Phew!

So that resolution to update the blog every week? Already fallen back on. Dang!

In this season of insane busy-ness (only six more days of classes! ... and three papers, two exams, and one quiz), maybe it's just best to update any readers we've acquired on what exactly keeps us so busy. For me at least, it's rarely my classes that keep me running laps around SDQ like I think it's burning calories.

Two of the most fun features of my days here are chapel and lunch hour. YDS has a million and seven ways to get involved, and a thousand and six ways to worship. From 10:30am - 11:30am, and again from 12:30pm - 1:30pm every day, there are no classes scheduled on Holy Hill. Instead, we worship and eat together.

The 10:30am Marquand service is ecumenical, and takes a very different form each and every day. The only constants are that Wednesdays are always sun morning prayer, and Fridays always feature a Eucharistic celebration of some kind. Lets take a gander at what's going on this week (direct from the Q Source, our weekly e-newsletter):

Monday: "The Healing Balm of God's Word through Song and Dance" Liturgical Dance led by Kathleen Turner with the YDS Liturgical Dance Workshop and the CT Chapter of National Liturgical Dance Network
Tuesday: Quaker Meeting led by YDS fellow Sarah Ruden
Wednesday: Sung Morning Prayer: Songs of the Americas led by Patrick Evans
Thursday: A Bright Week Service in the Byzantine Tradition
Friday: Community Eucharist for the End of Term with Emilie Townes, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, preaching, and Dale Peterson, Dean of Students, presiding.

I'm particularly pumped for Tuesday and Thursday this week, since they're probably the farthest from own faith traditions. You'll get an introduction to worship ethos and etiquette in Marquand during BTFO from the chapel team. Bonus: free food afterwards at coffee hour!

At 12:30pm we have "lunch hour," but since everyone realizes this is often the best chance to get people together, this period is better termed "working lunch hour." Here's a very small sampling of what's going on in my life (direct from my Google calendar):

Monday: St. Luke's Committee meeting (Berkeley's student council-type body)
Tuesday: State of the School Address (our chance to hear Harry Attridge and Emilie Townes's take on how this year went and what's on tap for next year)
Wednesday: LBGTQA prayer vigil for the SoulForce protest at the Vatican UN Offices (I won't really go into details here, so have a link)
Thursday: CORE (Committee on Racial Equality) meeting to talk about next year
Friday (still tentative): Reunion lunch with El Salvador group or BTFO planning with Nichole and Sandra

Annnnnnd that's why I haven't been updating. Sorry. Seriously, though, that's only a random sampling of what's available here on campus. It makes my calendar a little nuts, but I enjoy each and every one of these things. And I look forward to having lunch with you all in August!

-Kate