Over the past few months, I've had many interactions with friends of mine that go way back - 20, 25, even 35 years - and they have asked some very good questions about this whole "discerning a vocation" business. I also picked up that a few of them had some concerns, which is a natural reaction, I think, if the process and the spiritual life inherent in the process is unfamiliar to them. Not to mention the actual concept of monastic or religious life. And for some, me returning to the Catholic faith and wanting to live a life within that context has been troubling. With all this in mind, I figured it might be good to do an FAQ. Please click on the links I've provided for more info on specific topics and experiences. If you have any other questions, please send me a comment. Thanks for reading! 1. I have been discerning a religious vocation (to become a sister or a nun) for almost four years, now. In that time, I have met with several and very different re...
Tomorrow is Passion (Palm) Sunday, the start of Holy Week. I'm very pleased to be singing in choir at my parish, and I hope that the experience will remain an inspiring one through the coming months. I believe it was St. Augustine who first commented that "A person who sings prays twice." I haven't written here much since I've been busy with work (a full time job and an on-going string of free lance editing for which I am very grateful). A quick update: I'm still on track for paying off my last piece of personal debt by the end of June. Yay! I will be returning to NYS mid-June for my cousin's ordination (he is becoming a Catholic priest). At that time I will visit friends and family, and nose around some of my old stomping grounds in Elmira. I will also be visiting the Transfiguration Monastery in Windsor, NY when I'm back for my summer visit. I'm very excited about finding them; interestingly, they were founded around the same time...
Fairport, NY I have long held a fascination with liminal spaces. I know it was a trending thing online with clipping videos and creepy pictures of empty offices, but my interest goes far back to my childhood, probably fueled by The Twilight Zone's "The After Hours" episode. The mall at closing when there are hardly any shoppers, the gates are down on many stores, and the music echoes in empty spaces. Or train tracks at night with ghostly lights waiting for the next train. Storage facilities with security lights showing you the place you aren't allowed to enter. School hallways during summer vacation. You know, that kind of thing. Temporary digs However, living in a liminal space isn't as cool, nor does it promote some vague, quasi-nostalgic, pleasant-yet-edgy response. Such is my current living situation, albeit temporarily. "But Elena, you're in Korea!" Yes, I'm in Korea, but I'm also staying in a hotel for another week until the apartm...
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