Two weeks of classes down (I have no classes on Fridays, or Wednesdays for that matter, though of course plenty of work to do), and the days have become sort of a blur. I've learned that there's no real normal at VTS. Just when you think you've established a routine, something comes up.

Today, for example, our afternoon language sections were canceled so that we could board a charter bus for Catholic University of America. There, we met students from other seminaries in the DC area at an ecumenical prayer service. After the service, we were randomly divided into groups of four or five and whisked off to various Catholic centers, monasteries and houses for dinner.

I had the good fortune of hanging out with a group of Franciscans at Holy Name College, which is their house in Silver Spring, Maryland. The house is attached to what they laughingly described as a "mega-parish," St. Camillus, where four priests (also Franciscans) celebrate 9 masses each weekend. The masses are said in English, Spanish and French (for the large community from the Congo). The congregation represents more than 100 countries, and the Easter Vigil usually includes around 150 baptisms.

Also, we didn't get to meet him, but Robert Lentz, a somewhat well-known iconographer lives and works at Holy Name. He's "written" icons of a female Jesus, Harvey Milk and other somewhat "challenging images" (to borrow a phrase from trinitystores.com, where you can view his work), so he's not particularly well liked in some circles. Either way, his creations are fascinating.

During the more routine days of the last couple of weeks, I've gone to class, read, gone to chapel, read, worked out, read, eaten, read, slept, read, and read some more. And even so, I still didn't quite get to everything. I understand now why so many priests kept telling me, "Don't try to read everything. You can't do it." Amen and amen. Now, to bed.