Summer Order

It's a phrase that I first picked up in the novitiate, the first two years of my Jesuit formation. The exact form of "summer order" has differed in the various communities in which I've lived over the past eight years, but generally it refers to a slightly different pace and rhythm of activities during those months outside of the academic calendar. Here at Holy Cross, it brings the promise of socializing on our front patio after Mass, even eating dinner there, taking advantage of the short season New England offers for such pleasures. There's a more casual feel to the house; I no longer think twice about wearing a soccer jersey to dinner, maybe even to Mass if one of my two favorite national teams (Mexico or Chile) is playing. (Thanks to my Jesuit brothers in these two countries for introducing me to this habit... no pun intended.) This season also speaks of greater mobility; within a week of Commencement, nearly a third of the community had departed for destinations around the globe: immersion trips, a pilgrimage, conferences, annual retreats. I hit the road tomorrow, first to New York for a few days of gatherings that will culminate in the priestly ordination of three Jesuits, then to New Orleans for a weeklong workshop on management and administration– the latest body of skills and experience that I've been developing.

I'll have my fair share of work and leisure, engaged activity and contemplative retreat, days on the road and days here in Worcester, during the summer months. While I'll strive to sustain my foundational rhythm of prayer and reflection, and the attentiveness to God in all things and all people that it fosters, amidst my comings and goings, I'm grateful for a different order that shifts the patterns of my days, and contributes richly and seamlessly into the ongoing journey of my life. The familiar and more intense pace of the academic year will return soon enough... three months from now, we'll be through the first week of class. In the meantime, summer order is a welcome change, and one that my brothers and I are certainly appreciating after a good year at the College and in our various apostolates around the city.