Vaccination progress and being ninety years young

The big event of this week was Br. Carl's 90th birthday. Carl presided to the morning mass and asked me to take lots of photos to share with his friends. It is beautiful that celebrating the eucharist was one of the things he most wanted to do on his birthday. In the evening, we had a party to revel in the occasion. We ordered pizzas, opened bottles of Prosecco and enjoy a vegan chocolate cake made by Br. Aidan.

Br. Carl presiding at mass on his birthday.

In-between the morning mass and the Saturday evening party, another portentous event happened. The last five of us who had not yet been vaccinated got our first shot of the Pfizer Biontech vaccine. This means that by the end of this month of March, the whole monastic community will be fully vaccinated. Those of us who are younger than 65 years were able to get the vaccine because people who live in "congregate living" are considered at the same level of priority as essential workers.

All five of us went to the Kate Walton Field House (the gym of Kingston High School) where our county has set up a well-oiled organization mostly staffed by over 500 volunteers who rotate there 7 days a week. It was orderly, effective, efficient and over within an hour. There must have been about 50 members of staff and over 100 patients winding their way through the various check-in, injection and check-out stations.

People were properly masked and distanced. No one complained. Everybody I encountered was courteous and kind. It made me proud that our country can still react and organize this way.

I am immensely grateful to our healthcare coordinator Charlotte Michos and to the various brothers who scoured the internet to obtain vaccination appointments for every one over the past two months. Some of us travelled to White Plains and New York City to get their jab. But in the end, we are getting there.

I pray that our country will continue to increase our capacities to vaccinate more people everywhere and soon. As a country, we are doing a remarkable effort to make this available to everyone eventually. 'Way to go! The sooner we also get to help the rest of the world get vaccinated too, the sooner we will be safer all over the planet, including here.

The Ulster County vaccination center in Kingston. A remarkable feat of organization leveraging volunteers power. Left, my e-mailed document confirming my next vaccinastion appointment at the end of this month. It was waiting for me home by the time I drove back to the monastery.

I give thanks for those of you who got vaccinated already and I hope you get your chance soon if you haven't had it yet.

Carl's birthday party in the evening felt like a double celebration.

Celebrating Br. Carl's life. We give thanks for his being our Brother.

I hope you stay safe, wear a mask when necessary, get a vaccine if you can. You are saving lives. We've got this!