2nd letter of February 2006

Sunday, February 12, 2006
2nd letter of February 2006

2) 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 12, 2006

Monday, February 06, 2006.
This week we start our Spring Semester at CTU. I attended the morning classes: Ethic (Natural Law) by Fornasari (20 students) and from 10 to 11.15 a.m. Beguines and Medieval Women Mystics (10 students) by Paul Lachance, OFM at synagogue place. In the evening I had class of Foundation of Biblical Spirituality by Barbara Bowe, RSCJ. There were 61 students at this class.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006.
At 8.30 a.m. I headed for downtown at Randolph Street to have driver’s license test (written exam). There are 35 questions (multiple choices). I paid $ 20 and passed the exam (5 mistakes). I bought something for my oldest niece, Karina (10 years old) in Ponorogo, Indonesia. In the afternoon I cooked for my community: garlic bread and chicken soup. In the evening at my room I was reading Beguines and Women Mystics.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006
I attended the class at synagogue place both Natural Law and Beguines. In the Natural Law class, Ignatius is my classmate. After the supper, we (Ignatius, Dharmawan, Harno and I) went to Astrid-Darwin’s house to celebrate the birthday of Mira (27). We picked up Edi and Lisa while the was snowing.

Thursday, February 09, 2006.
In the morning I attended the class of Integrating Core (Spirituality, Liturgy and Contemplation) by Friar Gilberto, OFM. There were about 24 students. At our house in Hyde Park, there was provincial meeting (Fathers Ivan, Alfredo, Pascal, Adolph, and Aniello). In the afternoon I was cooking for the community: Tom Yum Soup and Lasagna. In the afternoon the provincial invited me to meet the U.S. provincial council. They accepted my application to the perpetual vows and deaconate ordination and proceed it to the General Direction in Rome which will have meeting on February 16 to March 8 in Rome. During those days, they are going to inform officially my application to perpetual vows and deaconate ordination. I just wait for it from my rector. I am very happy to know this good news and look forward the official answer of it from Rome. At 7.30 p.m. we had community meeting.

Friday, February 10, 2006.
All of us went to Frankfort, Illinois to have monthly retreat preached by Father Michael Davitti, SX. It was concluded by Mass in the afternoon and we went back to Hyde Park. We had supper with the menu of Lebanese food and at 8 p.m. Father Mosele and 5 college students came to visit our community. They are Drake, Terry, Steve, John Tomas/JT, and Craig). At night my friend from New York City called me up saying that he and three other friends would come to Chicago to attend my deaconate ordination, on May 14th.

Saturday, February 11, 2006.
In the morning Mass there were four college students taking part with us and continued with the breakfast together (pancake, scramble egg cooked by Alejandro and Father Victor Mosele). They headed for Saint Therese Chintown to know more about the Xaverians. I was cleaning the kitchen and did laundry. In the afternoon at 4.30 p.m. Khoan, a Vietnamese Redemptorist student came to pick me up and we went to Lunar New year celebration at Holy Spiritan church at Southside Chicago. There were about 50 people coming to this event. It started with evening prayer led by Deacon Joseph Nguyen, the Spiritan, my classmate at CTU. I was chatting with Sister Mary Chandler, rscj and two CTU students, Sister Lorraine, a Dominican and Caroline, a lay woman. At 8 p.m. I went home at Hyde Park and Khoan gave me a ride. At nigth I was preparing the confirmation class for tomorrow.

Sunday, February 12, 2006.
Together with Valery, I went to Saint Therese at 8 a.m. by CTA. I served by giving communion at the 9.30 Mass and continued by teaching the confirmation program. The 6 confirmandi came and I taught them about the Church whose 4 characteristics (one, holy, catholic and apostolic). I asked them to take one Chinese martyr that was displayed at the basement of the church and each of them told the story of the Chinese martyrs. At the second part of the class I was taking picture of them for the confirmation day. They wore the altar servers gown and symbol of the confirmation (a red rosary and a sort of red stole with dove picture). I would use their picture for the bulettin Mass on their confirmation day, on May 28th and I would give them a frame with their picture as a memory of their confirmation day. There was Indonesian Mass at Saint Therese Church attended by 37 people and presided by Father Rudi, osc. I was eating lunch with them and at 1.30 p.m. I went home with Cesare, sj and Valery. At 2 p.m. to 3.15 p.m. Valery gave me a favor to drive a car. He helped me how to drive a car and I was delighted to practice it after I got the permit last Tuesday. I practiced it on the Lakeshore and drove it (the white car) to our garage. I am preparing myself to know how to drive for my service as a deacon in the U.S. In the afternoon I was typing this journal and storing the pictures I have taken so far in my laptop.