Closing the semester

Last week here in Gaming we experienced the blessing of finishing another semester as well as the sadness which that brings.  Wonderful friends, new experiences, and countless blessings must all be continued and cherished about 4,000 miles away.  

From the administration at least, the fall group was a tremendous blessing and full of zeal for the Lord as well as plenty of fun and studious when the time came.  They will also be known for their generosity. 

 They are to be congratulated for raising the most money to date of any group for the charity named Mary's Meals.  http://www.marysmeals.org

As a group, they raised over 2,200 Euros which will feed over 300 people for an entire year.  

We wish them a Merry Christmas and we want them all to know that they will be missed.  

To alleviate the pain of their absence, the staff has taken to skiing, Christmas parties and preparing for the next group of students.

All our Love from Gaming! 

The Kartause Crew!

Romanian Mission Trip meets success

Earlier in the semester, a group of Fall 2007 Gaming students took a weekend to go to Romania and help build a school. Many student sponsored the trip through financial donations.

Student, Anna Freiling, submitted the following to be posted to the blog:

Hi everyone! We want to thank you so much for your donations toward our Romanian mission trip. You helped build a school for the gypsy children there! Right now, 10 children are enrolled in the school, and they started classes sometime in November. Your generosity has definitely made a huge impact in these children's lives, and has opened a door for them to education in
school and in their faith.

Here is a video of the first day of school:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0All1Frgv_g

Thank you all again, and may God bless you in a special way during the close of this semester!

Anna Freiling

Breakfast Night in Gaming!

Last night (Thursday) was our famous American Breakfast night served by the faculty, staff, of the Austrian Program.

The menu included over 400 sausages, 350 scrambled eggs, pounds of potatoes, and gallons of homemade waffle batter and maple syrup.

As they cooked, the faculty and staff enjoyed cherries soaked in schnapps as well as warm spiced wine.

Cooking began at 7:30 and there was already a line halfway through the Mensa by 8:45 even though serving didn't officially begin until 9:00 PM.

It is amazing how we all crave the little things which are familiar and dear to our hearts -- little things such as breakfast.

It was a great success with only a little waffle batter left over -- everything else was devoured!

We will continue the tradition of American breakfast in Austria for semesters to come!

Lessons from Austria

Yes, it is that time of the semester....to start thinking about going home.

On this morning's run, I was reflecting on lessons that Austria might have to offer Americans who travels and study abroad.

Here are a few items I came up with that might be helpful for your reflection as well:

• Order and tidiness. Austria are very orderly and their homes and houses are very tidy. They are proud of their personal and public space. They decorate their homes with flowers and shrubs. All of this produces a beauty, a dignity, and a local but healthy pride. Walking through the streets or in the local country towns and witnessing all this beauty naturally lifts the spirit, produces a joy, and a lightness of the heart.

• Conservation and recreation. It is amazing how Austrians preserve their natural beauty. They foster outdoor recreation as well. Almost all Austrians walk and get fresh air on a daily basis. Their pride for the outdoors has paid off. Many of their rivers are crystal clean, the hiking trails in great shape.

• Customs and tradition. The people still engage in the customs of the past. They have folk festivals, outdoor markets, and they wear traditional costumes and foster their local dialects. They are not disconnected from their past.

• Remembrance. Austrians remember the past. They build statues, columns, and churches to remember significant events and remember God's goodness and blessings. Even on the side of the road, they build little shrines where miracles or life saving events occurred.

• Devotion to Mary, the Mother of God. Austrians name bridges, streets, and other important buildings after Mary. Many are conscious of her important role in history and in the life of the church.

• Preservation of the hearth. Many Austrian homes are heated partially or completely by a wood stove. They gather around the warmth of the fire. They must prepare for the winter; they chop or buy wood. Someone must tend to the fire. Their is a type of implicit education to this type of living. It builds responsibility and community at the family level.

Kissed by the Pope

Dominic Kalpakgian was kissed by the Pope during the Wednesday Audience on November 14 during the Rome and Assisi Pilgrimage!

Now, both Ari and Dominic have had the "Pope Kiss." We are wondering what we are going to have to do when we have other children....

Bella

Bella is a beautiful movie captivating audiences and critics alike, as seen in its earning the coveted People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival. Bella will inspire and be enjoyed by all audiences but it also has the potential to touch hearts and shake the conscience of the world.

The Catholic Association has launched a national campaign to use the movie Bella as a catalyst to renew and increase pro-life activity and advance the culture of life. This movie has already changed hearts and saved at least four children from being aborted.

Are you interested in helping spread the gospel of life through this movie? visit http://www.bellaforlife.org/

Interested in learning more about Bella, watching the powerful testimony of the lead actor? visit http://www.bellaforlife.org/

Interested in ways your parish or group can use this movie to advance a culture of life? visit http://www.bellaforlife.org/

Are you interested in following the example of this movie by working to save women and their children from abortion? Become a lifeguard at http://www.bellaforlife.org/

Michael Hernon, president of The Catholic Association launched Bella for Life with this intention: "This movie is a 'teaching moment' on the sanctity of life and the important role we can all play in saving lives. We want to encourage parishes and Catholic groups to use this as an opportunity to spread the gospel of life."

4 Day Italian Pilgrimage - A Student's Testimony

Story from the Italian Pilgrimage: Submitted by -fall student Sean M. Breeden

This past weekend, I went to Monte Cassino, San Giovanni Rotondo, Mount St.
Michael, Lanciano, Osimo, Loreto, & Padua. The lives of the saints in all these places was so inspiring. Padre Pio at San Giovanni Rotondo was
probably the most memorable. We had the opportunity to touch & pray at his
grave, as well as to be blessed by 2nd class relics of his. Padre Pio's
example of humility, obedience, & taking up his cross by suffering silently
with no complaints is such an example to me. We read & learn about the
spiritual life in our classes. But, seeing the spiritual life lived in a
radical way by a man in such recent history solidifies my class knowledge &
makes it real & practical. It's been an awesome semester, & we still have
Rome & Assisi in a couple of days!!!--Sean M. Breeden :)

Football Fanatics

LAST POST BEFORE THE ROME AND ASSISI PILGRIMAGE!

This particular flag football season has been not only extra competitive, but also a season of perpetual inclement weather.

Our first snow hit in mid-October so the field was blanketed for about two solid weeks although some brave students did try to shovel it off.

Then almost every game included pouring hard rain, sleet, or biting cold weather. But, Americans must have their football like like a mouse must have his cheese. There was no going without.

The ladies final was neck and neck with the winning team (dressed in black shirts) only securing victory after the last play was completed and the whistle blown.

The men's final was extremely physical and competitive: the old guys (team combined of ITI and FUS faculty and staff) vs. the Brothers Household and friends.

The Brothers n' company took the final as they completed their season undefeated to the end.

After all the finals games, everyone was caked in mud and we are all still wondering if the field will ever recover.

Those of us who will be here in the spring, sure hope it does!

Pray for us in Rome and Assisi.

Pied Beauty

Poet Gerard Manley Hopkins praises God throughout most of his works. In one of his gripping and most beautiful poems called "Pied Beauty" he praises God in the beauty of creation:

GLORY be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.

As Hopkins recognizes, Gaming too is filled with God's pied beauty. Below are some pictures of Gaming after the first snowfall in mid-October.

Photos are courtesy of study abroad student Melanie Daniel:

Training in Europe - Adventure and Advice

Blog Post submitted and written by Rachael Stamp - Fall 2007

A major way of traveling through Europe is traveling by train. These trains are in every country, allowing both people and goods to move throughout Europe.

For Franciscan students living in Austria, trains are one of the top ways to travel. At the beginning of the school year, everyone is a bit petrified about using these. When you first click onto the website with timetables that have stops of towns that you can’t pronounce, it starts to become a little overwhelming.

Time is one of the first boundaries that you have to jump. The twenty-four hour clock is something that students aren’t used to. It’s confusing when you see that a train is leaving at 14:32. What does that mean? The trick to figuring out the times is to subtract two hours from the time. For example, 16:00 minus 2:00 is 14:00 or 4:00. This is the easiest way to find the actual time.

A second boundary is the different language at each station. The board telling the departures of each train is labeled in the local dialect. One must look carefully for the translation in English in small, italic letters. Language is a barrier when making reservations or getting tickets. Be sure to go to the international information stations where people are able to help you, in English. Of course, another alternative to the language barrier is to pick up a language and practice it on the people that you meet. This is only recommended if you are not in a rush to get to your next train, as your travel-mates might not be agreeable to this idea.

The last main boundary is yourself. It takes courage to climb aboard a train that could end up taking you in the complete opposite direction of where you wish to go. The stress that you experience can overwhelm you- if you allow it to. Experience each weekend of travel as an adventure. The whole of Europe is yours to see. You are going to be stretched in ways that you did not imagine and realize many traits about yourself that you did not know that you had.

Students that have traveled once have plenty of wisdom to share about the European trains.
“When I traveled on a train, I had to fight for my seat,” said Hayley Call. “Remember that even though you have a Euro-Rail, you still have to pay for seat reservations, it’s not totally free.

“Don’t oversleep,” said Matthew Brectel. “You will miss your stop and wake up not knowing where you are.”

Sara Kaladish agreed with this. “Also, remember that each train car can split up to different places, so make sure that your car is going to your destination.”

“Be aware that you are sharing cars with different people,” said Jackie Stamp. “Sometimes this is a good thing and you become friends with other travelers. Other times the trip can be one that you save for a fun story.”

This highly used mode of transportation is an adventure in itself to use. It also allows you to experience different European personalities in each country and is the place where stories to tell your friends and family are made.

Breathing with Two Lungs

One of the great blessings we have here in Gaming is that we have both Eastern and Western rites of the Catholic church who at times pray in their unique own manner and at times worship together.

In fact, I am an Eastern rite Catholic--Armenian Catholic to be exact. It is often odd to me when I talk to others who think that to be Catholic is to be Roman Catholic. An interesting fact is that most Catholics from the USA do not know that there are over 23 rites in the Catholic church, with Roman being only one of the many.

While baby Dominic was born over 4 months ago, we wanted to have him baptized as soon as possible, but it so happened that when we flew back to America for the summer, the Armenian Catholic Priest was in Europe, so we just missed one another. Heeding the plea of our late Pope John Paul II who urged Eastern rite catholics to remain in their respective rites and to preserve this precious heritage in one's family, we decided it best to wait until an Armenian Catholic Priest was available.

There is actually an Armenian Catholic Monastery of Monks in Vienna. They are called Mekitarists after their founding father Mekitar. This is where we headed on Saturday to have the baptism and confirmation--christening they call it in the east.

It was a beautiful experience with rich symbolism and melodic chanting. Listening to the chant and hearing the prayers, one could still sense the presence of the Holy Spirit and that a beautiful and awesome mystery was taking place.

What is also somewhat striking to American Roman Catholics is the role of the "Godfather" in such a baptism. For baby Dominic, the Godfather had to respond and assert the faith. He is required to hold the baby, profess his vows, and sign all the paperwork. In the priest's thundering and memorable words, "He has duties to fulfill."

It was a tremendous joy and blessing, and now our little Dominic is part of the faithful. He has joined the millions before him and the countless others to go after him.

I was reminded as with St. Peter's Basilica, that baptism begins as a baby but continues on until death. It is a daily yes to God, a rejection of evil, and a ardent desire to be with God in heaven!

Angels in the Night

Last night at the Parent's Tea and strudel social, Kelli Carpenter recounted that while trying to fly out of London back to Austria, she noticed that she accidentally booked her flight for a day later. Inquiring to see if she could just buy another ticket and fly back with her friends, she discovered it was going to be several hundred pounds more and decided that she would just spend the night in the airport, save the money, and fly out the next morning.

Yet, a family or angel(s) sent from heaven came to rescue her. These friendly strangers, took her to their house, fed her, gave her a place to sleep and even drove her to the airport at 4:00 AM to catch a flight back to Austria!

Moreover, Niki and I had a similar experience on our 10 day travels. Trying to make our way from northern Brittany in France to a Bed n' Breakfast, we were catching a connecting train and had asked two conductors as well as the information person which track to board. They all said track 5. We boarded at the proper time and when our train didn't stop an hour later, we knew something was wrong. I went to ask the conductor, who upon discovering that we were on the wrong train, charged us a lot of money and stormed off without offering any assistance. Some local bystanders came to our aid, and as we exited the train station, one particularly nice women who spoke English offered to wait there while her husband drove us 10 minutes away to a hotel for the night.

Truly, there are good people everywhere, and thank God for these angels who come out of nowhere to offer a helping hand!

Vagabonds - A 10 Day Tale

Last Night I overheard Michael Adams and Paul Coleman recount some of their 10 day drama which included the following rather impressive and surprising information:

• They never paid for lodging during their 10 day break. They slept in a tent over the entire 10 day break!


• One night a generous man took pity on them and put them up in a hotel, covered the entire bill, bought them breakfast and left them 20 pounds in cash!


• They didn't take a shower the whole time! They did rinse off in the sea and in other areas of water, but no shampoo!


• They were taken for drug dealers, vagabonds, and bums.


• They were kicked out of bathrooms


• They were charged less in grocery stores because they were taken for homeless people

Needless to say, they two gentlemen are happy to be back in Gaming with free food, showers at their disposal, and a real bed to sleep in.

Italian Lemon Festival

For all those traveling to Italy or France over the 10 day, you may want to check out the location of a famous Italian Lemon Festival located in the town of Menton--a charming town full of mystery is located at the french-italian boarder right on the coast. Surrounded by mountains, Menton is protected from winds and benefits from a wonderful weather.

The History:
In 1929, Menton is still the main lemon producer of the continent. The owner of a hotel had the idea of organising a flower and citrus fruits exhibition in the gardens of the Hotel Riviera. It had such a huge success that the following year the festival was held in the streets: parade floats with lemon and orange trees showing off together with the charming Menton girls. The Municipality, which hoped to develop the tourist trade, tried to give the Carnival a typical local aspect: the Fête du Citron® was born in 1934. Two years later, the first citrus fruit and flower exhibition was opened in the Biovès gardens. François Ferrié was in charge of conceiving the orange and lemon look of the parade floats and the motives of the gardens. It was a success confirmed in the following years.

Check out these pictures of the festival:

White Water Rafting

On Saturday, September 29th, 61 students, faculty, and staff members packed a bus and headed off into the Alps-- specifically to the Gesause National Park about 1 hour from Gaming.
The purpose? To go white water rafting.
We couldn't have had a more perfect day: crisp, cool, and sunny, & great visibility.

The Austrian guides love the American groups because they say we know how to have fun--that's always good to hear.

I don't think I will write anything else, the pictures say it all!

A Duel to the End....

Earlier this week, to celebrate Prof. Herrera's (teaches Spanish and German) birthday, all of the faculty and staff were invited to dessert and a game of good old Texas Holdem Poker.

After being down to only a few chips and going "all in" several times, it so turned out that at about midnight everybody else was out of the game except Fr. Dave and I.

It was the Director of the Program vs. the Director of Student Life, a game to remember!

Who was going to win? After going back and forth for the next thirty minutes, we ended on another, "All In!" and the winner was...........................................................................................

Fr. Dave!

I had a flush - Ave high, and he had a full house, a great way to end the game! I am looking forward to the Men's Poker night this semester. We'll see what you got!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Also, check out this new Catholic news site called Pewsitter: http://www.pewsitter.com/index.php

Finally, there is an interesting article that relates to drinking and family life. There are some interesting correlations: http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110010555\

Creek Jumping

I heard from Andrea, our secretary who resides in Gaming and works for the University, that even the locals are now starting to jump into the river because the American students from the Kartause do. The students have so much fun, they decided they didn't want to miss out either!

I must admit, this is the first semester which students have ever rafted down the river in town. What next, scuba diving? Perhaps its fishing! Oh, by the way, the owner of the sports store in town called the other day and said that recently 4 students approached him and tried to buy fishing equipment. He said, "don't they know it's illegal to fish in town without a license?"

Caving in Gaming

Only three words to describe it: It's a blast!

The Fall 2007 Group

Original Group Photo - with Crane

Photo with crane edited out:

Some are luckier than others

So, some of us are luckier than others......Pier Giorgio Asci being the luckiest of all as he was kissed by the Pope during his recent visit to Austria. The picture was taken at the Cistercian Monastery of the Holy Cross (HeiligenKreuz) outside of Vienna.

Your Fall RA's...who are they really?

So they smile at you, carry your bags, go to class with you, get you toilet paper, and write you up. They are your RAs. But who are they really?

Name: Kathryn (Kat) Torma

Year in school: Sophomore

Major: Nursing

Hometown: Indiana

First crush: Guy from Casper (the one who had a crush on a girl named Kat)

Favorite dessert: Dairy Queen Reese’s Blizzard

Thing she’s most excited about this semester: Watching God work

Words of advice: “Surrender what you hold on to and watch God’s faithfulness come into being!”

Name: Rebecca (Becca) Gieser

Year in school: Junior

Major: Pre-pharmacy

Hometown: Park City, MT

First crush: Luke Purington

Favorite dessert: Mud pie / Classic New York Cheesecake

Thing she’s most excited about this semester: Dante’s birthday, September 11

Words of advice: “We are living in one of the most beautiful areas of God’s creation. Go out and explore. Climb mountains. Jump in the creek and give glory to God! This is your shot: travel the world and get everything you can out of the short time you have here.”


Name: Andrew John Matwijec

Year in school: Sophomore

Majors: Theology, Philosophy, German (plus Army ROTC)

Hometown: Manassas, VA

First crush: Ice skater Tanya Harding

Favorite dessert: Strawberry ice cream

Thing he’s most excited about this semester: Being an RA and touring Europe

Words of advice: Set goals- a deeper relationship with God. Make Him number one. Be disciplined. Have fun and grow!


Name: Elana Anne Lussier

Year in school: Sophomore

Major: Nursing

Hometown: Chelsea, MI

First crush: Ryan Lundquist. “We both had last names starting with ‘Lu’ so we were always lab partners and had lockers next to each other. We also went to each other’s soccer games.”

Favorite dessert: Moose tracks ice cream and No-bake oatmeal cookies

Thing she’s most excited about this semester: Hiking and seeing history


Name: Robert Baldwin

Year in school: Junior

Major: Biology

Hometown: Rockford, MI

First crush: Jenny Gilbreath

Favorite dessert: No-bake cookies

Thing he’s most excited about this semester: “I am most excited about traveling and experiencing Europe with all the amazing students.”



Name: Matthew Rudolph

Year in school: Junior

Major: Communications and Theology

Hometown: Peoria, Illinois

First crush: Her name was Kelley. “It all started in kindergarten…one thing led to another until eventually, I gave her a homemade ring. The rest is history”

Favorite dessert: Ice cream cake / Grasshoppers

Thing he’s most excited about this semester: Letting the Lord transform us all!

Words of advice: “Open your mind. Open your heart. Pray, ponder and receive Him this semester.”

Compiled by Matt Rudolph - RA