Easter and beyond...

Greetings,

Before I forget, I just wanted to write to wish you a pleasant spring and Happy Easter.

The past couple of weeks have seen us here at the Novitiate continue our study of the Constitutions of the Society, as well as the vows of chastity and obedience. We have continued to work in our apostolates. This past weekend, our superiors treated us to a weekend in Santa Barbara, due in part to the fact that the facilities at the novitiate were being used for an event.

Our house jobs have changed and now I am the beadle, as well as the brooms boss. For those of you unfamiliar with this term, the beadle acts as the liaison between his classmates and the superiors. He confers with the novice master every evening to prepare the daily ordo and if necessary, discuss any issues that have arisen and need to be addressed. The beadle also keeps the official log of all activities that have been going on in the novitiate, and when the superiors are not around, though this rarely happens, he is in charge. As for the brooms boss, he is responsible for keeping the common areas of the house clean, so that involves vacuuming, dusting, and trash removal.

In comparison to my previous jobs -- guest master, haustus rex, and music rex, these new jobs may be a step up or a step down, depending on how you look at it! Since December, I have been responsible for cleaning guest rooms, preparing snacks for any type of social gathering, and choosing what we would sing at liturgies.

On April 15, we will depart on our pilgrimages, and be on the road for about 3 weeks. There is really not a whole lot that I can say about that other than the fact that we will all be making individual journeys with limited resources. Pray for us if you're so inclined. I'll be happy to discuss the pilgrimages that my novice brothers and I make in my next message.

Until then...