Bryan Sherwood

Fr. Damien, a Missionary Priest

Today Fr. Damien will be recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.  His story has captured my imagination.  This was a man I knew nothing of nor did I know about those he served with Hansen's disease (leprosy).

Fr. Damien's story is very interesting.  He was a missionary priest with the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.  It seems that  King Kamehameha V decided to quarantine those suffering from leprosy into a settlement colony called Kalaupapa located on the north side of Molokai.  In many ways, these people had been abandoned and were not able to care for themselves due to a lack of supplies from the government and the fact many of them were too sick to farm, build houses, or take care of themselves.

The apostolic vicariate, Monsignor Louis Maigret, decided to send a priest to Kalaupapa to minister to those living there.  Of course, this assignment was basically a death sentence.  Through a turn of events, Fr. Damien accepted the assignment to go to this island and minister to its 816 lepers.  Fr. Damien arrived in May 1873 and began his ministry there.  Under Fr. Damien's leadership, houses were built, a church was constructed, and a system of laws was implemented.  He cared for the sick, bandaged their wounds, taught them the Christian faith and lived among them.  When many began to die, Fr. Damien built coffins and dug graves.  He said it well In a letter written to his brother:  "I make myself a leper with the lepers to gain all to Jesus Christ."  Fr. Damien eventually contracted leprosy and died of the disease on April 15, 1889 at the age of 49.

I can't think of this man without thinking of his tremendous courage, faith, and love for his brothers and sisters.  He truly knew what it means to "love one another."

Pax.

100 of My Favorite Pics from the Abbey of Gethsemani

I've been visiting the Abbey of Gethsemani since 2005.  I've also been taking photos since my very first visit.  I have hundreds of photos of one of my favorite places on earth but these are my favorites. I hope somehow I've captured some of the spirit of this place.

Grab a cup of coffee, click on the slideshow link and use this as a lectio. 

Enjoy.

100 Favorite Pics of the Abbey of Gethsemani Slideshow

100 Favorite Pics of the Abbey of Gethsemani (Without slideshow)

Lay Cistercians Fall Retreat

I'm fortunate enough to be a part of the Lay Cistercians of Gethsemani.  What I've learned from my association with this group of like-minded believers has been forming for me and continues to be.  I'm thankful for Gethsemani and her witness in the world. 

Of course, I managed to snap a few photos.  I've always found photography to be a contemplative experience for me.  It's these quiet, prayerful moments I try to capture and  hopefully, make a prayer.

Enjoy.  More to come later.

It's Over!

What a relief – the summer term of grad school is finally finished. I don’t mind telling you it’s been the l-o-n-g-e-s-t term of my grad school experience so far. The good news is I actually get a short break and don’t have classes resume until Sept. 21.

What’s this mean? It means I’ll have more time to enjoy with my family and friends. It means I can read books that I WANT to read. It means I won’t have to spend my lunch break doing homework. And it means I’ll get a lot more sleep between now and Sept. 21. All of those are very good things!

You may even notice more frequent blogging here. It’s unfortunate but blogging must take a backseat to most everything else. Hopefully, you’ll keep coming back though since I do try to keep my blog updated as much as I’m able.

I am looking forward to finishing a book I’ve been trying to read for weeks: Thomas Merton’s The Monastic Journey. Although I’m not even half way through, I’ve found it to be a helpful book as Merton writes about the monastic life. Like most of us, he can write about what he knows about and he has lived and knows the life of a monk with its challenges and blessings. Here’s a quote from my lunch hour reading today:

It is in the Mass and the liturgy that we are most truly and perfectly monks, because it is there that we most fully live our life in Christ, finding Him whom we have come to seek, submitting in and with Him to the Father’s will. (p. 28)

Chew on that for a while.

Okay, I better get busy; work beckons. Peace to you.

A Few Thoughts on Church - Part 2

I left off with a statement about how our time in a house church was a pivotal time for me and Heather.  Why was that?  Here are a few thoughts that come to mind.

The Divine Office

I was just beginning to learn about the divine office and liturgical prayer.  Being part of Vine & Branches solidified this practice in our lives.  Although I enjoy praying the office in a large group setting, there's something about a small band of people praying the Psalms together.  Even apart, they bind us together. 

Community

Community is a word that's been thrown around quite a bit.  I learned much of what this means at VBCC.  One of the ways I would describe community is just "regular."  Living every day life with others.  That might be as simple as sharing a meal together, playing games, or watching TV.  There wasn't some big organized program to build community.  No workbooks.  No simulcast.

In the last few years "community" has brought a lot of difficulty too.  It's NOT easy to make room for others and live in a way where you are accountable to a small group of people.  In the end, it's been the most difficult thing I've ever participated in but also the most life-changing and rewarding thing.

At Saint Patrick's, we see this lived out in priories - small groups of people covenanted together.  Our second year in a priory is almost over and I have hope that these priories will continue to be a way in which we can learn to live like Kingdom people.

Life in the kingdom isn't to be lived alone.  This kind of interaction is important for us to understand things like forgiveness, grace, humility and honesty.

Liturgy

As a guy who grew up in the Southern Baptist and Christian Church traditions, I knew nothing about liturgy.  I had always written it off as something "rote" and repetitive and of no real value.  Boy, was I ever wrong.  I found out fairly quickly that repetition can be good.  It's forming.  As I pray the prayers over and over or say the Creed over and over, it begins to sink in.  It begins to inform my own theology and view of God.  It's a bit like having that favorite hymn that you know the words to.  It becomes a part of you.

It's my opinion that these are important practices for Christians to engage in.  Notice, they aren't short in duration.  These are practices that are meant for the long haul.  They form us and change us over time.

Part 3 will be all about why Heather and I have ended up in Anglicanism.  More to come.

Monastic Life at St. Meinrad

A look inside the life of a monk at St. Meinrad Archabbey.  (And even with music!)

Good Friday - Prayers at Work

It's Good Friday.  I had to work today but certainly enjoyed taking time at lunch to pray the divine office with my co-workers.  What started as a Lenten discipline appears it may continue beyond Lent.  Gathered around the conference room table where we meet one can find Roman Catholics and Anglicans along with other expressions of Protestantism, depending on the week.  Not only is engaging in prayer helpful but sharing in the divine office with Roman Catholics and other faith traditions has been a blessing for me.  Some who participate have never prayed the divine office before.  Others have heard of this discipline but have never regularly practiced it.  I'm also pretty happy to be Anglican because my tradition seems to serve as a good "middle way" in drawing both Roman Catholics and Protestants together.

I've felt for a long time that this kind of "work" is my calling - to help engage other people in practices that are transforming for them for the long haul.  So, it's pretty exciting for me to see people gather in a conference room to pray the office.  If only I could use my candles and icons!

The Pope On YouTube

Yes, that's right.  You can subscribe to the Vatican's Channel on YouTube.  It will be updated daily.  Check it out!