Beginning again.

A little after two o' clock this afternoon, I arrived at Ciszek Hall in the Bronx to begin the stage of Jesuit formation known as First Studies. In contrast with the day I entered the novitiate two years ago (two years ago yesterday, to be precise), my official first day at Ciszek was low-key and a bit anticlimactic. For one thing, this wasn't really my first day in the community here - I actually moved into my room here last Tuesday, though I only spent one night in the house before heading out again to spend a few days of reflection and relaxation in New England. Unlike when I entered the novitiate, I also had the opportunity to meet and get to know most of the guys I'll be living with at Ciszek before I came here, thanks to shared experiences like the novices' history course in Denver and the national formation gathering in Los Angeles. That said, the first day of First Studies was not without fanfare. After Mass this afternoon, the Jesuit scholastics who've been living and studying here for the past year or two entertained the new arrivals at a cookout on the roof of the building (a local custom, I'm told). The cookout gave me a chance to get reacquainted with friends I made at different points of the novitiate and to talk with guys I didn't know well before I came here. Integrating oneself into a new community carries challenges as well as joys, but the experiences I had today give me great hope for the days ahead. So far, so good. AMDG.