As my first semester here continues to pick up speed, life here at Nashotah House seems to be settling into its natural rhythms.
Each of my classes has its own unique challenges, but as a whole I am certainly enjoying each of them and definitely feel as if I am gathering valuable information from each of them. Hebrew, of course, would probably have to be the most challenging; but there is something incredibly rewarding in being able to approach ancient Biblical texts in the language used by the Jewish spiritual forbearers of our faith. And after a month of looking at stylish squiggly lines I am beginning to comprehend some of the words found in Hebrew Scripture. My class covering the history and theory of Church Music has also proven to be invaluable during my time here in the the choir (after years of staring at sheet music and having a vague conception of what I should be doing I actually understand notes! Sort of).
My favorite class by far would have to be my Ascetics class, in which we delve into the lives and spiritual practices of past Saints and learn techniques by which we might incorporate our own spiritual practices into our daily lives (but thankfully there are no horsehair shirts just yet).
Our worship life here is both quite demanding and incredibly
refreshing. Life at the House
essentially revolves around the chapel.
Every day begins at 8am with Morning Prayer and the Holy Eucharist, then
we make our way to breakfast followed by classes, and then it’s back to the
chapel for a sung Evensong every night and a Solemn High Mass on Thursday
evenings. Yet even with the academic load,
there is something quite powerful in coming together as a community, leaving
one’s cares and concerns at the chapel door, and standing with one’s brothers
and sisters before God in common worship.
One
of the best examples outside of the chapel I can come up with to describe this
sensation comes with the ringing of the Angelus everyday around lunchtime. As we are all making our way to the
refectory for lunch and the first tone of “Michael” the bell rolls out across
the grounds, every single person stops in their tracks, conversations are
paused where they are, and we all pray silently as the bell continues to ring –
both as individuals and as a community.
Now that you all probably think we're living some sort of quasi-monastic life here, I should point out that life here isn't all prayer and study (that just seems to suck up most of our time). Our campus is situated on the shores of a beautiful and sparkling Upper Nashotah Lake, which I've had the pleasure of both swimming around in and kayaking on; and a gorgeous view of which I have from my apartment windows. We're also surrounded by woods, and so I am often able to take nice long walks through the woods and soak in the beauty of this place. And I would of course be remiss if I didn't mention $6 Burger night in the booming metropolis of Delafield (if you've ever seen Delafield, you'd get the joke).
My time here has certainly been a radical shift from my life in undergrad, and (apart from my years attending St. Mike's) has honestly been like nothing else I have ever experienced. But the House is truly starting to feel like a kind of home and I'm so blessed that this is where I have found myself at this stage of my life.
"Bless O Lord this House."
Until next time,
Peace.
