Good Morning from Rochester!

It is Monday morning here in Rochester and most of our group is on their way to their service sites. Taylor and I have a little bit of time before we depart for St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center. I thought I would attempt to summarize our time since departing Helena early Saturday morning. 

We arrived in Rochester, NY on Saturday evening after stops in Minneapolis and Detroit. With each leg of the journey, the group’s excitement level grew. Srs. Donna and Marilyn met us at the airport and we happily crammed ourselves into the short bus for the drive to their home in the Southeast section of Rochester, observing the city lights along the way. Srs. Lorraine and Barbara had a warm meal waiting for us on the stove after we found our rooms and made our beds quickly. We spent the evening getting acquainted in the house and our hosts and played many rounds of Catch Phrase. 

Sunday morning brought with it a day of opportunities. Our group joined Sr. Marilyn for mass at a local parish. The celebrant talked about mountain top experiences during his homily. I couldn’t help but think about this trip to Rochester as a mountain top experience for myself. This is my second trip to Rochester with Carroll students and often look back at the trip last year as one of several peaks in my life over the past year (a series that includes marrying my wife, Brittany, who is also on the trip this year and the adjoining of our families). After lunch and some relaxation, Srs. Donna and Marilyn led our group on a tour of service sites as we “Prayed the City” and prayed for the sites and our group members serving at the locations. It’s more than amazing to see the impact that the Sisters of Saint Joseph have throughout the city of Rochester. From a daycare center, schools, a neighborhood center, and a soup kitchen to name just a few, these women serve so many throughout the city. (See photos of our service sights at http://www.tumblr.com/blog/carrollheadlights).

Sunday evening was spent in community: dinner with Sister Mary Lou, the congregation president, evening reflection and several hours (and the accompanying laughs) of games in the living room. All of us were amazed at how quickly the time went by. 

All of a sudden it is Monday morning and all of us have shared morning prayer together and wished each other well as we have departed to serve this community. I’ll be excited to hear about the experiences later today. 

Thank you for your prayers and help along the way. This is an incredible experience for these students. Brittany and I are fortunate to share this experience with them. I look forward to sharing more throughout the week.

Dan (dminor@carroll.edu)