Consecrated bakers Nicole Stone and Catherine Smith
Sometimes, the job isn’t so fun. After all, we have communicated some rather difficult things the past couple years.
But I enjoy my work and admire the people I work with. And the past week I was blessed to spend five days teaching writing to the seniors at Mater Ecclesiae College. (That’s the college in Greenville, RI where holy young consecrated women become highly educated, holy young consecrated women.)
I know these young women are human and probably have their faults. But they don’t have many when compared to an old geezer like me. Being in a classroom with them for the better part of a week made me feel like I was getting a preview of heaven, sitting on a puffy white cloud surrounded by angels. And the food was pretty good.
By the way, on the last day of my pilgrimage, I visited the pre-candidacy, which is about an hour’s drive from Greenville in Wakefield. The environment there is similar, but on a smaller scale, both physically and humanly. That is, it is a super-high-quality academy for girls who are discerning a vocation to consecrated life. They giggle more than the college students at Mater Ecclesiae.
Swan Lake Desert
- When you do something helpful for the consecrated women, their choir sings for you. They give you cookies. Both things are much appreciated by someone like me. Actually, I think they are appreciated by just about anyone.
- Speaking of cookies, in case you are one of the few people in the world of Regnum Christi who doesn’t know, Joan Kingsland (Dr. Kingsland) bakes the world’s best chocolate-chip cookies. She also bakes award-winning apple pies (I enjoyed a piece) and all sorts of exotic deserts (like Swan Lake Desert and Our Lady of Guadalupe Ice Cream Cake). She would spend more time baking, but being a professor of theology is a major distraction. (There is a legend that Mary Maher once ate an entire Ice Cream Cake, but I think it was only half.)
- All the seniors can write well, some exceptionally so. All are either comfortable and skilled at talking in front of a large audience, or have learned to hide their discomfort. This is especially impressive for those who are functioning in their second or third language.
- The student population is diverse. It was usual to share lunch with, say, an American, a Canadian, a Latin American (from one of several different countries) and a non-English person from another English-speaking nation beyond the United States and Canada.
- Speaking of which…there are many very pleasant “English” accents among the students, although none of them are from England. They are from Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa. By far the most elegant “English” accent belongs to Caroline Wilders, director of the pre-candidacy. Her father is English, but her mother is French.
- It is best to visit the pre-candidacy on Friday, as I did. That is a day when something fishy is served. Literature instructor Amelie Torre makes priceless seafood gumbo. I fear I made a bit of a pig of myself.
- The pre-candidates play soccer. The consecrated women don’t. I’m not sure why.
- The new library is under construction at Mater Ecclesiae. Rumors that it will have a swimming pool, hot tub and spa in the basement are just that – rumors. (At least as far as I could tell, looking down on the foundation from the faculty lounge.)
- Some of the women at the college and the pre-candidacy have the same last name. That is because they are sisters.
- Some families are remarkably holy and generous.
Our Lady Cake
There is more I could share. But I’ll stop here because I have to return in the spring to teach again. I have to hold some ammunition in reserve.
