The Orientation Program tries to leave the weekends generally free but this first Sunday was busy with liturgy in the morning, an introductory session, and then a cookout in the evening.

Before the mass in the Bethany chapel in the morning, Joanne Blaney listened while James Havey and Margaret DeCrescentis found the right key for the opening song.

Charlie Dittmeier was the presider for this morning's liturgy.

After mass a group lingered in the chapel to talk.

One of the new lay missioner candidates is Nancy Davies who arrived yesterday for the Orientation Program. Nancy has been assigned to Cambodia.

After lunch the orientation group met together officially for the first time to go over schedules and some general guidelines with Joe Regotti and Debbie Northern, the two Bethany staff members who will be leading the Orientation Program.

As dusk fell, Erik Cambier and Larry Parr opened up packages of frozen hamburgers and hot dogs to let them thaw a bit before the grilling started.

Inside Cecelia Espinoza and Joanne Miya combined to put together a salad for the candidates, the staff, the regional coordinators, and others who came to mark this first evening for the candidates to be together.

The charcoal was ready just about at the right time and soon the hot dogs and hamburgers were on the table and it was time to eat.

After everyone had finished eating, it was time for introductions as candidates and staff got to learn each other's names.

Then it was time for the music. A local group that plays music from the Andean region of Bolivia and Ecuador came to entertain the gathering with their music from another culture.