Today was the beginning of the end for the participants in the Global Council but it was the first full day of their program for the candidates in the Orientation Program.

Fr. Joe LaMar came over to celebrate an opening liturgy with the candidates and the Global Council team. After mass Lexie and Mark Adams and James Havey joined Fr. LaMar in a round of applause.

The day was committed to six regional presentations by the regional coordinators, each explaining the political and economic and social context of their regions and then describing the work of the Maryknoll Lay Missioners assigned there. Russ Brine presented about Kenya in the morning session.

Joanne Miya gave a report about Tanzania in the afternoon. This year was the first time that all the staff and the candidates were invited to listen to the regional reports, to give them a better understanding of the MKLM mission world and of the reality of the lay missioners there.

At the end of the day, Larry Parr participated in a review of that day's agenda.

In the evening Joanne Miya (left), Eileen Velicky, and Russ Brine were joined by Lexie and Mark Adams for an extended conversation after dinner.

Later in the evening, many of the candidate group gathered in the third-floor solarium. James Havey showed Margaret DeCrescentis a new bag from Cambodia he had received while Greg and Kim Fischer worked on the computer while son Christopher occupied himself with crayons and Larry Parr watched Monday Night Football.