Day 3: The Badlands and Jewel Cave

The next morning Josh and I headed out together into the Badlands of South Dakota. This was the topography I had first imagined when thinking of South Dakota: rugged, stark and beautiful landscape against expansive skies.

Josh and I drove into the Pine River Reservation and stopped to see one of the Jesuit Chapels there. Then we continued on to the White River Visitor Center which was small but very informative about the Oglala Sioux who live in the area.

Throughout my trip it was great to be with Josh in his 'natural habitat' and our excursion to the Badlands was a wonderful adventure

On our way out of the Badlands and back to the Black Hills we stopped for lunch in Wall, South Dakota and went to the famed Wall Drug.

Josh and I were both interested to learn that the origins of Wall Drug involve the Catholic Church. The founder was a faithful Catholic who moved to Wall because of his desire to attend daily Mass - and Wall, while quite remote, had a resident priest.

After getting back to Hill City, the whole gang drove east to Jewel Caves, the second largest system of caves in the world.

I hadn't been on a tour like this since I was a kid and we would visit Howe's Caverns in New York. It definitely brought back great memories for me . . . and I hope Oscar will be able to think back fondly on this trip when he's reached a ripe old age!

Day 2: The Monuments and Deadwood

My second full day in South Dakota was spent touring the world renowned monuments of the Black Hills. We began at the older and better known, but smaller, Mount Rushmore.

I was very impressed with the entire presentation, including the plaza that leads to the amphitheater and viewing areas, and the visitor's center. The monument itself was even more striking than I had imagined and I was glad to return later in the week to see the lighting ceremony that takes place after dusk.

At lunchtime we drove to the newer, larger and yet unfinished Crazy Horse Monument where Josh's parents both work. The scale of this sculpture is astonishing and pictures simply do not do it justice.

Because Rollie works at the monument we were able to get a behind-the-scenes tour which included a walk out on what will eventually be Crazy Horse's arm, pointing to his lands "where his dead lie buried." This gave us an up close view of the now completed face.

The pictures we were able to take up here give you a slightly better sense of the sheer size of this sculpture, and the amazing detail that has been accomplished with dynamite and pneumatic chisels.

After finishing our visit to these two spectacular sights, Josh, Stacey and I left the kids with grandma and grandpa, jumped in their convertible, and drove to Deadwood, South Dakota.

We enjoyed amazing weather throughout the week, but never was this more enjoyable than during the beautiful drive to Deadwood.

Once we arrived in the classic western town, we payed our respects to Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, two of the personalities most associated with Deadwood's wild west past.

Then we walked the old downtown, visiting the No. 10 Saloon where Wild Bill was killed, and spending a little time with the penny and nickel slots that are bringing back Deadwood's gambling past. Josh had amazing luck so we let him treat for dinner and drinks in Kevin Costner's casino and restaurant, the Midnight Star.

After dinner, Josh again tried his hand at the penny slots and amazingly lightening struck twice. So Stacey and I let him treat us to after dinner drinks and cigars! Sitting on the patio atop the historic Franklin Hotel we felt like we had conquered the town!

On the drive home, we kept the top down and enjoyed the amazing sky full of stars. We even stopped along the way, turned off the lights and the car, and marveled at the Milky Way and the deafening silence. It was a fabulous ending to a fabulous day!

South Dakota Adventure - Day 1: Custer State Park

My week in New York wrapped up with me saying two Sunday Masses at my home parish, and getting to spend some time with Scott Cullen (who was kind enough to visit from Philadelphia) and with my aunt and uncle (including our trip to view the new Harry Potter movie!). As always it was wonderful to be home in New York, and with my parents and family.

As I flew out of Newark my adventures were really just beginning. I flew not to South Bend, but to Rapid City, South Dakota for my first ever visit to the Black Hills and the home of my dear friend Josh Noem.

Josh, Stacey and the kids were visiting Josh's parents after attending a family reunion in the area. They invited me to join them for an exploration of this beautiful part of the country and to spend time in the spots that meant so much to Josh in his formative years.

I should say from the start that throughout my stay I enjoyed the warm hospitality of Josh's parents Peg and Rollie. I was grateful to be welcomed as a member of the family and hope I can return the favor some day at ND or in NY.

While I was in Hill City, South Dakota, where the Noems now live, I stayed at St. Rose of Lima Parish and presided daily at morning Mass. The parish does not have a resident priest, so they only have Eucharist on Sundays. I was very happy to begin each day celebrating Mass with faithful who so longed for the Eucharist.

On my first night in town, the Noems invited their retired pastor and their local bishop Most Rev. Blase Cupich to join us for dinner, so I even got an introduction to the clergy in this mission territory.

My first full day in South Dakota was spent in Custer State Park, where Josh grew up as his father served as the director of the park. It is a most beautiful setting in the Black Hills, and we enjoyed a few little hikes during the course of the day.

I got to see the park lodge that served as a Western White House for Dwight Eisenhower, and to see the slightly smaller homes that Josh and his family lived in during their time in the park. But perhaps the most famous part of Custer State Park is their heard of buffalo, or to be more exact, bison.

I have seen these impressive animals before, but never such a large group of them, with such large bulls in the herd, and I've never gotten closer than we got. It made me wish to have been alive when hundreds of thousands of these animals roamed the western plains - it must have been an amazing sight!

Later in the day we also climbed a bit of the Needles, an impressive rock formation . . .

and walked around Sylvan Lake:

This was only the beginning of an amazing week in South Dakota, so there's much more to come in the next few posts.

A Great Day in the City

Well rested after enjoying the surf, sand and sun in Ocean Grove, New Jersey yesterday, today Mom, Dad and I took the ferry into the city for a day of tourism in our hometown.

We began the day at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum touring 97 Orchard street, a tenement building that housed some seven thousand immigrants from 1863-1933. We've tried to see this popular exhibit before, but have been sold out. The hour-long tour was very interesting and worth the wait.

Having learned about the Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants who settled the area, and after walking through the Chinese neighborhood that now covers the area, we arrived at our lunch destination: Katz's Delicatessen.

This famous Jewish deli was made even more famous by the movie "When Harry Met Sally." We enjoyed pastrami on rye, knish, latke and egg creams.

Though the three of us split everything so that we didn't overeat, we still needed a bit of exercise after lunch. We took a cross-town bus to reach the entrance of the recently opened High Line and then 'took a hike.'

The High Line is an old elevated rail line that used to serve the factories and warehouses in the Meatpacking District. Abandoned years ago, the tracks became overgrown with weeds and trees. Rather than tearing the tracks down, the city has helped Mother Nature along and turned the High Line into an elevated park:

Interested as I am in architecture and urban planning, I've been following this project for quite some time and was excited to seei this first completed section of the project. With lots of spaces to sit and relax, and a beautiful integration of natural elements with the remaining train tracks, the High Line is a wonderful addition to the life of the city.

Before we made the trip back to the ferry, and to waste some time during rush hour, we walked north toward Time Square and the newly opened pedestrian mall in the center of the universe. Along the way we stopped at another New York gastronomic tradition, Gray's Papaya, for a little snack.

Just to have a little taste, Dad and I split the Recession Special (leftover from the BIG recession of the 1970s): two dogs and a drink. I toasted Ken Hallenius with my drink - Ken was indignant that I had never been to Gray's, so this trip was the fulfillment of my promise to him!

After a great day we took the ferry back to Staten Island, where I'll spend the next few days sticking closer to home and catching up with family.

Old College In The News

As if on cue, the Catholic News Service has just published an article about the Old College Undergraduate Seminary Program. It features one of the program's most recent 'graduates,' Kevin Wack, who will proceed this August to the Candidate Program at Moreau Seminary:

"Kevin Wack has a pilot's license and even started college as an aerospace engineering major, but he will not be flying planes for a living after he graduates from the University of Notre Dame next spring. Instead, he plans to become a priest.

Although he has considered other paths -- pilot, husband -- Wack said the priesthood has been popping up since childhood family gatherings with his two uncles, both priests in the Congregation of Holy Cross.

"Priests were always very normal people to me. They were and still are the two happiest people I know. As a young kid, 8 years old, I was really drawn to that happiness," Wack said in a phone interview with Catholic News Service.

As a senior in high school, Wack was serious enough about the priesthood to apply to Old College, an undergraduate seminary at Notre Dame. The three-year program is a precursor to the Congregation of Holy Cross' Moreau Seminary, also located on Notre Dame's campus in South Bend, Ind.

Old College is an example of a collaborative college seminary. Unlike stand-alone seminary colleges, collaborative programs are attached to accredited colleges or universities.

"We find it a great asset to be able to be here on campus," said Holy Cross Father Kevin Russeau, director of Old College and himself an alum of the program, in a phone interview.

The "Old Collegians" live in their own residence hall, a tiny, 166-year-old brick building that survives from the university's founding. Father Russeau said its number of occupants has fluctuated in the last decade: from 18 in 1999, down to four in 2006, and up to a crowded 22 this fall.

Though Old College residents form a tight community, they are not tucked away from the rest of campus. From taking classes with other undergraduates to joining extracurricular activities, Old College students can and do participate in college life.

"We have some that are on a club-level baseball team, others in the marching band, others working in campus ministry. They do a variety of things typical to college students," said Holy Cross Father Ed Obermiller, vocations director for his congregation's Indiana province.

"Unlike their peers, however, they tend to go to bed a little earlier because they are up at 7 a.m. for a half-hour of meditation," he said.

Another thing that sets Old College apart is its meticulous application process, including interviews with current Holy Cross priests and a screening by a psychologist. Joining Old College also depends on acceptance into either Notre Dame or the nearby Holy Cross College, but that decision is up to each school's admissions committee.

Old College has a more diverse curriculum than some college seminaries because of the Holy Cross focus on teaching.

"Because we are a teaching community, we do not wish to require that all seminarians major in philosophy. We want them to discover their passions and perhaps find the field they might pursue a Ph.D. in and teach at one of our institutions," said Father Russeau in an e-mail to CNS."

To read the rest of the article visit CNS, and for more information on the Old College Program visit the Holy Cross Vocations website.

My New Abode: The Real OC

And so I have finally arrived at my new home: Old College!

As I've mentioned before, and as you can see in the sign above, Old College is the undergraduate seminary for the Congregation of Holy Cross. It is housed in the oldest building on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, and will have twenty-two young men residing there this coming academic year. Along with Fr. Kevin Russeau, CSC and Br. Ed Luther, CSC I will serve on the Old College formation staff.

Old College is just a stone's throw from the Dome, the Basilica, the Grotto, and the Corby Hall residence for Holy Cross priests and brothers on campus. That's where I'll take my meals and participate in weekly community nights, prayer, and the like. I also have a room there to 'get away to' if I need it.

Old College is nestled between the School of Architecture and St. Mary's Lake, and my room (far left window on the second floor) puts me in the center of it all, with views of the students running around the lakes and the cars heading to and from the campus' two main entrances.

I've begun the process of unpacking, and have taken care of the essentials, but will have a bit more to do when I return from my visit with Mom and Dad in New York. I'll need to get a big bookcase for all of my books, and pick a picture or two to warm the place up a bit.

All and all, I think this will be a fine place to 'hang my hat' for the year, and I am definitely looking forward to working with our undergraduate seminarians. They are a fine group of guys and they give us all much reason to hope for the future of our community.

Thanks be to God for safe travels, and for the opportunities to serve in His name that await me here at Old College!

Day 8: St. Meinrad's to South Bend

The last day of our road-trip began at St. Meinrad's Archabbey. Ken attended the undergraduate seminary here and I have enjoyed a retreat here in the past as well.

We stayed in the newly constructed guesthouse which was very comfortable. On the night of our arrival, while Ken, Julie and Brenda met up with a group of Ken's undergraduate classmates, I enjoyed the chance to catch up with Br. Silas Henderson, OSB. Brother Silas was a novice at St. Meinrad's when Jim Gallagher and I did a retreat there in the summer of 2002. It was most enjoyable to spend time catching up with Br. Silas.

In the morning, I concelebrated Mass in the Archabbey Church . . .

and we then drove south . . . yes, south . . . for a pilgrimage of a different sort. We drove to Loretto, Kentucky to make a visit to the Maker's Mark distillery.

We had a wonderful tour and tasting, dipped a few of our own bottles, and then had lunch before getting back on the road, this time heading north to our final destination: the University of Notre Dame.

Along the way to South Bend we stopped in Bardstown, Kentucky to see the Cathedral of St. Joseph. Bardstown is one of the four diocese created 200 years ago (along with New York, Boston and Philadelphia) making Baltimore the nation's fist archdiocese. For an American Catholic history guy like myself, this stop was pure gold!

We didn't arrive in South Bend until very late (after midnight) but it was well worth it. Ken, Julie and Brenda hit the hay at Holy Cross Parish, and I spent my first night in my new room at Old College.

I'll have more on my move in over the next couple of weeks . . . for now, let me just say how grateful I am to Ken, Julie and Brenda for joining me on this adventure and for their friendship. So many people have been amazed that these friends were so generous as to drive cross country with me as I moved . . . and anyone who knows them predicted we would have a blast and laugh all the way. And that we did! Thanks friends!!

Day 7: St. Louis to St. Meinrad

Feeling much better after a good night of air-conditioned sleep, we wrapped up our short visit to St. Louis with a pilgrimage to the great Basilica Cathedral of St. Louis. Along the way, we drove through the campus of St. Louis University and passed their campus church of St. Francis Xavier.

Further down the road, we arrived at the Basilica Cathedral. I have been longing to visit this church for quite some time because everyone speaks of its beauty in the greatest of superlatives - and I am a great fan of the Byzantine style with its sparkling mosaic decorations.

My pictures simply do not do the building justice. The amazing Byzantine mosaics make this church one of the most beautiful I have ever seen in the United States. Take a look at their website to get a better sense of the place, or even better, make a visit in person. For now, this one picture does a decent job of showing you the baptismal font and ambry:

We stopped for lunch at Cracker Barrel and 'set for a spell' on their front porch . . .

and then continued the journey across the Mighty Mississippi, through Illinois and into the great state of Indiana.

We're spending the evening in St. Meinrad's, Indiana where Ken attended the college seminary at St. Meinrad's Archabbey. I have also spent time here on retreat. More pictures and stories on that tomorrow . . . after we finish our travels to South Bend!

Day 6: Lincoln to St. Louis

In Lincoln, Nebraska Ken and I were once again hosted by friends of mine from the University of Notre Dame. Nathaniel Cunningham and I were flat-mates in the Notre Dame London Program in the spring of 1998. Just after we graduated, Nathaniel had the great good sense to marry Staci, and I was privileged to do a reading at their wedding Mass in Denver.

We had a great time catching up, meeting their lovely daughters, nieces and nephew, and looking at pictures from our undergraduate days together. Though I wish we had the chance to see one another more frequently, and our visit was all too short, Ken and I were back on the road the next morning to meet up the the ladies and continue our journey to St. Louis.

We arrived in St. Louis just after dinner and went immediately to the famous St. Louis Arch, more formally known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Here it is pictured in the dusk behind the original St. Louis Cathedral:

As impressive as the arch itself is, the system of bringing people to the top of the arch is truly a marvel - if frightening for those of us afraid of heights! A cross between elevator and ferris wheel, these cars bring visitors on a four minute ride to the viewing platform at the top of the arch:

Once there, you enjoy great views of the Mighty Mississippi and the city itself, including the aforementioned Cathedral and the courthouse.

We enjoyed the view - but not the slight swaying you can feel the arch doing in the wind . . . or the masses of high school students touring the arch that evening. Once we were done, we marched down a small flight of steps, very much sensing the curve of the arch, and boarded the cars for the three minute downward journey.

We had some trouble finding someplace to eat afterwards, but we finally found some fine Mexican food at El Borracho and then hit the sack. After a long couple of days, all of us were pretty darn tired and the humidity (ugh, what the heck am I doing moving back to the Midwest?!) had taken quite a bit out of us.