I arrived Saturday afternoon, after a very long drive compounded by heavy traffic from Richmond north. I ended up arriving about 5pm to find a group of sisters in full habit in the backyard hacking away at a felled tree and cleaning up brush. Friday night, a storm came through the neighborhood so there were numerous trees down in the Brookland area (where I am living). I met Sr. De De, the Mother Superior of the Little Workers of the Sacred Heart, which is the order that owns the residence hall where I am living. She gave me a quick tour, and I learned a little about her. She retired in 2008 from the US Army, is a family practice physician and a surgeon. It was quite a culture shock (and deja vu) to move into my dorm room; the dwellings are monastic and eclectic, but for now, the Casa Sacri Couri, is my home sweet home. The house is located in a very walkable neighborhood in the Brookland area, northeast section of DC. Because of its proximity to Catholic University (CUA), this area is also called "Little Rome." There are several religious homes in the form of convents, a Franciscan monastery, and the Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception all within walking distance.
Sunday morning, I walked to the Shrine for Mass and checked out the neighborhood. I met up with Sr. Maria, a Benedictine nun and resident of the Casa, who is completing her PhD in Latin and Greek at CUA. She, along with Sr. De De, gave me information about the Fortnight for Freedom event going on Sunday afternoon: a prayer rally at George Washington University (GWU). The rally at GWU was well
done; it was attended by about 1000 people, held in the gymnasium, and
sponsored by the diocese. The program consisted of prayer, speeches,
movies that had been done about the history of religious freedom in the
US, adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament, and song. A choir from St. Augustine's led the singing. St.
Augustine's is the first African-American parish in DC, so you can
imagine the quality of the music.
The US Catholic Bishops have initiated the Fortnight for Freedom as a time of fasting and prayer regarding the HHS mandate that all employers must provide birth control and sterilization services as part of health insurance coverage to their employees. So, the position of the bishops, in accordance with the teachings of the church, is that the federal government is infringing on our constitutional right to religious freedom. Several employers have filed lawsuits against HHS. I must say that I agree with the church regarding their stance -- if provision of these services contradicting their teaching are mandated by the government it does indeed violate the constitution.
Also today the Supreme Court ruling regarding Obama-care is expected. It certainly is a historical time to be in DC.
I attended the rally with Sister Maria, who was dressed in full habit, so that was an interesting experience to accompany her throughout the city. Another resident of the Casa was with us, Jennifer, who works in the education department and is also a graduate student at CUA. Later in the day, I met Mary, the house liaison, who after completing 2 yrs of medical school, took some time off because of family issues. During this hiatus, she started working in the administrative end of Catholic Charities, has her MPH, and has done numerous environmental health and human rights projects on the international level.
What an incredibly talented, educated, intelligent, and humble group of women I've added to my circle in the past few days!
Another plus of yesterday, was having the guidance of Sister and Jennifer to navigate the Metro. We traveled by way of the Metro to the rally, so I am familiar with getting around, the neighborhood location of the stop, and the bus to take back up the hill if I come home at night. We went to Trader Joe's to get some groceries -- fantastic store!! So, I carted my bags throughout DC, a very different experience for a gal who grew up in the suburbs. I have a blister to prove it. One of today's projects is to find comfortable footwear with walk-ability.
So, that's my day in a nutshell. Hopefully good news will come in today, and I can start at OSHA tomorrow -- the good news being that the internship funding has gone through. I found out on Friday afternoon, en route to DC, that the funding had not been approved for me and the other student who were offered the internship. I'm not quite sure why I was notified at the last minute. The other intern has been here for two weeks waiting. In the meantime, I am planning on taking the Metro to the Department of Labor today to plan my commute and then check out the Mall while I'm in the area.
The US Catholic Bishops have initiated the Fortnight for Freedom as a time of fasting and prayer regarding the HHS mandate that all employers must provide birth control and sterilization services as part of health insurance coverage to their employees. So, the position of the bishops, in accordance with the teachings of the church, is that the federal government is infringing on our constitutional right to religious freedom. Several employers have filed lawsuits against HHS. I must say that I agree with the church regarding their stance -- if provision of these services contradicting their teaching are mandated by the government it does indeed violate the constitution.
Also today the Supreme Court ruling regarding Obama-care is expected. It certainly is a historical time to be in DC.
I attended the rally with Sister Maria, who was dressed in full habit, so that was an interesting experience to accompany her throughout the city. Another resident of the Casa was with us, Jennifer, who works in the education department and is also a graduate student at CUA. Later in the day, I met Mary, the house liaison, who after completing 2 yrs of medical school, took some time off because of family issues. During this hiatus, she started working in the administrative end of Catholic Charities, has her MPH, and has done numerous environmental health and human rights projects on the international level.
What an incredibly talented, educated, intelligent, and humble group of women I've added to my circle in the past few days!
Another plus of yesterday, was having the guidance of Sister and Jennifer to navigate the Metro. We traveled by way of the Metro to the rally, so I am familiar with getting around, the neighborhood location of the stop, and the bus to take back up the hill if I come home at night. We went to Trader Joe's to get some groceries -- fantastic store!! So, I carted my bags throughout DC, a very different experience for a gal who grew up in the suburbs. I have a blister to prove it. One of today's projects is to find comfortable footwear with walk-ability.
So, that's my day in a nutshell. Hopefully good news will come in today, and I can start at OSHA tomorrow -- the good news being that the internship funding has gone through. I found out on Friday afternoon, en route to DC, that the funding had not been approved for me and the other student who were offered the internship. I'm not quite sure why I was notified at the last minute. The other intern has been here for two weeks waiting. In the meantime, I am planning on taking the Metro to the Department of Labor today to plan my commute and then check out the Mall while I'm in the area.
Bob and the girls have
kept me updated via text about the Tropical Storm Debby. The little girls sound happy and
back-to-normal on the phone. They both told me "no more tears," so I'm
glad they adapted so quickly. It's a credit to Bob
on his parenting abilities to have them transition so well! We are
all lucky to have him.
Here are a few links and picture about the things I've mentioned:
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| The Casa Sacri Couri |
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| Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (side view) |
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| Front steps of the Shrine |
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| One of the numerous prayer niches inside |
I have always known you to be the quintessential wife, mother, student and friend. It is no surprise that you are now at ease in the presence of greatness (people, places and events). I am so glad you are enjoying your visit and hope the funding comes through soon so you can start on the next aspect of your journey.
ReplyDeleteAfter having to look up the word "quintessential," I do believe I fall far short of that -- but I thank you for your generous and kind words. Life is a work in progress, and I'm hoping to make the most of this adventure. It is important to me in so many ways!
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