There is so much that can be said about this summer. I only speak from my own experience and perspective. Young men can be called to greatness. The friendships, the “Esprit de Corp” and camaraderie they lived this Summer should stay with them for the rest of their lives. They are now a part of a unique brotherhood and our Family.
As a something of a victory lap, I was blessed to be the director of a tour with the Saint Kateri Rosary Walk Missionary Interns . We ventured up to Northern New Mexico the last week of July. It is an area rich in a Catholic presence. It is a portion of the state with ancient adobe structures. Words fall short of reality. Covered in great Catholic Hispania tradition, Northern New Mexico is complemented with the footprints of a truly great Man… Jean Baptiste Lamy. He was the first Archbishop of Santa Fe. This is Lamy country.
The history of Jean Baptiste Lamy and his impact upon this area were profound. It is well catalogued in the great and underrated novel, “Death Comes to the Archbishop”, written by Willa Cather, a masterful storyteller. If you have not read this work, you must complete your humanity by picking it up immediately. You are in for a treat. I re-read the work before we made our mini pilgrimage. I don’t know exactly why, but I found myself more emotionally ripped with each page. It is a classic in the modern sense.
We are now finishing the 4th year of Summer Internship Missionary work here at the Saint Kateri Rosary Walk Shrine. It always seems that we get so much more from these young men than we give to them.
We pray God grant us the Grace to carry on for years to come.
Bill McCarthy
Southwest Indian Foundation