North & South

Two Sundays ago we ventured north of Dublin on an adventure with the ISE to Howth. Earlier that week, I was able to see the replicas of the High Crosses in the Museum of Natural History. It astonishes me that 200-year old replicas are on display! It makes you wonder about how short American History really is, when you see something 200 years old, that is simply a replica of something 1000 years old!

Howth is a quiet town on a peninsula about 15 minutes above Dublin. It is southeast of Malahide, and the peninsula juts out into the Irish Sea. It’s a beautiful town and a beautiful peninsulaThe purpose of the journey was the Howth Cliff Walk. We started out arriving in Howth around 1:30, had some breakfast, then about 20 of the students from both programs at ISE (peace studies and ecumenics) began up the hill for our lovely walk. The only other Ecumenics student was the lovely American gentleman, Aaron – a different one, although Aaron went cliff-walking, too.

First, a brief cast of characters: The Americans in Ecumenics: Carrah – recently from Kansas City, MO, with a background from both Union Theological Seminary and the University of Arizona. Kelly – recently from San Diego, although originally from the Bay Area – SDSU in religious studies. Aaron – from New York, Swarthmore and Union education. The others I will get to some other time. These are the 3 I spend a great deal of time with and you may hear about quite regularly.

So, Aaron & I joined the other Aaron for the lovely cliff-walk. It is astonishing how lovely and peculiar the cliffs are. As you walk along the side of the peninsula, looking down, there are small coves, which look as though they come straight out of some pirate or boat movie. Exquisite rock formations, lovely beyond belief. The colors were vibrant, and the heather was still blooming in places, leaving hints of lavender color in the midst of fields of green and gold. We walked towards the lighthouse on the tip of the peninsula, and eventually sat down to gaze across the water towards Dublin City. It was a spectacular moment, as the light danced along the water, pixelating, but pulsating simultaneously. There were hues of orange and green and blue that I don’t know that I’ve ever experienced before. The ability to convey in words the ultimate beauty and serenity in that moment escapes me. We later ventured into an old pub then to the Farmer’s Market, in which we listened to a very large, beet-red-faced man holler about the virtues of pomegranates. I learned how to open them, which was new and exciting! Later, we joined Aaron for dinner and a pint at Porterhouse, a local micro-brewery (yes, there are people other than Guinness who make beer here. But don’t tell my brother! :) ).

This last Saturday we did a day tour to Wicklow & Glendalough (pronounced glen-da-lock) which was fantastic. We rode on a bus with about 14 people, and the tour guide was this lovely older retired gentleman named Ed. He took us through this incredible countryside through the blanket bogs of Wicklow. We saw various strategic military sites, as well as driving by the Glencree Reconciliation Center (I'd like to get there someday!). We stopped at the Wilde manor (of Oscar Wilde's father William) which is now owned by someone who wishes to hide, but were able to see the glacial lake right along the mountain. I think the house being covered by trees actually made the lake more magnificent. The peat colors the water so that it looks dark and menacing, but when the sun shines on it against the backdrop of these incredible mountains, it has a unique texture and light. We saw other glacial lakes, some even from cliff-jumping positions. We stopped in a town called Larragh (lah-rah) for carvery lunch and then headed to Glendalough. Did you know that one of the oldest crosses in Western Europe and the oldest celtic cross in existence is there? It was an almost mystical experience hugging a cross over 1000 years old in a monastery over 1000 years old, in a valley filled with 2 lakes that were 9000 years old. We hugged the cross, because it's the tradition in order to receive a wish, but I think my wish was fulfilled in that I felt 1000 years of history and community seep into my skin.

There are some crazy stories about the monk who founded Glendalough, but I'll leave those for another time. We drove back an entirely different route and saw a man-made lake (aka reservoir) that displaced hundreds of Irish families, but it feeds into Dublin's water system, so it must be alright :) We have plans to continue expanding our journeys outwards from Dublin. Next we're planning on the Hill of Tara and Newgrange. We'll keep you all very posted. Pictures from our weekend journeys should be up on flickr by this weekend.
If you've lost the link, it's at the bottom of the page or http://www.flickr.com/photos/katie_sturm

It's also been really fascinating to meet with world-wide theologians in the field of ecumenics and talk with them about what they're doing. October 5, we met with the reference group for the World Council of Church's Decade to Overcome Violence and talked with them about what that kind of a decade looks like. It was absolutely amazing. I feel as if I'm in my element here, although, I'm not quite as nerdy as some of the other students here - which is astonishing! It's been a wonderful experience, meeting people from across the world, all interested in peacebuilding. I really feel honored. This week we have Don Schriver from N.Y. joining us after tea with Mary McAleese, the Irish president.

Last week we started seminars here in ISE, and the 3 Seminars I am participating are run by profs who want to provide opportunities for students to feel out the waters of research and group paper projects.
1) American Evangelicalism, The Religious Right, and Politics – This seminar is run by Bill McSweeney, and is a fascinating opportunity to look at Evangelicalism from an intellectual, phenomenological basis. We also are studying the role of the evangelicals in current politics and comparisons to Western Europe. It’s fascinating being in a class looking at American Evangelicals as the *only* American Evangelical! But the self-reflection and study are good.
2) Sources of Ecumenism – In this class, we are looking at various starting places for ecumenism. This last week we looked at something called the “Kairos Document,” A paper put together by many church leaders in South Africa theologically condemning Apartheid. The basic premise is that “now is the time and place for the church to take an ethical stand.” I’m enjoying finally being in a place where ethics are equally important to doctrine. Don’t worry, I still love my Jesus, but I love that there is a mission dei as well as a theology. Our actions flow from our behaviour. Fabulous!
3) Theology of Fundamentalism – the actual title of this course is Towards Theological Engagement of Modern Religious Anti-Modernism. The basic working idea is that while fundamentalism is being studied as a phenomenon, few if any have actually researched the phenomenon theologically. It’s absolutely fascinating.
Needless to say, I have a lot to keep me busy, I am not working a day job for the first time in my adult life, and it's blissful.

Aaron, on the other hand, is keeping quite busy. Working, as well as brainstorming a project with two friends to put his brilliant brain and experience to use!

Vineyard is a good fit for us. It’s not home, but then again, we’re spoiled with a great small group in L.A.! Home groups here meet once a week, and it is our goal to try it next week.

I am also leading the social events committee here at ISE (is anyone really *that* surprised?) and trying to keep clear boundaries. Pray about that! :)

Otherwise, you are sorely loved and missed!

K & A