Pilgrimage

Few of us get a chance to go on a pilgrimage;  my Sister,  Kathy, and her Husband,  Mark,  made it possible to go to Pacem in Terris and went with me.  Not only that,  but  my Niece,  Sophie went too,  and we went one step further and visited an outstanding farm only 10 miles away from Warwick in Pine Island.  That too was a pilgrimage of sorts.

Pacem in Terris is a spiritual center which does not wave its' flag as such.  The principles of it,  Frederick and Claske Franck fashioned this place out of an old ruined mill,  and today it serves as a place not only to hear deeply inspiring music,  but as a sculpture garden for Frederick's sculptures along the Wawayanda River, and for meditations and personal visits.   As we listened to the concert, marveled at the building and then walked the garden it was if I could hear Frederick's distant voice suggesting that there were still sacred places on this bewildered planet.  His book, "Fingers Pointing Toward the Sacred;  a Twentieth Century Pilgrimage on the Eastern and Western Way" came to mind,  the wisdom of its pilgrimages became something to review.

To sit with Claske after the concert and marvel at the place and the music was a deep pleasure,  and we agreed that the dearly departed Frederick was there with us,  as he was during the tumultuous rendition of Vidaldi's  summer season concerto ...   as a storm rocked the building, thunder and lightning gave other dimensions to the virtuoso performance.

The inspiring 100 acre W. Rogowski Farm was a marvel in itself,  and we were lucky enough to have a brief tour with the principle of it,  Cheryl Rogowski   (a MacArthur Genius Award winner).  Her/their "Grassroots Alternative to Organic"  is an operation of many facets,  a farm which is designed in its third generation family farm version is something to last,  to survive and thrive in good times  and adversity.     Check it out at www.RogowskiFarm.com.

Soon the picture of Claske and I will be joined by some pictures taken in both places.  In the meantime,  I invite you to look up Pacem in Terris at www.frederick frank.org.  They are on Facebook too.   The address is 96 Covered Bridge Road,  Warwick,  N.Y.  10990.  By the way,  don't miss a chance to go on a pilgrimage or two yourself  ... nothing quite like it ....