NAC Magazine: Fall 2008

The PontiďŹ cal

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North American College M

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Celebrating 150 Years

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EDITORIAL STAFF

The Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E

Editorial Director Matthew Wiering ‘10 Diocese of New Ulm Editorial Assistants Stephen Vrazel ‘11 Archdiocese of Mobile & Peter Finney ‘10 Archdiocese of New Orleans

Contents Rector’s Corner Rev. Msgr. James Checchio

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The Year

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Synod Layout and Design David Carrano ‘10 Diocese of Madison Design Assistants Jeffrey Eirvin ‘11 Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon & H. Ray Cho ‘11 Archdiocese of Newark Photographers Daniel O’Mullane ‘10 Diocese of Paterson & Brian Soliven ‘10 Diocese of Sacramento & Mark Payton ‘11 Diocese of Perth For more information about the North American College, or to learn about opportunities for memorial gifts, contact Mary DiDonato at our Washington, D.C. Office of Institutional Advancement: Tel: (202) 541-5411 Fax: (202) 722-8804 Email: nac@usccb.org or visit our website at www.pnac.org

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Saint Paul Joshua Stengel ‘10

on the

Word

God

of

Anniversary Feature: The Popes &

the

5 College Philip Smith ‘11

New Faculty Members Brian Zawiski ‘10

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New Man Orientation 2008 Philip Zubrod ‘11

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New Man Weekend

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Seminarians

at

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Assisi Brandon Bernhard ‘11

World Youth Day Peter Zwaans ‘11

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El Salvador Summer Experience Ryan Creamer ‘11

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Diaconate Ordination 2008

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Map

of

Dioceses Represented

Fall Workshops

and

at

PNAC

Retreats

Continuing Education

for the

and

Improved: The Campo Sportivo

Facility Improvements Circle

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Clergy Rev. Jay Peterson ‘78

Casa Santa Maria Rev. Carter Griffin ‘04, C‘10 New

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Friends: Father Val J. Peter

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Institutional Advancement Update Mary DiDonato

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Economo’s Corner Rev. Msgr. Daniel Mueggenborg

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Save

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Date: Alumni Reunion 2009

Back Cover

FRONT COVER Archbishop Edwin O’Brien C‘76, Archbishop of Baltimore and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the North American College, blesses one of the bells that can be heard ringing once again at the Casa Santa Maria. The restoration of the bell tower and the mechanism that controls the bells’ ringing was one of the many projects undertaken at the Casa during the summer of 2008.

Inset: The newly restored bell tower with its now fully-operational bells.

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Fall 2 0 0 8 New Man Orientation 2008

Inside

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by Philip Zubrod ‘11

The New Campo Sportivo

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The Church’s New Deacons: Ordained to Serve

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El Salvador Experience

by Ryan Creamer ‘11

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Seminarian Scholarships

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Board of Governors of the Pontifical North American College Chairman Most Rev. Edwin F. O’Brien C‘76 Archbishop of Baltimore

Vice Chairman Most Rev. Henry J. Mansell ‘63 Archbishop of Hartford

Treasurer Most Rev. John J. Myers ‘67 Archbishop of Newark

Secretary Most Rev. Patrick J. Zurek ‘75 Bishop of Amarillo

The stained glass window behind the altar in the North American Martyr’s Chapel at the College.

Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila C‘90 Bishop of Fargo

Rector Rev. Msgr. James Checchio ‘92, C‘97 Vice Rector for Administration Rev. Msgr. Daniel Mueggenborg ‘89

Most Rev. Tod D. Brown ‘62 Bishop of Orange in California

Most Rev. Alexander J. Brunett ‘59 Archbishop of Seattle

Most Rev. Thomas G. Doran ‘62, C‘78 Bishop of Rockford

His Eminence Edward Cardinal Egan ‘58, C‘65 Vice Rector for Seminary Life Rev. Msgr. Robert Gruss ‘94 Superior, Casa Santa Maria Rev. Msgr. Francis Kelly ‘64, C‘92

Archbishop of New York

Most Rev. Victor B. Galeone ‘61 Bishop of Saint Augustine

Most Rev. R. Walker Nickless ‘73 Bishop of Sioux City

Most Rev. Glen J. Provost ‘75 Bishop of Lake Charles

Executive Director for Institutional Advancement Mrs. Mary DiDonato

Most Rev. Francis R. Reiss C‘84 Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit

Most Rev. Michael J. Sheehan ‘65, C‘71 Archbishop of Santa Fe

Most Rev. William C. Skurla Bishop of the Eparchy of Passaic of the Ruthenians

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Rev. Msgr. James Checchio ‘92, C‘97 Diocese of Camden Rector

Rector’s Corner ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’

Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’

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t the opening Mass for this year at the Casa Santa Maria celebrated

by Francis Cardinal George, president of the USCCB, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, chairman of the Board of Governors of the College, blessed a new bell which was placed alongside two other bells in the Casa bell tower. The bell is marked with the coat of arms of the College on one side and that of Pope Benedict XVI on the other. Also inscribed on the bell are the years 1859 and 2009: The dates of our founding and of our 150th anniversary. In a sense, the bell will become a lasting symbol of our anniversary celebrations, recalling 150 years of seminarians and priests being called to the Chapel of Our Lady of Humility for prayer, thereby reinforcing their desire to lay down their lives in service of Christ and His Bride, the Church.

Over the summer, Pope Benedict renewed this invitation to all priests and seminarians with these words: “Model your lives daily on the Lord’s own loving self-oblation in obedience to the will of the Father. You will then discover the freedom and joy which can draw others to the Love which lies beyond all other loves as their source and their ultimate fulfilment.”

Gratefully, this fall, twenty-five of our fourth-year men, through listening to the Lord in prayer, discerning with their spiritual directors, formation advisors and vocation directors, freely decided to permanently lay down their lives in service of Christ and His Church and were ordained deacons. You will find the diaconate ordinations at St. Peter’s Basilica highlighted in this edition of the Magazine. These new deacons join seven of their classmates who were ordained to the diaconate during the past year. Also learning each day to model their lives on the self-oblation of Christ are the sixty-one New Men who arrived at the College this fall. With their arrival, our College is blessed with its highest enrollment in forty years. We had to add additional faculty members to the staff and build new apartments for them in our building in order to accommodate this new, larger group. After spending some months with these men, it has certainly become clear to our community that we were blessed not only in quantity but with quality as well. They have made a nice addition to our community.

The Casa Santa Maria opened the year with seventy-five priests from fifty-nine dioceses and religious communities, fifty-one of which are from the United States. These priests will be the first in many years to hear the bells ring in that historic building and chapel that dates back to 1599. In recent years the bell tower had become too unstable, making it dangerous to have the bells ring. Hence, it remained silent for quite a few years. As the façade of the building along Humility Street was restored this past year, thanks to the generosity of so many friends in the Vision for the Future Capital Campaign, simultaneously the roof was replaced and the bell tower was reinforced to allow once again for the ringing of the bells. They will now call the community to prayer, particularly before the Sunday community Mass, but also during the week, ringing in honor of Our Lady.

As we continue to strive to model our lives each day on the Lord’s own loving self-oblation in obedience to the will of the Father, and to renew our buildings for better community life, we thank you for your ongoing support of the College through your prayers and ongoing financial support. They are appreciated and needed and a great assistance to us! Enjoy this edition of the Magazine as you get to know better our community.

- Rev. Msgr. James Checchio Fall 2 0 0 8

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Pauline “And this is the goal of the Pauline Year: to learn from St Paul, to learn faith, to learn Christ, and finally to learn the way of upright living.”

--Pope Benedict XVI

Seeing St. Paul from Rome

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n June 28th, the Vigil of the Solemnity of the apostles Peter and Paul, Pope Benedict XVI opened the Pauline Year at the basilica built over the site of St. Paul’s tomb. During his homily, our Holy Father asked us to consider not so much who Paul was, but “who he is.” This year of St. Paul is to be a special time “to listen to him and learn today from him, as our teacher.”

St. Paul teaches us by his words, handed down to us in his letters which make up much of the New Testament. The importance of reflecting on the Word of God will be highlighted during the Synod of Bishops in this Pauline Year. For us studying here at the North American College, the letter to the Christian community here in Rome takes on particular significance. Judging from all of the personal greetings in Romans 16, it is clear that Paul had a very good understanding of the particular circumstances of the church that existed here. Yet, this letter also gives the most universal picture of Paul’s thought, his steadfast faith in the power of God’s mercy and salvation in Jesus Christ. Paul’s own experience of Christ’s love and mercy was the driving force behind his desire to spread the faith throughout the world.

St. Paul also teaches us by his example, especially in his perseverance, which we see in the Acts of the Apostles.

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Through all the suffering and hardships, he endured in order to proclaim the Gospel. In the words of Pope Benedict: “[Paul’s] suffering made him credible as a teacher of truth who did not seek his own advantage…but

The image of Saint Paul chosen for the holy cards given on the occasion of the Diaconate Ordination of the class of 2009.

applied himself for the sake of the One who loved us and has given himself for us all.” This selflessness for the sake of Christ eventually led Paul, with his imperial escort, to Rome, where, despite frequent imprisonment, he continued to teach the fledgling Christian community for at least two years before his martyrdom.

by Joshua Stengel ‘10 Diocese of Little Rock

One is struck by this example of selfsacrifice when, after surveying the marvelous panorama of Rome from the rooftop of the College, one sees the inscription: O Roma Felix quae duorum principum es consecrata glorioso sanguine (O happy Rome, which is consecrated by the glorious blood of the two princes). The faith and witness of the two princes of the apostles, Sts. Peter and Paul, is the glory of the city of Rome. For good reason the College’s diaconate class of 2009 has chosen St. Paul as its patron. The liturgical committee has also created a special display in front of the mosaic of St. Paul in the Immaculate Conception Chapel, serving as a continual reminder of our opportunity to encounter the apostle during this Pauline Year.

Both by his words and by his example of self-sacrifice for the sake of Christ, St. Paul continues to teach us all—a teaching that will continue to be formative for the College community, as our privileged position in Rome offers a unique opportunity to learn “who St. Paul is” this year.

This article is the first in a series on St. Paul to appear during this Pauline Year.

The Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E

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Year 2008 Synod of Bishops:

The Word of God

An Interview with Synod Father Francis Cardinal George From October 5-26, 2008, the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops gathered to address “The Word of God in the Life and the Mission of the Church.”

Of the 253 Synod Fathers, the Church in the United States was represented by Francis Cardinal George of Chicago, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington D.C., and Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson. During a break between sessions, Assistant Editor Peter Finney ’10 (New Orleans) discussed with Cardinal George his early impressions of the Synod and its connection to seminary formation.

PF: In what ways would you see seminary formation affected by the work of the Synod?

CG: I suspect there will be a greater emphasis on the Scriptures in prayer as we are trained to lead liturgical prayer.

We are trained, above all, in the art of personal prayer. I think there will be an emphasis that one’s personal prayer be sufficiently informed by Scripture and its world. Secondly, for seminarians and priests, there will be an emphasis on preaching the Word in homilies.

PF: In the Synod’s focus on preaching, how does the need for priests and seminarians to cultivate a personal relationship with Jesus Christ

relate to the presentation of a correct understanding of the Scriptural texts?

CG: You have to do both, but if you do not have the encounter with Christ, then Scripture is a dead letter. In that encounter, the tools that contemporary studies give us can be put in their proper place and can be helpful. But they are not sufficient for making Scripture actual, for making it alive, either for the priest who contemplates it or for the people to whom he is preaching. I think if you start with the encounter then everything else falls into place.

calls me to something else I can’t listen to that. It is also cultural in the sense that the biblical world is presented to us with various images and stories that no longer make a lot of sense. It is fantastic for a lot of people who are brought up in a more secular culture. You have to examine those prior narratives and criticize them to destroy their power over people’s imagination and intellects and will. It is a critique of the culture—the New Evangelization—that has to go on in order to be sure that the Word has a chance of falling on good ground.

PF: In your intervention at the Synod, you spoke of the need for a “conversion of the imagination,” addressing the culture we are preparing to engage with the message of the Gospel. Could you elaborate on the reality you see the Word encountering?

CG: The Word of God will always call us to change, to convert, to move into God’s context. But unless we spend some time working on creating a context that is open to hearing the Word, it will be impossible to experience its power. What stops that experience are prior personal narratives: This is the way I define myself, and if Scripture

Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago

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The Popes

and the

I welcome the new seminarians of the Pontifical North American College, and pray that their formative years in Rome will help them to grow in wisdom and pastoral charity.

– Pope Benedict XVI to the Class of 2011 • Angelus on Sunday, 26 August 2007 Founded by Pope Pius IX in 1859, the Pontifical North American College will mark its 150th Anniversary as a College on December 8th, 2009. The celebration will begin with the annual Carl J. Peter Lecture on December 7th, 2008, given by Fr. Augustine DiNoia, O.P. Liturgically, the College will usher in the anniversary year on the following day, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Other anniversary events include a conference conducted by the Institute for Priestly Formation in February 2009 and an Alumni Rome Reunion in January 2010.

This article is the first in a series highlighting the unique history of the College that will appear throughout this anniversary year.

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tanding outside the western façade of the North American College is a large statue of St. Peter inscribed with words of St. Ambrose: “Where Peter is there is the Church, where the Church is there death is not but life eternal”. Perhaps one of the most consistent threads that runs through the entire 150-year history of the North American College is the role that the Successor of Peter has played in the life of the College and in the lives of all who have lived here over the years.

bishops in 1854 led to the establishment of the North American College in an old convent on Via dell’Umiltà on December 8, 1859. The celebrations of the opening day of the College included a visit to the Vatican in which the Holy Father personally greeted the students and their rector. A few weeks later, Pius IX personally visited the North American College and celebrated Mass in the College chapel.

In fact the very existence of an American seminary in Rome can be attributed to the Holy Father himself, Pope Pius IX. It was Blessed Pius IX who requested that the American bishops follow the recommendation of papal legate Gaetano Bedini to establish an American seminary in Rome.

This request of Pius IX to the American

Pope Pius XII kneels in the Immaculate Conception Chapel for its dedication ceremony on October 14, 1953.

Osservatore Romano Arturo Mari

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The Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E

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North American College

by Philip Smith ‘11 Diocese of Toledo

Fotografia Pontificia Giordani

Pope Paul VI gives his blessing during his visit to the North American College on the Feast of the Chair of Peter, February 22, 1970.

Pontificia Fotografia Felici

Ten years after the visit of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II visits with the faculty and deacons of the College on February 22, 1980.

The American seminarians displayed their loyalty for Pius IX in 1870 when thirteen seminarians volunteered to serve as soldiers in the Papal Zouaves to defend the pope against the Italian Risorgimento. While Pius IX politely declined their offer, both the seminarians’ letter and the pope’s response are still on display today in the seminary as a testimony to the close bond that can develop between the pope and seminarians during their time in Rome.

Pius IX’s direction and personal esteem for the American seminary was continued by his successor Pope Leo XIII who bestowed pontifical rank upon the College in 1884.

This esteem and bond between the College and the pope intensified with the election of Pope Pius X in 1903. Saint Pius X met annually with the seminarians and articulated his fondness for the American seminary at one such meeting in 1908. He compared the American seminarians to a father’s most cherished son, his “Benjamin”. As he stated, “Without diminishing in the slightest my high regard for the many other national colleges in Rome, I have a special admiration for you, my dear young men, for you are truly my Benjamins, for whom I have the most tender affection”. The seminarians likewise certainly cherished these annual audiences with Pius X and the many opportunities to assist him at liturgical functions.

During the pontificate of Pius X’s successor, Benedict XV, the North American College was one of the prompt responders to the pope’s plea to seminaries in Rome for aide to the victims of the tragic earthquake at Avezzano of 1915. With 30,000 people killed in the disaster, the College quickly offered its summer villa as a refuge for the many orphans and residents displaced by the earthquake. Seminarians took up a collection of money amongst themselves and made visits to the villa with supplies and candy for the temporary guests.

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as he leads the Angelus and gives his weekly Sunday reflection. Attending papal liturgies and audiences as well as assisting in liturgical roles at papal Masses have all provided opportunities for seminarians to develop a close bond with Benedict XVI.

Pontificia Fotografia Felici

Pope John Paul II celebrates Mass in the Immaculate Conception Chapel.

Pope Pius XI in 1924 urged the American bishops to purchase a tract of land on the Janiculum hill as a location for a new campus for the North American College. Pius XI’s great esteem for the American seminarians was also expressed in small gestures of kindness, as in the basket of peaches he sent to the American seminarians from the Vatican orchard.

It was Pope Pius XII who wrote a letter to the American bishops in 1948 to urge the re-opening of the North American College that had been closed in 1940 due to the political tension of World War II. Thus, in October of 1948 the Holy Father gratefully received the American seminarians back to Rome in a private audience celebrating the re-opening of the College. Pius XII would later have the joy of dedicating the new Janiculum campus of the College in 1953.

Blessed Pope John XXIII paid a visit to the Janiculum campus in October of 1959 to celebrate the College’s 100th anniversary. Pope Paul VI would also visit the College and celebrate Mass on February 22, 1970 – the feast of the Chair of Peter and the anniversary of the birth of George Washington.

Exactly ten years later, Pope John Paul II visited the College, celebrated an evening Mass in the College chapel, and then dined and visited with seminarians

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and faculty. In an action of great symbolism, John Paul II planted a California Redwood outside the College entrance, while another Redwood was planted in the Vatican Gardens to show the unity between the College and the Successor of Peter. Several private audiences in the Vatican and participation at John Paul II’s private daily Mass also provided American seminarians a close connection to the late Polish pope.

The College’s connection to the current Successor of Peter, Pope Benedict XVI, can be seen clearly every Sunday as a large group of seminarians stream out of the College on their way to St. Peter’s Square to join the Holy Father

As the College now celebrates 150 years since its founding in Rome, it gives thanks for the many popes who have given the College fatherly guidance and support. The affection of the popes who have guided the College over these years has certainly made a lasting impression on the many seminarians and priests who have spent time at the North American College.

The simple Latin inscription over one of the entrances is a constant reminder of the prominent role the Successors of Peter have had in the history of the College and the lives of so many of its alumni: “The young men who have come here from the distant shores of America, looking upon the Vatican Hill, strengthen their faith and their love for the Roman Pontiff”. Ad multos annos!!!

Osservatore Romano

Msgr. Checchio presents to Pope Benedict XVI the portrait of His Holiness commissioned by the College upon his election. The portrait hangs in the College refectory.

The Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E

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New Faces

of the

College

New Faculty Members and Residents

by Brian Zawiski ‘10 Archdiocese of Washington D.C. Father Michael Wensing C‘85,

a priest of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, joins the College community as the new director of the Institute for Continuing Theological Education and as an adjunct spiritual director. He was ordained in 1976 after completing his M.A. in theology at Saint Paul Seminary in Saint Paul. After six years of work in a parish, he was sent to the Casa Santa Maria where he finished an S.T.L. in Biblical Theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas. His priestly ministry has largely been focused in two fields – that of youth ministry and that of biblical study.

From 1999 to 2002, he served as professor of Old Testament and New Testament studies at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He is the author of two books – “Death and Destiny in the Bible” and “Ministering to Youth” – as well as thirty scholarly articles. He is very enthusiastic to see the ICTE program flourish during his time here before eventually returning to parish ministry in his diocese.

Father John Costello ‘89, C‘94,

a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, joins the faculty as a formation advisor and the new Director of Pastoral Formation. He is a 1989 alumnus of the College, during which time he earned his S.T.B. at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

He later resided at the Casa Santa Maria in 1993 and 1994, earning an S.T.L. from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. He has a rich experience of pastoral ministry in his diocese, having served in two parishes as parochial vicar and in two other parishes as pastor. He was also diocesan director of family life ministry, the coordinator of the Italian apostolate, and the coordinator for the various Jubilee Year events which took

place in the diocese. He is very glad to be back at the College and hopes that his pastoral experience will be beneficial to seminarians preparing for priestly ministry.

Father Gregory Fairbanks C‘05,

a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, has joined the faculty as an adjunct spiritual director and taken residence in the College while assigned to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

He will be working with the Reformed and Anabaptist traditions as well as the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches. He was ordained in 1990 after finishing his studies at Saint Charles Seminary in Philadelphia. He served for eight years as an associate pastor and then for two years as the director of the Newman Center at Temple University. From 2000-2005, he attended the Casa Santa Maria, receiving a licentiate and a doctorate in Church history from the Pontifical Gregorian University. Once he returned to Philadelphia, he taught Church history at Saint Charles Seminary and served as the director of the Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the archdiocese. He is happy to join the College community because of his previous involvement in seminary work and his positive experience at the Casa Santa Maria.

Father Thomas Powers ‘97,

a priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport, has served as an adjunct spiritual director at the College for the past two years and recently has taken residence here at the College while serving as an official for the Congregation for Bishops. He says that, although not moving into the College as a New Man this time, he marvels anew “at the talent, zeal, charity, and hospitality of the seminarians.”

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NACclamation

by Philip Zubrod ‘11 Diocese of Fargo

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n a bright, August morning, the New Man class of 2012 entered St. Peter’s Basilica. It was their first day together as a class.

Upon entering, one particular new man caught my eye. He walked slowly, his eyes scanning the incomprehensible beauty of the basilica. On his face was an expression of awe mixed with wonder and contemplation. In my mind, I reassured him, “Yes, my brother, this is your new home.”

This year the North American College welcomed sixty-one new seminarians, the most in recent decades, from forty-six dioceses in the United States and Australia. The majority of them arrived in July to begin a month-long study of Italian in language programs at Assisi, Siena, and Verbania. These

men had a week of ‘early’ orientation consisting of visits to the churches and cultural sites of Rome and a pilgrimage to Orvieto.

Though many of the men had arrived early for the language programs, it was the orientation period in August that was the time officially devoted to the New Men, introducing them to life at the College and to the many blessings of living in the Eternal City. The first weekend focused on St. Peter and his successor, Pope Benedict XVI. The New Men gathered for Mass in the crypt below St. Peter’s Basilica and had a tour of the church itself. The weekend culminated with a Sunday visit to Castel Gandalfo to pray the Angelus with the Holy Father. The remaining two weeks were filled with excursions

Pope Benedict XVI greets the New Men during his Sunday Angelus at Castel Gandalfo.

to the major basilicas of Rome, a Scavi tour of the excavations beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, Italian lessons, and a weekend retreat in Assisi.

Orientation also provided our second-year class an opportunity to give of ourselves in prayerful, brotherly service. In addition to showing the New Men their way through the streets of Rome, we tried to impart to them some of the wisdom we have gained during our year-long soggiorno here. We assured them of our prayers as they too transitioned to life in Rome.

May this new home, with all its rich traditions and blessings, be a place in which we all may grow closer to Christ and His priestly heart.

The New Men, along with Msgr. Checchio, cheer for the Holy Father at Castel Gandalfo, the papal summer residence.

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Orientation ‘08

Members of the Class of 2012 celebrate their arrival with an opening banquet in the cortile of the Immaculate Conception chapel.

New Man Class of 2012 Jason Adams Donald Anstoetter Patrick Arensberg Neil Atzinger Jay Bananal Eric Bennett Joseph Bergida Jorge Cespedes-Segura James Cihak Corey Close Ryan Connors Frank Cumbo Benjamin Danielson Alan Dietzenbach Anthony Dill Brian Frice Thomas Gallagher Stephen Giulietti Matthew Grady Frederick Gruber Adam Haake Phillip Halladay Andrew Hart Andrew Henrick Nathan Hinds Lam Minh Hoang Victor Ingalls Michael Isenberg Adam Johnson Benjamin Jones Daniel Kirk

Diocese of Savannah Archdiocese of St. Louis Archdiocese of Mobile Diocese of Lansing Diocese of San Diego Archdiocese of Boston Diocese of Arlington Diocese of Memphis Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon Diocese of Davenport Diocese of Providence Archdiocese of Melbourne Diocese of Rockford Archdiocese of Dubuque Diocese of Harrisburg Diocese of San Diego Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Diocese of Brooklyn Diocese of Venice Diocese of Pittsburgh Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph Archdiocese of Mobile Diocese of Little Rock Archdiocese of Santa Fe Diocese of Colorado Springs Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Archdiocese of Mobile Diocese of Arlington Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese of Alexandria Diocese of Trenton

Matthew Kraemer Diocese of Fargo Patrick Lewis Archdiocese of Washington Mario Majano Archdiocese of Washington James Mangan Diocese of Lansing Francis Marotti Diocese of Kalamazoo David Martinez Diocese of Venice Mark Miller Diocese of Madison Luke Millette Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Carmelo Morales Diocese of Amarillo Jadyn Nelson Diocese of Bismarck Derrick Oliveira Diocese of Oakland Giancarlo Pattugalan Diocese of Brooklyn Alex Roche Diocese of Scranton Brian Romportl Diocese of Green Bay Benjamin Ross Diocese of Gary Nicholas Rynne Archdiocese of Sydney David Santos Archdiocese of Newark Michael Sedor Diocese of Pittsburgh Robert Shea Diocese of Bismarck Samuel Spiering Diocese of Great Falls-Billings Jacob Strand Archdiocese of Milwaukee David Tedesche Diocese of Rochester Quan Tran Diocese of Orange Jeremy Vidmar Diocese of Duluth Jeffrey Walker Diocese of Toledo James Wallace Archdiocese of Chicago Daniel Weiske Diocese of Duluth Colin Wen Diocese of Sacramento Andrew Young Diocese of Sioux Falls Joseph Zwosta Diocese of Brooklyn

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Assisi Weekend

by Brandon Bernhard ‘11 Diocese of Tyler

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n the hearts of many seminarians of the North American College, there is a deep spiritual connection not only to Rome, but also to Assisi, the hometown of Sts. Francis and Clare. This year’s class of 61 New Men had the opportunity to spend a weekend on retreat reflecting on the lives of these two great saints, which provided a time of fraternal growth as they began their first year of formation in Rome.

Upon arriving in Assisi, the New Men made their way to the magnificent and historic Basilica of St. Francis, where the remains of St. Francis are entombed and venerated.

Msgr. Checchio celebrated Mass there for the New Men and encouraged them to be imitators of St. Francis in living a life of service to the Lord and his Church. The afternoon was followed by a period of free time which many of the seminarians used as an opportunity to explore the town, including the churches of St. Clare and St. Damian, the church in which St. Francis received the vision of Christ speaking to him from the Cross. The day came to a close with Evening Prayer followed by a conference given by Fr. John Costello on the experience of transition in the life of a priest. Fr. Costello reminded the seminarians that to be a priest is to be a man who is docile to the workings of the Holy Spirit, which often leads him to various ministries and places he may never have expected to go. Fr. Costello shared stories of the many different opportunities he has had to serve the people of God, and what a joy these opportunities have been for him.

With the massive Basilica of St. Francis in the background, Msgr. Checchio and the New Men climb one of the many hills in medieval Assisi.

The following morning the New Men made a pilgrimage up the mountain to the Eremo delle Carceri, the hermitage built where Francis and his Brothers spent much of their time in silent prayer. The mountain provides a panoramic view of the Umbrian valley that lies below Assisi. Fr. David Songy O.F.M. Cap., was the principal celebrant at Mass at the hermitage. That same evening Fr. Songy delivered a conference on fraternal charity as lived out by St. Francis. He exhorted the seminarians to live a life of charity with one another rooted in their union with Christ, constantly seeking the good of their brother.

The last day of the Retreat concluded with Sunday Mass celebrated at the main altar in the Basilica of St. Clare. The ancient medieval frescos provided a stunning backdrop to the Liturgy as the chant of the New Men filled the Church, leaving many pilgrims in awe of the prayerfulness of such a group of young men. Without a doubt, the New Men returned to Rome fortified by the prayerful example of Sts. Francis and Clare!

The new men attend Mass at the Eremo delle Carceri.

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Rome NAC

at

to

WYD

Sydney:

by Peter Zwaans ‘11 Archdiocese of Adelaide

T

his year, both the United States and Australia have had the great blessing of welcoming the Holy Father for apostolic visitations. In July, the Holy Father spent a total of eight days in Sydney, Australia, site of the 23rd World Youth Day. Among those flying into Australia for the event was a contingent of seminarians from the North American College, most of whom were accompanying pilgrimage groups from their home parishes and dioceses. Some also served as official volunteers helping to organize the events, and some worked at the World Youth Day Vocations Expo so as to assist the pilgrims to discern God’s call in their lives. The College’s own Deacon James McCarthy ‘09 (Sydney) ministered as deacon and chanted the Gospel at one of the Holy Father’s Masses. It was difficult to wander the streets of Sydney without bumping into a fellow seminarian from the College somewhere along the way, and for the first time it was the Americans who spoke with the accent.

It was wonderful to see how the mood of the city changed with such an influx of pilgrims. What seems to have struck people most powerfully was the witness of happy and hopeful young people. There were priests and nuns stopped by Aussie kids who wanted to have their photograph taken with clergy and religious. There

Pope Benedict XVI gives a blessing with the Book of the Gospels during the dedication of the altar at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Standing to the right of the Holy Father is Deacon James McCarthy ‘09 (Sydney).

were workers in downtown Sydney coming out of their offices to mingle and chat with pilgrims. It seemed that nearly all of Sydney lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the Holy Father as he drove past in the “Popemobile.”

For one week, the cynicism that so readily accompanies a cosmopolitan culture melted into a marvelous outpouring of wonder and openness. Sydney was having a taste of what it is like to be Catholic.

It is often said that the Church is like a stained glass window: It can only be fully appreciated from the inside.

The witness of the pilgrims during WYD meant that the Church spanned the whole city of Sydney. Seeing that manifestation of the Church, even non-Catholics had a taste of seeing her from the inside.

Michael Silloway ‘10 (Atlanta), Gannon Jones ‘11 (Perth), Dishan Candappa ‘09 (Melbourne), Mark Payton ‘11 (Perth), Adam Verona ‘11 (Pittsburgh), and Rev. Ryan Moravitz ‘08 (Duluth) gather before the Papal Mass at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

At this first World Youth Day in Australia we heard and realized the call of the late Pope John Paul II to become “witnesses to hope” when our present Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, visited. He left Australia much like he left the United States in April, leaving a sense of great hope for the future of the Church and of the world.

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Suffering and hope in El Salvador

by Ryan Creamer ‘11

Diocese of Rockville Centre

“At night I mused within my heart. I pondered and my spirit questioned.” -Psalm 77

T

he words of Psalm 77 accurately capture the mixture of emotions that accompany a trip to the Central American nation of El Salvador. I was privileged to be part of a nine-man journey to various parts of the country, led

by Father Brendan Lally, S.J. and Father Dennis Yurochko. The aim of the encounter was to develop an understanding of the religious, political, and economic situations of the country by traveling within the capital, San Salvador, and to various villages outside the capital.

While this is a clear and tidy description of the experience, it does little justice to the reality that we faced upon our arrival at each of the different locations. The first aspect of the trip, and the easiest atmosphere into which to enter, was the academic one. Our group was given a tour of the University of Central America and met with the rector, Father José María Tojeira, S.J., and an American professor, Father Dean Brackley, S.J. These men discussed the work of the university, but more importantly, they related how the study of theology comes to be placed at the service of the Church’s most marginalized members; this was obviously a very important lesson for a group

Riley Williams ‘11 contemplates the reality of San Salvador.

of men studying theology and faced with the challenge of relating material taught in Rome to the Church in the rest of the world.

The trip to the university also aided the transition into the next aspect of El Salvador, that of violence, poverty, and injustice — all of which, when combined, make life in El Salvador hard and cheap. The university is not without its respective experience of this phenomenon that has gripped the country for nearly the last forty years. In 1989, members of the Salvadoran government executed six Jesuit faculty members of the

university and their two housekeepers. The opportunity to pray in the rose garden where the executions took place was one of the most moving experiences of the entire trip, on par with a subsequent visit to the tomb of Archbishop Oscar Romero.

The majority of our time was focused on observing daily life as experienced by ordinary Salvadorans. At first, each village had the appearance of being exactly like the previous one, but we quickly learned that each has its own unique element that defines and individualizes its present

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Missions

From left, Rev. Dennis Yurochko; Sean Donovan ‘11 (Tulsa); Ryan Creamer ‘11 (Rockville Centre); Ryan Erlenbush ‘09 (Great Falls-Billings); George Nixon ‘11 (Providence); Gerald Shantillo ‘09 (Scranton); Riley Williams ‘11 (Fall River); Rev. Brendan Lally; and Neal Hock ‘11 (Grand Island).

for them a spiritually affirming and cathartic experience, one which emboldens the hope of a suffering people. As for the nine of us who returned from El Salvador, we also have changed.

Having learned so many new things by listening to so many different people, we can understand the Psalmist, musing on that place we came to love and questioning how we can do something priestly and helpful for the lives and souls of a suffering people—people who deeply impressed us and taught us how to place our faith in Christ at the center of our lives, despite any hardship that would deter us.

suffering and hope for the future. Examples include Agua Escondida, a stretch of housing and farmland alongside a river poisoned with lead, which has polluted the land and crops, as well as the villages of Arcatao and San Antonio de los Ranchos, liquidated by the military during the 19801992 civil war. Despite these conditions, schools have been founded and are fully functioning in these villages, which are now repopulating and beginning to flourish under the guidance of a determined popular movement, an active and sympathetic local church, and a vibrant youth and catechetic group.

We experienced firsthand the good work that springs from this interplay of suffering and hope in a few places that were oases of peace and calm in the midst of the grinding, quotidian struggle. Most impressive was the Santa Luisa School, an elementary school staffed by nuns. There the children greeted us with a musical production and invited us into their classrooms, where we listened to their English, practiced our own Spanish, and answered questions about our lives in Rome, our vocations, and what we liked about El Salvador.

It was this school visit that taught us a lesson that would be reinforced throughout the trip: engaging, talking, and above all, listening to the people of El Salvador is

Sean Donovan ‘11 shares in the children’s joy at Agua Escondida, a small community in rural El Salvador.

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‘08

Diaconate

“May the grace of Holy Orders lead you to preach the Gospel with conviction and love”. -Pope Benedict XVI to our Deacons

O

n October 9, 2008, twenty-five men of the North American College were ordained deacons at the Altar of the Chair in the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter. Over one thousand guests were present at the liturgy, including family members and friends, as well as the concelebrating bishops, pastors, and priest-friends of the ordained. In addition to the men ordained on October 9, three other members of the class of 2009 were ordained as deacons over the course of

the past year in their home dioceses.

The Most Reverend William Callahan, Auxiliary Bishop of Milwaukee, was the ordaining prelate. Bishop Callahan is a former spiritual director of the College, whose first year at the College coincided with the first year of the ordinandi.

Consequently, the class had developed a close relationship with him and rejoiced that he could be the one to lay hands on them.

Above right: Bishop Callahan lays hands on Ryan Erlenbush (Great Falls-Billings).

Above: The newly-ordained Deacons of the class of 2009 in front of the Altar of the Chair.

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Ordinations Diaconate Ordinations of 2008

In his homily, Bishop Callahan exhorted the men to look to the example of St. Paul, whom they had chosen as their patron, and in honor of whom the Church celebrates this Pauline Year. He stressed especially Paul’s idea of conformity to Christ: “This configuration to Christ must remain clear lest [the deacon] lose his identity as an authentic messenger of the Gospel and become simply a social commentator whose thoughts and opinions are filled with worldly conjecture that bear little relevance to genuine prophetic Gospel proclamation, namely: the Truth of Jesus Christ!”

The day before the ordination, the soon-to-be deacons and their families attended the Holy Father’s Wednesday Audience.

Benedict XVI addressed these words specifically to the men of the North American College: “May the grace of Holy Orders lead you to preach the Gospel with conviction and love”.

With sincere affection, the community of the Pontifical North American College joins in the Pope’s desire for these new deacons and looks forward with hope and expectation to their ministry.

James Adams Nicholas Azar, II Jesse Burish Dishan Candappa Daniel Champoli Charles Cortinovis Edward D’Almeida Sean Danda Jeffery Droessler Joshua Ehli Ryan Erlenbush Aaron Esch Chase Hasenoehrl David Kuttner James Melnick Pablo Migone Robert Mucci Roberto Ortiz Joseph Previtali Gregory Rannazzisi Adam Rust Nick Schneider Gerald Shantillo Nicholas Vaskov Robert Wagner

Diocese of Kalamazoo Archdiocese of Atlanta Diocese of La Crosse Archdiocese of Melbourne Diocese of Brooklyn Archdiocese of Washington Diocese of Little Rock Archdiocese of Indianapolis Diocese of Orange Diocese of Bismarck Diocese of Great Falls-Billings Archdiocese of Milwaukee Diocese of Boise Diocese of Spokane Diocese of Little Rock Diocese of Savannah Diocese of Brooklyn Archdiocese of Newark Archdiocese of San Francisco Diocese of Rockville Centre Diocese of Memphis Diocese of Bismarck Diocese of Scranton Diocese of Pittsburgh Diocese of Arlington

Ordained in their respective Dioceses - Summer 2008 James DeViese, Jr. Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Andrew James Archdiocese of Sydney Joshua Stevens Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Above left: Bishop Callahan hands the book of the Gospels to newly ordained Deacons Charles Cortinovis (Washington) and Daniel Champoli (Brooklyn).

Left: The soon-to-be-ordained lay prostrate during the Litany of the Saints.

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Dioceses Represented

Ponti

at the

Diocese of Spokane

Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon

Diocese o Diocese of Great Falls-Billings Diocese of Bismarck Diocese of Fargo

Diocese of Boise Diocese of Rapid City

Diocese of

Diocese of Sioux Falls

Diocese of Santa Rosa Diocese of Sacramento

Diocese of Sioux

Diocese of Cheyenne

Archdiocese of Omaha

Diocese of Oakland Archdiocese of San Francisco

Diocese of Grand Island Diocese of Denver

Diocese of Monterey

Diocese of Colorado Springs

Diocese of Fresno

Diocese of Wichita

Archdiocese of Los Angeles Archdiocese of Santa Fe

Diocese of Tulsa Diocese of Amarillo

Diocese of Orange

Archdiocese of Oklah Diocese of Lubbock

Diocese of San Diego

A ustralia

Diocese of Fort Worth Diocese of Da

Diocese o

Archdio Archdiocese of San Antonio Galvest Diocese of Lismore

Archdiocese of Perth Archdiocese of Adelaide

Archdiocese of Sydney

Archdiocese of Melbourne

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ontifical

North American College

Diocese of Crookston

Diocese of Duluth

Diocese of Burlington Diocese of Portland in Maine

Diocese of Saint Cloud

Diocese of Rochester Diocese of Worcester Archdiocese of Boston Diocese of Green Bay Diocese of Buffalo Diocese of Fall River Diocese of Springfield Diocese of New Ulm Diocese of Providence Diocese of Lansing Diocese of Winona Diocese of LaCrosse of Sioux Falls Diocese of Bridgeport Archdiocese of Milwaukee Diocese of Madison Diocese of Brooklyn Diocese of Rockville Centre Archdiocese of Detroit Diocese of Scranton Archdiocese of Newark Diocese of Dubuque Diocese of Kalamazoo Diocese of Cleveland Diocese of Metuchen Diocese of Rockford ocese of Sioux City Diocese of Trenton Diocese of Paterson Diocese of Toledo Diocese of Youngstown Archdiocese of Chicago Archdiocese of Philadelphia Omaha Diocese of Gary Diocese of Davenport Diocese of Harrisburg Diocese of Camden Diocese of Pittsburgh Diocese of Wilmington Diocese of Peoria Archdiocese of Baltimore Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Archdiocese of Washington Archdiocese of Indianapolis Diocese of Arlington Diocese of Archdiocese of Cincinnati Kansas City-Saint Joseph Archdiocese of Saint Louis

Diocese of Covington Diocese of Lexington

of Wichita

Diocese of Knoxville

Diocese of Tulsa

iocese of Oklahoma City

Diocese of Charlotte

Diocese of Memphis

Diocese of Little Rock Archdiocese of Atlanta Diocese of Birmingham Diocese of Dallas

Diocese of Charleston Diocese of Savannah

Diocese of Tyler Diocese of Alexandria Diocese of Lake Charles Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Archdiocese of Mobile

Diocese of St. Augustine

Archdiocese of New Orleans

Diocese of St. Petersburg Diocese of Venice

Archdiocese of Miami

Religious Orders Represented At the Casa Santa Maria Society of St. Peter Holy Cross Fathers Augustinian Canons of Klosterneuburg, Austria

Overseas Dioceses Represented At the Casa Santa Maria Diocese of Gibraltar, Spain Diocese of Lancaster, England, Great Britain Diocese of Northampton, England, Great Britain Diocese of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada Archdiocese of Split-Makarska, Croatia

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Fall Workshops and Retreats

E

ach year at the North American College, from the end of Orientation until the week of the Diaconate Ordination, there is a month-long period of prayer, work, and even some study. During this time, the New Men are busy with Italian lessons in preparation for their upcoming

up in priestly ministry, ranging from depression and addiction to marriage problems and grief. The third-year men were also given an in-depth preaching workshop by Fr. William Byrne ‘94 of the Archdiocese of Washington.

Dr. Joann Heaney-Hunter, Associate Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at St. John’s University in Queens, NY, gave a seminar to the fourth-year men on the topic of marriage and family. The men also completed a workshop in marriage preparation and spent a week in liturgical workshops in preparation for their upcoming ministry as deacons.

In addition to the schedule of workshops, each class had a week-long, silent retreat preached or directed by one of the house spiritual directors.

Dr. Susanne Harvath presents a pastoral counseling workshop to the thirdyear men.

classes and as an aid to their immersion into Italian culture.

However, it is not only the New Men who are busy; the other classes participate in workshops and seminars in various areas of priestly formation.

The second-year class began their training in homiletics with a seminar and practica. They also participated in a workshop on celibacy and priestly identity led by members of the faculty.

The third-year men welcomed Dr. Susanne Harvath to the College for a pastoral counseling seminar. Dr. Harvath, who has taught at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis since 1990, spoke about how to handle the various issues that come

Each year Serra International Foundation generously supports the Spiritual Formation of seminarians by providing scholarships for the Retreat program.

Pictured here with Msgr. James Checchio are representatives from Serra International (from left): John Woodward, Executive Director, and The Honorable Dennis Leiber. The College thanks Serra International for its generous support!

Second-year men enjoy the sunset and the panorama at their retreat at Rocca di Papa.

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Institute for Continuing Theological Education

by Rev. Jay Peterson ‘78 Diocese of Great Falls-Billings

R

ack up a number of years in priestly ministry – fifteen, twenty, thirty or more – and a fellow can use a break. The Institute for Continuing Theological Education at the North American College is the perfect sabbatical break: Twelve weeks of enrichment, relaxation, prayer and – for the adventurous – travel.

Twenty-eight men make up the ICTE Fall 2008 group, from not only the United States but also from Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, Trinidad and the Solomon Islands.

As I write this, we have completed only three weeks. It is very exciting to realize we are just getting started, but at the same time we see how quickly these first nine weeks have gone.

Orientation week helped us feel at home in our new home with 208 student priests and seminarians.

Our ICTE Director, Father Michael Wensing, made sure this went smoothly for everyone.

Orientation to the facilities was but a drop in the bucket compared to the intense history, art and religion present here in the Eternal City. That was our next – and ongoing – step. Our first foray out into Rome was touring St. Peter’s Basilica under the direction of Dr. Elizabeth Lev, a scholar with an encyclopedic knowledge of history, culture and art. We celebrated Mass at the tomb of John Paul II, and we delved into the excavations beneath the altar of St. Peter’s.

Archaeologist Dr. Mino Carbone spent an entire morning detailing the history and design of the Roman Forum and

The priests of the Institute for Continuing Theological Education of the Fall of 2008 gather for a photo in front of St Peter’s Basilica after a visit to one of Rome’s many spiritual treasures.

Coliseum, sweeping through the centuries and bringing to life the influential characters from ancient times.

and a slightly claustrophobic but extremely interesting crawl through the catacombs of St. Priscilla.

Dr. Lev led us through the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, having enough time to touch only the high points, but whetting appetites for a return trip on more leisurely terms. Dr. Lev also brought us through the baptistery and basilica of St. John Lateran.

At the baptistery, Father Wensing conducted a renewal of our baptismal promises and presided at Mass. It was an awesome moment to let the historical meaning of the place sink in: to see how we, too, are part of the march through time of the Communion of the Saints.

Classroom time has also been rewarding: Father Morrison, a Scripture scholar, Monsignor Mueggenborg, our resident contact on religious archaeology, and Monsignor Moroney, a former liturgical expert on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Liturgy, have all stimulated and challenged our minds.

Other excursions we have enjoyed include climbing to the top of St. Peter’s cupola, a day trip to the famous Benedictine monastery Monte Cassino,

For me, participating in the ICTE program has been like a return home since leaving the College thirty years ago, a feeling that endures over the passage of time. I have belonged to the brotherhood of the class of 1978, and now I belong to a new brotherhood: ICTE Fall 2008.

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Three Cheers for the Pope

by Fr. Carter Griffin, ‘04, C‘10 Archdiocese of Washington

I

t was only s e v e n weeks after they had moved from their previous quarters at the Urban College of Propaganda Fide into their new seminary on the Via dell’ Umiltà. On January 29, 1860, the students of the North American College received a most memorable visit by Blessed Pope Pius IX.

“It is not weapons nor armed men that make Us fear...It is not the loss of temporal domain that afflicts Our heart most...What afflicts Us and frightens Us far more is the perversion of ideas: this horrible evil of falsifying everything. Vice, in fact, is taken for virtue; and virtue for vice... yet while [some] lavish acclaim and praise upon the most wicked men and deeds, they have the effrontery to brand as ‘hypocrisy’, ‘fanaticism’, and ‘abuse of religion’, firmness in the faith and the very constancy of the bishops

Before the Holy Father’s departure, he stopped to admire a statue of George Washington whom he lauded as a great man. Spontaneously, the Pope turned to the seminarians and asked them to give three cheers for the father of their country. They gladly obliged and gave three resounding cheers, which delighted the Pope so much that he asked the same for himself! Their response was so thunderous that the Holy Father smiled and covered his ears. As he departed the College, burdened with so many temporal wor-

After days of preparation, with hundreds of visitors packed into the baroque church of the former Visitandine convent, the gallant Noble Guard galloped into view ahead of the stately papal carriage drawn by black horses.

Escorted into the chapel, the Holy Father began a low Mass, after which he distributed Communion to the seminarians and about two hundred visitors. One of his chaplains then celebrated another Mass while the Pope knelt, deep in prayerful thanksgiving.

A large breakfast followed, and afterwards the Holy Father began an emotional address in which he lamented the many aggressions and persecutions that the Church then faced. It was an unforgettable speech, his first public prediction of a coordinated attempt to seize the Church’s territorial patrimony. His gestures became more animated, and tears filled his eyes.

Msgr. Francis Kelly, Msgr. James Checchio, Msgr. John Dewane, and the priests residing at the Casa Santa Maria, 2008-09.

in the defense of its sacred rights and its good works.”

Blessed Pius IX exhorted his audience to “vengeance” - but reminded them that “the vengeance of the priesthood and of the Vicar of Christ can only be prayer and supplication that they may all be converted and live.” Always the priest, he inspired his hearers and recast the political turmoil around them in a supernatural light.

ries, the palpable love of these young seminarians - a love still deeply shared by the priests and seminarians of the North American College today - must have warmed his heart.

Fr. Carter Griffin is a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in Moral Theology at the University of the Holy Cross.

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AM “Home” Improvements CASA SANT

Above left: Newly installed stained glass window of St. Gregory the Great in the Sacred Heart Chapel at the Casa Santa Maria.

Below left: Msgr. James Checchio, Mr. Gregory Jewell, and Msgr. Francis Kelly. Mr. Jewell, a long-time friend of the College, generously donated the Sacred Heart Chapel as well as the newly-installed, stained glass windows.

ARIA

Center: The recently-restored façade of the chapel at the Casa Santa Maria. The artists who restored the bas relief of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, located above the doorway, were able to restore much of its original beauty.

Above right: The bas relief before its cleaning and restoration.

Below right: A photo of the newly-restored Red Room at the Casa Santa Maria

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Campo Campo Sportivo Sportivo W

hile each year the College welcomes many new seminarians, this year the community made a home for a more permanent addition: the recently installed field turf on the Kardos Family Campo Sportivo.

After it was determined that an artificial surface would better serve the needs of the College than the hard, dirt surface that had existed previously, the Board of Governors approved the installation of a high-quality field turf in November of 2007. The actual work began in May of the following year, in the hope of making the task as non-invasive to seminary life as possible. Ten centimeters of organic material was soon removed from the surface level, providing space for drainage lines and a bed of crushed gravel. Laid atop the gravel

Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan ‘65, C‘71 of Santa Fe blesses the College’s turf field before its inaugural use.

layer is a twenty-five-millimeter-thick elastic layer, which would absorb much of the impact of a hard fall. Finally, in late September, the turf, with its rubber pellets and sand filling, was placed on top of the foundational layers, creating an ever-green playing surface.

Characterized as a fifteen-year field, the turf utilizes the latest in technological

Seminarians enjoy an early soccer scrimmage on their newly installed turf.

advances, to the point of being comparable to most collegiate and professional surfaces. Ongoing maintenance will include the regular cleaning and leveling of sand and rubber pellets.

As Monsignor Daniel Mueggenborg expresses it, the hope of the Board of Governors is that the field “would be one of the best things they could do to foster community life, personal health and fitness, as well as human formation, with good teamwork and good sportsmanship.” With sports being “an important part of human formation,” it is already evident that the new Campo Sportivo is a healthy addition to the College. From the afternoon joggers to the tireless soccer players to the casual strollers, all have embraced the field with open arms and sneakered feet, welcoming this new enhancement to seminary life.

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FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS C

onstruction continued on the Janiculum campus this summer. In addition to the new and improved Campo Sportivo, which is featured on the previous page, the College has nearly completed its replacement of all of the windows in the seminary building, including all of the large, main-floor windows. Work also progressed on the restoration of the Casa O’Toole, the installation of a heating and cooling unit for the Immaculate Conception Chapel and refectory, and the installation of a lightning prevention system to protect the building from power surges.

Below and right: Cranes are seen on the Janiculum campus for the installation of a new lightning prevention system.

Bottom right: A worker cleans the new windows on the main floor.

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11/17/08 1:49:32 PM

Circle of Friends Father Valentin J. Peter

J.C.D., S.T.D. ‘60, C‘68

A Legacy of Scholarship Peter’s vision and direction, Boys Town expanded from the Village of Boys Town, Nebraska to nineteen sites in fifteen states and the District of Columbia.

Father Peter sits on the boards of many national and local organizations and is the author of numerous books and scholarly articles. He holds doctoral degrees in both Canon Law and Theology. His service to children as a youth advocate, educator, and friend has spanned more than four decades.

F

ather Valentin J. Peter, a distinguished alumnus of the Pontifical North American College, is the Executive Director Emeritus of Father Flanagan’s Boys Home, more commonly known as Boys Town.

As the fourth leader of Boys Town, Father Peter, a native of Omaha, expanded Father Flanagan’s dream of changing the way America cares for her children and families. Under Father Peter’s twenty years of leadership, Boys Town underwent the largest national expansion in its history. Boys Town grew to provide direct care, including hospital treatment, to more than 43,000 children annually. A million more were helped each year through outreach and training programs. Thanks to Father

Through those decades, Father Peter has always been appreciative of the opportunity he was given to receive his spiritual and priestly formation at the North American College and to study in the heart of the Church, close to the Successor of St. Peter. In order to reciprocate, he has been a generous benefactor to his alma mater through the years.

But Father Peter had an even loftier goal: He wanted to be able to show his true appreciation for the opportunities he received by helping other deserving seminarians experience the same unique opportunity of studying in Rome. This past year Father Peter realized his goal by establishing the Val J. Peter Scholars Fund with a $1,000,000 commitment to the North American College.

During a recent conversation with Father Peter, he was quick to point out that he “did not fall into this money through a huge inheritance or through winning the lottery,” but rather he “developed the skills to invest appropriately and to learn the market forces.”

The Fund will provide annual scholarships ranging from 25% to 75%, depending on need, for seminarians in dioceses that otherwise lack the financial resources to send a student to Rome. Through established guidelines, eligible dioceses will be invited to nominate worthy students who meet specific spiritual, academic and financial criteria.

We are grateful to Father Peter for such a noteworthy gift that will indeed assist the College and play a crucial role in the formation of America’s seminarians and priests for generations to come. As you read on the next page about the first extraordinary group of Val J. Peter Scholars, you will see that they are outstanding men of God and men of the Church. We are confident that they will be significant leaders in the future of the Catholic Church in America.

What a lasting and beautiful testimony the Scholars will give to Father Peter through his kind and generous donation. Certainly the Church in the United States will benefit tremendously from this gift too!

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Fr. Val J. Peter Scholars 2008 - 2009 Inaugural Year

Brandon Bernhard, Diocese of Tyler Having excelled at Fredericksburg High School in Texas, Brandon was privileged to attend Texas A&M where he attended daily Mass and was a leader of the Aggie Catholic Bible Study program.

When Brandon decided to discern his vocation more seriously, he transferred to the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. Leaving behind his girlfriend of one and a half years and his “dream school” was not an easy decision, but Brandon’s love for the truth and his desire to share it beckoned him elsewhere. Firmly committed to that calling, Brandon has made a daily Holy Hour ever since he made the decision to attend Steubenville. It is his daily encounter with the Truth that strengthens in him the desire to share Christ with others, especially those in his home diocese of Tyler whose Catholic population is less than 5%. Brandon is particularly attentive to bringing the compassion of Christ to the less fortunate. He has served in a variety of outreaches to the poor including the food pantry in his home parish.

Peter Finney, III, Archdiocese of New Orleans Peter grew up in a strong Catholic family in New Orleans, where he prayed the Rosary everyday with his family and attended daily Mass in the summer months. He attended Jesuit High School and was actively involved in his parish’s Catholic Youth Outreach (CYO) program. While in high school, Peter was chosen to serve as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist. He later worked as the assistant Summer Camp Director for a Catholic camp in his Archdiocese. After two years of studying History at the University of New Orleans he attended St. Joseph’s Seminary College where he served in a variety of leadership positions including President of the Student Government Association. As a priest, Peter desires “to be a simple servant, always there for my flock, connected to the Sacraments and spiritual practices of the faithful.”

Andrew Hart, Diocese of Little Rock Andrew graduated from Little Rock Catholic High School as Valedictorian and continued his academic excellence at St. Louis University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Communication.

Andrew attended daily Mass throughout college and sought a priest for spiritual direction in order to assist him in his discernment to the priesthood. He attended St. Meinrad School of Theology for two years of pre-Theology and received the Diocese of Little Rock’s Leader for Christ Award for Service. Before entering the seminary, Andrew worked at the Diocese of Little Rock where he served in the Office for Youth Ministry, Family Life Office, and the Planning Committee for the 2005 Diocesan Eucharistic Congress. As a priest, Andrew hopes to “teach and counsel, to work with the poor, and to serve the bishop in various diocesan activities.”

Eric Bennett, Archdiocese of Boston After graduating from Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, RI, Eric attended Boston University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with both a Bachelor of Health Sciences and a Master of Science in Physical Therapy. Eric left a very successful career as a physical therapist in order to pursue his calling to the healing ministry of the priesthood. His desire to serve has been with him throughout his life. He has led retreats for his Catholic High School, has taught CCD, and has assisted in campus ministry through the Newman Center. Although originally from Providence, Rhode Island, Eric desires to serve the Church of Boston as it recovers from the difficulties of recent years. Remarking on his decision to enter the seminary, Eric admits, “My professional career and desire to marry, although good, were the result of me running from God and holding on to the self that I did not want to give up.”

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institutional advancement Mary DiDonato

Executive Director of Institutional Advancement

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ith the color of the leaves starting to turn and the slight chill in the air most mornings, I know that Thanksgiving is not far away. Though we have all been concerned these days with the economic roller coaster that the world’s financial system has been on lately, I am certain we can all think of something for which we are grateful.

I, for one, cannot help but be grateful for the happiness and love that has befallen both of my children (when they were least expecting it) over the past year. Now, both are planning spring weddings, and my husband and I are looking forward to welcoming, with open arms, their future spouses into our family! How wonderful it will be to set two additional places at the table for the holidays!

I also cannot help but be thankful for all the blessings that the North American College is experiencing this year—from the sixty-one New Men who recently began their spiritual and priestly formation at the Seminary to the seventy-five priests now residing at the Casa Santa Maria. Nor can we forget the twenty-eight priests on sabbatical at the Institute for Continuing Theological Education, nor the fact that twenty-five seminarians were ordained in October to the diaconate at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Why am I, as a lay person, grateful for the College’s many blessings? Because despite these unsettling economic times in which we find ourselves, one thing that I – and all of you - can be sure of is that the Church in America is continuing to experience expansion and revitalization. More than 200 outstanding seminarians and newly ordained priests from over eighty dioceses in the United States are now being formed at the heart of the Church. When their time in Rome is over, these young men will return to their home dioceses to preach the Word and lead the faithful in parishes across the country – maybe even in your parish.

That is why, despite today’s economy, when it is getting harder and harder to stretch a dollar, the seminarians need you to continue to be in partnership with them – so that your life and the lives of all the faithful in America can continue to be touched by their ministry.

During this season of Thanksgiving, let us all remember the many blessings for which we are grateful. We at the North American College are grateful for you, our many friends, alumni and benefactors, who have helped the College to reach a most significant milestone – our 150th anniversary. We look forward to continuing our journey with you!

- Mary DiDonato

28 The Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E

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economo’s corner

“Do not neglect the gift you have…” - 1 Tim 4:14a

Rev. Msgr. Daniel Mueggenborg ‘89 Diocese of Tulsa Vice Rector for Administration

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his exhortation of Saint Paul originally referred to the spiritual charism Timothy received in the sacrament of Holy Orders. The practice of good stewardship requires us to extend this message to all God’s gifts.

There are many ways in which we care for the gifts we have been given at the Pontifical North American College. For example, we have carefully restored the many religious paintings and artifacts of our College patrimony – from the portrait of our founder, Pope Pius IX, to the statues of the saints, to the stained glass windows of our chapels. These were given to remind us of the great people of faith who have gone before us and to encourage us to follow their example. We must not “neglect the gift we have.”

Another way in which we care for the gift we have received is with the recent installation of a lightning prevention system at the Janiculum campus. We recently suffered two lightning strikes within one year and the subsequent damage to computers, telephones, elevators, security systems, and a host of other electronics. The College sits high on a hill overlooking the city of Rome and as such attracts such strikes. The prevention system is one more way in which we do not neglect the gift we have.

Even the management and investment of our endowment resources reflects our desire to conserve and protect the gifts we have been given. The recent financial distress affecting world markets has taken its toll on virtually every sector of public and private investment. The North American College has certainly suffered from these market losses. However, we have taken conservative precautions to ensure that there are minimal risks to our endowment investments. This is one more way in which we strive to protect the gift we have been given Ultimately, it is our care of the spiritual gifts that is most important. The entire ministry of the North American College exists to care for and nurture the spiritual gift of vocation to the priesthood and bring that gift to full maturity as our seminarians are ordained by their Bishops just as Timothy was ordained by the Apostle Paul. The buildings we occupy and in which we pray are here to provide a place in which vocations are preserved, nurtured, and developed. The religious representations of art and stained glass exist to inspire and remind these men of great examples of holiness and provide models for their growth in holiness. The tools and resources of our library and electronic communication exist to inform our students of the Truth of the Gospel, Jesus Christ, and to teach them how to communicate that Truth in our time and culture so they can be shepherds of souls who are zealous and faithful priests.

We must not neglect the gift these young men have been given in their vocations.

Your support of our ministry allows us to continue providing the highest quality priestly formation at the heart of the Church in Rome. We will not neglect the gift we are given through your sacrificial generosity. Please continue to help us as we help them to be the best priests they can possibly be for the good of the Church and the sake of the Gospel.

- Rev. Msgr. Daniel Mueggenborg

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he T ve

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te a D

Annual Alumni Reunion June 23 - 25, 2009 Atlanta, GA

Plan to join your fellow alumni in Atlanta for the Annual Alumni Reunion.

Beloved and long-serving member of the college family

Elena Panti

will receive the

2009 Founder’s Award.

Festivities will begin on Tuesday evening, June 23rd and conclude after the “Bum Run” on Thursday morning, June 25th.

Further details to follow.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Pontifical

North American College 3211 Fourth Street, NE Washington, D.C. 20017-1194 For more information about the North American College, or to learn about opportunities for memorial gifts, contact Mary DiDonato at our Washington, DC, Office of Institutional Advancement: Tel: (202) 541-5411 / Fax: (202) 722-8804 Email: nac@usccb.org or visit our website at www.pnac.org

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NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 61 HYATTSVILLE, MD

345789234 Mr. Donor Lastname 12345 Main Street Suite 12345 Port Washington, DE 12398-1235

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