Potpourri

We had our TOB class today. About seven people in the room here, and 35 online (including one who joined us from Australia!). Only as the class drew near its close did I realize...I had never hit the "record" button to preserve it in the archives for the people who had hoped to catch it later. The moral is: join us in real time when you can!

Tomorrow's Chicago Marathon route effectively seals us off from all the other parts of Chicago (by car, at least), so I'll probably take the "el" to Mt Carmel for the choir Mass. It would have to be on the coldest day of the season...meteorologists are even talking about snow flurries. (Somebody please send me a ticket to New Orleans!)

This week we will welcome Sr. Elide Pulita from our Latin American publishing division. Sister will arrive with our provincial and one of the counselors to meet with the Archdiocesan director of Hispanic ministry, Latino pastors and a dynamic transitional deacon to learn more about the needs of Spanish speaking Catholics in this part of the continent. I'll be the chauffeur, because Sr. Helena and Sr. Barbara (and Juan, I think) will be running the book display for the Festival of Faith. We're expecting our first shipment of Cardinal George's new book< right on time for the book display.(I'm looking forward to reading it.) Who knows? Maybe His Eminence will come around and sign a few copies, too!

Sr Elide works in Bogota with one of my good friends, Sr. Alicia (originally from Venezuela; Sr. Elide is Brazilian). Sr Alicia and I were in Rome together ten years ago, studying the works of the Founder. Because we have to communicate in broken Italian (hers with a Latina accent, mine "alla Americana"), we only touch base with each other intermittently. But with Sr. Elide coming from Bogota, I made sure to pop an email off to Sr. Alicia. She had bad news: the digital camera she has been using was stolen. I've been scouring eBay for a camera Sr Elide could take back to Colombia for her, but the digital cameras in my price range are all listed as "broken: for parts only." If you'd like to pitch in to replace the stolen camera, feel free to use the "donate" button under the music player in the sidebar; it takes you to the Daughters of St. Paul PayPal account. Whatever you might be able to do would give us the where-with-all to help Sr Alicia with her mission in Latin America.

And now...Runners, take your mark!