Dreams

After many computer woes today, I can get back to this blog. Of course, this is nothing compared to my MSBT Sister's story of number 10 cans of pears exploding in the pantry at Trinita! Yikes!

My ST brother, John Skrodinsky, is also very interested in using music as a way of evangelizing. He is gathering some music possibilities, including an original song he's written himself. Since he has moved up to New Jersey recently, we'll be able to get together to do some real work on this. I have some ideas about songs I'd like to use for this venture. Some are not explicitly "religious," but which have a great message about life, relationships, and justice, which are all really trying to connect with God in some way. I am trying to write some stuff, but I find that I am so critical of my own work that I cannot come up with anything I'd be willing to go public with!

As part of the Missionary Cenacle Family, we are also very interested in trying to develop a young adult center of some kind in an urban area which really needs such a thing. It's been done before, and I think we can learn from that experience and make it an even better one.

These dreams are what I hope can become reality before too long. Meanwhile I keep working on my guitar playing, and continue to learn how to play the djembe!

Sorry I haven't written in a while! We just finished having our annual Summer Mission Institute (SMI) for young adults. What a great group we had! Everyone participated fully and had a great time. One young man from the island of Jamaica, Joel, is a percussion studies student. Joel added so much to our music group with his djembe playing. We had quite a good little band going with Crystal, who plays guitar, Lisa who has an incredible voice, plays guitar and percussion, and Sr. Mary Ann who is a talented guitarist and vocalist. We had such fun!!!

Two young women from Michigan found SMI on the web and took the risk to come and enjoyed themselves! Bertie and Crystal came from Tucson, Mikel from Jamaica, and others from Florida, Pennsylvania, and other places I can't even remember!

The SMI week has re-enkindled the idea that I've had for a while-to have a Missionary Cenacle Family Band! We could reach out to youth groups and young adult audiences to spread the Gospel message and our charism through music! What do you think???

NJ Young Adult Conference

The conference on Saturday was great! Two Praise and Worship bands learned the song "We Will be the Light" and did a great job with it! Fr. John Cusick, creator of Theology on Tap, was the keynote speaker, and there were 2 workshop sessions with various presenters. There was music, food, fellowship, adoration, an opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation, and a great closing Mass. It gives me great hope to see young adults interested in and committed to their faith!

My community just finished having an Assembly this past weekend. The theme was "Be Fire." We sang some really good music: Stir Up the Flame by Anne Trufant, and Fan the Flame by Liam Lawton.

I've just gotten a djembe, and African drum, and played it for the first time in public at the Assembly. It added some good sound to the music, and all the Sisters enjoyed it. While I love to play the guitar, playing the drum is also lots of fun.

I'm helping out a bit with an upcoming Young Adult Conference for the dioceses in New Jersey where the theme is Be Light. A really good song they'll use at that is called "We Will Be the Light" by John Angotti. If you're interested in the conference, I can share the link, just let me know!

We are trying to be more and more on fire for God through service, outreach to those in need, ministry and prayer. Try to be on fire for God today!