It’s been two weeks since my last blog post and a lot of progress has been made in the way of my research and the research project of my mentor. In addition, I have had the opportunity to participate in some really neat events over these weeks.

On Sunday of last week, I had the fun of going on one of Boston’s world famous “Duck Tours” with some of the other research interns at Harvard. The vehicles we were on are called “duck boats” because of their history; these vehicles are replicas of the Word War II era DUKW boats, called “ducks” because of their ability to be both on land in the water. Needless to say, we got a really neat tour of Boston driving on the streets and diving straight into the Charles River! It was a really unique way to see a lot of the historic sites.

That same Sunday, I was lucky to also participate in an annual service in the Unitarian Universalist tradition called the Flower Communion. This service symbolizes the individuality each person brings to the community, shown in each person bringing a flower of their choosing and then leaving the service with a flower different from the one they brought. This ceremony is also to show how we take different ideas and pieces from the community with us as we worship together each week. To my luck, The First Parish in Cambridge, Unitarian Universalist, was the first place this ceremony was celebrated amongst Unitarian congregations in the United States after it was brought from the Czechoslovakian Unitarian tradition that created this ceremony to give liberal religion a communal celebration (much like Communion/Eucharist is celebrated in many other Christian traditions) with some form of a sacred ceremony, yet still retaining our liberal identities and theologies. This was also the first Sunday service I participated in on the East Coast, so it was really wonderful to be welcomed so openly by other Unitarian Universalists in the Cambridge area (First Parish is also right across the street from Harvard Yard, so its proximity is really close to where I am staying).

With regards to research, this past week I have been able to use a digital microfilm reader to view and scan previous editions of The Christian Register, the old Unitarian monthly publication full of church news, prominent figures of the church, and points of discussion. I have been scanning these editions from 1936 to 1960, looking for figures my mentor has asked me to keep an eye out for, for his own research. I have also been scanning these publications for discussions of the military, chaplaincy, or any potential aspects of moral injury that might be discoverable (as this timespan also coincides with World War II). It has been a really neat experience, with my finishing scanning of the final microfilm reel today (phew, lots of scanning spanning decades this past week).

 

As I write this, I am also excited about an upcoming trip to Germany for a week with my mom. My flight to Germany leaves tomorrow evening and I am excited to have this opportunity to travel and see another part of the world. I will be sure to take pictures and post updates of any neat things I see during this trip. Until then, I wish you well. Thank you for reading this post and stay tuned for more updates to follow :).