Our next great adventure up north was a trip to St. John's University in Collegeville, MN, for the 50th jubilee celebration of Father Stephen's monastic life. In 1961, he took vows with the Benedictine Monks at St. John's, and then in 1967 he was ordained a priest within the order.
Father Stephen with his siblings
The cane was given to him during Mass by the Abbot (head monk). Back in the day, it was sort of a symbol of retirement; however, since there is such a need for priests today, the Abbot joked that Father Stephen couldn't use the cane quite yet.
We arrived at St. John's Sunday afternoon and got settled into our dorm rooms. That's right, dorm rooms. The monks generously housed us on campus in the apartment style dorms. It was so fun!
St. John's has an absolutely beautiful campus complete with a LAKE that the students use to swim, canoe, and, of course, ice skate on during the winter. It was hard for me to wrap my head around the lake. Can you imagine after class, "Hey guys! Let's go down to the lake," and it's right there. How awesome.
Blaise had trouble wrapping his head around the lake, too.
He loves water.
Sunday evening we prayed Evening Prayer with the community of brothers. Then, we ate supper with Father Stephen and the other monks who were celebrating their jubilees as well as all the family members of said monks. It was quite the crowd!
Following supper we sat through a storm with winds so strong I was certain we were going to get blown back to Oklahoma. After a phone call to weatherman John Neil, I was assured there were no tornadoes (close by), so I relaxed.
The best part of the night was bedtime. It was the first (and only) time that Blaise fell asleep while we were praying the rosary. He was so restless, so Aaron started praying and rubbing Blaise's tummy to try to soothe him. Pretty soon, Blaise was contently laying on the bed, simply looking back and forth at us as we prayed. Before we knew it, he closed his eyes and went to sleep. No fighting. No grumping. Just peaceful.
Monday morning was Mass celebrating the jubilees. My favorite part of the Mass was the procession. It is always powerful seeing so many men in their habits walking in together, kissing the altar, and then taking their place at the Banquet of the Lamb. I was so proud to see Father Stephen among his brothers.
Aaron, Blaise, and I talking to Father Stephen after Mass.
Family photo.
Apparently Blaise didn't get the memo...
After Mass there was lunch in "The Great Hall" which used to be a chapel on campus. It had a Harry Potter feel to it with all the banners hanging from the tall ceilings. And come to think of it, isn't the great hall in Harry Potter called "The Great Hall"? Weird.
What do you get when you put two chairs together?
A makeshift crib! Blaise was in dire need of a nap during lunch.
You can see the beautiful art work on the ceiling above. This area was where the altar once stood.
After lunch we played outside with the uncles and aunts (pronounced like haunt - without the "h" - not to be confused with his "Ant" Amy in Nebraska ;) )
Blaise and Aunt Rose
Blaise with Uncle David and Aunt Naomi
Blaise has paws, but David's hands are still a bit bigger.
Blaise and Aunt Mary
Unfortunately Blaise has inherited my knack for always blinking during pictures. *sigh*
Clapping for the photo shoot with Grandma!
Blaise's coaches
Offensive Coach Grandpa, Defensive Coach Uncle David, and Special Teams Coach Dad
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