HFI report

It was a long, long trip from Chicago to the other side of Ohio, and my guest room at "St. Paul's Monastery" had no Internet access! (Not that I really had time for it...) I ran a book exhibit during the Holy Family Institute's retreat Triduum, led an Hour of Adoration on Saturday and gave a short, pretty impromptu talk on the Founder. In return, I met 275 committed Catholics of all ages. Eight people (including three couples) were admitted into the novitiate, another couple of dozen renewed their vows (both the marriage kind and the evangelical counsels kind--the married couples make their profession of the evangelical counsels in the plural!) and I missed seeing the perpetual profession of still others because we had to return to Chicago before midnight.
Dozens of precious kids kept things lively, while some students from Steubenville ran a youth track.
It was impressive, inspiring and encouraging: all these people who want to "follow Christ more closely" in their married life, and live the Pauline charism.
I hope we'll be able to do more, especially from here in Chicago, for the Pauline Family in the midwest.