Our blogiversary.

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and today is also the first anniversary of Novitiate Notes' birth. If you, like me, are the nostalgic type, you may want to have a look at the original Novitiate Notes post from a year ago. There's nothing terribly remarkable about my maiden post - it is what it is.

Readers may be wondering if there's any significance to my decision to start blogging on this particular feastday. When I was thinking of starting a blog, I gave some thought to what might be an appropriate starting date. I knew that whatever date I chose would become, in some sense, "the patronal feast" of my blog, and I wanted to choose a good one. Today's feast won out mainly by happenstance - I was eager to start blogging, and this was an especially noteworthy day on the Church calendar even though it wasn't a day I'd previously attached much importance to. For better or worse, then, Novitiate Notes lies in the shadow of the Cross.

In other news, I began my fall ministry today. On Wednesdays I'll be volunteering at the Windsor Refugee Office right across the border in the eponymous Ontario city. I enjoyed my first day, which I spent doing background research for one asylum case and translating documents for another. I've been told that every day at the WRO is unpredictable and different, so I'm looking forward to the surprises that surely lie ahead. The staff and other volunteers at the office have been friendly and welcoming, and I'm glad to be spending time with refugees again. Stay tuned for periodic updates. AMDG.