And the trip rolls on. Another 854 miles on, actually. After keeping it “weird” in the damp and lush hills of Portland, my cross-country journey led me south last week to the dry desert of Southern California. Unlike my first two stops, this was not a small country parish or intimate community. From 900 families the week before up to 4200, Sts. Simon and Jude Parish in Huntington Beach, CA could rightly be called a Mega Church in the Catholic world. Each of its five masses filled the large worship space, and even though it was summer, there were activities galore each day on its grounds.
A quick update, by the numbers (as of 6/22):
- Days on mission: 21
- Miles traveled: 2696
- Homilies preached: 13
- Talks given: 10
- Videos produced: 5
- Miles run: 31.1 (9 runs)
- Books read: 1.25
- Episodes of The West Wing watched: 16
It’s now Monday, June 25, the second day of my first week of vacation this summer, and I find myself back in Chicago in my own room, relaxing and preparing for the next leg of the journey. I will hopefully be posting another video tomorrow or Wednesday, but likely no others until next week. Thanks for all of your prayers and support on this mission so far!
I love Portland. I loved just walking around. In the Pearl District I used to eat at the same famous restaurant and always had their halibut
A prayer to share with the world.
A Life Without Complaint
My almighty God,
my ability to endure the daily struggle of life is very fragile.
My almighty God,
faithen me of your love,
as the grace of your mercy,
forgives me of my sins;
to lead me into
a life without complaint.
Amen