Father Michael came to Minnesota (September 28 – October 15). Soon after arriving he and his assistant Madoda Gcwadi led a workshop for 25 participants which was the largest one we have held in Minnesota thus far. A collaborative effort between United Theological Seminary and the Healing of Memories Working Group, it was a remarkably diverse group of people that included veterans, faith leaders, spiritual directors, and seminarians. The Working Group was formed from the Warrior to Citizen Campaign created under the auspices of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute.

That was just the beginning of two action-packed weeks that included meetings with students at United Theological Seminary, and a lecture entitled “Pain Knows No Boundaries: An Interfaith Journey” that Fr. Michael gave at St. Johns University on October 2 and again on October 4 at United Theological Seminary. On October 7, a sermon at The House of Hope in St. Paul marked the beginning of a four-day Scholar-in-Residence program at St. Thomas University that was jointly sponsored with The House of Hope. While at St. Thomas he attended classes, he met with students, and presented the Havel Symposium Lecture “Courageous Citizenship: Redeeming the Past and Building the Future,” an annual event at St. Thomas University. On October 12, he conducted a workshop for chaplains and pastors “Healing as a religious leader; facilitating healing and implications for ministry” at United Theological Seminary.

The Twin Cities Healing of Memories Working Group has made a commitment to train facilitators of Healing of Memories workshops using Minnesota residents, and we have recruited a team of trainees. Fr. Michael meets with the trainees each time he is here, which he did again on this visit. It is remarkably diverse group, varied in ethnicities, and includes veterans of the Korean, Gulf and Iraq wars and several Episcopal priests and spiritual directors. The team will have completed its training and be ready to offer their own Healing of Memories workshops beginning in 2013.

Not least Fr. Michael held a launch of his new memoir, Redeeming the Past: My Journey from Freedom Fighter to Healer, for forty people at the home of Joanie and Jim Delamater.