Uncategorized – Page 10 – The Future is Open

August 26, 2011

Along the E-r-I-e

Along this waterway my great-grandparents came in the 1880’s. They couldn’t speak English too well and they came in search of a better life. They came from Anglesey Island in North Wales. My Grandmother was their youngest. She was born after they settled at Henpeck near present day Sandusky, New York. Every time I see the Erie Canal I think of them and how uncertain their lives were. Grandpa became a US citizen in 1902, four years after my Grandma was born. Great-grandma never did become a citizen. In the pre-social insurance days there was no need. Like all immigrants they were discriminated against. That legacy invites me to welcome others who come here.

“You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.” – Exodus 22:21

August 26, 2011

Holy Ghost

Curiosity got the best of me and I had to see where our son will be married in a bit over a month. I pray a lot and especially for the children. When Devin first moved to the Rochester area a little over 5 years ago I prayed that Our Lady would watch over him and protect him. I prayed too that he would meet a young lady who would bring wholeness to his life. Both of those prayers have been abundantly answered. But, until today I’d never been to the church where they will be married. There in front of me as I turned off the road is the Holy Ghost Church & a shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes. How prophetic, beautiful and fitting is that. Ave Maria gratia plena.

July 15, 2011

Concentric anachronism

This morning I sit in a library that I used to frequent 41 years ago. The books may have changed, the shelves may be rearranged, but the the place looks much the same. Inside this room is a circle of educators examining how the 1970 model still works today. I feel like I’m at a living museum. Education is a living museum. These are very good people perpetuating an anachronism. How can we change the paradigm to reflect the post-information/post-industrial age in which we live? How do we prepare today’s learners for careers that don’t even exist today? What are the skill sets that we should be emphasizing? Does teaching global studies in an age of Wikipedia and Twitter still make sense? I don’t mean to pick on global studies either. You substitute another subject and ask yourself the same question.

July 13, 2011

Evening of Re-Creation

Tonight I sit in Holy Peace Chapel with others seeking solitude and community. This is my first opportunity for an evening of peaceful re-creation here at Mt. Irenaeus this summer. I came tonight with a heart full of questions longing for answers. Earlier today I gathered on the campus of St. Bonaventure University to reflect on one if Parker Palmer’s books. Tonight’s theme is about transformation. Will I be transformed tonight or even this summer? Have I been transformed at St. Bonaventure? Yes, and that is what invited me here tonight.

July 7, 2011

End the squabbling now

“I never remember a time when we had such deadlock, paralysis, almost unrelenting rigidity. We were able to work across the aisle and shape what I call American solutions to big issues. Something happened to shatter that essential ability to compromise and build for the future.”

– Former Vice President Walter Mondale on how a new era of partisan division and political paralysis has led to the Minnesota government shutdown. (Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Earlier this week I heard a couple of conservative folks talking about close minded liberals. I don’t give a damn if you’re liberal or conservative. We’re Americans and we damned well better start acting like we loved each other and our country. This partisan hacking is crap and it does come from both Democrats & Republicans and I don’t give a rats ass who started it but it’s well past time to end it. Real democracies listen to and respect the voices of all people.

July 5, 2011

Evening on the lake

Evening has fallen on Lake Murray in Chapin, SC. The stillness is punctuated by fireworks around the lake. Lake Murray’s official 4th of July fireworks occurred on Saturday evening. We viewed them from my brother’s boat in the middle of the lake near Dreher Island State Park. Nonetheless there is a staccato of firecrackers, Roman candles and skyrockets this evening that breaks the lovely stillness of the lakeshore. It’s still warm but very comfortable as I sit on the porch and listen to the laughter of cousins, my brother, sister and our mates. God only knows when we’ll all gather again. Family times are special and the past few days have been remarkable for us. Mom is 84 and it’s really great that she’s still healthy and with us. I love summer nights. I love the warm night air. Deo gratias!

May 16, 2011

The Franciscan Journey

This morning began early when I woke up unable to sleep anymore at 6:30 am. A shower and then getting dressed for graduation at St. Bonaventure University. The steady rain forced me to put my cap and gown in a makeshift barrel bag covering and then a twenty-five minute drive to campus. With the help of custodian in the Reilly Center I found a spacious classroom where we could stow our gear. I got gowned and capped and then stood in line waiting with hundreds of others grads and undergrads prior to our procession into the Reilly Center arena. As I turned the corner following my classmates I saw than one each side of the center aisle were the faculty of St. Bonaventure University who greeted us as we processed. Early in that procession my eyes misted a bit as I remembered my Franciscan roots at St. Pius X Grammar School where I graduated 45 years ago.

My adviser Dr. Gibbs, who is also head of the Department of Educational Leadership extended his hand. “Congratulations, Don.” Next to him was my friend Brother Kevin Kriso, OFM. Kevin looked resplendent in his red robes. My humble friend is actually a Doctor of Counseling Psychology; next was Dr. McDonough who taught me so much about curriculum and data analysis; then there was Dr. Anne Claire-Fisher who explored the Secular Franciscan life; Fr. Bob Struszynski, OFM who is actually a Doctor of Theology; Fr. Dan Riley, OFM who is one of my dearest friends; Fr. Michael Calabria, OFM a lovely friar and Facebook friend who heads the University’s Islamic Studies program.

One of the professors that I didn’t know was wearing a Tau. I had two on this morning but they were under my gown. At St. Bonaventure University we are all Franciscans. Today was one of those peak experiences that define our lives. I cannot begin to describe all that I experienced today but I can tell you that I am honored to be a St. Bonaventure Alumni. I had been looking forward to shaking Sister Margaret Carney, STD, OSF’s hand and I did today. Sister Margaret embodies all that one would want to be. She is so personable and hospitable. I can think of no one else who more embodies what it means to be a Franciscan.

Today I graduated with an MSED in Educational Leadership and that is very important and meaningful to me. More importantly I graduated from St. Bonaventure University an institution that embodies all that I treasure. I am a Franciscan and receiving a degree from a Franciscan institution is great blessing. Words cannot adequately express all that is in my heart tonight.

May 6, 2011

The Good Journey

Saturday will be my last official class at St. Bonaventure University. It has been twenty months since my first class which actually occurred at St. Bonaventure’s Buffalo Campus at Hilbert College in late August of 2009. In that period of time I have completed a Master of Science in Education in Educational Leadership. I was nervous at that first class and I’ll be a bit nervous on Saturday too. No matter how old I get I still have those jitters that some students get. I’ve done my work well this semester. I was enrolled in 8 credit hours. Two of them were in a Practicum and that is complete now. The other six have been in School Finance and Supervision. I thought I would enjoy the finance class and I have but I never had any idea how much fun the supervision class would be.

These last twenty months have been full of surprises and new opportunities for learning. I would never have guessed that I would have completed over 830 hours of internships and learned so much in the process. More than the learning though has been the growth of the Franciscan charism within me and my love for the University itself. This has been a wonderful experience and one that has been such a blessing in my life. Words cannot adequately express the sum total of all that I have experienced. I have gained new friendships from my classmates and from the professors too. Saturday will be bittersweet.

April 22, 2011

Sit finis libri, non finis quaerendi

The Latin phrase, “Sit finis libri, non finis quaerendi,” comes from the end of Thomas Merton’s, “Seven Storey Mountain.” Merton’s books and thinking have animated much of my adult life. In a couple of weeks I’ll be officially finished with my studies at St. Bonaventure University but it won’t be the end of my journey. The last nearly two years since I decided to enroll at St. Bonaventure University have slipped by quickly and in that time I have met many interesting people and learned a great deal about educational administration.

One of my goals two years ago was to see if Franciscan principles could be applied to the world of education and in my case public education. The good news is that they can and that they might in fact point a new way forward. If not a new way, then a road less traveled. Our social fabric as a nation has been torn asunder by economic change that has seen the near death of an American middle class, the exploitation of the poor and the disenfranchised in our midst. While there are pockets of wealth and abundance in our country there are also pockets of poverty and disillusionment. Teachers, doctors, and other professionals stand in this gap on behalf of those we serve.

As I close the book at St. Bonaventure University I can’t help but think how I can use this Franciscan education and principles to serve the world around me. I am praying for God’s will and direction and I covet your prayers too. This is a link to my recently completed leadership portfolio at St. Bonaventure University.