Sr. Kathy Kurdziel, IHM
A high school English and writing teacher at Bishop Hannan High School, Scranton, PA

5:15 a.m. I sit up and look out the window of my room on the  fifth floor of The Florence, a low income apartment building in central city. Sisters Jane, Susan and I moved here two years ago in order to share life closer to the poor. A lovely bonus is this view of the city. This morning the full moon is hanging low in the sky. My spirit is awed by its beauty.

5:30 a.m. I sit to pray the gospel. Today's passage is the story of Jonah resisting God's will, but God persists in his life and in mine.

6:15 a.m. Susan and I go out to the Cathedral for 6:30 a.m. Mass. The regulars are there. We early church goers have become a little community waving and exchanging morning greetings.

7:00 a.m. Jane is waiting for us when we return. She has prepared prayer this morning focusing on the jubilee theme of  forgiveness. We pray the gospel together sharing insights and speaking our needs. This is one of the reasons we chose to live together. Daily shared prayer is the heart of our life together.

8:10 a.m. I greet the students in homeroom. Today begins a new semester so I try to encourage the freshman to take advantage of the fresh start.

8:35 a.m. I have my preparation period first which I use for organizing my day.

10:15 a.m. The class day begins. First come the writing lab students. We discuss rules and set goals.

11:30 a.m.  Freshman English students arrive for their first class. I distribute books and discuss expectations and assess needs. This group will be a challenge.

12:30 p.m. I join the other faculty for a quick lunch.

1:00 p.m. My second English class arrives. The class goes very well. This will be a great group to have at the end of the day. Thank you, God.

2:30 p.m. The final bell rings and the halls explode with teen sounds and locker noise. My student observer from the University stops to discuss her lesson plans and set up observation times.

3:10 p.m. I quickly pack up and head out for the Lackawanna county prison. On the way I try to center myself switching gears for prayer with the women inmates.

3:30 p.m. I sign in at the prison and meet Sr. Margaret. In the cell block, Margaret reads the scripture and I preach about Jonah and God's willingness to give second chances. We take our time cleaning up allowing for some private talk with the women. These moments are precious and important.

5:00 p.m. I stop back at the school to watch the last half of the freshman basketball game and cheer for my students.

5:50 p.m. I pick up the mail and visit with a Mexican woman who lives in our building. Georgie, her four year old, is with her. I see she is bone-tired from her work at the laundry.

6:00 p.m. Home at our apartment, I sink into a soft chair resting in the beauty of a gorgeous sunset before I begin preparing supper.

7:45 p.m. I call my mom, then my friend, Margo. I answer my e-mail and finally settle down to some school work.

9:00 p.m. Jane comes home from her parish in White Haven and we put on the tea kettle and the three of us chat over a cup of tea. It's been a full Monday for all of us.

10:30 p.m. I get ready for bed. My day ends where it began looking out over the city. I read the scriptures for tomorrow - a passage about healing -- and I pray for the world's broken places. I think over the faces of the day -- the people at church, the students and faculty at school, the women at the prison, the residents of our building, Jane and Susan, my companions in prayer and community. I drift quickly off to sleep with a prayer of gratitude on my lips.