Cincinnati Seminarian Blog

We have just a couple of days left out here in Washington state for the CPE hospital ministry program that I’m doing this summer. Things are wonderfully relaxed at this point—we have handed in our duty pagers, we’re starting to pack up… and so my evening is nice and free.

My summer experience doing hospital ministry has been very affirming of my vocation to the priesthood. Since the point of this blog is to share a few thoughts/reflections from our lives specifically for those considering the priesthood—and for those praying for and supporting such discernment—I’ll venture an attempt at “why.”

The tremendous need for priests was part of the call for me from the beginning. I love my faith, I am very grateful for my faith and the goodness of the Lord… and when I was considering my adult life I was drawn to share the joy and goodness of our Catholic faith with others. The very real need for good priests is evident all around. I mentioned previously how the military doesn’t have nearly enough Catholic chaplains. The number and availability of diocesan priests was also an issue out here, as well.

One example: when serving as the on-call chaplain we were responsible for going to the pre-op area to offer ourselves and the opportunity for prayer to patients about to go into surgery. One older gentleman was so excited to see me. “I called three parishes looking for a priest. I really want to go to confession, but no one was available.” I had to explain that I would love to pray with him… but I couldn’t offer the sacrament. He was dejected, and while I don’t know anything more about his situation, practice, the parishes, etc., the crucial importance and uniqueness of priestly ministry really struck me.

There has been real joy in ministering to those who are in need. Of course, this ministry has not been easy. Families have lost loved ones. Physical and emotional pain has ravaged the bodies and lives of good people. I have attempted to comfort and just be present with those experiencing profound loneliness and depression in their sterile hospital beds. So yes, it has not been easy. But God’s presence is real, and I really grew in confidence and conviction that I was able to offer something invaluable much-needed in these settings. Of course, I was serving as a layman—and the vast majority of the counseling and comforting work done in hospitals is not done by priests. Yet, a priest can offer his unique charisms and gifts—hearing confessions, offering the Sacrament of the Sick—that I also witness having tremendous effects on the lives of patients and their families. So, yes, there was joy both in what I was able to offer and what I hope to offer as a priest in the future.

I have also been deeply appreciative of my Catholic faith during this summer spent with other chaplain candidates. Not to denigrate anyone else’s faith… but on all of the issues—history, Scripture, interpretation, authority, purgatory, and all the “usuals”—I may not have had the perfect answer during our discussions, but I could read and reflect on my own and continually be thankful for my faith. Catholicism is a big tent, with so many saints that demonstrate how we can live out our universal beliefs with the right kind of diversity of expression and emphasis… but we don’t have to be constantly infighting. (i.e. I was wonderfully ignorant of what being a “premillennial dispensationalist” involved. I finally acquired Keating’s Catholicism and Fundamentalism to shed some good insights into these new experiences, which was very helpful.) We have our own inner troubles, to be sure, but I can’t imagine not rejoicing in our Catholic faith.

So, those are just a few thoughts as I am winding up a very rewarding summer experience. It’s on to pastoral internship for my classmates and myself, where I look forward to serving the best I am able in a local parish. The hospital/military setting has been excellent for the summer, making me appreciate my own vocation and hopeful for more co-workers in this field.

Thanks to the Contemplative Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood in Portland, Maine, we once again have a list of priests to pray for each day of the month for the next two months.  Here is a short prayer to help you if you are struggling to find the words to say:

We pray for our Priests: for the sanctity of their souls; and for perfect love, tat they be the Voice of Christ. May they be a channel for His Precious Blood, always acting through love. 

- Mother Catherine Aurelia

September

1-           Rev. Anthony E. Cutcher and Rev. Martin E. Fox

2-           Rev. William V. Thomas and Rev. Jases S. Duell

3-           Rev. Raymond C. Kammerer and Rev. Joseph H. Lutmer

4-           Rev. Thomas R. Axe and Rev. Harold W. Kist

5-           Rev. Thomas S. Bokenkotter and Rev. James E. Shappelle

6-           Rev. Donald G. McCarthy and Rev. William C. Wagner

7-           Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk STD

8-           Rev. Michael A. Paraniuk and Rev. Christopher J. Worland

9-           Rev. Leonard C. Wenke and Rev. Andrew J. Umberg

10-       Rev. Dohrman W. Byers and Rev. Joseph C. Allison

11-       Rev. Henry F. Albietz and Rev. Norman W. Langenbrunner

12-       Rev. Glen W. Perin and Rev. Stephen J. Mondiek

13-       Rev. John Robert Jack and Rev. Kenneth W. Henz

14-       Our Holy Father

15-       Rev. George R. Schmitz and Rev. Frances Tandoh CSSP

16-       Rev. John R. Kummer and Rev. Neil Keller

17-       Rev. Rober C. Waller and Rev. Paul L. Gebhardt

18-       Rev. Huan Tien Nguyen and Rev. Barry M. Windholtz

19-       Rev. Ralph J. Lawrence and Rev. Jeffrey M. Kemper

20-       Rev. David E. Brinkmoeller and Rev. David E. Fay

21-         Bishop Carl K. Moeddel

22-       Rev. Louis J. Osterhage CPPS and Rev. Kenneth Letoile OP

23-       Rev. Alfred J. Powers and Rev. Michael U. Pucke

24-       Rev. Michael J. Holloran and Rev. Thomas W. Kreidler

25-       Rev. Thomas O. Speier OFM and Rev. Dale C. Peterka

26-       Rev. Nicholas Lombardo and Rev. Harry Cavanaugh CPPS

27-       Rev. Donald A. Behler and Msgr. Lawrence K. Breslin

28-       Rev. Theordore C. Ross SJ and Rev. John R. Civille

29-       All Priests

30-       Rev. Benedict O. O’Cinnsealaigh and Rev. Paul J. Wolfer

October

1-           Rev. Francis Tandoh and Rev. Francis H. Niehaus

2-           Rev. James J. O’Conner and Rev. Gerald R. Niklas

3-           Rev. Terrance W. Smith and Rev. Lawrence J. Mick

4-           Rev. Gail A. Poynter and Rev. Gerald R. Haemmerle

5-           Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk STD

6-           Rev. Thomas A. Nevels and Rev. James J. Manning

7-           Rev. David a Lemkuhl and Rev. Ronald J. Piepmeyer

8-           Rev. James W. Meade and Rev. Joseph a Bruemmer

9-           Rev. Harry J. Gerdes and Rev. Ronald H. Wilker

10-       Rev. Thomas E. Meyer and Rev. Earl F. Simone

11-       Rev. Donald J. West and Rev. Michael D. Beatty

12-       Bishop Carl K. Moeddel

13-       Rev. Angel C. Caserta and Rev. James Kiffmeyer

14-       Rev. J. Daniel Schuh and Rev. Paul L. Rehling

15-       Rev. James R. Schutte and Rev. Charles Mullen CPPS

16-       Rev. Theodore C. Kosse and Rev. Jerome Steinbrunner CPPS

17-       Rev. James P. Weber and Rev. Ronald P. Combs

18-       All Priests

19-       Rev. Edward P. Smith and Rev. Edward L. Rudemiller

20-       Rev. J. Thomas Fitzsimmons and Rev. Patrick H. Crone

21-       Rev. James Dugal CPPS and Rev. Herman H. Kenning

22-       Rev. Harry J. Meyer and Rev. Lawrence Juarez

23-       Rev. Jasmes J. Walsh and Rev. Peter Helmlinger

24-       Rev. Thomas E. Dorn and Rev. Robert A. Obermeyer

25-       Rev. Charles B. Rohrkemper and Rev. James E. Ulrich

26-       Rev. Frank G. Amberger and Rev. Patrick J. Welsh

27-       Rev. Michael Dosch OP and Rev. Richard W. Walling

28-       Our Holy Father

29-       Rev. David A. Sunberg and Rev. Dennis A. Niemeier

30-       Rev. Kyle E. Schnippel and Rev. Robert J. Thorsen

31-       Rev. Thomas J. Ballman and Rev. Paul A. Bader

Happy Transfiguration!

I was the “duty chaplain” at the hospital last night, and, considering I’m here on the Army post without a car, I sleep over at the hospital those nights.  It happened to be very eventful… but HIPPA means I won’t be giving details.  Let’s just say that the Catholic “Commendation of the Dying” was an asset.  So, I’m playing a little online catch-up.

Yesterday Fr. Schnippel linked to an article on “how to be a good dad” and asked for reader input on how these recommendations applied to the priesthood.  Since “spiritual fatherhood” is a huge deal–and a key theme of JPII’s great Pastores Dabo Vobis–I’ll chime in my $.02.

Cherish your time with your children

• Cherishing time with the members of the parish is crucial.  A very real concern as I look at the priesthood today is that priests are spread very thin and are asked to do so much.  Real, genuine relationships with the people of our parish–who should be our primary focus–must not suffer in the face of that busyness.  Building Christ-centered relationships in the parishes is something I’m really hoping for and looking forward to.

It gets easier

• This may be a comfort in a few years….

Don’t look at anything as ‘mom’ duties - share responsibilities

• Hmm… “Mom” for us is the Holy Catholic Church.  I don’t think priests can assume that there are aspects of the faith that parishoners will just absorb somewhere else.  But that doesn’t mean we assume all the weight on our own shoulders.  If a priest can coordinate parish functions and efforts so that motivated laypeople can take care of a great deal of things that are proper for their state–I’m thinking adult & youth education, faith formation, music, the business side, etc.–that seems ideal.  Make the parish dynamic and vibrant and able to fulfill its mission, but don’t drown trying to do it all yourself.

Love conquers all

• Amen.  I think that parishoners will be forgiving of a learning, imperfect human being as their priest if they see that he is motivated from love and charity in all things.

Kids like making decisions

• I don’t like “kids” in this application, but (as noted above) make sure that responsibility and input is properly delegated/shared.

A little patience goes a long way.

• Speaks for itself.

Sense of humor required.

• Absolutely.  Nothing is as unfortunate to see as an embittered, humorless priest.  Not that I can speak to all that such priests have been through… but it’s sad.

Read to the [familiy?], often

• I’ll be “reading” every day–and hoping they come!

Don’t be the absent dad

• As noted on Fr. Schnippel’s site… live at the rectory.

Let them play

• B-I-N-G-O :-)  (Open can of worms…)

Spark their imagination

• Good homilies come into play here, as well as exciting opportunities for programs and faith formation.

Limit TV and video games

• What comes to mind here is challenging people to spend there time on what’s important.  I’m a huge Bengals fan too… but Mass should come first on Sundays, no?

Learn the ‘Firm No’

• Honestly, this is something I’m learning, and this CPE unit in the military has helped me with the right level of assertiveness.  Personally, I’m a nice guy.  I try to keep everybody happy.  But sometimes the right thing for everyone is firmness, clarity, and finality.

Model good behavior

• Priests are under a microscope.  It may not be “fair,” but it comes with the territory.  You’re never off duty; even when cutting loose with friends (which is absolutely necessary) you gotta keep your head on straight.  Some may consider this an undue burden or something, but it shouldn’t be that big of an issue.

Treat their mother with respect, always.

• Rich Leonardi pretty much nailed this one.

Let them be themselves

• A good (biological) father will appreciate his children’s individuality while maintaining the standards and disciplines of his household.  Likewise, any priest should to really embrace the dynamism and individuality of the many parishoners and appreciate how folks will live out their faith in thier own ways.  The incredible variety of the Saints is a treasure and example of how this is done well.

Teach them independence

• As Fr. Schnippel mentioned in his comments, I’m 100% in favor of good apostolates being introduced that can highlight different spiritualities and missions within the larger Catholic community.  Get excited and get involved!

Stand together with mom.

• Be thoroughly, faithfully, dynamically Catholic!

Today is the feast day of St. John Vianney – aka the “Curé of Ars” – the patron saint of parish priests. The basic outline of his life is somewhat well known; as the introduction to his life in the Breviary states:

Saint John was born in Lyons in 1786. After overcoming many difficulties, he was ordained a priest. He was entrusted with a parish in the town of Ars in the diocese of Belley. He cared for this parish in a marvelous way by his preaching, his mortification, prayer and good works. Since he was renowned for great skill in helping penitents, people came to him from many regions and devoutly accepted his counsel. He died in 1859.

Like most of these paragraph-length life summaries, some basic facts are there (and they’re helpful) but there is SO much more. Personally, though, I didn’t know much about St. John Vianney until I went to the town of Ars itself.

I was a junior in college in 2001 when I went on my semester study abroad to Austria with the Franciscan University of Steubenville. During that semester, we had a ten-day break that offered our best opportunity for extended travel. With some of my best friends, we decided to see most of France. Paris, Lourdes, Chartres, Mont Saint-Michel … and the tiny town of Ars were all on the list. I didn’t know a thing about Ars. I had heard very generally about St. John Vianney, but nothing substantive. My roommate’s older brother had visited Ars when he was a student and loved it, and, well, we were basically going on that reputation as far as I knew.

Ars is located near Lyons and is a tiny town—and it remains so today. Nothing stood out upon our arrival. We were staying at a pilgrim’s house behind the shrine. I remember it being wonderfully sparse - truly accommodations for humble pilgrims.

Ars ended up being a true highlight of that trip and my semester abroad as a whole. There was basically nothing in the town of Ars… except for the palpable legacy of a holy saint from over a century prior. We received a tour of his rectory and home, as well as the beautiful church that is the heart of the town. The Masses celebrated there were all in French – both beautiful and unintelligible to me – and it was one of the occasions in which I really, really appreciated and was struck by the universality of the Mass. I always knew what was happening in the liturgy, even if the readings of the day had to be read later. The church also contains the incorrupt body of this holy saint. Incorrupt saints are just awesome, and this mysterious, amazing aspect of Catholicism deepened my appreciation for our heritage.

After this visit, but before I was seriously thinking about entering the seminary myself, I developed a bit of a devotion to St. John Vianney. I was sure to pray for his intercession in any litanies, after rosaries, etc. – praying for the holiness and intentions of all priests (or so I thought). I do believe that these prayers over the years also helped move my heart as I considered my own life’s vocation.

So much more can be said about this amazing saint. Pope John Paul II’s reflection on the life of the saint, offered to all priests on Holy Thursday of 1986, is a great source.

Saint John Vianney, pray for us!

The seminarians of Mount St. Mary’s of the West are scattered for the summer doing various sorts of great things. Most are working in parishes within the Archdiocese, living in a rectory and learning how we can integrate our studies to the real life of a parish. One of the guys went down to Honduras for a few weeks as part of our seminary exchange program. Three new priests and ten new transitional deacons are starting new lives of service in their respective capacities.

A classmate and I, for our parts, went to opposite sides of the country to spend our summers with the military as “chaplain candidates.” Last summer consisted of Air Force officer training, a basic chaplain course, and a month with the Catholic chaplain candidates spent out West (Colorado & Wyoming). This year, we are spending the entire summer doing a hospital ministry program (the national Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program) being run by the Army. I am at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington, while my classmate Scott is in Georgia.

To be perfectly honest, military chaplaincy is an area where the general “shortage” of vocations to the priesthood is very evident. The Archdiocese of the Military Service does not have its own seminary or priests that belong to it—it is dependent on dioceses around the country giving permission for priests to leave for a time for the benefit of the men and women of the armed services. Thus, when the numbers of priests decreased, it was that much harder for those dioceses to let priests go serve in this capacity. It’s a real problem. Cincinnati has a history of being very generous and of having a number of chaplains. The late Bishop Kaising was from Cincinnati and was well beloved in the chaplaincy, and there have been many others.

That general intro aside, my experience as “Lieutenant Dan” and a chaplain candidate has been fantastic. I have no idea if I will serve as a priest-chaplain after (Lord-willing) ordination, but this program is great formation in leadership, real-world ministry, and helping those in great need. Day-to-day life in this summer’s hospital ministry program has me at the bedside of many people in various stages of illness and near-death. It has been formative, challenging, and extremely good for me.

Today at Ft. Lewis we had a wonderful liturgy at the main post chapel for noon Mass. It was announced before and after Mass that, at 1300 our time (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) Archbishop Broglio of the Archdiocese of the Military would be leading a Holy Hour at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. We would be having a Holy Hour immediately after Mass to be in solidarity with the Archbishop and to pray, like him, for all of our soldiers, particularly the wounded and the fallen. It was a wonderful and much-needed period of Adoration and Benediction.

Personally, I can’t help but be optimistic about having more good men answer the call to be priests. There are very real needs in Cincinnati, in the military, and elsewhere. I really feel my primary vocation is to serve as a diocesan priest—but the Lord is in control. I know that many more are called to serve in our dioceses, orders, and some have a particular call to military chaplaincy. The important first step is responding to that call, then entrusting ourselves to God’s will and guidance as we walk the path.

As I finish up my time at the Army hospital for the next couple weeks, I’m resolving to post here more regularly.  Better late than never!

So I’ve been a deacon for a few months now, and my life is a little different.  I’m a transitional deacon, which is a fancy way of saying it’s expected that I’ll be ordained a priest in less than a year (May 23, 2009 at 11am to be exact).  During the summers we help out as best we can in our parishes.  I was so happy to be able to have my FIRST baptism this past weekend!  What an amazing experience!  The infant and all the children there were very ‘active’, but it was really good.  I’m so privileged to be a part of that child’s coming to know the Lord.    I’ve also been able to preach some, which has been very good.  All of these things I knew would come and I’ve had a great time with these new experiences, but there was something I didn’t expect…………Kissing objects so much!

At Mass the priest and the deacon both kiss the altar at the beginning and end of Mass.  It is a great sign of reverence, after all, it symbolizes the cross, that’s where the sacrifice will take place.  But I have to admit it felt a little strange the first times I did it.  I also kiss the gospel book after I read it, again a great sign of reverence for the Gospels, one of the Church’s greatest treasures.  But still, it felt strange when I first did it. 

Those things are special and I know we don’t kiss just anything!  But we usually kiss people!  A husband kisses his wife and kids, for example. I think we all know this.  So it shows just how much we as God’s deacons and priests and bishops, are to revere the sacrifice of our Lord by kissing the altar and the precious word of God by kissing the gospel.

I’m proud that I get the special privilege of kissing objects used in our Church, even if it does take some getting used to.  Life is like that though.  We do our best to grow into the new roles and situations that our Lord has for us.  He takes good care of us and helps us, especially if we ask him for help.  I’ve learned that being involved with the Church  (especially now that I’m ordained) means expecting the unexpected. 

It’s getting harder and harder to surprise me. 

If a man in a chicken suit came to the Church asking for a prayer and directions to Albuquerque, I wouldn’t be too surprised.  And I’m just getting started in this great adventure God’s sent me on!  What FUN!!!

Last Saturday was the date for the Mass of Ordination for Transitional Deacons.  As one of ten men ordained last Saturday, I can say that it was a truly awesome experience.  As I said in a homily last week in reference to ordination, it changes us in a way that hasn’t happened since our Confirmation, and will never happen again.  It’s called an “ontological” change; like Baptism and Confirmation, the sacrament of Holy Orders places an indelible mark on the soul.  I and my brother Deacons are forever changed, forever configured to Christ for service in His Church.  It’s one thing to talk about ordination; it’s quite another to experience it.  I remember how remarkably my life was changed by my Confirmation (and I guess not everyone can say that), and receiving the sacrament of Holy Orders last Saturday was very much the same (yet, at the same time, very different).  Recently someone said I was “visibly different,” and she wasn’t talking about my black shirt.  She was talking about a sacramental change.  A comment like that is evidence that God is truly active in the sacrament.

As a Transitional Deacon, I can officiate at weddings, funerals, baptisms, and other liturgies.  These are just a few of the visible roles of service in the Church that are proper to the Deacon.  I’ll be doing these things for the next year, as I approach ordination to the Priesthood.  This represents a great level of responsibility in the Church.  “To whom much is given, much is expected.”

The grace of the sacrament of Holy Orders is truly awesome.  For that matter, the grace of every sacrament is truly awesome.  I wish that every Catholic could feel just as awesome when receiving other sacraments.  When was the last time you got truly excited about receiving Communion?  Going to Confession?  Sacraments communicate grace to us, and we’re given that grace with the command to take it into the world and make the Kingdom of
God manifest in our daily lives.  This is the season of First Communion in the Church.  Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone who receives Communion was as excited about it as those second graders?  We should all be that excited about it.

I thank God for calling me to this vocation, and I pray for the grace to live it well.

Wow.

Last weekend’s trip to see Pope Benedict XVI at the seminary in New York was simply incredible, and now that we have (mostly) recovered, I will attempt to share some of the highlights.

The bus ride up to New York was not really one of those highlights.  It was a 12 hour ride in a typical charter bus… so it’s not the worst thing in the world, but not enthralling either.  We had a nice collection of classic DVD’s ready to go (I believe that A Man for All Seasons  was ready to go, with The Scarlet and the Black also waiting in the wings), but we discovered near Columbus that we only had a VCR on board.  So… Field of Dreams it was, and then a lot of chatting, card playing, sleeping, and communal prayer for the rest of the trip.

We arrived very late Friday night at our hotel, and then we were up for an early Mass at the hotel Saturday moring before heading to the seminary grounds.  We were looking pretty snazzy, if I may say so myself:

Fortunately for us, Pope Benedict had requested that the seminarians have a recognizeable spot for this youth rally, so we had tickets for the “reserved” area right in front of the stage.  Since we got there good and early, this area was relatively open and we were able to stake a claim right against the front railings.   We had literally hours to fill, though, with Pope Benedict scheduled to arrive at 4:30 (approx. seven hours away…).  Ultimately they started the musical entertainment a lot earlier than the schedule said–10:30 instead of noon–so that kept people occupied.  This picture shows where we were at; two arms were jutting out from the stage and we were next to the platform on that right arm of the stage.

Quite a few of the guys stayed in this exact spot from 9:30 am until after Pope Benedict left, around 6:30 pm or so.   No meals, no bathroom breaks, only sipping enough water to sustain themselves without having to “go”… pretty wild.  I admire the resiliency and dedication.

I left and ate lunch.  But, I still managed to get back and was about 3 or 4 people back from the front gate, still with our group.  I’m definitely not complaining.

The various performers that they had throughout the morning and afternoon varied quite dramatically in both style and quality (if you want my opinion).

Highlights:
Matt Maher - wonderfully Catholic (yes, that’s worth mentioning), vocally promoted vocations numerous times, very talented, the whole bit.
Both the Irish step dancers and the traditional Korean dancers.  Very neat.

Could have done without:
The dancers with black and white striped shirt - ugh.  If you’re going to WYD in Sydney, I apologize in advance, because apparently that’s their claim to fame: they’ll be there too.

Otherwise, Third Day was good, the “Three Graces” were incredibly talented but not a style that worked well (IMO) or really dressed appropriately, and Kelly Clarkson seemed very uninspired.  Maybe she was nervous (?) for her solo of Ave Maria for the pope later, but her three song set was nothing special.  One of my favorite pictures is this, which shows how one of our guys (Mike) felt about her concert.  But nobody cares about any of this… time for the Pope!

A large number of bishops started wandering around at 4:00 or so, and that had the seminarians’ attention for a little while.  Finally, on the big screens we were able to see Pope Benedict’s limo pull up to the front of the seminary, where he entered to meet with a large number of young people with various disabilities and their caregivers.  We watched all of that ceremony on the screens.  When he was finished, he got into the “Pope-mobile” and drove around the perimiter of the crowd, went to the back fo the stage, and…

I should note that there were about 1500 or so seminarians around the front of the stage (I am told) and 25,000 or so young people all together.  And the cheering that rose up and really continued for a good long while was pretty remarkable.  It’s not just the “rock star” phenomenon - there is genuine love and appreciation for our Holy Father, and it was phenomenal to both be a part of that outpouring of love and to witness how much it energized and really affected Pope Benedict.  He was beaming.

The real highlight for us, in addition to hearing Pope Benedict’s words for all of us and simply soaking it all in, was when Pope Benedict came out onto the platforms right in front of us.  He did this both at the beginning and very end of the rally, but it was the first trip down the platform that was especially memorable.  Pope Benedict came right toward us, and if we did not make direct eye contact (which I think we did!), it was amazingly close.  Here’s a(nother) picture:

Yes, he was this close.  Well, he was about 15 or 20 feet away, so we couldn’t exactly reach up and high-five our Pope, but it was amazing!  The secret service guys around the platform were on high alert and all of that, but it was still very close and absolutely incredible.

Here is a professional Getty picture that shows all of us with our cameras in front of our faces… oh well.

The whole of the rally was a formal welcome by Cardinal Egan, the presentation of some gifts by a number of kids from the local area, and then Benedict’s address to all of us.  The details of all of that can be had elsewhere.   Here is our view through these events, though–it was pretty fantastic.

Benedict’s address to us really was fantastic.  I want to re-read a transcript to fully appreciate all that was in there.  It was immediately notable and memorable when he was speaking about the horrors of the Nazi regime of his youth, which was “monstrous.”  It was a pretty remarkable moment, I thought.  There were some humerous moments, too, and it was clear that he was enjoying the energy and joy of the youth.

I’m going to finally end this mega post, but I’ll simply say it was an amazing trip.  All the logistics and difficulties of getting there and back were nothing compared to the joy and tremendous opportunity to be part of this event with the Holy Father.   We can’t thank enough those who made it possible!

It was also pretty  neat to have media coverage that happened to catch a number of us on TV, as well.  EWTN had a number of the guys in various shots.  My great uncle, a Jesuit, saw me on tv from Connecticut.  My family was at a wedding all Saturday, but my mom even saw me on the 11:00 local news!  I still am amazed at that one.

The trip was an amazing experience, one that I am sure all of us will remember forever.

(The 1st, 3rd, and 4th pictures are from our seminary photographer, Matt Lee.)

Once again, it is simply embarassing how the blog has been put on the back burner for a while. But, Pope Benedict arrives in the U.S. tomorrow, and the seminarians of Mount St. Mary’s of the West are definitely gearing up for it!

A nice sizeable group of us are traveling to New York this weekend to join at least hundreds of other seminarians and thousands of young people in welcoming Il Papa. While we are not one of the lucky few thousands with tickets to the papal Mass, we are attending the Youth Rally at St. Joseph’s seminary, Yonkers, NY. I attended World Youth Day in Toronto, and I basically expect this to be a very similar event–a large stage erected in a field, with thousands and thousands of people hanging out to cheer on our pope as best we can!

Though it may be a little disappointing not to be able to be at a Mass with Pope Benedict, the pretty awesome part about this rally is that our tickets/passes are for the grass right in front of the stage. So, unlike my WYD with John Paul II, we should be able to see The Man without resorting to big TV’s. (And, unlike that WYD, I don’t think it is supposed to rain…) The possibily of a wild “Catholic Woodstock” in the rain appealed a bit more when I was younger…

In any case, this weekend is a great opportunity for us as seminarians to see our Pope and share in the vibrancy of an energized, excited Catholic Church. It is a great blessing to be able to go, and it should be a great time! There will definitely be a full report after we return, if not sooner.

Now a little more about this Youth Rally…

Because of security and the logistics of having thousands upon thousands of people coordinated for this historic visit, we have to be at our spots in front of the stage by noon or so on Saturday. Pope Benedict is going to come out at 4:30 pm. So… for a number of hours, we’re just hanging out. Fear not, though… the plan, apparently, is to have lots of entertainment. The big news, which cracks me up, is that Kelly Clarkson is going to perform for a while, and then sing Ave Maria when Pope Benedict is present. A number of other performers will be there as well, including TobyMac, Third Day, and others.

From my brief surfing around the ‘net about this event, I’m much more interested in some of the lesser-known groups they have coming in earlier in the afternoon (like these). The larger Contemporary Christian acts (not Catholic… which others can discuss elsewhere at their leisure) have good-sized followings and will be fine too. But the Kelly Clarkson thing I find hilarious. Picture the scene: she comes out onto this big stage, ready to pump up this massive crowd of thousands as the last performer before Pope Benedict comes out… and the first few hundred people right up against the stage are all Catholic seminarians dressed in clerics. Guaranteed to be a scene she will never see again, and it’s going to be a little awkward on both sides.

Personally, I’d have pereferred a top-notch schola cantorum and a German polka band, both of which would be more fitting, but yours truly wasn’t consulted…

But it should all be fun! Pray for our Church, for great conversion of hearts in the wake of Benedict’s visit, and for an increase in vocations! We’ll be sure to report on the trip.

(HT to the Benedict in America blog, to which I typically linked, though I browsed the blogosphere extensively before actually writing once again.)

Reflection for Youth Holy Hour for Vocations by Seminarian David Endres
Our Lady of Victory Church, March 3, 2008

Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8

Think about an important choice you’ve had to make – maybe it was a decision to attend a certain school, to play on a particular sports team, or join a club or organization. Or maybe the important choice was to stop doing something — to close one door and open up another. You might have decided to leave a school, quit a team or end a relationship. Choices have important consequences for our lives, sometimes even small choices.

I have been thinking a lot about choices lately – in a few weeks I’ll be ordained a deacon, a step toward the priesthood, and the culmination of years of prayer and study. It is then that I will promise THE BIG THREE – I will publicly promise a life of celibacy, obedience to the bishop, and to pray daily for the needs of the Church and the world.

When I am ordained next month, I will make an important, permanent and life altering choice. In light of this, I have been thinking about all the little choices that I have made that led up to choosing the priesthood. I didn’t always want to be a priest and in fact could not have pictured myself as a priest when I was younger.

I didn’t enter the seminary till I was 25, but when I look back over my life I see the importance of choices. Among them there was one choice that stood out – it was the choice to begin praying every day (even for only ten or fifteen minutes) and to go to Mass daily. I was a college freshman – a not particularly religious at that – when I made this choice. A friend told me about a 10 PM weeknight Mass that was happening on campus. I agreed to go. I went away from that Mass thinking – yeah, I could do this maybe once a week (in addition to Sunday Mass). Yet once a week soon turned in to Mass two or three times per week and finally each day. God is jealous – in the best sense of the word – he continually draws us closer to Himself.

The simple choice to attend that ONE Mass, had a profound effect on my life. Through Mass and also Eucharistic adoration, I began to grow closer to the Lord. I began to sense a call to priesthood and more importantly was able to respond through God’s grace to that invitation.

In the reading we have just heard, the prophet Isaiah faces the most important choice of his life – whether to follow the Lord. The reading recounts an amazing scene complete with six-winged seraphim, an earthquake, and smoke filling the room . . . it seems like a scene out a sci-fi movie, not something from the Bible. But NO, this is how the Lord called Isaiah – how he called Isaiah to make a choice.

Would Isaiah follow the Lord? It’s unclear in the beginning. His first response was “I can’t” – I am not worthy – I am lost in life. But the Lord had an answer for Isaiah. One of the seraphim touched a burning coal to Isaiah’s lips – showing that Isaiah’s sins were forgiven – he was worthy! The Lord cleansed Isaiah of his sin and asked him, “Whom shall I send!” When Isaiah realized the gift that God was giving him in inviting him to follow, Isaiah responded with enthusiasm – “Here I am, Lord! Send me!”

Here in this Church in front of Jesus present on the altar, I am struck by the similarities between our worship and Isaiah’s vision of our Lord. We see the Lord Himself “high and lifted up,” displayed in a beautiful gold vessel. We have the smoke of incense – we have burning coals – and we take up the role of the seraphim who called out Adoration to God: “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, the whole earth is full of his glory.” AND in the quiet stillness of our prayer we, too, hear the voice of the Lord calling out to each of us – “Whom shall I send?” “Whom shall I send?”

Today we pray for an increase in priestly and religious vocations for the Church – they are needed very much today. We pray that YOU will think about the possibility of serving the Church as a priest, sister or brother. We pray that if you are called you will give the kind of response that Isaiah gave when we told the Lord, “Send me!”

But no matter your vocation, today we pray for the grace and the strength to make those little choices that are pleasing to God. Your being here in the presence of our Lord is one of those little decisions. Your going to Sunday Mass or even more often if you can is a seemingly little choice that can change your life. My hope for you is that these little choices will bear much fruit in your life as you strive to grow closer to Our Lord. So that in whatever the Lord asks you to do you can respond like Isaiah – “Here I am, Lord, send me!”