Hello Everyone and welcome to the blog for my internship in Paris.
The internship starts next week but my flight is tomorrow night and I am very excited. Once I get there I will probably be too excited and have too much to say to tell all of you how I got this opportunity. So, now is probably the best time to do it.
Way back in December I was asked to film an event for the Center for Christian Jewish Understanding(CCJU) at Sacred Heart. They had many speakers who are well known in the world of Christian Jewish Understanding come and talk. I filmed a few of the lectures and was intrigued by the topic. I went to the director of the center and asked what I could do to help bring the message to the students. One of my favorite things about Sacred Heart University is that everyone is very willing to accommodate you and willing to work with you on many things. The director, Dr. Heekin, told me about a speaker they had coming in March for the Human Journey Colloquia Series, Fr. Patrick Desbois. Father Desbois had just published a book about work he, and his organization, Yahad-In Unum(Together), has been doing in Ukraine studying the holocaust and excavating mass graves to give the Jews a proper burial. Dr. Heekin asked me to help promote the event. I designed a YouTube videowhich was sent out to the University and different local organizations to promote the event. In return they invited me to lunch with Fr. Desbois when he came to speak. I was able to have a conversation with Fr. Desbois in French when he came, as I learned French all throughout my years in school from Kindergarten on. He must have been impressed because when the thought of me working with him the summer came up he was very receptive and along with his assistants, within the next few months we had come up with an internship for me.
So, when I get to Paris I will be working with the organization at their office in the business district of Paris. I will be working on some document translation, some website work, and anything else they need. I will have the weekends off and so I am in the process of planning trips to England (a priest that worked at Sacred Heart is in Southampton now), Belgium (one of our President’s assistants is a Sister of St. Maryof Namur, whose mother house is in Namur, Belgium), Rome (the mosaic artist that did the mosaics for our new Chapel has a center called Centro Aletti near Rome), and the Vatican (Fr. Desbois is an advisor to the Vatican on Catholic Jewish Relations so I’m hoping to get an inside look at some of the landmarks there). I will also be visiting the office of the International Federation of Catholic Universities of which Sacred Heart is a member.
So, needless to say I am very excited for this. I am there for 6 weeks, so I will be back in mid-July. Please feel free to leave comments, ask questions etc. I look forward to keeping you informed on my activities in Paris.
