I left Canterbury this morning around 9:30 and arrived in Chilworth about 11:15 after a very pleasant drive. The weather today is beautiful and the scenery was just a nice. The taxi driver was a pleasant chap and we got on well.

Right after settling into my room I went looking about and found the small friary chapel with the cat napping comfortably on the bench. I was in there again about five hours later and it was still sound asleep, but did wake up long enough for me to scratch its chin and ears.

The church and friary here in Chilworth were built in 1890. As you can see, they are both beautiful. They are set in the country with lots of green area and woods around them. This was for many years the Novitiate for the English province. Today their men go to a common novitiate with the Irish province in Ireland.

Tomorrow I will take a train into London to Gatwick airport and fly British Air to Rome for a quick overnight at the General Curia (the headquarters for the Franciscan Order). Then on Wednesday I will take a train to Assisi and remain there until Sunday when I begin to make my way back here to Chilworth and then back to the USA on the 21st. So there is much to this trip yet to come. The first phase was the longest since I taught a three-week course. But this second phase is very exciting as well.

I'll fill you in when I get to Assisi.