Moving Soon...Again!

After 2 months of being here at "Camp Capuchin" in Victoria, KS., it's time to pack up again and prepare our trip to Allison Park, PA. It is in Allison Park where we will be invested into our habits and declared as Novices for a period of 1 year.

The actual investiture process is a low-key event. Attendance is limited to those within the Order. The ritual of "dressing" novices in their habit is an old tradition and is a formal initiation into the community.

I know what you're thinking: The room will be pitch dark, people's faces will be hidden, there will be a lot of Gregorian chant, and before we get invested we must stand naked within a circle surrounded by candles, be branded in the chest with a hot iron, and then recite a long litany before the ritual is completed.

Unfortunately we won't have that much excitement. No brands like the Omega Psi Phi's, no being tied to a street sign, and no binge drinking. The ceremony will look less like something from DaVinci Code and more like a formal induction ceremony as we are welcomed by the community into a tough year of discernment, self-discovery, and understanding of our place in God's plan. In the end, being invested is a minimal ceremony that holds a great deal of meaning as we begin the next stage of our religious formation.

That takes place on Sunday. The rest of this week we are packing, cleaning up the friary here, and getting ready to leave. Since most of the classes and ministries are done at this point, much of my day is spent playing soccer, working out, and praying. Hence the "Camp Capuchin" title.