I spent the July 4th weekend in Colorado Springs, to celebrate the wedding of my friends John and Erin. John is fellow Domer and we were flatmates during our semester abroad in London. Erin is originally from Woodland Park, Colorado the town just up the pass from Colorado Springs and our Holy Cross novitiate in Cascade. Erin's home parish, Our Lady of the Woods, hosted all of the wedding guests for a wonderful Sunday evening Mass, at which I was honored to preside, and then at a lovely rehearsal dinner.
On the 4th itself, we gathered for the wedding Mass at Colorado Springs' Cathedral of St. Mary, and then for a reception at the lovely Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. I don't yet have any pictures from the wedding day but I'll post any that come my way.
It was certainly fitting to spend Independence Day in the shadow of Pikes Peak, as the lyrics of America the Beautiful were originally penned by Katharine Lee Bates as a poem entitled Pikes Peak. I'm not sure that the mountains were purple while I was there, but they certainly were majestic.
I stayed in Cascade with our Holy Cross novices and had the chance to hike a bit with Dave, Chris, and Chase: three of the men who will profess first vows on July 30th! Congratulations to them and their classmates - they are a fabulous group!
While I was visiting, I was also able to help Fr. Kevin, our novicemaster, select a few shrubs to plant in front of the main house. In my days in Cascade, there was a rather unsightly greenhouse attached to the front of the building which has now been removed. Planting these bushes will, I am sure, slightly soften the effect of the otherwise beautiful brick facade.
Being a hardworking lot, the novices made quick work of the project and we were able to survey our handiwork by the end of the afternoon work period.
Other than some travel fun with United Airlines the weekend was perfect and I look forward to visiting John and Erin in their new home in Brooklyn, and to visiting the novitiate again this fall!
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