Peace Workshop 2

Greetings!

First of all, thank you for the kind responses to my last email, they were very uplifting. As perhaps you can tell, it is difficult to find time to use the Internet, but finally I am able to send you an email about the workshop itself.

The conference began Sunday night as all the participants broke bread together for the first evening meal.  As the conference progressed, I found that food and tea often brought the best conversation, whether it was stories about peoples' homes, life, and favorite food, or laughing together over some small mishap from the day.

In the conference were scheduled several times for workshops and dialogues.  We talked about the different ways to define Culture, and how some ways promote stereotypes, while others lead to a better understanding of culture as always changing and encompassing more than the clothing, food, language, etc. that is directly visible on the surface. Another time we learned about Identity, and discussed in small groups our answers to some hard questions about our own views on different things such as the sacredness of life and the body and how we handle suffering and death.

As wonderful as all of the workshops and speakers were, by far the highlight was meeting and building relationships with such wonderful people.   For example, my roommate, Sister Catherine, is one of the most fun-loving people I have ever met. Put her together with Father Joseph and they will having you rolling on the floor with laughter, thinking seriously about your own commitment to faith, and questioning any previous conceptions of "people of the cloth." One of my favorite stories is when Father Joseph set off the metal detector, a friend asked him what weapons he was hiding under his robes. He answered, "Very dangerous ones, my tongue and a pen!"

Now I have to go, but I will continue at a later point!

I hope that you all are well!

Peace,

Sara