Category: On the Road…

California Day 7

This morning Jim McLaughlin and I went back to St. Columba Church where the St. Vincent de Paul Society organizes a weekly food distribution for needy and hungry people.

They quickly supplied me with an apron and plastic gloves and put me to work. My first task was bagging potatoes and yams and onions together.
21 volunteers sorted, cleaned, and repackaged a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits and loaves of bread and bags of rice. Food comes from a city food bank and from supermarket chains.

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These volunteers were opening packages of fruit to remove old and discolored pieces, and then repackaging them for insertion into 65 big brown paper bags that were distributed to people lined up at 11:00 AM.
Jim McLaughlin (L) and a colleague broke down the cardboard boxes for recycling. A parishioner collects the bundled boxes and sells them to a recycler to raise money for her grandson’s school expenses.
In addition to the neighborhood’s needs and hunger, there is a fear of the government’s arresting and detaining people who might be coming to the church.

California Day 6

Today was an interesting day. Jim had an appointment in the morning and Roberta goes to an exercise class for seniors on Mondays and I went with her. That was good and gave me some new ideas for exercises.

Late in the morning we three drove to Petaluma, north of Oakland, to visit Bob and Nancy McFarland whom we knew from their visits to Cambodia.

Bob is an accomplished nature and cultural photographer internationally recognized but he has decided that now is the time to conclude that phase of his life. He took us to his storehouse of photos he has been selling and offered to us any that we wished, thankful that people who appreciated his work could acquire some of it before he gives the remaining photographs away. I received some that he had taken on trips to Cambodia. They will go well in my new room with bare walls.

Then Nancy fed us a delicious lunch extended by a lot of conversation. With us was Marie Wren, former fund raiser for the Maryknoll priests and brothers. (L-R: Charlie, Marie, Bob, Roberta, Jim, and Nancy)

California Day 5

Our morning started with a 10:30 mass at St. Columba Church in Berkeley. It’s a Black Catholic parish and is a model for welcoming people and for active participation.
A bonus at St. Columba was reconnecting with Dierdre Savino, a former Maryknoll Lay Missioner in Peru. As a newcomer, I was asked to introduce myself, and after hearing my background, Dierdre realized our common vocation with the lay mission program.
After mass we had lunch and then went to a botanical garden but it was closed for a wedding. We then went to a museum but found it was for children. We consoled ourselves with some frozen yogurt and then eventually ended up at the McLaughlin home where Jim and Roberta gathered together some leftovers for dinner. A good day!

California Day 4

Today had a lot of travel but fewer stops.

Our first stop was near Santa Clara, to visit an ailing old friend of Jim and Roberta McLaughlin.
Then we drove farther south to Santa Clara to vist Marge Trant, the mother of Sr. Arlene Trant (R). Arlene and I worked together with the deaf community of Macau. Arlene’s sister Karen (L) was also with her mother today.
A photo of all of us with Jim and Roberta before we had a blessing for Marge before we left.
After the 1.5 hour drive back to Berkeley, it was decided to eat in a restaurant rather than cook at home. People were tired from all the travel in traffic.

California Day 1

Yesterday was a long day, with 7 to 8 hours of flying and at airports, and then starting touring in San Francisco.

The first noticeable element for me was changing planes in Las Vegas. There were slot machines all over the airport terminal, even at the gates.
Jim and Roberta met me at the Oakland airport and wanted to start touring right away after dropping my suitcase at my little house and walking around their neighborhood.

Then at 4:00 PM we watched the fourth lecture of the theologian Marcus Mescher online. He is really good!
Then we walked around their neighborhood and I saw some redwood trees nearby. They are beautiful. We also met their neighbor Ann who organizes an annual cookie fest.

Then we met with Maria, their daughter, and husband Randall and daughters Addis and Zella for dinner. That was lively and interesting.
We also met a man going to bible study who had an interesting T-shirt.
Jim and Roberta regularly take walks around their neighborhood.

MKLM Anniversary / Tuesday

Sorry I missed posting on Monday. I had plans to go visit some priests I know at the seminary building but there was a Covid scare and I had to forego that endeavor. Someone who attended the anniversary tested positive for Covid when they returned home, and I could not go to the seminary and was restricted to my room at the Sisters Center, even with a negative test for me. With so many elderly sisters and priests, they take no chances.

This is the courtyard of the Sisters Center, taken at breakfast time before we learned of the Covid testing.
Still before the Covid report, I walked over to the seminary to get my toothbrush I left in my room there.
Some workmen were doing something to the direction sign at the Society campus entrance. They were adding lights or something.
Then finally when the Covid scare was less, I had lunch with the sisters I knew and worked with in Cambodia and Thailand, and then it was time to go.

Sr. Luise drove me to the White Plains airport, and as I was waiting at the gate for my departure to Atlanta, Air Traffic Control suspended all flights to and through Atlanta because of a big thunderstorm that halted all ground operations there for 2+ hours.

When we finally left, I had missed my Atlanta connection and was rebooked–twice–on later flights to Louisville. I finally got there at 1:00 AM.

MKLM Anniversary/Thursday

August 14-17, the Maryknoll Lay Missioners are celebrating their 50th anniversary at Maryknoll, New York. I flew up from Louisville to celebrate and reflect on the 38 years I spent with the lay mission group.

It’s always so pleasant to come back to the beautiful Maryknoll seminary building.

Registration was in the Walsh Building and as soon as I walked in, I encountered our former Cambodian colleagues, Dave and Judy Saumweber and Sami Scott.

After the mass we had dinner at the Sisters Center.

The first official function was a mass for all the guests at the chapel of the Sisters Center. I interpreted the first scripture reading into sign language.

The first day program ended with reflections on Maryknoll by Sr. Ellen McDonald and Fr. John Sivalon (pictured here).

Taiwan–Day 2.1

I was really impressed with the social services and community experience of Taiwan society. There is so much consideration and services for people who are not so wealthy. The Family Mart in the housing where my friends live has a variety of accommodations and services for people who are poorer.

When entering the Family Mart, it looks very similar to a 7-11 you might see in other countries.

But this convenience store also has washers and dryers for neighborhood people who can’t afford such in their homes.

And this store also has a copy machine for its customers and a mailing service and allows customers to have mail sent to the store address to be picked up there.

If people buy packaged meals or foods here, they can use the store’s microwaves to heat it up and then use the counter on the left to eat. The counter is also used for school tutoring, small meetings, and similar activities.