Back from SF
Sorry for the gap in the blog postings. I left last Thursday to go see my friend Ed get ordained as a Catholic Priest (in the Dominican Order). I got back Monday afternoon, but I ended up spending most of the remaining time with my family, and yesterday was completely consumed with trying to get back on top of all the things I had fallen behind on. The ordination was very interesting, particularly since I'm not Catholic. I asked a ton of questions. I was particularly curious about the different garments, so much so that that subject was eventually ruled off limits for further questions. ("You know where there's some great info, Wikipedia... Now stop asking!")
I turns out that a reasonably large percentage of people who start the path towards becoming a priest eventually decide it's not for them. Fourteen people started at the same time as Ed and only 6 made it all the way to the end (it does take 8 years). One of the guys who'd dropped out (at year four) was back to see his former classmates get ordained, and I hung out with him quite a bit. It turns out that even if you drop out, if you later decide that you made a mistake you can come back, and that in fact there was one guy who had done it twice. Somehow this whole idea translated into the subconscious idea that it was easy to join and leave the program. As a result I had something of a nightmare while I was there.
I dreamed that I had joined the program, but I intended to only join it for a week, but I was still married, with kids, and I was still not Catholic. But no one seemed to understand that I only intended to be there for a week, and they were asking me to do all these things I had no idea how to do. The nightmare part was this feeling of "Crap, what have I done! What ever made me thing this was a good idea. My wife is going to kill me." And thoughts of those nature.
Anyway I met a lot of really cool people. I had a good time. It was all very interesting, but I am glad to be back.
I particularly like the "Sign of Peace" portion of the liturgy, but I'm glad that they don't kiss anymore.
I turns out that a reasonably large percentage of people who start the path towards becoming a priest eventually decide it's not for them. Fourteen people started at the same time as Ed and only 6 made it all the way to the end (it does take 8 years). One of the guys who'd dropped out (at year four) was back to see his former classmates get ordained, and I hung out with him quite a bit. It turns out that even if you drop out, if you later decide that you made a mistake you can come back, and that in fact there was one guy who had done it twice. Somehow this whole idea translated into the subconscious idea that it was easy to join and leave the program. As a result I had something of a nightmare while I was there.
I dreamed that I had joined the program, but I intended to only join it for a week, but I was still married, with kids, and I was still not Catholic. But no one seemed to understand that I only intended to be there for a week, and they were asking me to do all these things I had no idea how to do. The nightmare part was this feeling of "Crap, what have I done! What ever made me thing this was a good idea. My wife is going to kill me." And thoughts of those nature.
Anyway I met a lot of really cool people. I had a good time. It was all very interesting, but I am glad to be back.
I particularly like the "Sign of Peace" portion of the liturgy, but I'm glad that they don't kiss anymore.
posted by DireKobold at 12:59 PM
2 Comments:
Of course, now thanks to you, everyone is saying "Oooh, look at the new 'Father' with his fancy copy of 'The Economist.'" :)
Thanks for coming! It was a ton of fun!
I forgot to add: there's a story that in England an older man joined the Dominicans there, as a lay brother (not a priest). A couple of years later, a woman comes up to the door of the priory, asking for "her husband." The friars were shocked, and turned to him. "I knew she'd find me someday."
Obviously this was another time (early 20th cent).
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