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My internship is finished. All that's left is one big reflection paper (composed of four smaller papers) that's not due until September. It feels odd, to be here. I'm now over half-way through my education. Shouldn't I be smarter by now? We had an internship debriefing conference this week. From Tuesday evening to Thursday evening the twelve of us were cloistered at a monastic retreat centre. The centre's staff fed us too much, those of us in our twenty-to-thirties stayed up talking too late, and everyone worried far too much about making The Presentation. The Presentation was a "ministry event" that we presented to the group. Making the initial presentation is no big deal (except for one woman who hyperventilates when speaking in front of groups...I wonder how she delivers sermons?) but the question period that follows can be murder. A dozen other people get to probe and pick at your ministerial effectiveness and adequacy. Because everyone has a slightly different take on what the church and church leaders should do in any given situation, that means you face a dozen versions of "why didn't you" and "you should have." Notice that I said the questions can be murder. As it happened nobody had any serious breakdowns. Maybe we were worried that, if we tore into someone, we'd be next. By the end we were full, exhausted and relieved. Now it's mop-up time...writing papers and a final evaluation. I'll spend the next couple Sundays at St. Bart's. I'm going to miss it there. The people are, with an exception or two, delightful. Fr. W has been an excellent supervisor and a good friend. Still, it's too far across the city to make it my regular parish, and there's a sense that a thing has to end. I'll go back to visit now and again, but I have to move on. It's like that on internships and it's like that for clergy when they change parishes. I wonder how many churches I'll leave in my life? |
