St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church

Hmm, I really kind of hoped that the last semester in seminary would be calm-a time to collect my thoughts and myself and take a couple of no-stress courses. Well, it hasn't exactly started out that way. Oh, I am taking a couple of no-stress courses: pastoral theology 4 and and a course about the liturgies of the Old Testament. So, okay. Then, since I needed to take 9 credits for full-time status I decided to write a senior thesis. As my husband says, relax, it's just a big paper. Fine. Then we began to hear from the Diocese, a lot.

It has been a really busy, high pressure time. Christmas was hardly a merry time in our house. I was facing the General Ordination Exams the first week in January. Despite all the advice, including from my husband, that one cannot study for them, I insisted upon reading - something, anything - in the great hopes that something I read would be on the exams. It wasn't. I wasted a lot of time and energy. Every muscle in my body was one big fat knot and my capacity for fun was non-existent. As a matter of fact, the wife of one of my classmates is a massage therapist.

The political excitement has died down now that we have a president-elect. While I congratulate Mr. Obama on his victory, I wonder, always have and always will, why on earth anyone would want that job in the first place? I guess I am missing the gene needed to desire such a position. We will watch this vibrant young man age before our eyes over the next four year under the stresses of his office. I wish him well. I shall keep him in my prayers.

It has been a most event filled week. It all began last Wednesday when we took the Ascetical Theology mid-term - our one and only mid-term. Ten identifications and two essays out of four. The ID's were quotes from books we had read and we had to give the author, name of the book, and date it was written. Then I got to the essays. I read through all four and had the same answer to all of them - what?

We are back after a fall break. Actually, for me at least, it wasn't much of a break. Oh, yes, I did go home for the duration...me and my books and my sermons to write and, well you get the drift. This feels like such a busy time and I am feeling anxious over all I have to do and wondering where all that work came from. This past week I wrote two sermons - both "important" ones. While every sermon is important, these two hold special weight: my senior sermon and a sermon required by the Diocese in preparation for transitional diaconate ordination in March.

Fall on the Close at GTS...nice time of year. The weather has gotten (suddenly) cooler, crisper. Students walk a little faster on their way here and there. The Michaelmas semester moves along, it seems, at a faster pace too. The pets have been blessed here, as elsewhere in the Diocese and probably in the wider church. It's really easy to get immersed in the local and forget that it has a wider reach. Probably a good thing about General Convention, drawing those distant by space, and maybe theology, from one another in a place together so that God may be praised.

I was amazed at how long it has been since I wrote anything here. Last year was quite something and I am glad that it is behind me, and my classmates. This year is all about looking forward - mostly looking forward to the end of that which began in late August of 2006.

Sunday I attended mass at St. Bart's. I was in my cassock and surplice and sat in the chancel so folks could see that I was there. Fr. Gawain alerted them to that at the announcement time. Then at coffee hour I spoke with a nice group about my first year at seminary. They listened attentively and asked questions (we did get around to the McGreevey caper) and I for one, enjoyed myself. It was nice to see old friends and be at St. Bart's again. Some things have changed, but for the most part, it's the same friendly place.

The semester is over. I took my church history (last) final on the 10th and have been recuperating ever since. There was a lovely party held by the upperclasses with banners reading "Congratulations Rising Middlers," lots of cheers and applause and all around good feelings. It's still sinking in as I sink into my easy chair here at home and don't have to worry about reading or papers due or exams for a little while.

The papers are all completed and handed in, so now there is nothing left for me to do but study for the church history final. We were given a "prospectus" on what to study for this exam. Instead of just telling us to study eveything and then some, he wrote it out on his "prospectus." Joy. Does it make it any easier to learn all that stuff?

We are closing in on the end of our junior year...um, that's not the "royal" we, that's we juniors of the class of 2009. Another week and a half of class, reading week, then finals on the 9th and 10th. I have finished and submitted my NT exegesis paper, my final Church History mini-paper that takes longer than a 10 page paper!, have my OT paper ready to print and hand in, and have only my philosohpy paper to struggle through. Ten pages. I don't know if I know 10 pages of "philosophy words." I have settled on comapring/contrasting Augustine and Kant on evil.

Happy Easter!

It is Lent, and even better yet, it is Holy Week. And do you know how you can tell? By checking the secular news and your local bookstore. There you will find fabulous stories of ossuaries, bones, Gospels of Judas and Secret Mark. And exactly what do these supposed "finds" have to do with Christianity?

The authors of a new novel, The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot, came to the seminary to basically hawk their book.The real authors are Lord Jeffrey Archer and Prof. Moloney, a Roman Catholic priest. They explain that their intent is to"rehabilitate" Judas and their book is based on "possibilites" in the story of Judas and his relationship with Jesus. When they finished speaking I felt that the best possibility might be for them to not plan on record sales. This is a slim volume, nicely packaged with a string page marker. Wow!

Yesterday the Presiding Bishop was here. Now, other than seeing photos of her, I had never seen her let alone speak. I wasn't quite certain what to expect, but I definitely wanted to make my own evaluation considering the hubbub that has surrounded the lady. We met Bshop Jeffers-Schori in our meeting room here at GTS. She is a tall, slim woman and very graceful in the way that she carries herself. She is soft-spoken with a good sense of humor and a friendly way that puts a person at ease in her presence.