Gaming: Finding God through Laughter and Joy

Each semester Franciscan University's Study Abroad program hosts nearly 160 American students to study and travel abroad all over Europe.  Sometimes they travel as a whole group, and other times in smaller groups.  When they are all together, its quite a sight: blue jeans, heals, makeup, shorts, flip flots, and yes backpacks galore.  Yes, at times they can be loud and yes even obnoxious.  But, there are also times when love and laughter and joy seem to be predominant. 

Fr. Ron Mohnickey, T.O.R., Director of the Study Abroad Program, recently recounted to the student body that while in Rome,  a man who had abandoned his faith approached him after following the students for some time.  He told Fr. Ron that he returned to the faith after witnessing the love, laughter,  joy, and lively faith of the students.  He was converted that day in Rome, without any  direct evangelization. 

In the end, Gaming is a powerful reminder to the students and staff that Christianity reduced to a lifestyle choice is empty of its power.  They are reminded that the Catholic world has a lot more to it than churches and that the human comedy and drama is ultimately, in the deepest sense, a divine comedy.  

But why?  While the students more often than not can not explain the reasons systematically, more importantly they often experience them in the most profound way during their study abroad experience. 

The students come to see the world with a sacramental imagination: the understanding that God saves and sanctifies the world through the materials of the world, that the ordinary stuff of the world is the material God uses to bring us into communion with the truly extraordinary -- with God himself. 

G.K. Chesterton, couldn't agree more: "Catholicism is about thick steaks, cigars, pubs, and laughter.  Catholicism is more than than of course.  But to miss that is to miss something crucial in the Catholic world.  In fact, its a world in which these pleasures can be fully enjoyed because they're understood for what they are -- anticipations of the joy that await us in the kingdom of God."  (From Weigel's book, Letters to a Young Catholic.)

Thus, students come to Gaming primarily to study, but they also end up finding God not only in the chapel, but also in the daily joys and laughter of life, whether it be traveling, smoking, or drinking at the pub.  They come to the realization that Joseph Pierce (Hiliare Belloc's biographer) did: "love and laughter are linked in a mystical unity" because "beyond the mere love of laughter is to be found the laughter of love."

Gaming's "Illative Sense"

In the midst of trial or test, joy or sorrow, have you even been sure of the presence of God without actually having proof?  I imagine so.... and such was also the case with Cardinal John Henry Newman.

In his work, Grammar of Ascent, he coined a curious phrase to describe this rife phenomenon: the "illative sense"  which is when a convergence of factors reaches a point where probabilities, added together, drive us to certainties.  While its not a proof, it functions as one.  

This curious illative sense is certainly at work for the students of Franciscan University who come to the study abroad program in Gaming, Austria.  Some would say that its a sine qua non to the conversion experience which so many students profess at the end of their study abroad semester. 

Why? 

I believe it has something to do with the fact that the students get to see and touch and taste our faith, not just study about it.

Some examples: Let's take Rome. 

When the students travel to Rome, most will participate in the Scavi Tour where they will go down into the necropolis of the dead under St. Peter's Basilica to the very tomb of Peter.  They can see and touch his sarcophagus.  Their Cathiolic faith is no longer ideas, fable, or story: its real flesh and blood. 

At the Colosseum, they literally witness the martyrs: they learn of St. Ignatius of Antioch or St. Eustacio and then see where they walked and gave their lives. 

They go to St. Paul's tomb, they enter the Roman Forum and contemplate Caesar and the Roman Empire and its effect upon Christianity....

They go to the church of St. Mary of our lady of Victory and they imbibe Bernini's famous statue of St. Theresa of Avila in Ecstasy.  

They go to the Capuchin Bone church and see thousands of dead monks' bones decorating the church in a great paean to the resurrection, to life, and they understand that death is not the last say in the drama of life. 

In short, their "illative sense" convicts them of their faith, plain and simple.  They believe it and accept it on their own.  But more: they become proud of their faith and this drives in them a need to speak about the good news to others.  

Newman's "illative sense" is a beautiful thing.  Indeed, Cardinal Newman was no casuist; on the other hand, he drove to the heart of the truth while obviating one of the main difficulties to its full embrace: proof that its true. 

Relative Calm in Gaming & American Favorites

The only time of the year where there is relative calm in Gaming are the months of May, June, and July.  

In these months, there are no students to teach, most of the staff are off and on with vacations, and life sort of trickles by, day by day, week by week. It's nice for those of us in Gaming and for those of us who are away.

It just so happens that my family and I are currently on vacation as well!  We flew back to the States with both boys and it took almost 24 hours from leaving Gaming to arriving in Minneapolis! But we made it, and that is all that matters at this point.  

While we love our life and work in Gaming, it is always nice to come back to the States.  Upon our return to America, we relish in some of our favorites: 

1. American food: hamburgers, barbecue, ice cubes, steak, doughnuts, etc. 
2. The sky!  While we love the mountains, the flat sky of Minneapolis is absolutely beautiful, especially when the setting sun is descending into the blue vault of 
3. Speaking English!  Ah, we can speak with everyone...all the time! 
4. Shopping: we do almost all of our shopping in States for the year.  The down side is the credit card bill! 
5. Family and friends.  No explanation needed. 
6. Libraries.  Millions of books to check out, all for free!
7. Dinner parties.  It is always great to catch up over dinner with friends. 
8. Vacation.  It's great just to be on vacation, to pursue hobbies, and be with the family. 
9. Movies.  We don't watch a lot of TV, but we do enjoy a good movie from time to time. 
10. The Sun!  In Gaming, the sun is often sparse.  In Minnesota during the summer, the weather is usually beautiful and SUNNY!

While the old axiom is true that it is always seems rosier on the other side, it is nice to go to the other side from time to time.

Another Gem here in Gaming…

Ah, with the students gone and summer projects to finish, the Kartause is rather lonely, but it does provide a much needed breather and plenty of opportunities to catch up with faculty and staff and just enjoy the outdoors.

Believe it or not, this past weekend, the weather was so nice we were able to go and enjoy the Gaming outdoor pool.  For those students coming in the fall, there will be a small window of opportunity to enjoy this gem here in Gaming. 

The pool is like a country club in America: gorgeous scenery, crystal clear water, sand volleyball, mini-golf, green grass, a great kids pool, and best of all, a nice water slide.

A small cultural difference is the amount of safety precautions which are very few.  There is one lifeguard and he does rounds….well sometimes.   Sometimes he is off smoking of sitting in the shade!  Such is life at the Gaming pool.

Oh, and there are very few chemicals in the pool which is just another added bonus.

River Jumping: An Innovative Way to Fundraise

Yes, the title says it all.  In Gaming, nothing is “normal” which is part of what makes it so unique but also so challenging. So, when one tries to fundraise here, one can’t think normal.  You sort of just have to “think outside the box.”

One of the questions that came up at the end of this semester was how to raise money from poor college students at the end of their study abroad semester to feed the poor through the amazing organization Mary's Meals?

Raising money….college students….aren’t the two polar opposites? 

So one might think?

But, innovation always seeks new boundaries and new ways of solving problems, and indeed, it did not fail to come up with something out of the ordinary.

The idea was to raise money by auctioning off faculty and staff to jump into the freezing cold Mitterbach River here in Gaming. 

It worked, plain and simple: watch your professor, priest, or staff member jump into the river and feed starving children at the same time---why not? 

Fr. Seraphim, T.O.R said he would jump if Professor Andy Minto raised the most money.  Now it became a two for one deal.  Then the chaplain, Fr. Brad Lepage, T.O.R. said he would jump if a thousand euros was raised.  The snowball turned quickly into an avalanche.

To his surprise, the 1,000 euros was raised!

Watch the video made by Prof. Andy Minto’s wife, Pam which she posted to Youtube: YouTube Mary's Meals Jump in Gaming

It’s a great show for a great cause.  For all readers, at least check out Mary’s Meals and see how you can help.  In short, for only 10 euros or $14, one can feed a child for a year!  Yes, a year!!