Goodbye Colorado !

Hi again, friend! It's been a while. When I last wrote a post, I was returning from my month-long summer trip to Lebanon, excited for what the next year held for me. It's a new year, and I am saying goodbye to another place. After I returned to the States from Lebanon, I moved into another house run by the Community of the Beatitudes in Denver Colorado! I moved in during early August, and stayed there for seven months.

During my time there, I lived in the same "rhythm" as the sisters and priests in the house. I prayed with them, ate with them, even shoveled snow in the middle of the night with them! Transitioning from college to living in a convent was definitely an adjustment at first, but I gradually came to appreciate the power of consistent prayer in my life, the value of self-discipline, and even the peace of solitude with God. I was also surrounded with a community of religious who became mentors to me. There's a certain security and peace in knowing that you are living a lifestyle that is committed to prayer in the everyday, and that everyone around you is making an effort to love God and everyone around them to the best of their abilities. I was also blessed to grow in friendship with the other intern, Maria! As the only two people living in the house that weren't religious sisters, we had a lot of fun and were able to rely on each other in moments of adjustment and transition.

Here's my general everyday schedule while I was living in Denver:

Schedule (click to view)

7:05 am - Drag myself out of bed at the last second (let's be honest) 7:15 am - Morning prayer in Saint Catherine's church with the Community 8:00 am - Mass 8:45 am - Breakfast (usually our time to socialize and make any announcements before everyone separated to work for the morning) 9:15 am - The rest of the morning consists of a mix of work, meetings, and adoration. We tried to do a holy hour (an hour of silent prayer in front of the Eucharist) every day, which became one of my favorite parts of the entire day. 12:30 pm - Lunch and midday prayer 1:30 pm - The rest of the afternoon consisted in more work, rest if needed, or free time. 5:45 pm - Evening prayer in Saint Catherine's church 6:15 pm - Dinnertime! Lunch and dinner are an opportunity for everyone in the house, brothers and sisters, to reconnect with each other and get a break from the day's work. Evenings would vary, depending on whether you had additional work to complete or a personal project to work on. Friday nights we had a Shabbat meal together, which is part of the Community's unique spirituality. It became an opportunity for me to learn more about the Jewish roots of Christianity, and the beauty of Judaism in itself. Saturday nights we had Resurrection Vespers, which usually attracted a crowd (who joined us for a meal afterwards).

I was also blessed to spend Thanksgiving with the Community, too! Though it was tough to spend the holiday apart from my family, it was a blessing to be surrounded by caring friends. I still kept a piece of my family with me, and made my grandma's stuffing recipe for everyone!

Maria and I also joined a young adult group led by the community! The Disciples of the Lamb meets once a month for formation and commits to a life of daily prayer. I felt so blessed to make some dear friends through this group and in the parish, and to build a little community in my own way.

Sweet friends!!

After a busy fall of preparation and a restful Christmas at home, 2023 started with a bang! Just after New Years, the Beatitudes Missions team hit the road for a month-long road trip across the U.S. to advertise for a new year of Beatitudes Missions pilgrimages and trips. Maria and I traveled with Community members from Denver, France, and Belgium, along with Armelle, a young French woman who was visiting the U.S. for the first time!

Our Route:

In total, we traveled over 2,000 miles all by car. We made 11 stops and traveled through 12 states.

Halfway through our trip, we were blessed to be interviewed at EWTN, the largest Catholic news network in the United States! We toured the studios, and of course had to get an action shot :) From left to right: Fr. Anthony, Maria, Br. Florian (from Switzerland, living in Belgium), Armelle (from France), and me!

Click on the photo below to watch our interview!

This photo was taken just after our interview on the TV set! It was surreal to be interviewed like that (especially because I didn't know that Maria and I would be interviewed until the night before the inverview!!)

Our first leg of the trip was in Florida, beginning with Orlando then Tallahassee. We had a beautiful afternoon of doing evangelization on campus at Florida State University. We taught Israeli dance to students and prayed with them.

At every place we stopped we always made an effort to teach dances to students! The Community loves to celebrate the Resurrection on Saturday nights with Israeli folk dancing. It's beautiful to live out Christian joy with our whole being, body included!

From left to right: Sister Brigitte Marie (from France), Armelle, Sister Sarah (from the Denver house), and Maria. Of course, we couldn't go to Nashville without trying on some classic American attire!

On the way to North Carolina from Georgia, the tire on our rental car went completely flat. While we were waiting for a tow truck, we were stuck at a highway exit in rural Georgia for 8 hours. Thankfully, we set up camp in a Bojangles and befriended the staff! They were a bright spot on a tough day :)

In Washington D.C., we met up with some friends and Beatitudes pilgrimage alumni at the March for Life! It was my first time attending the March, and I was touched by the witness of the people and families who gathered to support life.

After a whirlwind of a month, Maria and I returned to Denver to begin final preparations for the spring and summer trips with Beatitudes, and Armelle joined us there for an additional two months. Spring in Denver was filled with friends, visits from family and friends from home, and some much-needed rest. As my time there drew to a close, it was clear how many blessings God had given me through the community that I was living in and the new friendships that I had formed. To all those who have walked with me this year (you know who you are), THANK YOU for your witness of God's love. Your friendship and support mean the world to me!!!

Now what's next???? For the past week or so, I've begun to enter into a new phase of the internship. Last week I flew from Denver into Israel, and I will be traveling within Israel and other places for the rest of the spring and summer! I am so excited to share my experience so far in Israel with you, so keep an eye out for a new blog post soon :)

For everyone who has prayed for me in my travels and mission, your prayers are very much appreciated! If you have any prayer intentions that you would like to share with me, don't hesitate to reach out. I would love to carry your intentions with me as I continue to serve abroad!

✌️ peace out Denver !!