All Saints Day 2008

Had to post some pics:

Zach as
St. Charles Lwanga

Eli as
St. Gregory the Great

Last but not least:
Zeke as St. Padre Pio

Talk I gave in Boise this Summer

I forgot to post a link to the talks I gave in Boise this summer. The title was:

That They Might Have Life and Have It Abundantly:

Spirituality and Theology in the Gospel of John for Today

You can listen to them and download the slides over at www.friendsofmikelee.org. The talks are a brief study of the Gospel of John that focuses on the principles of Christian living found therein.

End of Summer and the New Semester

The end of the summer is here. I never cease to marvel at how fast time passes. It seems like yesterday we were arriving in Frankfurt anxious and excited. Now it is two years later, and I am entering the last year of the STM degree...

The summer concluded with a bang. I took a intensive Latin course the last three weeks of August. It was intense. Four hours-a-day, five days-a-week. I took the Latin proficiency test yesterday and passed. Whew....thanks be to God. Now on to the new semester tomorrow.

The last week of Latin we had a visitor from Boise. Mike Gaudette stopped by for a few days as he was vacationing over here. It was a real treat to see and visit with Mike again. We even got him to Vienna for a little sight seeing.

As I said, I start the new semester tomorrow. I have a nice full line-up of classes. The ITI surely doesn't want a person to be bored while they are here! :-) I am taking:

Greek (New Testament) - first semester of full year of Greek

Metaphysics II - reading Descartes, Hume, Hegel, Kant, and Heidegger

Christology - St. Thomas Aquinas on the Incarnation

Soteriology - St. Thomas Aquinas and others on salvation and redemption

Moral Theology: Law and Grace - St. Thomas Aquinas

Moral Theology: Virtue and Vice - St Thomas Aquinas

I hope you all had a fantastic summer of rest and renewal. Please continue to pray for us as we seek to do the Lord's will.

Oooops...

I intended, yesterday, to post a picture of Felicity and somehow didn't. So here it is:

Deb and Felicity at a castle in Salzburg.

The castle in Salzburg.

The picture of the castle was taken from here;
this is Maria Plain.

The altar at Maria Plain. In the center is
a miraculous image of Our Lady.

Miraculous image of Our Lady at
Maria Plain in Salzburg.

Just to give you an idea about distance. The Wolfgang am See is two hours away to the WSW. Salzburg it three hours due west. Český Krumlov, Czech Republic is 2 hours away to the NNW.

It is amazing that treasures such as these are just a few minutes drive away...

YIKES!!

I just realized it has been over two months since my last post! My time goes by so quickly. We are doing great. I am in the middle of a intensive Latin class that is devouring my every moment. I will be around to post every once-in-awhile. Sorry, that I am unable to post more. Thank you so much for your prayers and support!! Since I am here, I decided to throw in a couple of pictures.

Double click on an image to enlarge it...

Cody cutting onions

Deb and Zeke at Wolfgang am See

Wolfgang am See in the distance. Deb was sitting
just outside the Church you can see.

The boys in front of a suit of armor
in Český Krumlov, Czech Republic

The castle in Český Krumlov.

We were given a tremendous gift this summer. One of the Byzantine priests and his family were traveling back to Colorado for a month of the summer so they loaned us their van! We were able to see so many local sights over that month. Deb or I will try to post more pictures as we are able. Thank you so very much for allowing us, and our children, to have these once-in-a-lifetime experiences!! We love you!

I LEAVE TOMORROW...

Here is the full "Mike Lee agenda".

If you are a glutton for punishment, you can go and listen to Brent, Mike, and I go through the whole spiel (download the mp3)!

Thanks for all your prayers and support!!

Teaching: That They May Have Life, and Have It Abundantly:
Spirituality and Theology in the Gospel of John for Today
June 10, 11, and 12
7pm-9pm
Our Lady of the Valley; 1122 W Linden St, Caldwell, ID
No cost - freewill donation.

We will dig deeply into the key themes and terms in the Gospel of John in order to deepen our relationship with the Blessed Trinity. Key themes and terms include: gift, glory, obedience, love, belief, "signs", kingship, and light to name a few. We will discover that the depth of the Gospel will draw us to know, live for, and love our Lord in a new and more profound manner. Please bring a Bible, pen, and paper. Hope to see you there!!



Make a Strike for Mike Bowl-a-thon!
Saturday, June14th at 1 pm
Meridian Bowling Lanes: 324 S Meridian Rd

Join Mike and crew as we catch up and take down some pins!
$15 minimum pledge to enter. Includes three games and shoe rental.
There will be prizes for highest scorer, most pledges collected, plus door prizes. Encourage your friends and family to join in for an afternoon of fun and friendly competition for Mike. Pledge sheets available for download here. See you there!


Teaching: That They May Have Life, and Have It Abundantly:
Spirituality and Theology in the Gospel of John for Today
June 17, 18, and 19
Morning Session 10am-12pm
or
Evening Session 7pm-9pm
Morning and evening sessions may be mixed
Nazareth Retreat Center; 4450 N. Five Mile Road, Boise
No cost - freewill donation.

We will dig deeply into the key themes and terms in the Gospel of John in order to deepen our relationship with the Blessed Trinity. Key themes and terms include: gift, glory, obedience, love, belief, "signs", kingship, and light to name a few. We will discover that the depth of the Gospel will draw us to know, live for, and love our Lord in a new and more profound manner. Please bring a Bible, pen, and paper. Hope to see you there!!


Farewell Fundraising Dinner with Silent Auction
Saturday, June 21st at 6:30 p.m.
Louie's Restaurant- 2500 E. Fairview Avenue, Meridian
$20 per person.

Say farewell to Mike as his trip concludes. Let's shower him with love and peace knowing another year of school is covered. Purchase dinner tickets at the teaching, bowl-a-thon, or by calling 658-4491.

To donate auction items call 658-4491 or email friendsofmikelee@gmail.com.

Amazing Experiences...

Two finals down, three to go. I needed a study break and just had to share this...

We have lived in Europe for nearly two years now. Although, much of it is very secularized there are still pockets of deep, Catholic beauty and culture to be found. This beauty breaks forth every now and again in the most amazing ways. These experiences are tremendous gifts of the Lord often easily overlooked but so rich and wonderful if seen for what they really are. I had one of those experiences today.

There is perpetual Adoration at the Kartause Maria Thron; the church where the International Theological Institute and the Franciscan University Austrian Program worship. The time is split between the students of both institutions. My family has an hour-and-a-half of Adoration on Saturday morning. I was there with the Lord when I heard quite a commotion behind me. This is not unusual in that there are many tours that come through the church - often through the Adoration chapel. I was trying to ignore them but caught a atypical sight in my peripheral vision, so I had to look. I was surprised to see about 20 Cistercian monks genuflecting and passing through to another chapel that is above the Adoration chapel. One of our instructors, Dr. Michael Waldstein, has a son who is a Cistercian at the Stift Heiligenkreuz. (Here are a few photos I took when we visited.) This monastery has been in continuous service to the Church since the 12th Century. It is amazing to think that they have been chanting the Divine Office in the same place continuously for about 900 years! They just got a record deal to sing plainchant for Universal (see article here). I hear that they have already recorded the album and now are in the midst of mixing it.

Anyway, as they filed past I realized what might be happening...YES!!! They went up to the chapel to sing the Office!! So imagine, I am alone with the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament while listening to the Cistercian monks chant the Office in Latin! The acoustics of the chapel and the stairway where the chant proceeded down was magnificent. I sat there filled with the Presence of the Lord listening to the ancient praises being sung. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and wonder. Such a simple gift but so profound. It is amazing how the Lord is forever giving us little tokens of his love. It seems that we never have the time to pray. We must make it. When we do, God is never outdone in generosity. I will never forget those few minutes of chant and the gift of love that they were...


As a side-note, the cross with which the bishop blesses at the end of the video is the largest relic of the true Cross north of the Alps.

LOOK OUT BOISE, I AM COMING HOME!!

I am so excited! I just bought my ticket to come home for a couple weeks this summer. With that said, I'd like to announce:

“That They May Have Life, and Have It Abundantly: Spirituality and Theology in the Gospel of John for Today.”

What: A three-day mission.

Who: Me! :-)

Where: Nazareth Retreat Center; 4450 N. Five Mile Road, Boise

When: June 17, 18, 19

Time: Morning Session 10:00am-12:00pm

Evening Session 7:00pm-9:00pm

Cost: No cost - freewill donation.

Please bring a Bible, pen, and paper.

Description: We will dig deeply into the key themes and terms in the Gospel of John in order to deepen our relationship with the Blessed Trinity. Key themes and terms include: gift, glory, obedience, love, belief, "signs", kingship, and light to name a few. We will discover that the depth of the Gospel will draw us to know, live for, and love our Lord in a new and more profound manner. I hope to see you there!!

Clarification: The retreat/mission consists of 3-sessions. The same presentations will be made in the morning session and the evening session. You can mix and match at will! :-)