Dominican Classmates in Jerusalem

There have been a lot of photos taken in the last 7 days of this little trio. This is my favorite of them. It was taken today in the Cistern Caves beneath the Herodion, Herod the Great's fortress palace near Bethlehem.

The other two friars from the Western Dominican Province who are participating in this intensive Gospel study in Jerusalem happen to be classmates of mine. That means that the three of us entered the Dominican Order on the same day, and completed the novitiate and most of our priestly formation together. We have been reliving some of those experiences and memories as we study and travel together here in the Holy Land. There is a shared ethos among people who have shared a common intense experience (like religious formation - or prison). We speak a common language and laugh at things other people would not find funny. So the accident of our being here to share in this common experience is a real blessing.

Fr. Carl Schlichte (sitting) is Associate Pastor at Stanford Newman Center. Fr. Steve Maekawa, standing on my left in the picture, is the Vocations Director of our Province. Both are gifted priests and men for whom I have a great deal of affection and admiration. This photo, taken on an intense, but wonderful day, really captures the great time we are having with each other. We still have more than 6 weeks together and I am grateful to be sharing this experience with them...