Steubenville trip

This weekend has been pretty cool. After a 15-hour bus ride, I got in to Steubenville at about 10:00. Joseph and Nicole have a beautiful 4-bedroom house they are renting for only 600 dollars a month (and it includes a pool. You can find a house for 40 thousand US):

The opening Mass for the university students was at 11:30; the bishop of Steubenville diocese was main celebrant and homilist. Mass was held in the athletic building because of the size of the congregation, which, fittingly, looks like a church, albeit a modern one:
Afterward we had lunch and toured the grounds:

where I found a replica of the Church of San Damiano (which is because the university is run by Franciscans):

then we went to the university bookstore where I bought Scott Hahn's latest book (he's a professor here.) Then we went home for dinner, after which we joined the weekly rosary walk organized by the Catholic families (and there are a lot of them) in the area. Joining us were Kimberly Hahn and hers and Scott's six kids (Scott was preparing his classes, which start on Tuesday) and three postulants of the Marian Fathers who live in the area.
Saturday we again went for Mass at the university (it was something of a charismatic Mass) and walked around the grounds. Then we went home and Joseph and Nicole invited the neighbourhood kids to play in the pool!

There's a great atmosphere at the university. Right of from the bat, the second and third-year students help the freshmen with settling in, and the parents, most of who come to see their children off, stay for the first few days of orientation and are given royal treatment. We met a family who were seeing their oldest son off. The father was Catholic and the mother was a converted Jew, and the son was entering a pre-theology program for those discerning the priesthood. The joy that the entire family showed was just inspirational.

Anyway. I'm leaving tomorrow for TO. Ciao for now.