Watched the ferry whisk the rest of the HolyTrinity group off the island this morning. All day kept seeing folks in the distance and thinking - it's an HT person! I miss all my comrades!
Definitely delightful to be here on Iona outside the walls of the Abbey. The B&B is quaint and simple. A local fisherman gave me the day's weather report outside the pub (unsolicited). Climbed "Dun I" - highest spot on Iona - but quite overcast by noon so only partial views of the spectacular isles that dot the coastline. With every ferry comes more tourists, most of whom never seem to get much past the few shops in the harbor.
The highlight of my day was a long and "thin place" conversation with the spry little nun we admired at the Cailigh last week (terrific dancer). We met walking out on the road to the north beach. Sr. Mary John is Prioress of Saint Scholastic Priory, Philippines, and is past president of the college of the same name. The K thru masters level school (6500 students) has an extremely well developed Music curriculum, assertively teaching poor children to play and in essence saving their lives from a life of destitute poverty. In 1984 she instituted the Womens Studies Program there, funded by a former student of hers who is now CEO of a multinational corp. Was able to find land donated to them so they could add Environmental Masters level degree program.
Our conversation turned to my favorite topic of conversation, writings of Merton, and she told me that it was her Mother General (her supervisor) who was called in 1948 in Bangkok when Merton died there: as a physician she was the one to officially pronounce him dead.
This remarkable conversation with a remarkable Benedictine prioress will go down in my memory as a highlight of the time here. The vision of one woman and her community to educate the poor of the Philippines. And all because I stopped her to compliment her on her dancing!
All for now. Wonder if the HT folk are having as much fun.
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