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 … Read more
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 … Read more
The popular trend in education is testing and somehow increased testing and accountability is going to magically improve our schools. Education was better twenty years ago than it is now. We were able to enrich all students more with less Federal and state intervention. Federal and state programs that have been forced upon schools by … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
“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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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. … Read more
