Hello From Nova Scotia, Canada!!

The final stage of my adventures has begun. I left Israel for the 12 hour flight to Newark, New Jersey and on to Nova Scotia. There was a glitch in the flights however. When I arrived in Newark I was delayed due to fog in Halifax. There was a wait; I was tired, then the flight was cancelled. I happened to be in the right place at the right time and I was booked for the next morning, given food vouchers from the airline and sent to a hotel paid for by the airline. I was tired and did not object one bit. I needed to get up early the next day (at 3:00am) to get to the airport to catch my 6:30 flight which was also delayed due to fog still being in Halifax. We left about 9:00am and all is well. I rented a van which could accommodate my bike and I was off.

I spent 5 days again in the dorms. I found accommodations at St. Mary’s University to be just what I needed. They were inexpensive and close to downtown. I did a lot of walking, some bicycling and took in the Halifax Citadel, The Maritime Museum, Canada Day (Canadian Independence Day) and I became oriented with some of the “Celtic” foundations of this province.

I attended a concert one evening in St. Patrick’s Church which was slated to close due to high costs in renovations. The concert was part of a fund raider for the renovations. It was an original text, for the most part, entitled “Music of Sea and Sand – Currents of Sable Island and Celtic Mass for the Sea. It was written by Halifax natives and pulled together texts of ancient Celtic folk lore and texts set to music in a “mass” type of format. As I look deeper into Celtic Spirituality, there is much for reflection here. Each “concert go-er” received a text of the score. Sable Island is off of Nova Scotia and has been the home of ship rescue teams for many years. The island waters are extremely dangerous.

The past few days I’ve been exploring the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island. I can see why the Scots and Irish settled here. It’s very much like Scotland and Ireland. There’s also a strong contingent of French on the Island.

The scenery is some of the most beautiful I’ve ever come across in my travels. What beauty God has made!! How honored I am to be here.

I made up for 5 days of dorm living by 5 days of “house on the water” here in Bedek Nova Scotia. It’s beautiful!!!

Celtic Concert at St. Patrick's in Halifax

Members of the parish worked to get the funds necessary for a parish renovation. One of the events was a fund-raising concert. It was excellent.

Dorm Living at St. Mary's University

It's a little cramped, but very pleasant!!

Hiking in Nova Scotia

This was taken on a trail near Bedek. It wasn't really good for bicycles but great for hiking.

Farewell To Jerusalem

The month has flown by and it’s time to bid farewell to this “holy land” where Jesus and the Prophets walked, where God chose a people, where miracles were performed, where we were redeemed by the God of love. God has visited us, His people.

Our group has been saying good bye now for a number of days. Some leave on the 29th, I leave on the 30th for a 12 hour flight to Newark then on to Nova Scotia. I arrive about midnight. It’ll be a long day.

The Israel leg of my journey has been another good one. The people of Tantur that I’ve met and prayed with have formed strong bonds based on our common roots as people of Jesus. There have been many faiths and lots of experiences that will affect not only our prayer and our homilies, but also our lives. I’m grateful as well for this leg of my journey.

One highlight of the last week was meeting Samah Qumsieh. Samah is the local coordinator for Blest Art Co. that sells the Olive Wood products in our church. I had the joy of meeting her family and a number of the craftsmen who produce the olive wood statues and the mother of pearl items that are on sale.

Some of Samah’s family now live in Beloit and sell products in many of the parishes in the state of Wisconsin and beyond. I’ll post a picture of some of my experiences on the blog. The Blest Art People will be at Holy Family in September so be prepared for another real treat.

Ordinary Life in Jerusalem

I'm a bit speechless as I rode my bike around Jerusalem, Notice the "temple mound" with the "Dome of the Rock" Mosque in the background.

I rode my bike, Jesus walked it; rode a mule at times. Ordinary things done two thousand years apart in the same land. For me, it puts new perspective and meaning to the Gospels, The human part of Jesus really comes alive like it never has before. The challenge is to keep this whole expereince in the forefront of my mind when I get home.

In The Hands (and Heart) of the Artist

A "Mother of Pearl" Cross in the hands of the artist.