as I come to the end of my time in Rome, I finally figure out how to get around the city! I actually successfully gave someone directions on the Metro! We have had brilliantly sunny days this past week – although it has been extraordinarily cold. With the sun in full force, I can only imagine what Spring must be like in this city. One of the side benefits of participating in this month-long conference has been the time in the middle of the day to explore Rome, read, think and discuss. In the day-to-day life of a school we have precious little time to do any of the above (especially the explore Rome part!). We’ve been fed a hefty diet of sophisticated concepts and spiritual theories, so the time to digest them has been essential to the whole experience. Walking the streets of Rome with history and Church-related buildings within arms reach has been, for me, a magnificent backdrop for consideration of concepts like “Shared Mission” and “Association.” More importantly, I’ve had the daily opportunity to stare in awe at magnificent churches and monuments and know that La Salle, Pasadena is connected to all of this (in some respects and thankfully, also separated by four time zones!) and is a part of the “Great Commission” noted in the last chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
Not surprisingly, I have mixed reactions about my departure tomorrow. On the one hand, I am really looking forward to getting back into the “trenches” at La Salle (my employees may not all greet that with enthusiasm). On the other hand, this has been an amazing experience on so many levels that it will take me some time to fully process it all. I can say that the month here has made me even more convinced of the power and the promise of Lasallian education. It has also established, for me, a recognition that the world we occupy at La Salle, Pasadena cannot be divorced from the larger, Lasallian world that exists in 83 different countries. Moreover, I now understand – in ways that were only intellectual prior to my participation in this experience – that the gift of Lasallian education gets articulated in a vast number of highly differentiated ways – many of which don’t even look like the traditional school we have come to know and appreciate in Pasadena. Most importantly, it has been a privilege for me to encounter Lasallians – Brothers and laypeople – from around the world who give me renewed hope that what we do in Pasadena matters.
Tomorrow will be my last blog (boo hoo) - tune in for Richard Gray's Top 10 Lessons Learned in Rome (with apologies to Dave Letterman).
* The 70 of us with the CIL staff on the front steps of the Motherhouse. Even with my glasses, I can't find me (and I know where I was standing!)
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