Much to Celebrate

O'Kane Hall

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester MA

After a long New England winter followed by a tardy and turbulent spring, it's the first day of summer here in Worcester. There's much to celebrate in addition to this turning of the seasons:

• At this latitude, solstice brings more than 15 hours of daylight, and for at least the next few weeks, sunset will be after 8pm, perfect for enjoying mild evenings.
• Today the Catholic Church, and particularly the Society of Jesus, honor St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who lived in Italy during the 16th century. As a young Jesuit, he tended to plague victims in Rome, and ultimately died of the same disease at the age of 23. His name has been taken up by a number of Jesuit schools, and he is one of the patrons of Jesuits in formation. I'm told that descendants of his relatives still gather at his shrine in Rome on this day each year.
• The College of the Holy Cross, where I live and work, today celebrates the 168th anniversary of its founding by Benedict Joseph Fenwick, SJ, the first bishop of Boston. Fittingly, the campus is filled with activity– construction projects that are upgrading landscaping and other facilities, a symposium on faith and the intellectual life, and more than two hundred accepted students and their parents for a two-day program of orientation to the College.

On a slightly more personal note, now that the hockey playoffs are finished (Well done, Bruins!), baseball takes the spotlight with the season in full swing. I'll be celebrating the start of the game's long summer arc by joining a friend for tonight's contest between San Diego and Boston at Fenway Park.

Have a wonderful and blessed summer!

Fenway Park

Boston MA