This will be my first "blast from the past" posts in which I'll dig up things from my past when my present isn't particularly interesting for blog fodder or when I feel that background may be necessary to provide context for current events. This current post falls under the latter motivation (though, after hours of class today and facing hours tomorrow, I think the former is equally applicable). Now I will give some context to references to NET Ministries or my year doing missionary work.
NET Ministries is a young adult ministry who, as their mission statement explains, challenge young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church. They do this primarily through retreat ministry. NET is based out of St. Paul, Minnesota and every year a new batch of young adults from the ages of 18-28 gather together for training where they are given formation on their identity as sons and daughters of Christ and trained in the skills necessary for a year of ministry with teens. They are then placed on teams by the staff. Most of these teams are travel teams, like the one I was on, and they go from diocese to diocese, coast to coast in a 12-passenger van with a trailer in back putting on retreats from the teens in 6-12th grade and staying in host homes around the area. For more information go here and if you want to check out my (few) blog posts from that year you can read my blog which gives an first hand account of life as a missionary. There are also a couple pictures and amusing anecdotes. Now that I've given context, I feel free to constantly talk about NET as is my wont.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Steubie or Not Steubie
STEUBIE!!! That's the answer! This past weekend was our first Off Campus Weekend of the year. This is the magical time in every seminarian's life when all obligations disappear, even food service halts, and we are allowed to go anywhere or do anything within the confines of morality and prudence (well, as much prudence as I am in possession of...) provided that the seminarian is back and in the pew in time for night prayer on Sunday night (9pm). Off Campus Weekends are great (so great that apparently I capitalize them like proper nouns!) and provide much needed relaxation time. If you are wondering what I did with my weekend of freedom, I road tripped!
I asked around and we got a few guys together to road trip to Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH. A former seminarian (and diocesan brother) started his MA there this year and guys went out to visit him. For me, there was definitely a parallel motivation to the trip because my own NET sister from my missionary team began school there and my brother from the team lives there. It was a family reunion of sorts and I could not pass that up!
The university is flippin' sweet! I've been before but I am always just in awe of just how well integrated the faith is in campus life. My favorite example of the weekend is from a flyer for a 70s dance that will take place next weekend "Disco may be dead but we believe in the Resurrection." It is so healthy that the faith is just so much a part of the lives of many of the students that even though it isn't the only thing they do it is very much the lens through which they view the world. Everything is done in the light of their faith even if it just going to get coffee at the Heavenly Grounds, watching a movie in a dorm room with a wall of posters featuring Clint Eastwood, Schwarzenegger, The Beatles and JP II, or just playing ninja in the student center on a Friday night and meeting new people with charity. It's enough to make even a Saint Louis University alumnus like myself jealous (and that is saying quite a bit, SLU Rocks!).
I enjoyed the weekend so much and it was a milestone. This was the first Off Campus Weekend that I actually did some homework!!! I will definitely consider going there again because it was a massively fun time. I had a blast at that movie night I mentioned even though one of the students and I wound up spending most of the movie talking about better movies we both wished we were watching (we both agree, Die Hard is the best Christmas movie of all time!!!). This weekend was a great break from the usual and I am now totally thrilled to be going back to life here at Sacred Heart!
I asked around and we got a few guys together to road trip to Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH. A former seminarian (and diocesan brother) started his MA there this year and guys went out to visit him. For me, there was definitely a parallel motivation to the trip because my own NET sister from my missionary team began school there and my brother from the team lives there. It was a family reunion of sorts and I could not pass that up!
The university is flippin' sweet! I've been before but I am always just in awe of just how well integrated the faith is in campus life. My favorite example of the weekend is from a flyer for a 70s dance that will take place next weekend "Disco may be dead but we believe in the Resurrection." It is so healthy that the faith is just so much a part of the lives of many of the students that even though it isn't the only thing they do it is very much the lens through which they view the world. Everything is done in the light of their faith even if it just going to get coffee at the Heavenly Grounds, watching a movie in a dorm room with a wall of posters featuring Clint Eastwood, Schwarzenegger, The Beatles and JP II, or just playing ninja in the student center on a Friday night and meeting new people with charity. It's enough to make even a Saint Louis University alumnus like myself jealous (and that is saying quite a bit, SLU Rocks!).
I enjoyed the weekend so much and it was a milestone. This was the first Off Campus Weekend that I actually did some homework!!! I will definitely consider going there again because it was a massively fun time. I had a blast at that movie night I mentioned even though one of the students and I wound up spending most of the movie talking about better movies we both wished we were watching (we both agree, Die Hard is the best Christmas movie of all time!!!). This weekend was a great break from the usual and I am now totally thrilled to be going back to life here at Sacred Heart!
Friday, September 23, 2011
The Heat is On
The semester is starting to kick into gear! The schoolwork is starting to pile and I think I'm safely behind in all of my classes. It's finally Friday (I was SO tempted to make another Rebecca Black reference but I think one is enough, though I still reserve the right to slip in a Ke$a reference). This week was a bit of a hard one, especially Wednesday!
On Wednesday, I had my first formation meeting of the year. In seminary, we each have a formation director whom we meet with once a month to discuss how things are going, what we need to work, and progress in growth. The meeting went very well and I adore my formation director and trust him implicitly. The difficulty came in the fact that I've been asked to cut out something very dear to me. Seminary life, or any discernment, often demands of us sacrifices and many of these are legitimate good things that we very good for us up to the point that Christ holds out His pierced hand and asks for them. The idea being that we need to strip away the "ands" from our lives. I'm a priest and... I'm a mother and... or I'm a Christian and... Everything gets stripped away so that it's only God and us and then we can see what He wants once the clutter is gone.
This is one of the most painful aspects of our Christian life, sacrifice. If we remember everything in our lives is subordinated to or brought under God. This means we are in a position to give gifts to Christ! We can say to Him, "I love you so much I'm going to give you this..." The great thing is that when Christ points to something and says, "I want that," we are guaranteed that we will ultimately come out the benefactors from the transaction. Every gift we give Christ is just one more gain for us.
On Wednesday, I had my first formation meeting of the year. In seminary, we each have a formation director whom we meet with once a month to discuss how things are going, what we need to work, and progress in growth. The meeting went very well and I adore my formation director and trust him implicitly. The difficulty came in the fact that I've been asked to cut out something very dear to me. Seminary life, or any discernment, often demands of us sacrifices and many of these are legitimate good things that we very good for us up to the point that Christ holds out His pierced hand and asks for them. The idea being that we need to strip away the "ands" from our lives. I'm a priest and... I'm a mother and... or I'm a Christian and... Everything gets stripped away so that it's only God and us and then we can see what He wants once the clutter is gone.
This is one of the most painful aspects of our Christian life, sacrifice. If we remember everything in our lives is subordinated to or brought under God. This means we are in a position to give gifts to Christ! We can say to Him, "I love you so much I'm going to give you this..." The great thing is that when Christ points to something and says, "I want that," we are guaranteed that we will ultimately come out the benefactors from the transaction. Every gift we give Christ is just one more gain for us.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
2 lbs of Kielbasa
Today was very busy! I think you are going to get a taste of another aspect of seminary life in this post. Within a week of me establishing a norm for Sunday, there is a deviation from that norm. All plans are subject to change, praise God (slogan stolen from NET Ministries). Once a semester, the Archbishop invites all the seminarians from the two seminaries within the Archdiocese, Sacred Heart and Sts. Cyril and Methodius (I'll explain them in a minute) to the Cathedral for a short seminar on some aspect of priestly formation and then Mass.
This time, the Archbishop discussed with us the importance of vulnerability within the priestly ministry and the acknowledgment of the action of the Holy Spirit in the call. He emphasized that none of the Apostles had any particular skill that would result in success in the early Church and that the spread of Christianity is not the result of human ingenuity. He went on to suggest we reflect on this point during those times in which we remember our own unworthiness and shortcomings in the face of the call. The Archbishop stressed the importance of vulnerability in ministry, particularly the vulnerability that hope and ideals bring. He encouraged us to never give up on our ideals and hopes when they will inevitably be dashed by reality. The people of God deserves a priest (or anyone in ministry) that does not doubt or limit the power of the Holy Spirit. Just because the people we minister to will not be enraptured by the glorious words of our every sermon or the entire community won't be converted and a standing room crowd will not form on our Wednesday morning Mass does not mean that we have any right to give up on them or say that there are just some who are unreachable. It is crucial to open ourselves to the wounds of disappointment because it is only then that we can actually also be open to the virtue of hope.
Providentially, the Mass was also the annual Mass for the disabled community of the Archdiocese (sometimes I think the Archbishop plans these things). It was an awesome reminder of the gifts that the most vulnerable have to give and, as another seminarian pointed out on the ride home, just how fortunate we are to have our health, our speech and our minds. He pointed out that we have NO right to any of those things which we take for granted as our own and just how great a gift they are and how this gift can and should be used for God's greater glory.
After Mass, we were invited by the other seminary, Sts. Cyril and Methodius, to their campus for a cookout. Their seminary is for Polish men who come over the US to study here. While they are over here, they are selected by a sponsoring US diocese which they will go to. This process, I've gathered, is much like free agency in the NFL. Their campus is HUGE and on the shores of Orchard Lake which is possibly one of the most expensive plots of land in the state (never let anyone tell you that the Polish are anything but shrewd). The seminary was built before 1920ish back when that area was WAAAY out in the middle of no where. Now it is in the middle of some of the nicest suburbs in the Metro area on a pristine lake. It was a great opportunity to build fraternity from the Polish guys whom, up to this point, I've never had a chance to even meet. Of course the food was amazing! Giant smoke kielbasa! I had 4! There really is few things better than some good Polish food (for the record, I don't have a single drop of Polish blood in me, so this isn't a biased statement).
After lunch, we were given tours of the grounds (they have a hockey rink!!!!) and offered boat rides on their pontoon. I have decided it is for the best that I am where I am. I cannot imagine the trouble I would find myself in if I had access to a pontoon boat AND a Zamboni (the Zamboni would be used for atleast one McDonald's run). It was a great Lord's Day!
This time, the Archbishop discussed with us the importance of vulnerability within the priestly ministry and the acknowledgment of the action of the Holy Spirit in the call. He emphasized that none of the Apostles had any particular skill that would result in success in the early Church and that the spread of Christianity is not the result of human ingenuity. He went on to suggest we reflect on this point during those times in which we remember our own unworthiness and shortcomings in the face of the call. The Archbishop stressed the importance of vulnerability in ministry, particularly the vulnerability that hope and ideals bring. He encouraged us to never give up on our ideals and hopes when they will inevitably be dashed by reality. The people of God deserves a priest (or anyone in ministry) that does not doubt or limit the power of the Holy Spirit. Just because the people we minister to will not be enraptured by the glorious words of our every sermon or the entire community won't be converted and a standing room crowd will not form on our Wednesday morning Mass does not mean that we have any right to give up on them or say that there are just some who are unreachable. It is crucial to open ourselves to the wounds of disappointment because it is only then that we can actually also be open to the virtue of hope.
Providentially, the Mass was also the annual Mass for the disabled community of the Archdiocese (sometimes I think the Archbishop plans these things). It was an awesome reminder of the gifts that the most vulnerable have to give and, as another seminarian pointed out on the ride home, just how fortunate we are to have our health, our speech and our minds. He pointed out that we have NO right to any of those things which we take for granted as our own and just how great a gift they are and how this gift can and should be used for God's greater glory.
After Mass, we were invited by the other seminary, Sts. Cyril and Methodius, to their campus for a cookout. Their seminary is for Polish men who come over the US to study here. While they are over here, they are selected by a sponsoring US diocese which they will go to. This process, I've gathered, is much like free agency in the NFL. Their campus is HUGE and on the shores of Orchard Lake which is possibly one of the most expensive plots of land in the state (never let anyone tell you that the Polish are anything but shrewd). The seminary was built before 1920ish back when that area was WAAAY out in the middle of no where. Now it is in the middle of some of the nicest suburbs in the Metro area on a pristine lake. It was a great opportunity to build fraternity from the Polish guys whom, up to this point, I've never had a chance to even meet. Of course the food was amazing! Giant smoke kielbasa! I had 4! There really is few things better than some good Polish food (for the record, I don't have a single drop of Polish blood in me, so this isn't a biased statement).
After lunch, we were given tours of the grounds (they have a hockey rink!!!!) and offered boat rides on their pontoon. I have decided it is for the best that I am where I am. I cannot imagine the trouble I would find myself in if I had access to a pontoon boat AND a Zamboni (the Zamboni would be used for atleast one McDonald's run). It was a great Lord's Day!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Sacraments and Etiquette
Not to be confused with Mystery and Manners! Today was a Formation Saturday. Once a month, each class has a formation Saturday in which we spend Saturday morning in formation workshops. These usually help to build up certain virtues in human, spiritual and/or pastoral formation. They are a way for the formation staff to address topics that are important that don't necessarily come up in classes. This particular day was a little different as our class met in the refectory (check your seminary vocabulary sheet, which you should be putting together now: this means dining room) and we discussed etiquette! We covered how to greet people, how to juggle conversations, how to look presentable, and table manners. It was actually a pretty enjoyable time and I definitely learned a thing or two.
After lunch, I went to the sacrament of confession out at the Solanus Casey Center. Many seminarians like to go to there to confession. The Capuchins are there are such great confessors and it is a really amazing place. I adore the Franciscans there.
Reconciliation is such an amazing gift. It really is amazing to think that even though our sins are like scarlet, God makes us whiter than snow through the sacramental graces won in the confessional. God is SO merciful! I am just overcome by just how undeservedly loved I am and how freely giving He is. God is GOOD!
After lunch, I went to the sacrament of confession out at the Solanus Casey Center. Many seminarians like to go to there to confession. The Capuchins are there are such great confessors and it is a really amazing place. I adore the Franciscans there.
Reconciliation is such an amazing gift. It really is amazing to think that even though our sins are like scarlet, God makes us whiter than snow through the sacramental graces won in the confessional. God is SO merciful! I am just overcome by just how undeservedly loved I am and how freely giving He is. God is GOOD!
Friday, September 16, 2011
The Last Few Days
Wednesday night was the unofficial kick-off of the youth group year. I am a member of the adult team at St. John Neumann in Canton. This isn't my apostolic assignment, which I'll be getting soon, but just some ministry I enjoy doing on the side. It was a great opportunity to start off the year and catch up with the teens. It's a great group and I really enjoy the opportunity to see God work in these teens.
Thursday is our Archdiocesan fraternity day. Seminarians from the Archdiocese meet for evening prayer and then we have dinner together in the refectory (it's our seminary word for cafeteria/dining room). It is always a great time to build brotherhood with the guys from our diocese. More and more there is a greater emphasis being placed on the importance of fraternity in the life of the diocesan priest. There is a strong effort to help build up supportive relationships between priests because they are best suited to relate to and support each other (iron sharpens iron).
After dinner, was our weekly holy hour of adoration and benediction at 8 pm. This is an opportunity for each of the priests at the seminary to preach on readings he selects and gives us further formation as a whole seminary.
To make Thursday even more exciting, our campus pub, O'Berg's (named after the late Fr. Berg a beloved member of the faculty and basketball coach) had it's grand opening for the year. That's right, our seminary has a bar (gasp, the scandal!!!). It's the main social area for both houses that has a loft with pool, air hockey, and ping pong tables, a TV room with a big screen donated to us by a generous sponsor from the Lansing dioceses and a very nice bar with fridges packed both with beer and soft drinks (for the underage guys and those that don't drink). The idea is that instead of having lots of seminarians with private fridges for their beer, we have a big community bar staffed by seminarians that sells beer at cost (about $1.50 a bottle) so that it becomes a building block of fraternity. The rector was even so generous as to buy each of us our first round! All in all, the year is getting off to a great start
Thursday is our Archdiocesan fraternity day. Seminarians from the Archdiocese meet for evening prayer and then we have dinner together in the refectory (it's our seminary word for cafeteria/dining room). It is always a great time to build brotherhood with the guys from our diocese. More and more there is a greater emphasis being placed on the importance of fraternity in the life of the diocesan priest. There is a strong effort to help build up supportive relationships between priests because they are best suited to relate to and support each other (iron sharpens iron).
After dinner, was our weekly holy hour of adoration and benediction at 8 pm. This is an opportunity for each of the priests at the seminary to preach on readings he selects and gives us further formation as a whole seminary.
To make Thursday even more exciting, our campus pub, O'Berg's (named after the late Fr. Berg a beloved member of the faculty and basketball coach) had it's grand opening for the year. That's right, our seminary has a bar (gasp, the scandal!!!). It's the main social area for both houses that has a loft with pool, air hockey, and ping pong tables, a TV room with a big screen donated to us by a generous sponsor from the Lansing dioceses and a very nice bar with fridges packed both with beer and soft drinks (for the underage guys and those that don't drink). The idea is that instead of having lots of seminarians with private fridges for their beer, we have a big community bar staffed by seminarians that sells beer at cost (about $1.50 a bottle) so that it becomes a building block of fraternity. The rector was even so generous as to buy each of us our first round! All in all, the year is getting off to a great start
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Words of Life
Yesterday, during Mass, our dean of students gave a very great homily on how the words of Christ give life in the readings and how we can bring life with our words. In the Gospel, the words of Christ bring life into the lifeless son of the widow. Through Christ, we have that ability to bring life into each other and support each other with our words.
I reflected quite a bit yesterday about the use of words and what the Bible has to tell us about them. One of my favorite verses from Sirach tells us "The blow of a whip raises a welt, but a blow of the tongue crushes the bones" (Sirach 28:17). We need to reflect on how we use our tongues. Cutting speech can be a grave danger to charity. St. Matthew warns us that even if it is said sarcastically there is danger in using words beyond their meaning "Let what you say mean simply 'Yes' or 'No;' anything more than this comes from evil" (Matthew 5:37). Another translation says let your yes mean yes and your no mean no. So even if hurt isn't intended with our words, saying the statement sarcastically is still not living according to the calling we have received in Christ. Christ wants our words to have meaning and sarcasm ruins the integrity of our speech.
The reading from yesterday doesn't just challenge us to not use harsh language, just like Chapter 5 of Matthew, Christ ups the ante from the Old Testament (Sirach). No, we are called to work toward the glory of God with our speech. In the confiteor, we admit that we sin from what we have not done. How many opportunities come daily for us to bring life by our speech and we settle for less? I know of many times where I could have affirmed one of my brothers and decided to simply joke around and maybe tease him instead (my tongue, unfortunately can be quite sharp). Just because no harm came from the interaction, does not leave me faultless. Christ wanted to come into that situation and did not receive an invitation. God was not glorified in that interaction even if He wasn't blasphemed. That alone is falling short of the mark or target which is the original definition of the word sin. The bar is set high, but think of the joy that would come from rising to Christ's challenge with our speech and think of the life we could bring into this world through something as simple as our speech!!!
I reflected quite a bit yesterday about the use of words and what the Bible has to tell us about them. One of my favorite verses from Sirach tells us "The blow of a whip raises a welt, but a blow of the tongue crushes the bones" (Sirach 28:17). We need to reflect on how we use our tongues. Cutting speech can be a grave danger to charity. St. Matthew warns us that even if it is said sarcastically there is danger in using words beyond their meaning "Let what you say mean simply 'Yes' or 'No;' anything more than this comes from evil" (Matthew 5:37). Another translation says let your yes mean yes and your no mean no. So even if hurt isn't intended with our words, saying the statement sarcastically is still not living according to the calling we have received in Christ. Christ wants our words to have meaning and sarcasm ruins the integrity of our speech.
The reading from yesterday doesn't just challenge us to not use harsh language, just like Chapter 5 of Matthew, Christ ups the ante from the Old Testament (Sirach). No, we are called to work toward the glory of God with our speech. In the confiteor, we admit that we sin from what we have not done. How many opportunities come daily for us to bring life by our speech and we settle for less? I know of many times where I could have affirmed one of my brothers and decided to simply joke around and maybe tease him instead (my tongue, unfortunately can be quite sharp). Just because no harm came from the interaction, does not leave me faultless. Christ wanted to come into that situation and did not receive an invitation. God was not glorified in that interaction even if He wasn't blasphemed. That alone is falling short of the mark or target which is the original definition of the word sin. The bar is set high, but think of the joy that would come from rising to Christ's challenge with our speech and think of the life we could bring into this world through something as simple as our speech!!!
Monday, September 12, 2011
A Good Sunday
Yesterday was a wonderful day! Sundays are often really good times at the seminary for free time and getting set for the upcoming week and ordering the chaos of the past week. The day starts off with our 9 am morning prayer and then 10 am Mass with the rector. Msgr. gave a great homily that worked in the importance of numbers both the number 7 in the readings and the numbers 9/11. He did an excellent job of touching the importance of the Sept. 11 in our culture and also breaking open the scripture in a way that wasn't all over the place but held the two themes balanced and united.
Mass is always followed by brunch which often has fancier or special dishes instead of the normal day to day fare of eggs, bacon etc. After brunch, the day is ours till night prayer at 9 pm! And it was such a beautiful day out after the week of rain I was able to get my run in!
It was great to be out in the sun! On the way back, I had a particularly uplifting encounter. I was running along Woodward between Chicago and Grand (which is kind of a rough area) when I saw this young man who was fairly seriously developmentally-challenged walking with his crutches (in Detroit this is not too uncommon of a sight because there are a great many mentally handicapped on the street, sadly). He had this HUGE smile on his face when he saw me in a great distance and started waving and kind of mimicking my run and then his smile doubled when I waved back and as I got close he held his hand up for a high five. He had such joy in that encounter that I couldn't help feeling uplifted from meeting him. His joy and meekness was such a stark contrast from his surroundings where you have to have a certain level of apprehension and there is a bit of fear in every interaction with a stranger. He reminded me of the anawim and our duty to them.
The anawim (or the poor lowly ones) have a special place in scripture and in our lives. Theirs is the kingdom of Heaven! They are dear to the Lord and are a gift to us all. In many ways, weakness and vulnerability is a gift because it challenges those who are stronger or more gifted, in some respects, to use their gifts for the benefit of the anawim. Their vulnerability demands our support, love and protection. That is why we were given the gifts that we have. In many ways, we are the anawim as well. We are called to embrace all of those areas in which we are weak and lowly. Pope Benedict reminds us that being poor is not just a social classification or condition but a spiritual choice. We are all called to be totally at the mercy of the one who made us. We are all called to be anawim.
Mass is always followed by brunch which often has fancier or special dishes instead of the normal day to day fare of eggs, bacon etc. After brunch, the day is ours till night prayer at 9 pm! And it was such a beautiful day out after the week of rain I was able to get my run in!
It was great to be out in the sun! On the way back, I had a particularly uplifting encounter. I was running along Woodward between Chicago and Grand (which is kind of a rough area) when I saw this young man who was fairly seriously developmentally-challenged walking with his crutches (in Detroit this is not too uncommon of a sight because there are a great many mentally handicapped on the street, sadly). He had this HUGE smile on his face when he saw me in a great distance and started waving and kind of mimicking my run and then his smile doubled when I waved back and as I got close he held his hand up for a high five. He had such joy in that encounter that I couldn't help feeling uplifted from meeting him. His joy and meekness was such a stark contrast from his surroundings where you have to have a certain level of apprehension and there is a bit of fear in every interaction with a stranger. He reminded me of the anawim and our duty to them.
The anawim (or the poor lowly ones) have a special place in scripture and in our lives. Theirs is the kingdom of Heaven! They are dear to the Lord and are a gift to us all. In many ways, weakness and vulnerability is a gift because it challenges those who are stronger or more gifted, in some respects, to use their gifts for the benefit of the anawim. Their vulnerability demands our support, love and protection. That is why we were given the gifts that we have. In many ways, we are the anawim as well. We are called to embrace all of those areas in which we are weak and lowly. Pope Benedict reminds us that being poor is not just a social classification or condition but a spiritual choice. We are all called to be totally at the mercy of the one who made us. We are all called to be anawim.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
The Beginning of a Year
The year is just starting off which means a bunch of new faces, new rooms, new classes and a return of many of the blessings and hardships of the last year. I was surprised, on move-in day, to find out that I was put in one of the new rooms in the new hallway way up on the third floor over looking the courtyard, which is a HUGE change from last year. Instead of burned out buildings, I see trees and instead of gun shots, I can hear the fountain. It's enough to make you forget what city you're in! The room itself is just a testament to just how much love we receive from the Church: brand new carpet, walls and the best furnishing I could ever hope for. I am the envy of the seminary, I will have to show pictures some night that isn't laundry night (nobody wants to see THAT!).
It is a blessing to have new guys. Guys from two different religious orders the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity or SOLT (there seems to be letters missing in that acronym...) and Companions of Christ the Lamb are joining us this year which positively swells our numbers to capacity. That makes the new faces into a particularly large number and I must say there may be a bit of habit envy going around the seminary because of the SOLT guys (they are just so darn cool). The seminary is big and getting bigger.
Classes started this week after our silent retreat to kick the year off ended. That means a whole new batch of classes for me. My class schedule is going to be a point where you get a bit of a different picture than you would if you were following most college seminarians since I already did my undergrad in philosophy while most guys have education in far more practical and employable degree paths. So, while they get a degree in philosophy, I am working on an MA in Theology! This means I have a schedule that looks like this:
Monday
Theology of the Cross and Suffering 3:30pm-5:30pm (I, unfortunately, miss community evening prayer with this)
Mariology 6:30pm-8:30pm
Tuesday
Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas 10:30am-12:00pm (my one philosophy class that I'm auditing because I want to be with my college brothers)
St. Augustine the Theologian 3:00pm-5:00pm
Wednesday
Christianity and World Religions 4:15-6:30 (this is an STL course which stands for Super Tough Load... actually I just made that up, STL really is a degree which is like a PhD issued by the Vatican. Means I miss evening prayer and dinner!!! So far I've been scavenging in the house fridge to see if anyone left any food unlabeled- NO NAME, FAIR GAME!)
Thursday
Thomas again (repetitio est mater studiorum)
New Testament Greek year 2- Reading course (hasn't started up yet, and I haven't quite figured out when and where that meets... I kind of like to pretend like it doesn't exist, for now. It will become all too real very soon.)
Friday
No classes (we we we so excited)
So, this includes two classes taught by our resident Jesuits (Augustine and the Cross) which means you will probably NOT be hearing from me on exam week and that may be a good time to remember me in your prayers. Novenas to St. Joseph Cupertino and Divine Mercy Chaplets may be especially timely at that point.
This year is starting off and let's get a jump on it.
It is a blessing to have new guys. Guys from two different religious orders the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity or SOLT (there seems to be letters missing in that acronym...) and Companions of Christ the Lamb are joining us this year which positively swells our numbers to capacity. That makes the new faces into a particularly large number and I must say there may be a bit of habit envy going around the seminary because of the SOLT guys (they are just so darn cool). The seminary is big and getting bigger.
Classes started this week after our silent retreat to kick the year off ended. That means a whole new batch of classes for me. My class schedule is going to be a point where you get a bit of a different picture than you would if you were following most college seminarians since I already did my undergrad in philosophy while most guys have education in far more practical and employable degree paths. So, while they get a degree in philosophy, I am working on an MA in Theology! This means I have a schedule that looks like this:
Monday
Theology of the Cross and Suffering 3:30pm-5:30pm (I, unfortunately, miss community evening prayer with this)
Mariology 6:30pm-8:30pm
Tuesday
Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas 10:30am-12:00pm (my one philosophy class that I'm auditing because I want to be with my college brothers)
St. Augustine the Theologian 3:00pm-5:00pm
Wednesday
Christianity and World Religions 4:15-6:30 (this is an STL course which stands for Super Tough Load... actually I just made that up, STL really is a degree which is like a PhD issued by the Vatican. Means I miss evening prayer and dinner!!! So far I've been scavenging in the house fridge to see if anyone left any food unlabeled- NO NAME, FAIR GAME!)
Thursday
Thomas again (repetitio est mater studiorum)
New Testament Greek year 2- Reading course (hasn't started up yet, and I haven't quite figured out when and where that meets... I kind of like to pretend like it doesn't exist, for now. It will become all too real very soon.)
Friday
No classes (we we we so excited)
So, this includes two classes taught by our resident Jesuits (Augustine and the Cross) which means you will probably NOT be hearing from me on exam week and that may be a good time to remember me in your prayers. Novenas to St. Joseph Cupertino and Divine Mercy Chaplets may be especially timely at that point.
This year is starting off and let's get a jump on it.
First Things
Hello world! Or atleast the portion of the world that will be following this blog. I thought I would start by stating my intention and, perhaps, put a proper focus on the blog so that it is always directed toward a proper end (or telos for those philosophy/Greek nerds). Introductions:
I am Sean. I am a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Detroit. I am, at the time of this post, in my second year of Pre-Theology which is the year that precedes Theology and Candidacy. If God wills me on to a normal course toward ordination, it would mean that I will be a deacon in four years and a priest in five. More personal information will hopefully bleed through during the course of this project.
I mentioned a particular end. This blog will hopefully be a look into life at a typical American seminary and a look into the head of (well, let's face it) an atypical American seminarian (I have always been well outsides the boundaries of normal). I also will hope to include all things edifying such as anecdotes, stories and reflections. I do hope to develop a habit of posting to this and ask some patience as I am not currently in a habit of doing this on a regular basis. This entire project will hopefully give a human look at seminary life. I hope this will be a tool for evangelization and very much hope that this will not be a cause for scandal. All of this will hopefully build up the faith and lead others to a deeper relationship with Christ. This will also be a great opportunity to see that the Christian life is a fun life and a life full of joy. So, perhaps, we should kick this off with a quick request for intercession from Blessed John Paul the Great as this is a very New Evangelization thing to do.
Blessed John Paul the Great, through your example you led millions to know Christ and to love Him. You challenged us to bring to a new and changing world the eternal and unchanging message of Christ's love. Help this blog to properly glorify Christ and lead others to accept the invitation of friendship that He offers to each of us and help those that read this to know that Christ loves them and return that love in kind. We ask this through your intercession and through the intercession of Our Lady. Amen.
I am Sean. I am a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Detroit. I am, at the time of this post, in my second year of Pre-Theology which is the year that precedes Theology and Candidacy. If God wills me on to a normal course toward ordination, it would mean that I will be a deacon in four years and a priest in five. More personal information will hopefully bleed through during the course of this project.
I mentioned a particular end. This blog will hopefully be a look into life at a typical American seminary and a look into the head of (well, let's face it) an atypical American seminarian (I have always been well outsides the boundaries of normal). I also will hope to include all things edifying such as anecdotes, stories and reflections. I do hope to develop a habit of posting to this and ask some patience as I am not currently in a habit of doing this on a regular basis. This entire project will hopefully give a human look at seminary life. I hope this will be a tool for evangelization and very much hope that this will not be a cause for scandal. All of this will hopefully build up the faith and lead others to a deeper relationship with Christ. This will also be a great opportunity to see that the Christian life is a fun life and a life full of joy. So, perhaps, we should kick this off with a quick request for intercession from Blessed John Paul the Great as this is a very New Evangelization thing to do.
Blessed John Paul the Great, through your example you led millions to know Christ and to love Him. You challenged us to bring to a new and changing world the eternal and unchanging message of Christ's love. Help this blog to properly glorify Christ and lead others to accept the invitation of friendship that He offers to each of us and help those that read this to know that Christ loves them and return that love in kind. We ask this through your intercession and through the intercession of Our Lady. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)