Be still

I honestly think I might have missed a calling to the contemplative life.

I relish the silence - those times when the grocery store is empty, when the Lakefront path only has a handful of runners or bikers, when my roommates have gone on vacation for the weekend or are out for the evening, when the church isn't quite full before Mass, when I'm bagging produce at Mission OLA when no one else is around, when you get to watch the sunrise over the mountains or lake at a National Park...

Don't get me wrong - I love people and excitement too: Notre Dame football weekends, theaters abuzz waiting for a performance to start, summer festivals and concerts, school playgrounds...these things are all absolutely wonderful.

But there's something so incredibly beautiful and renewing about the silence and stillness. And I find that it's harder and harder to find that in today's society. But that doesn't mean we should stop looking; instead, I think it's a challenge to try harder. For without the silence, how can we hear God? Without being still, how can we possibly settle our mind to be grateful for all God has given to us?

Maybe it's time I actually go on one of those silent retreats my friends keep telling me about...

Week One - Over So Soon...?

So much to be grateful for after the first week of this, our very short 2-week summer. Graduation will shortly be upon us, and there is much to celebrate.

Here is a look back at week 1...

We opened with retreat last Saturday over at Moreau seminary. It's such a beautiful space, especially the chapel, where we gathered for prayer and Mass. I was blest with the opportunity to share a talk/reflection with my classmates, and it turns out that helped me process a lot of these last two years and the journey I've/we've taken.

At the end of retreat, we got our annual t-shirts - this year ours are Kelly Green and say "Remick Leaders."

me and my roommate

me and my prayer partner

Cohort 15 (minus two of us)

the whole crew - Cohorts 15, 16, and 17

PLC 1...minus Jess (who is at home with a newborn)

We ended the day with a progressive dinner. Here's a photo from our first course - the salad! Table 7 - woo hoo!!

When it comes down to it, the people are what make this place and program special...

Remick 15 Chicago

some of Cohort 15 celebrating after week 1

some of my favorite ladies celebrating the 4th of July

Did I mention how much I love sparklers?

And then, of course, there's the Grotto...which is absolutely beautiful and peaceful by day or by night...

And there are plenty of sunsets over the lake...

After so many years at Notre Dame in the summers, it's going to be hard to say goodbye. I have been blessed to know, work, and be in classes with so many incredible individuals. But we've reached the final countdown...and it's going to be time to be sent forth, filled with zeal and courage, love and hope. 

Love thee, Notre Dame. Love thee, Remick 15.

Good things come to those who wait

Good things come to those who wait.

I always thought this line was so cliche, or that it was just something used as a way to cushion the blow for those who never quite got what they wanted when they wanted it. It was a mother's way of enforcing patience, or it was pulled out to support those working really hard to achieve something.

Today, this phrase held new meaning for me.


I did a lot of waiting at the mobile food pantry for OLA this morning... My group waited in the church for directions on where to begin our day and how to dodge the biggest downpours of rain. I waited in a line that stretched on forever with several people getting their food for the month from the pantry. I waited outside a particular spot of the whole process as a mother and her three small children sorted through clothes for about 15-20 minutes. And I waited with two of those same children as their mom went to pull the car around to load everything.

In the end, though, the waiting was beautiful. As I stood with the young children, the girl, aged 4 - I know because I asked her and she showed me on her fingers - used a chopstick she had taken as a wand to count my fingers from 1 to 10. As she counted, she smiled up at me and I couldn't help but smile right back. She was as cute as a button. As other people were rushing to and fro right by us, I got lost in those moments. While my intuition told me I needed to be productive and help carry things or sort things, my heart told me I needed to be with that little girl (Rose) - she needed me more. I stood with her for probably 10 or so minutes, and when her mom finally pulled up outside, I walked out with her, and, as we descended the steps, she reached up for my hand. My sister was close by, and when I caught her eye, we both smiled because it was such a beautiful thing. As I helped the mom load up the car, the girl smiled and waved through the backseat window.


God wants our attention; He wants our patience, our presence. And He reaches out for us at unexpected times. We have to decide to answer Him with a firm yes - we have to stop our normal "busy" routines to hear His gentle whisper, to meet Him in our neighbors with compassion and love.

Good things come to those who wait...and who, when the time comes, recognize the opportunity to say YES.

Zeal. Zeal. Zeal.

I needed this weekend more than I knew.

But ACE knew.

I just got back from an incredible reflection-, friend-, and faith-filled weekend retreat in Florida. There were so many poignant talks, amazing interactions, and thought-provoking ideas. There was a lot to take away, but there was one thing Fr. Lou told me in confession that really hit home above all else...

I explained how I've been in a rut with my seventh graders, to the point of really resenting a number of them. This whole weekend we are celebrating our work with Catholic education and what we work day in and out for with our kids...and yet, this was hanging over my head and weighing on my heart. Fr. Lou just looked at me, and he said that we are called to love everyone, regardless of whether they deserve that love in any given moment or not. For, that is what Jesus does with us every single day.

Wow. When I thought about it like that - how undeserving I am and how God still loves me SO much - how can I not go in every day and strive to show that love to them? I know it's not going to be like the flip of a switch in terms of change, and I know that some days I will continue to get frustrated, but I am going to try to keep this at the forefront and to ask in a special way that God help me with this.

Again, so many great talks, fun activities, and special time. Here are a few photos, including one with my parents (who I got to see on Sunday!)...


Thursday was a full moon...I wish I would have known, as that explains a LOT as to what happened on Thursday...

On Thursday night, ACE put us up in a hotel...and it came with a free cookie...and really comfy beds... :)

On Friday we visited an ACE Academy - and it lived the Salesian spirit, holding Don Bosco and Mary, Help of Christians up as models. The gentlemen of our group really enjoyed recess with the kids. 

The retreat center grounds were absolutely beautiful. When we had an hour of reflection at a time, I found so much peace in just looking out onto the lake. And the sunsets...holy cow!

We had time for recreation too - one night we played a combo of trivia (which the RLP 15 gentlemen won) and charade-a-phone (which the RLP 15 ladies won - woo hoo!)...and then next night everyone dazzled us with their karaoke skills...

But like all good things, on Sunday it was time to say "until next time"...

I was blessed to be able to spend a few hours with my parents during (for Mass and breakfast) and after retreat before I flew home. We spent some time on the Riverwalk, at lunch, and downtown. It was a beautiful day!

I am so very grateful for the many blessings I have been given and people I have the fortune to call family and friends, especially through ACE. I am renewed with zeal and love for my school community, and I look forward to helping make God known, loved, and served to my students each and every day.

Growing in God's Mercy

I had the opportunity to help lead a retreat this weekend for the young adult community at my church. Our focus was mercy. I learned quite a bit from reflecting on my own experience of mercy and in spending time in small group discussion with others too. I had the chance to share my reflections through a witness talk this morning. Here's the transcript of what I said (though, I did not read it word for word):

‘A story is told that during the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged. When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives. Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.”’ (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/you-are-my-hands?lang=eng)

Doesn’t this story remind you of St. Teresa of Avila’s prayer: “Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” Jesus is the “face of God’s mercy” - this is literally the first line of Pope Francis’s bull of indiction for the Year of Mercy. Therefore, if we truly believe we are the hands, the feet, the eyes, the body of Jesus, we become Jesus for others, thereby becoming the face of God’s mercy too.

We’ve spent a great deal of time this weekend listening to and reflecting on witness of mercy on a personal level with people we know. Today, as we prepare to end our retreat, it’s time to take a look at the bigger picture - at our universal call as Christians to be merciful to everyone, including those whom we do not know or those in our lives who we tend to take less time or effort thinking about, maybe even avoid. The woman begging on the street needs mercy from us just as much as someone in our family who has hurt us. The man who is hospitalized for surgery needs mercy from us just as much as a friend who has lost our trust.

As I was preparing for this talk, I was running my, at the time, jumbled thoughts by my sister, and she noticed I was mainly trying to focus on two main types of opportunities for mercy, those which she dubbed “scheduled” and others that she dubbed “spontaneous.” I find it helpful to put a name to things, so I’m going to go with it - her names are pretty accurate. So, first, let’s take a look at the idea of “scheduled” opportunities for mercy.

Scheduled. As in planned. As in added to my Google calendar. (Whatever did we do before Google?) We are so blessed at St. Clement and in the city of Chicago to have a multitude of opportunities for serving others and living out the corporal works of mercy on a regular basis - OLA Mission, food and clothing drives, preparing sack lunches or Lincoln Park Community Shelter dinners, handing out Chicago Shares vouchers - all of these are ways we are able to schedule mercy into our lives.

When I came to Chicago back in the fall of 2011, I took a job as a Catholic elementary school teacher, and I was happy where I was. But I felt like there was something missing. One Sunday morning I found myself at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church (mostly because the 8 a.m. Mass was super convenient, both in getting my Mass obligation done for the day and in it only being a two minute walk down the alley from my apartment), and I noticed in the bulletin an ad about ministry of care trainings going on through Holy Name Cathedral. I can’t explain exactly how I felt, but it was that tug at the heart (you guys know what I’m talking about), where it just seemed like the right thing to do. Pretty soon (after some intense training), I found myself at NWMH on Saturdays twice a month. I loved it. The patients were incredible, but I rarely saw any of them again (due to the fact of their being in and out of the hospital or on different floors). Some of my interactions and conversations, though, have stuck with me - God is so good, and He blessed and guided our conversations, giving me the “right” words to say or the comfort in silence when words were not needed.

One time, I entered into a room noted in my assignments, and I went through my spiel: “Hello, my name is Kelly Foyle. I’m a minister of care from Holy Name Cathedral. I go to church at St. Clement, and I teach at Immaculate Conception St. Joseph. Are you interested in receiving holy communion today?” I was somewhat surprised when the patient’s daughter said, “Oh, you go to St. Clement? We’re parishioners at St. Clement. Fr. Ken was just here yesterday.” (Great, I got to follow up to Fr. Ken.) We got to talking for a bit, sharing this and that, talking about the parish and so forth. As I got ready to leave, the woman stopped me and said, “You know, you just exude St. Clement.” And that made me stop and think, “Wow, this woman just had an experience of Church and God’s mercy through me.” That’s quite a responsibility we all have, if you stop to think about it… Pope Francis pointed this out in his bull of indiction: “(The Year of Mercy) was a fresh undertaking for all Christians to bear witness to their faith with greater enthusiasm and conviction. The Church sensed a responsibility to be a living sign of the Father’s love in the world.” Clearly, each of us are the Church, and our actions contribute to the witness of the Church.

Scheduled mercy - yes, we need those times. But, not everything in life can be scheduled - that’s one of the most incredible things about our day to day living. We can’t always know what to expect or who we will meet or where opportunities for mercy may lie. It is for these precise moments that we have our second type of mercy opportunity: “spontaneous.”

I am very much a creature of habit. I tend to get up at the same time, do my morning routine in the same way, drive the same route to and from work, go to my weekly evening commitments. It’s easy to get caught up in monotony - doing the same things, seeing the same people… Every once in awhile, though, I break out and do something crazy, like go to the Chicago YCP Mass and welcome reception on a stormy Tuesday night in February. I don’t get downtown much, but people I know who do often speak of seeing so much begging and hunger on the streets. It wasn’t surprising, then, that on my way to the meeting, multiple people I passed asked me for money. I didn’t do anything to help them. However, when a man approached me, my sister, and another friend as we were going in to grab some dinner after the event, I couldn’t help but think God was giving me another chance to extend His mercy to someone who needed it that day. “Can you help me get some food?” Without even thinking, I asked, “Do you want to eat in here?” (gesturing to Naf Naf Grill - our dinner location of choice) to which he nodded his head. We walked in together. I introduced myself and asked his name. It was Jarrell. I told him to order whatever he wanted, so he got a rice bowl with extra chicken and a pita. He asked where I was from, if I was married (and was surprised when I told him I wasn’t), and he asked about my job. I paid for his meal and mine, and I sat down with Marisa and Kelsey. Jarrell didn’t sit with us - he took his meal to go, but not without first saying thank you. I shook his hand and thanked him too.

It was all very spontaneous - I hadn’t planned to help this man (who I will probably never see again but who I think about all the time now - I’m not sure why, except for the fact that our interaction was more than a simple transaction). I felt like I had to do something. It was honestly like Jesus was standing there saying, “whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters you do to me” (Mt 25). I just couldn’t say no that time, even though I had done so many times earlier that very same day. God surely works in mysterious ways. For those of you who are interested in reading about a saint’s “spontaneous” opportunity of mercy, refer to the website for St. Martin of Tours - his short, simple story about sharing his coat with a beggar is incredibly powerful - I just don’t have time to share it here.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the suffering and need for mercy we see in the world today. But we can each start with one person at a time, that’s what God asks of us. There’s a great quote by Mother Teresa - it’s in your folder. “If I look at the mass of people I will never act. If I look at the one, I will...Jesus said love one another. He didn’t say love the whole world.”

I want to close this morning with another short story (can you tell I’m a teacher? - we love a good story). It’s called “I had lunch with God” (from I Had Lunch with God)

We too can be the visible face of God’s mercy in the world. Amen to that.

What the world needs now...

...is mercy.

I am so blessed to have been reminded of this today on retreat with fellow young adults at a local church. Through prayer, Scripture, witness, Adoration, confession, and fellowship, God's mercy was made truly tangible. For me, it's easy to fall into the role of the older son in the parable of the prodigal son - one who has always followed the rules, doing what he's supposed to do, but in reality not as close to the father as he may think (or want). How many times do I do things because I know they're the right thing to do or because I really just want to check off a box? Said morning prayer - check. Prayed the Rosary - check. But life isn't about check boxes. God loves us and showers us with his mercy in a prodigal (wasteful) way. We don't do anything to deserve this - He has chosen us. He loves us and comes to meet us even when we are a long ways off from him.

And if that wasn't enough, I went with a friend to bring communion to the nursing home after retreat. (Part of me had wanted to stay for Mass, but I decided to go tomorrow - and Marisa came too.) All of the residents were welcoming. One woman told me that she hopes she meets me again in heaven. (I told her that I hope I meet her again before that too.) I hadn't brought communion to anyone outside of the regular Mass in quite some time, so it was a wonderful experience, albeit different from bringing communion to the hospital. I look forward to continuing to go in the weeks to come. Eventually I may switch over to a hospital if that is where the need is.

My life is far from perfect, and it is far from ideal. But it is beautiful because I am loved by God, and I am called to show that love to others in that same prodigal way.

Retreat High

Currently on a "retreat high," and this is the first message I come across in my email inbox:


“It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; he is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; he is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.” 

- ST. POPE JOHN PAUL II

Jesus fills our void/space - a space that we need to create and cultivate through silence and intentional prayer. 

This quote could not hit home more incredibly than right now. After being on retreat up in Wisconsin with over 60 other young adults from my parish this weekend, I feel so blessed, overwhelmed with gratitude, and filled with God's grace.

Thank you, Lord, for speaking to me through the words and actions of so many wonderful people this weekend. I pray that as a community we continue to grow closer in our love for you and in friendship with one another. Amen.

Meaningful Weeknight Activities

Though it's been a long week, it's hard to believe it's already Friday. Maybe it's because I have been able to fill my evenings with meaningful activities that have helped to move the week right along...

On Monday I sat down with the young adult planning team, and we started finalizing some logistics, jobs, etc. for our upcoming retreat. We made some solid progress, and everyone brought both joy and determination to our conversation.

On Tuesday I went to young adult volleyball - it was the first time in what felt like forever...and it was a ton of fun. I would definitely consider myself in just about the middle range of skill levels, so, while I definitely made some errors (and missed some serves), I made some good plays as well. Everyone was uplifting on the court and fun to talk to off the court. I hope I can now make this a regular thing...

Wednesday was a Strengths for the Journey reunion dinner and prayer reflection. Each time I turned around I was running into someone else I knew - it gave me a true sense that my Church community is my home here now. I even met a few new people, including one ACE grad who worked in Plaquemine, LA. A delicious dinner was followed by an introduction to various prayer forms and a discussion with our tables about how we might strive to use our strengths to influence and understand our respective prayer lives.

Tonight was Adoration followed by some grocery-buying and dinner-getting with my sister. How wonderful to sit in silence in the presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament and offer praise/thanksgiving. After such noisy days at school, nothing strengthens and renews my heart/zeal like the quietness.

Only one more day until the long weekend. I'm looking forward to some rest, relaxation, and limited internet access! Happy Valentine's Day & Presidents' Day to all!

Final Prep Before the Holy Spirit Does Its Thing

Yep, you read that right - today was the 8th graders' Confirmation retreat. (It was nice to have an excuse to be inside for most of the day, quite frankly, as it was overcast and misty - bleh.) With the help of some amazing (yes, truly incredible!) friends (& awesome sister) and colleagues, we were able to pull together some great resources and execute a reflective, thoughtful retreat.

We began the day with Mass, where I happened to be seated in front of my students and next to a woman with a small child (maybe 18 months old?). At one point, I turned around in my pew because my students were whispering. When I turned back around, the woman asked, "Are they yours?" I explained to her that they were having their Confirmation retreat today, to which she responded, "Oh, I was wondering how early you got started." (Ha ha.) It got me thinking, though, that they technically are mine because I've prepared them for this special Sacrament over the past two years. They are mine because their parents entrust them to my care every day. Maybe I should have answered yes. (I would have loved to see that reaction!)

After Mass, we took a quick tour of the Shrine, where we were holding the retreat. The students learned a bit about Mother Cabrini, and they even got to go up on the altar and into the mini museum.

Post-tour, I gave an overview of the structure of the retreat (based on the three main things at Confirmation: Renewal of Baptismal Promises, Laying on of Hands, and Anointing with Chrism). I also introduced the team, and then we were off and running. (We had a break for lunch in the middle too.) We did activities involving movement, art, and prayer. I think the mixture of activities kept the students on their toes...

Though the students were chatty at times, most were highly engaged and thoughtful during their small group sessions, drawing connections between the activities and their faith journeys. Our pastor showed up towards the end, and he led us in a closing prayer before taking a group photo and sending the students on their separate ways.

What a blessing these young people are! Please hold them in your prayers as they enter into this final month before receiving the Sacrament.

We Had Our Moments

To quote Friday's blog post -->

"I am so blessed with friends in the local area who have willingly and generously given of their time to help out by giving witness talks and/or leading small groups throughout the day. They are the best, and I cannot even begin to thank them enough."

At the end of today's Confirmation retreat, this sentiment rings truer than ever.

To say the retreat went off without a hitch would probably be a lie. There were times when I scrambled to keep us on schedule, and there were other times when students were talking briefly during a witness talk. We ran out of soda pop, and most students didn't get to finish their icon projects.

But, overall, it was a beautiful, reflective day. Here are a few of my favorite moments:

As we were getting ready for the start of Mass, students noticed my twin sister, who immediately & automatically received celebrity status. Later, a student mentioned that we practically dressed the same way. To this, I noted that we had the same color shirt, but that was about where the similar clothing stopped, as we wore different colored pants, we boasted different styles of shoe, and we had different hair styles. But, I mean, he was right – we were practically the same…

In his homily, our priest gave three short accounts of Saints: Mother Cabrini, St. Clement, & St. Maximilian Kolbe. Admittedly, I didn’t know much about any of these Saints, so I was eager to hear about them. My favorite short story was that of St. Clement - Upon asking a group of gambling men for the winnings to give the orphans he was helping, he was directly spit at by one of the men. Instead of retaliating, he wiped the spit away and said, “That was for me, but now what about the money for my orphans?” In doing so, St. Clement made the man look like a fool in front of his friends, and they said, “You’re all right, Father,” and they gave him the money.

 During the first witness talk, my friend, Brendan, praised the students for the great questions they ask me in class. At that time, the students finally made the connection that Brendan is my “seminary friend” that I keep talking about in class as one of my main sources of information of Church teaching – when the students ask me questions I can’t answer, I usually email or call him, and he talks me through the topic, and then I relay the information back to the students. “We thought he was older,” one student mentioned. I could almost see actual lightbulbs going off over their heads. Priceless.

There were so many good moments today that it’s impossible to relay them all here. And, let’s face it, I likely can’t do them justice.

So, I’ll leave you with the poem that another friend read during his witness talk. I think it's a good way to end this evening and a solid idea to start this upcoming week -->

The Dash 
by Linda Ellis (copyright 1996)

I read of a man who stood to speak 
at the funeral of a friend. 
He referred to the dates on the tombstone 
from the beginning…to the end. 

He noted that first came the date of birth 
and spoke the following date with tears, 
but he said what mattered most of all 
was the dash between those years. 

For that dash represents all the time 
that they spent alive on earth. 
And now only those who loved them know 
what that little line is worth. 

For it matters not, how much we own, 
the cars…the house…the cash 
What matters is how we live and love 
and how we spend our dash. 

So, think about this long and hard. 
Are there things you’d like to change? 
For you never know how much time is left 
that can still be rearranged. 

If we could just slow down enough 
to consider what’s true and real 
and always try to understand 
​the way other people feel. 

And be less quick to anger 
and show appreciation more 
and love the people in our lives 
like we've never loved before. 

If we treat each other with respect 
and more often wear a smile, 
remembering that this special dash 
might only last a little while. ​

So, when your eulogy is being read, 
with your life’s actions to rehash… 
would you be proud of the things they say 
about how you spent YOUR dash?

Ready for Retreat? I sure hope so...

Today was a long one at school...but I think we're just about finalized for Sunday's Confirmation Retreat. Schedules, ice breakers, reflection questions, supplies, and drinks/snacks...I sure hope I haven't forgotten anything.

I am so blessed with friends in the local area who have willingly and generously given of their time to help out by giving witness talks and/or leading small groups throughout the day. They are the best, and I cannot even begin to thank them enough.

My sincere hope is that the 8th grade Confirmation candidates see the strong Catholic faith being lived on a daily basis by these young adults (and not just their Religion teacher). I also hope that since one friend coming is in the seminary that they will see how young people still accept vocations to the priesthood.

If you have some extra prayers to send up this Sunday, please pray for the hearts of my students to be open to God's message and love on retreat. Please also pray for my retreat team, that God bless them abundantly for their generosity and friendship.

Thank you.

Mary, Did You Know...in my sleep

Tonight, I'm pretty sure I'll be signing "Mary, Did You Know?" in my sleep...you know, whenever I get to sleep...(Don't you hate it when lesson planning keeps you up at night?)

Multiple times through x 4 station group rotations x 2 retreats (4th & 5th grades) + a couple times through during 7th grade family Advent event = a LOT of repetition

Oh, yes...and how could I forget doing it two more times this afternoon at the end of study hall with the 5th grade boys. It was completely voluntary. No, scratch that. It was in high demand. They were done with their homework, and what did they want to do? Sign. (I am not kidding - you cannot make this stuff up.) I couldn't keep a straight face - they were so darn cute.

I love teaching middle school, don't get me wrong. But some days I wish I could go back to teaching ones that are just a tad younger - 4th and 5th graders are such a fun bunch. So days like today and yesterday, when I had the opportunity to lead the retreats for those grades - these are the days when, though extra-filled, I feel extremely blessed and lucky. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of those retreats.

The 7th and 8th grade retreat is next week...so we'll see how that goes. I'm a little worried because the 6th grade retreat left a little to be desired - but, then again, I only had one other teacher helping me. (On Tuesday, I should have some additional help from the principal and maybe some other teachers - at least, my fingers are crossed for that.)

Have a great weekend!!