4th letter of January 2006

Sunday, January 22, 2006
4th letter of January 2006

4) Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 22, 2006

Monday, January 16, 2006.
With Dharmawan I was staying at Saint Therese rectory Chinatown. Starting from today to Saturday, I presided the communion service at this mission church while Fathers Michael and Aniello are in Franklin attending the Xaverian assembly. At 7.15 a.m. I opened the door of the church then I was waiting for some people coming. Everyday 6 elderley women plus one old man, Frank come to attend the 7.45 a.m. prayer. Since today is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Day, the national day off, so I have time to study, no school. At night Dharmawan and Edi were cooking fried rice at the rectory.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006.
Morning as usual at the church. Dharmawan gave me a ride to CTU in the morning since I have class at 9 a.m., the Capstone course. This time, Robert Schreiter was teaching about Culture. From 1 to 3.45 p.m. I had class of Religious Life in Context. There were 7 presentations of the students. While I was doing my homework again Dharmawan and Edi plus Michael were cooking friend rice for our supper.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006.
Morning prayer as usual with the congregation of Saint Therese Church. Dharmawan took me to CTU because at 9 a.m. I had meeting with the director of M.Div program, Sister Barbara Bowe, rscj. After she checked all of my courses, she declared that I can graduate of M.Div track II on May 18 this year. This Spring semester 2006 I have two more courses for my M.Div program. Finally, I can finish my M.Div program for three years as I have been planning in the beginning of my study at CTU. Today at the class of Religious Life in Context there were some presentations again from the students. After coming back to Saint Therese, in the evening Dharmawan helped by Lisa and Edi prepared our supper, again friend rice from the leftover rice last Sunday. At night I read some readings of Religious Life in context course.

Thursday, January 19, 2006.
As usual this morning I led the prayer and Dharmawan read the first reading in the church. With Dharmawan I went to Saint Therese School to meet the teacher of 2nd grader and she liked to postpone the meeting of the 2nd graders with Father Michael and reschedule again because Father Michael is in Franklin. In the morning Dharmawan and I went to Hyde Park and I did my paper. In the class of Religious Life in Context there were two guests, namely, two brothers from CSC (Holy Cross) and Christian Brothers (FSC). They shared their experience and spirituality of brotherhood in their congregations. They are Brother Paul, csc and Kevin, fsc. With Dharmawan I went back to Saint Therese in the evening. Again in the evening Dharmawan, Edi and Michale were preparing food, fried rice for our supper. I was busy reading and typing my paper.

Friday, January 20, 2006.
This morning there were some Caucasian youth coming to join our communion service at Saint Therese Church. Most of them received communion by mouth, not through their hands. That’s what make me wondered. IN the morning Dharmawan took me to CTU because I have class at 9 a.m., the Capstone and at 1 to 3.45 p.m. the class of Religious Life in Context. I was presenting my power point presentation about Religious Life in Indonesia. After we went to Hyde Park, Dharmawan and I went to Saint Therese. It was raining and at night there’s snowing. Dharmawan cooked with Edi for our supper then Dharmawan went to Indonesian prayer group at Rina-Budi’s house. I got e-mail from Andi Nalu, the Xaverian student in the philosophy house in Jakarta, saying that my book he asked to send is already received yesterday. It takes two weeks since I sent it through post office. I’m glad that he finally got it for his ‘skripsi’, final project for his degree. Dharmawan and Harno came to Saint Therese at night.

Saturday, January 21, 2006.
As usual in the morning I was presiding the communion service. At 10 p.m. we (Dharmawan, Harno and I) went back to Hyde Park. At noon, Dharmawan, Alejandro, Pascal and I headed to Franklin, Wisconsin to attend the Xaverian assembly. We visited Chris Grohold first then we went to our house in Franklin. At 5 p.m. we celebrated Mass followed by supper together and singing. At 9 p.m. we went back to Chicago.

Sunday, January 22, 2006.
In the morning together with Valery I went to Chinatown. The Mass at 9.30 a.m. presided by Father Michael helped by Deacon Paul, svd and myself. The organist is new one, Rita Padawangi, the Indonesian girl who studies Ph.D at Loyola University. At 10.45 a.m. to noon I was teaching the Confirmation program. The 6 of them came to this class while Cesare, s.j. was not coming due to his retreat. I taught them about Jesus but in simple way, using the weekly magazine for them and filling out a questionaire about Jesus according to Gospel of Mark 1-2. At the end of the class I gave them rope game. It seems that they were very happy, laughing and spontaneously responsed my question. After they tried this rope game, they couldn’t figure it out and I gave it as their homework for next week. If they still don’t know, I am going to tell them how to solve this game.
In the lunch there were Mandarin people and Chinese food and I joined them. I met one Indonesian lady who gathered to this Mandarin group. She is Theresia living in downtown Chicago. An SVD brother, Andrew, my classmate at Religious Life in Context introduced me to this lady. I heard from some people that she married with a former Jesuit priest, a White American, a tall guy. She invited us to come to her house this coming Saturday to have dinner for Chinese New Year’s celebration. I was chatting with two Maryknool sisters, namely, Elisabeth from mainland China and Sarah from Myanmar.
Before the meditation at 3 p.m. I was asked by George to help carrying sofa and other things from Paul’s house, not far from the church. Then, I knew that Paul is the father of Brittany (5th grader at St. Therese School) and Tiffany (a girl who was in my confirmation group two years ago). His wife is Cindy. At 3 to 4 p.m. we (Father Michael, Valery, Edi and I) had meditaion, silent prayer before the tabernacle. At 4.30 p.m. by Father Michael’s car, Edi dropped us (Valery and I) at Hyde Park. I was cooking: Pizza, Lasagna. At 7 p.m. we had evening prayer and then supper. Afterward, I was typing this weekly journal. Today the weather outside is not that cold.