Thursday, May 22, 2008

Vegan food in a Berkeley garret


The brothers have taken up residence in an old building in Berkeley, CA. They were short of bedrooms at San Damiano, so the Order of the Holy Cross is renting part of their old priory to SSF. Three of the brothers have moved there, and begun very creative ministries to students at the university and seminaries there. Our needs have outstripped our resources, and a lot of the conversation was about who had to go to San Francisco (it is a $7.00 trip), and how much food costs. Much of their food (mostly vegan I gather) is scrounged, "but perfectly fine" (they insist). We brainstormed ways to get involved with people in the area and to build relationships. Nobody is particularly worried about the lack of money (God will provide), though neither do they just sit around. The three who live there are full of chutzpah and enthusiasm. Br. Max has an old fashioned printing press, and he prints cards to sell; Br. Eric Michael works full time as a counselor (night shift) and Br. Christopher Paul serves several people as a spiritual director and hopes to find paid work as an adjunct professor. The brothers have asked me to move in with these guys, and so I brought my stuff from Little Portion in New York. The move was a sad thing for me, but I am now looking forward to being part of this edgy Franciscan scene. My travels are going to keep me away a lot of the time; I wont even unpack until Christmas.

While e-mail is still the best way to reach me, if you want to write me or support the brothers, the address there is:

St. Clare's House
1601 Oxford Street
Berkely, CA 94709

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