- Friday (18 June) Pewee Valley to Spartanburg
I left Pewee Valley at 7:30 AM and drove the 410 miles to Spartanburg, South Carolina where I was to speak in a Catholic parish on the weekend. The weather was great and it was a beautiful day to drive through the mountains--in the area of the Smoky Mountain National Park--in eastern Tennessee. The trip took me through four states: Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. I arrived at Our Risen Savior Church at 4:30 PM in the afternoon and was welcomed by the pastor, Fr. Chuck Snopek.
- Saturday (19 June) Spartanburg, South Carolina
In the morning I spent some time talking with Fr. Snopek, and then I set up my materials in the lobby of the church. I brought some books, silk crafts made by a Maryknoll project, wooden statues, and other artifacts from Cambodia and displayed them on a table. In the afternoon I worked on a PowerPoint presentation about Cambodia. Then at 6:00 PM I was the priest celebrant for the first of the weekend parish liturgies. I spoke about Maryknoll and the Cambodia and invited people to become part of the Maryknoll family and the Maryknoll mission around the world. After mass, Fr. Snopek and I went out to eat.
Our Risen Savior Church in Spartanburg
- Sunday (20 June) Spartanburg, South Carolina
This morning I presided at the 8:30 AM mass and afterwards there was a coffee and doughnuts gathering in the parish activity room to celebrate Father's Day. I used an LCD projector and my laptop to show some pictures from Cambodia during that gathering. Then at 11:00 AM we had the last of the three weekend masses in the parish. All the liturgies and the ministers were very well planned and organized, and it was a pleasure to celebrate with the Risen Savior community. Fr. Snopek was a delight to be with also.
After mass two parishioners asked if they could speak to me about becoming Maryknoll lay missioners and we went to lunch together. Then at 4:00 PM I was on the road back to Louisville, arriving in Pewee Valley at 12:45 AM.