Update from DC

Hello Everyone,

I will try to post here often to keep you informed on what's happening in DC.

I’ve been here for a week.  For those who don’t know, I’m in DC studying Canon Law at the Catholic University of America.  It is an intense summer program.  I basically have 5 Semester long graduate level course shoved into June and July.  There is a lot of reading and I sit in class up to 5 hours in a day (4 straight each morning).  But, I find canon law quite interesting.  Right now I am studying general norms of law (so I could talk some shop with lawyers back home at some point to see if there are similarities/differences…), and the structure of the particular church.  What is a particular church you ask, well according to canon 368: Particular churches, in which and from which the one and only Catholic Church exists, are first of all dioceses (then the canon goes on to explain 5 more and 2 more kinds of particular churches have developed since the writing of the code of canon law).  So I am learning all about the structure of the diocese.  Now after that brief interlude I hope everyone is still awake and with me.

I have also found some time for biking.    Upon searching I found that there are some great bike routes in DC, but they are all in the South West corner of the city, and I live in the North East corner…  so my notions of biking straight from my house were dashed.  However, Thursday I decided to brave the DC traffic and set out in search of a bike trail, and did I ever find one.

The trip took me 25 minutes to go 5 miles in my car, but it was worth it.  I parked in South Potomac park near the Jefferson memorial and biked the Mount Vernon Trail.  This trail went about 18 miles south all the way to Mount Vernon.  It was a nice trail, 99 % of it off of roads and pretty well maintained.  There were a few rolling hills and a big climb into Mt Vernon (Ok it’s not a mountain… but it is called Mount…).  So 36 miles yesterday and no casualties.

Today I decided to head north instead and I found the Custis trail.  This trail crossed over into Virginia and rode near the Potomac river going west.  This trail may have been even more fun than Mt Vernon.  It was quite hilly (again, not mountains, but certainly similar to our hills back in southern Michigan).  This Custis trail actually runs into the W&OB trail, which would go for another 40 miles, so there is an easy century.  I went 33…

So I guess that’s all that there is to report.  I found some nice trails to bike.  But, more importantly, I’m reading a great deal about Canon law.  I look forward to my return in August, see you then.

Fr Jake