500 Years and Going Strong

On March 28, 1515, St. Teresa of Jesus was born in Avila, Spain.

500 years later, in the midst of yearlong celebrations, St. Teresa of Avila Roman Catholic Student Center at the edge of Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, IN, had a celebration for St. Teresa's birthday with Mass on Saturday morning, March 28, 2015.

It was such a big occasion that Bishop Donald Hying, recently installed as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary in Northwest Indiana, came to be the main celebrant for the Mass, starting off quite a busy schedule for the day, which would later include a visit with some Carmelites.

Bishop Hying celebrating Mass (near the center, wearing the miter, the pointed hat), with Father Kevin concelebrating

He gave a great biographical sketch of St. Teresa in his homily.  She had religious fervor, even as a young girl, wanting to evangelize the Muslims in Africa, and there become a martyr.  She became a Carmelite nun, at a time when unmarried noble daughters filled the ranks, and enjoyed a party life.  She changed course one day when she suddenly felt the urge to kneel in front of a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the convent, which she had passed by thousands of times before, refusing to get up until God gave her the desire to become a saint.  From then on, she was a changed person, working to reform the Carmelite order to make it more intentionally spiritual.

She persevered in her relationship with God, even in the midst of hardships.  Her heart was even pierced by God.  She was a mystic, connecting with God in very mysterious, otherworldly ways.

The Gospel reading from John 15, about Jesus the true vine, speaks to this mysterious relationship we have with God, through Jesus, the vine.  It draws us to Him in ways we can't understand, but which make us so in love with Him.

In that light, even though we have yet to reach Heaven, the way to Heaven is like being there, because of the marvelous ways God works in our lives, and how we experience love with Him.

There are stories that St. Teresa's body didn't decay after she died.  In any case, she's going pretty strong at 500 years since birth--not that women ever grow old, because they just grow more wise and beautiful--inspiring the Church by her example of faith, even as a Doctor of the Church.

Personally, I find it notable that the day of my Confirmation, October 15, is the Feast Day of St. Teresa of Avila.  And this place in Valparaiso named for her had an enormous impact on my life, continuing to build on the work of faith that happened before and since my Confirmation.

In this spirit of faith do we continue, even at St. Teresa's in Valparaiso.

Master of my Destiny: Installment 1

I know there's probably a good deal of interest about what's happening with me in graduate school as I pursue my Master's degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS), so I feel now is a good time for an update, as I am at the midpoint of my first of four semesters.

Please note: all posts on my personal blog in which I discuss my graduate school happenings are to be titled "Master of my Destiny", and given an installment number.  This title reflects that while I'm doing the work to put myself in a direction toward a career, I sense that God's guiding me to this point shows who is really the Master of my destiny.

This semester, I have three classes, which are all core classes that MLIS students at Dominican start with: Reference and Online Services and Introduction to Library and Information Science (ILIS) are both online courses, and Organization of Knowledge, which meets once a week on Thursday afternoons.

So far, I've gotten a good introduction to what this field of library and information science (LIS) is all about.

Much of what I'm learning are concepts and ideas that would seem obvious to the average person, but that LIS professionals and students have to stop and think about more thoroughly.  For example, what is information?  What is an information need?  These are the building blocks for an understanding of how we
help facilitate access to resources that people use as part of their lives and to enhance their knowledge.

I've also been made aware of the ethical matters that pertain to LIS, which are, at times, very challenging issues to deal with, such as providing access to objectionable materials for all.

There's a ton of reading involved with my graduate school work, and sometimes the assignments can be burdensome, but I've encountered these types of onuses throughout my time in school, so that's nothing new.  Being back in school after being off for a few months has actually clarified the reasons why school would frustrate me in the past:  The nature of the work is a necessary evil that is part of the process of obtaining my education.  But once I get over that, I find many aspects of school to be enjoyable.

I particularly enjoy reading my book for ILIS class, which talks about the history of libraries, and matters of information policy, giving me fascinating insights.  One project for this class that at first seemed like a hassle actually became quite enjoyable as it gave me the chance to learn more about Atmospheric Science Librarian International, the organization that first inspired me to enter this field, and affirming the specific reasons for why I did so.

My Reference and Online Services class is very practically driven, getting me to think about how I would actually help a patron find the answer to a complex reference question, or find books for pleasure, as well as knowing what resources are available, including databases, encyclopedias, and dictionaries.  It's great I'm getting this know-how right off the bat.

My Organization of Knowledge class is fun.  The professor stated at the start of class that the content, related to classifying materials, can sometimes be unexciting.  But she exerts much effort to make the class fun for us.  Furthermore, I can think more fundamentally about items in a library collection going through this class.

As a school, Dominican University has a nice feel.  The campus is certainly smaller than what I had at Valparaiso University.  And the buildings feel so old and quaint, like something out of Europe, though the library building is stylishly modern.  I also feel at home with its religious background, which I'm used to at Valparaiso, and this time around, it is my own tradition.  I think that's part of what has affirmed this as the right decision for me, because I see that my spiritual/faith journey is so tied to my vocational journey is creating my career.  In fact, the title for these graduate school updates, "Master of my Destiny", reflects the idea that while I'm doing the work to put myself in a direction toward a career, I sense that God's guiding me to this point shows who is really the Master of my Destiny.

So I'm getting off to a great start with my MLIS degree.  Along the way, I've enjoyed tending to other things, like church ministry, and taking advantage of other activities for pleasure, to give me that sense of a well-rounded life, something for which I will always strive.