Road Trip Begins

Roadtrip Begins….. I am sorry for the delay in posting any blog items. I have been so relaxed in my travels that it just seemed like work! Anyway, I will fill you in on the last couple of weeks.


Villa at Bellarmine Hall, Cohasset, MA.

I spent ten wonderful days at our Villa in Cohasset, MA., just enjoying the wonderful weather and the fine breezes with my fellow Jesuits. I used the pool daily to do my pool aerobics routine and read a lot from my Kindle and the various books in my Sabbatical Reading List. Debbie, the cook, spoiled us with wonderful light and healthy meals and some lovely desserts, which are her specialty.

Road Trip: Do You Know The Way to San Fe?


St Mary by the Sea, Cape May, NJ

On July 25th I started my road trip to the Southwest. I made a brief visit to Fairfield to say goodbye to some people I missed when I left in May. My first destination was St. Mary’s By the Sea in Point Cape May, NJ. I was to spend two days with my friend Fr. Don MacMillan, SJ but because he had to MC the funeral for the former football coach of BC High, Jim Cotter, on Friday, he didn’t leave for Cape May till the next day and suffered a nine hour trek to reach the NJ shore. I celebrated Mass for the staff of St. Mary’s in his place. St. Mary’s is an old hotel, bult in the 1890’s, now run by the Sisters of St. Joseph from Philadelphia, PA. It is a vacation and retreat destination for the sisters. There were about 130 sisters there on retreat and on vacation. Even though Don delayed in arriving, we had a nice visit for about 4 hours. It was extremely hot, close to 100 degrees, but there was a nice breeze off the ocean which made it bearable. There was no air conditioning at the priest’s house there. Then I had to catch the Cape May- Lewes Ferry that evening for the next part of my journey.

The Wolfs – Rehoboth, DE.

I took the 8:00 pm ferry with its beautiful sunset, from Cape May to Lewes DE. It was nice and cool on the water and there was a full moon which illuminated the water so we could see the dolphins who were escorting us across the channel. That reminded me of my many boat rides in the Amazon region of Brazil and the friendly dolphins there. I arrived at my friend’s home in Rehoboth, DE. - Max and Ollie Wolf. Max is the Rector of All Saints Episcopal Church and St. George’s Parish. He invited me to preach on Sunday at St. George’s in their lovely colonial chapel. It is a spirited congregation and very welcoming. I preached on “Noisy Contemplation” in honor of a former Jesuit brother of mine, Bill Callahan, who died recently. He was a life-long advocate of women’s ordination and human rights for all men and women. He founded the Quixote Center and Priests for Equality. He also helped found the Center of Concern, in Washington, DC. Like Cervantes hero, he was always tilting at windmills. At the end of the day, we had a severe weather change, with thunderstorms and severe winds, and the temperature dropped about 30 degrees which made it much more comfortable for everyone.

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Boston celebrates the Fourth - Boston.com

Boston celebrates the Fourth - Boston.com

I don't usually do things at the last minute, but last night was an exception to the rule. Around 8:30 pm. I decided to jump into the car to try to test some new knowledge that I gained on the Duck Tour. I was pretty sure I could get over to East Cambridge and scoot across the bridge near the Science Museum (where the duck boats enter by the Charlesgate locks) and find some place to park so that I could then walk back across the bridge to watch the Fireworks and mingle with the crowds. What a hoot, it worked!

Despite hitting a little congestion in East Cambridge, I managed to drive right through to Bunker Hill Community College. Their parking lot is conveniently located on the other side of the bridge and dumps out onto a thoroughfare that then leads to 93 and on to the Mass Pike (which made for a quick getaway once the fireworks were finished). I grabbed my Country Oil folding chair and headed into the night crowds filled with great anticipation. For the next two hours I had a most enjoyable time mingling with a great mix of hispanic, brazilian, chinese, korean, russian (none of whom were spies on this night!) and good old american families. People had radios playing the Pops concert and children had their glow sticks and other treats. There was a nice light breeze near the waters of the Charles, which made the evening very comfortable.

It was very interesting to be in such a mix of people, just listening, watching and observing. Conversations overheard, snippets of lives passing by, gave me a tremendous sense of being one with an enormously diverse country. Oohs and Aughs rose and fell. It was so delightful when the whole crowd would clap for a particularly beautiful set of fireworks. On leaving after nearly a half hour of wonderful fireworks, one little boy next to me summed it up best: "Boy, this had been the best day of my whole life! Thank you God!" I think he must have been all of 5 years old.

The ride home to Chestnut Hill was quick and easy. I was in my bed at 11:20 pm! I hope I can take more of these last minute adventures during my sabbatical year.