A Day in Chicago {Day 8: Meandering Home}

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle...

Visiting St. John Cantius placed first on our 1-day-in-Chicago-to-do list;  meeting up with a long lost high school friend was a very close second.  Brian, my dear friend from Gig Harbor High School and a current FB and Christmas card friend, caught our online posts as we traveled I90 en route to Notre Dame and emailed an invite to stop off at his place on our way back through Chicago.  Further communications revealed that he lived only a short distance from St. John Cantius, and very near to St. Michael's Church (in Old Town), which he highly recommended we check out, knowing how we love our Churches.

St. Michael Church, Old Town Chicago

Brian served as our personal transportation consultant for the drive into and around the Windy City, with great driving directions and tips for avoiding serious back-ups and finding free parking.  At Brian's suggestion, we met at St. Michael's in Old Town around lunch time.  The glorious artwork was captivating, and reminiscent of Churches we visited in Italy, the high altar and tabernacle were still in place. 

Tim, Zachary and I were all given St. Michael as our middle-name patron, and our family fosters a special devotion to this Archangel, so visiting this place named in his honor had special significance... little did we know HOW special and HOW significant!

Joseph teaches Emmett a new trick at lunch.

After our rendezvous at St. Michael's, we walked a few blocks through beautiful Old Town Chicago to Brian's house, where we met his wife, Kathleen, and sons Emmett and Evan, before venturing on foot to the neighborhood diner for deli sandwiches and milkshakes.  Post lunch festivities included a trip to the North Shore of Lake Michigan, a short walk from their house.  The adults lounged and visited on the sandy shore, and the our boys enjoyed a dip in the lake, while their boys frolicked on the beach.

Peter and Evan's sidewalk races in Old Town Chicago

4 boys on a bridge, heading for the beach

Back to Brian's house for sand-rinsing, Lego sharing, and adult bonding, we found ourselves still in town at 5:30PM when the daily Mass began at St. Michael's in a side chapel.  My new friend, Kathleen, and I speed-walked to Mass, while the men-folk lingered and joined us at the Church for a 6PM farewell gathering.  Barefooted sidewalk races and pinkie toe first aid ensued, and before long we tore ourselves away from our Chicago friends and began another many hours drive west.

Joseph and Peter swimming in Lake Michigan on Chicago's North Shore

Noteworthy:

• Tonight's en-route inspirational CD highlighted the spiritual experience of reconnecting with a long-lost friend named Brian, not seen in 27 years...on this day that I reconnected with my friend, Brian, not seen in 27 years; certainly a spiritual experience!
• On sharing our Chicago stories with Tim's parents, they told us that it was IN ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH in Chicago that they received the inspiration to give their unborn son (Tim) the middle name Michael! Certainly another spiritual experience...

Tim and me on the North Shore

Brian and Kathleen in their own backyard

Our final view as we departed Illinois heading West

Meandering Home {Day 7: South Bend to Chicago}

Peter receives an exuberant greeting from the hounds at Uncle Wayne's house.

The sting of leaving Zachary at Notre Dame {at 2:22PM} was eased by divine grace, and by the fact that we had a dinner engagement in Chicago with Tim's uncle and cousin that evening.  Treated to deep dish Chicago-style pizza, we enjoyed the chance to visit with Wayne and Stacy and meet their (growing) menagerie of furry friends.  Checking into our hotel after the family reunion, we were assigned to room 222.

Cousin Stacy, Uncle Wayne, Tim and Bridget

A long desired wish to visit St. John Cantius Church in Chicago, put a family pilgrimage at the top of our to-do list during our short stay in the Windy City.  We navigated toll roads and one way streets to the Church, and upon entering were surprised to find the entire nave filled with scaffolding and drop cloths. We knew that extensive renovations were happening at St. John Cantius, but had no idea that the place was actually off limits to visitors that day.  We walked along the outside isle, taking in the beauty amidst the construction chaos.  A quick call to the main office filled in a few blanks:

"Hello, St. John Cantius."
"Hello, we are visiting from Washington State and made a special stop to visit the Church. Father Phillips told us that one of the Brothers could show us around the Church today."
(Pause) "The Church is closed today and tomorrow, the only days it's not open to the public during the construction project.  Can you come back another day?"
"No, we are only in town today."
(Pause) "Where are you?"
"We are in the Church, near the baptismal font.  The doors were open... the construction crew must have been on a break because we didn't see anyone when we arrived."
"Stay right there.  I will be right over."

St. John Cantius, under renovation

Not even a minute after we were given instructions to stay put, a construction worker some 30+ feet above us on a scaffolding platform yelled down,

"Hey!  Get out of here!  There's no one allowed in here today!" 
"But Father told us to wait right here.  He's on his way over to see us."
(Pause) "OK... Well then could you unplug that extension cord and unwind it from the base of the pillar?"

Main altar at St. John Cantius, during renovations Aug. 2012

Brother Matthew arrived shortly thereafter, a pleasant, peaceful young man in his fifth year (of eleven) of formation for the priesthood in the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius.  Well informed and entirely welcoming despite the scheduled building closure, Brother Matthew visited with us, answering our many questions and sharing the mission and charism of St. John Cantius.  Amazing renewals are happening in our Holy Catholic Church, and the Restoration of the Sacred at St. John Cantius offers a glimpse of the tremendous, heavenly beauty of our prayer and worship, rediscovered and restored.

Brother Matthew with Joseph and Peter at St. John Cantius, Chicago

Restoring the sacred, St. John Cantius is filled with beautiful works of art.

Like most religious orders, St. John Cantius' priests and brothers welcome prayer requests and have an online prayer request form, through which prayers can be requested from anyone, anywhere. 

Destination Notre Dame {Day 4: La Crosse to South Bend}



Pay to drive system in full effect


Sleeping through most of the breakfast hour, we ate lobby fare hurriedly before loading up and shipping out of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Stopping briefly along the shores of the Mississippi River to purchase fuel and de-bug the windshield, we discovered a bait room with a full refrigerated tank full of bait, including leeches. Yum! No time for fishing, or cutting bait, so east we headed on I90.

A more urgent sense of reaching our South Bend destination has quickened our steps and our stops; no picnicking today. Fast food from a taco place sufficed for lunch and other than a rest area or two for necessary relief, we’re strictly down to the business of getting somewhere this day.

A powerful witness talk called “Winning the Game for Christ,” by Major League All-Star Mike Sweeney, lifted our spirits along another monotonous stretch of road. Anyone who questions the life changing, soul marking power of the sacrament of baptism aught to hear Sweeney describe the beginning of his walk with Christ ~ at his infant baptism in a NICU unit and miraculous cure. Sweeney’s talk highlighted the need to let Christ be our guide and driver on the road of life. His encouragement to weather any of life’s storms by fixing our gaze entirely upon the face of Christ hit home in a very meaningful way.

Rehearsals for the Chicago Air Show over I90

Delays on I90 over this stretch of our journey included the expected multiple stops to pay road tolls, and an unexpected but exhilarating air show over the city of Chicago by an Air Force acrobatic team. The jets roared over us in a trinity formation, diving, rolling and ripping through the urban skyline. Many drivers were understandably distracted and the crawl through Chicago easily endured with such sights above.

Below the golden dome; Zachary's arrival at the University of Notre Dame 

Spotting the first sign on I90 marking the distance to South Bend increased the need for speed, and with Zac riding shotgun, we arrived in his new hometown in good time, losing another clock hour as we entered Eastern Standard Time. After quickly depositing our belongings in a spacious hotel room, we made our way to the University of Notre Dame campus. The picturesque approach to the golden dome was accented by a perfectly timed text from ND Alum Grandpa Pete asking if we had arrived yet. Indeed we had arrived.

A stroll across Notre Dame's campus gave us a peek of the glorious architecture and sprawling grounds, and brought us to the famed Grotto at the very hour that the public Rosary (Gospel meditation) was being prayed. Before hundreds of votive candles blazing in the simple rock cave dedicated to the Blessed Mother of God, we lifted our praise to God in community.

And Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name..."
       ~Luke 1:46-49

Rough play in the pool; on our last evening together at the South Bend hotel before Zac's move-in day.

Destination Notre Dame (Day 3: Rapid City to La Crosse)



Joseph, Zachary at Peter after morning Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Rapid City, SD


With double alarm clock security, we arose at 6AM on day three, the Feast of the Assumption. Knowing we would be travelers on this holy day, and wanting to keep our obligation to attend Mass, we had intentionally picked our hotel to be within walking distance of the Rapid City cathedral. The warm early morning walk with only one treacherous J-walking passage took less than ten minutes and allowed for quiet prayer time before Mass. The church was fairly packed and the liturgy’s timeless beauty with the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist super charged us for another day on the road.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Rapid City, SD

Motel map reading meeting

Coffee snob that I am, I brewed my own coffee-to-go as the guys ate assorted waffles and biscuits and whatnot in the seriously crowded and slightly overheated hotel lobby. The great majority of us would soon be driving southeast on Mt. Rushmore Road to take in the awesome hillside attraction. Built up beyond recognition to Tim (whose family visited the site in the 70’s) the monumental experience offered us a two+ hour respite from the monotony of highway travel.

Mount Rushmore's interpretive displays and over half mile of walking trails gave us a wider perspective on this national treasure. Temping (but clearly marked off-limits) boulders along the side of the trail proved to be a challenge of willpower for one of our more eager and adventuresome members. A lesson on the graces of obedience ensued.

Basic training

Our much enjoyed detour put us on the journey east at almost noon. Extremely windy conditions along hours of sad looking corn fields suffering from record draught conditions made for a more than monotonous day of travel. Hastily prepared bbq chicken and baked bean (ie: left-overs) sandwiches on half bagels eaten while driving sufficed for lunch along with a bag of pretzels.



Our approach to Wall Drug offered marvels of marketing madness for mile upon mile as enticing treats and .5 coffee were promoted in large, artsy roadside signage. We successfully fought the temptation to pull off the highway to see what all the fuss was about. That’s right, we just said No to Wall Drug. Take that, relentless advertising blitz, we won this round.



Another time change somewhere along the never ending South Dakota highway brought Zachary one hour closer his new time zone.  A growing excitement to reach his final destination gave inspiration to fight the clock and power through the miles making a further stop than originally planned. A quick stop for sub sandwiches as a dinner on the go kept us moving in the right direction.  Our final stop for the day in La Cross, Wisconsin, ended another triple state day of travel, and we wearily checked into our hotel just after the pool closed at 11PM.
 
The smeared evidence of today’s bug collisions marked by vertical streaks staining the windshield show a total kill count which must be in the thousands. Our apologies to the insect world.



Noteworthy:

• Biscuits and gravy may or may not hit the spot.
• Language guessing can be a fascinating pass time at national monuments.
• Nervous passengers best not ride shotgun on extremely windy days when passing swaying semi trucks cannot be avoided.

Destination Notre Dame {Day 2: Bozeman to Rapid City}

Peter attempts to remove road kill.

Not surprisingly, a few of us slept late in the quiet darkness of the Bozeman hotel room, including Joseph in his floor-nest arrangement. Peter and I enjoyed a lingering coffee/breakfast hour in the hotel lobby, whereas the late-sleepers appeared, ate, and split for packing and pre-departure chores.



Without further ado, we poured back into our low-riding mini-van with Zachary at the wheel and made tracks out of Bozeman. Chauffeuring us through the Crazy Mountains on weather-weary roads, Zachary’s driving wasn’t to blame for Tim’s near sea-sickness in the way back cozy-seat where Zachary had enjoyed many hours of napping on day one. Probably wishing he’d called shotgun, Tim endured the roller coaster highway with windy gusts as his adult son captained the ship for a spell.

National Cemetery at Little Bighorn

A planned visit to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (formerly known as Custer’s Last Stand) coincided with lunch time and simple PB&J was on the picnic menu. Grandma Billie’s apricot jam sweetened the deal and a few pieces of left over pizza contributed a little spice. The overcast skies tampered the scorching heat sufficiently to allow us a brisk walk through the expansive monument; our youngest member dodging slow-moving tourists in a bold display of dexterity.

Hours along timeless stretches of I90 brought us safely to Rapid City where a room with a pull-a-way waited ready to host us for a few hours of rest. In the same parking lot a family friendly restaurant beckoned with rumors of amazing barbecue fare, which took a back seat to the serving of snickers ice cream pie we took back to the room to share five ways. An evening dip in a very cool pool helped sterilize a few bodies after a few days without showers and offered an hour of entertainment for those in and out of the water.

Slightly synchronized sinking

Settling down in another hotel room after another full day’s drive doesn’t happen automatically, but my super effective ear plugs allow me to doze through any amount of unrest and “move over brother” moments.



Noteworthy:

• Matthew Kelly’s “The Best Way to Live” CD captivates even lukewarm listeners and offers powerful tips for living well including:
• Spend time in the classroom of silence EVERY day, even if only for one minute.
• Never say, “I’m too young,” or, “I’m too old.” These are thinking traps.
• Finding deep peace through prayer will give us courage to do what is right.
• Having friends like AM who give you Matthew Kelly CD’s rock. Thanks, AM!
• St. MM Kolbe’s witness to self sacrifice in the face of torture and injustice inspires and motivates. What a great saint!

Destination Notre Dame {Day 1: Bellingham to Bozeman}



A dad's duty: loading the car for departure.


Alarms ringing at 5AM, only a few hours after a few of us finally fell asleep, the departure for Zachary’s new life at the University of Notre Dame drew near. Awakened by his sleepy friend, Patrick, who had crashed on Ezra’s old bed after the final round of DnD in the wee hours, Zachary watched as his dad systematically loaded all the carefully packed bags and boxes into the van in the darkness of pre-dawn while the coffee brewed.



One down, two wide awake and ready for action.



Only half an hour after our posted leave-time we were all road worthy, and began the 2,000 mile drive with the traditional family prayer. The Joyful mysteries of Christ’s life on our minds and in our hearts as we lifted up our journey and Zachary’s launch.



A shortage of beds leads to creative negotiations.



An uneventful day of driving, with as few stops as humanly possible found us arriving safely in Bozeman, Montana, only to discover that the over-the-phone hotel reservation service (rhymes with stupedia) misled us and booked a room that could only sleep four at a hotel that didn’t even own roll-a-way beds. After over twelve hours of driving nothing satisfies like calling an 800 customer service number for a gigantic corporation, waiting on hold for 30+ minutes and getting hung-up-on by before finishing your first sentence.



Pizza time in Bozeman, Montana



Oven-fired pizza to the rescue; the guys walked 3 miles to the restaurant in the warm Montana night and I brought the van for a speedy trip back to the hotel after our 9pm supper. Without complaint, Joseph slept on the floor on a pile of blankets and bedding willingly provided by the hotelier, sorry for the mis-representation of the room we booked.



Noteworthy:

• Zachary slept most of the 12 hour drive.
• Coastal environs of our hometown gave way to mountainous terrain, followed by high plateaus.
• Our Lady of the Rockies statue outside Butte has a commanding presence at the Continental Divide.
• Unexpected 94 degree heat at a fuel stop in St. Regis caught us off guard and significantly reduced our desire to linger.
• St. Regis the man led a pretty phenomenally holy life.
• Having a smart phone makes on-the-go Q&A's a breeze.

Becoming Irish {Countdown to Notre Dame}

Joseph, Zachary and Peter at Sacred Heart

In one month, Zachary will have a new address, and we will drive back toward home on our first full day without our oldest son, as his life at the University of Notre Dame as a member of the class of 2016 begins.  A resident of Knott Hall, Zachary will form new friendships and join a pseudo family of sorts with whom he will spend his days and nights, meals and Masses during his freshman year.

Zac and Angus as dueling Leprechauns

Irish swag given to Zac by his Irish Godmother at graduation

Prior to Zachary's departure, a few things to keep us busy include:

• Notre Dame swag, check
• Contact new roommate, check
• Jump through mandatory hoops, including, but not limited to:
• physical exam and proof of vaccinations, check
• complete online alcohol awareness course, almost check
• transcript with final grades, check
• first tuition payment... almost check

• Set departure date and itinerary for the family road trip to Notre Dame, check
• Pray without ceasing, check!

Godfather-Uncle Peter and Godmother Aileen with a silly Zachary at graduation

Your prayers welcomed, encouraged and appreciated.

Italy Day 19 {Loreto}

View of the basilica from our balcony at the Hotel Loreto

Moon over Hotel Loreto, from our balcony

Outside view of the marble chapel encasing the Santa Casa in Loreto

 Following in the footsteps of many holy men and women, (including our friend, Paul, from Sacred Heart who loaned us the book, "Catholic Shrines of Western Europe," which guided many of our stops along our Italian pilgrimage), we visited the Holy House in Loreto.   St. Therese of Lisieux made a momentous pilgrimage to Loreto before entering the Carmelites (described at length in her autobiography); St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Frances Cabrini, Blessed John Henry Newman, St. John Neumann, and St. Francis de Sales also made pilgrimages to this holy site.  Our friend from San Giovanni Rotondo, Father Michael Pio, having lived there as a Capuccin priest, sent detailed descriptions of some of the artwork in the basilica, the times of the friars' prayers in the Church, and notes about the Holy House:

"...there are inscriptions by the first Judeo-Christians who visited the Holy House when it was still a part of the original dwelling of the Holy Family in Nazareth. There is notably one which combines Greek and Hebrew signs and means "O Jesus Christ, Son of God". It is matched by an identical invocation which is still to be found in a grotto in Nazareth close to the Grotto of the Annunciation." 

Dozens of priests sat in the various side chapels and in the old fashioned wooden box confessionals offering the healing sacrament of reconciliation (confession).  So many people were lined up, by languages (posted on each station) in order to be freed from sin in this special sacrament.   The feeling of repentance and healing in this holy place was both overpowering and inspiring.   Inside the Holy House, prayers, petitions, thanksgiving and praise were offered up to our Lord through our advocate and Blessed Mother, Mary.   A hushed silence filled the Holy House even as it was completely packed with pilgrims of every age, from all over the world.

Peter and Joseph play competitive coin rolling games at the fountain in the square at the basilica in Loreto.

Angels and saints and unbelievable beauty on the ceiling at the basilica in Loreto

A patron saint looks down from above.

Noteworthy:

• I forgot to mention that Tim was able to repair the damaged camera (on day 2 or 3)!
• The AA battery camera, previously used by Peter (on the days he had finger injuries from all the shutter action) burns through batteries at a rate we could not have foreseen, and has thus been retired for the time being. 

• We are continually entertained by the different methods used by the Italian police to keep order, including using little hand-held stop signs to pull over cars in traffic.

Italy Day 13 {Last Day in Rome}

Bernini's Elephant Obelisk at

Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Rome, Italy

 

Stained glass masterpiece in Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

Waking up at 5am to the sound of Joseph groaning in pain, Tuesday was a day to forget in some respects. Vomiting for about 7 hours, Joseph stayed in bed most of the day. By the grace of God, none of the rest of us fell ill (until Zac arrive home to the US, sick). Zachary theorized that Joseph contracted the sickness while rolling around on the hotel floor when the 3 boys jammed onto one double bed (really two twin beds pushed together) sleeping arrangement hadn't worked out so well. He WAS the only one to roll around on the hotel floor... who knows? We were also in a "non potable" water area on our journey into the mountains, so perhaps he picked up a bug there? Or was it the chicken at the Autogrille?

Devoted father, Tim opted to stay at the flat with Joseph as he slowly recovered Tuesday; reflecting on the bitter Passion of Christ and the terrible sword that pierced the heart of Mary at the sight of her Son's terrible suffering. Joseph's temporary discomfort was by comparison minuscule; never the less, Tim recognized his own sadness at seeing Joseph sick in light of the sadness of a our Blessed Mother as she watched her child in agony.

Tomb of St. Philip Neri; Chiesa Nuova, Rome, Italy

Daily and Sunday Mass and confession times posted on the door of Chiesa Nuova, Rome

On his final day in Italy, Zac joined Peter and I for another blazing tour of the city. We didn't get going until after 10:30AM, due to the poor night's sleep, but we hit the ground running... rather sitting on a bus in a maddening urban traffic jam. Our route had been marked out the night before by our friend, Oana, who gave us a list of final must sees in Rome: a 5 basilica route, visiting and praying at the tombs of St. Augustine, St. Philip Neri, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Clemente, St. Cyril, and many others. The three of us walked, bussed, rode the Metro and then jogged to make it back to the flat by 5:30PM for our reunion with Tim and Joseph.


Packed up and ready to vacate our flat, our friend, Pietro, called a cab and arranged that the fee would not exceed e50. Four of us across the back seat of a small sedan, one up front, our prayers for a safe journey to the airport Marriott were answered; though we panicked a bit when the driver sped past a Marriott (which we thought was our hotel). Arriving safely and under the e50 agreed upon cost, our next adventure into Italian accommodations began. "Your reservation is for two, but I can see that you are more than two..." followed by a bit of red tape and added expense. This night's reservation was a Christmas gift from Grandpa Cliff & Grandma Billie. The eve of Zac's departure at the Marriott was by far our most comfortable, pampered night thus far in Italy, and the extra charge for the extra people (the US reservations center could not take a 5 person reservation for Italian hotels) was money well spent.

Noteworthy:

• Total number of postcards purchased so far: 25+
• Total number of postcards written so far: 4 or 5
• Chances that most of our Italian postcards will be mailed in the US: 100%