RomanEchoes M AY 2 0 1 8
VOLUME 22: ISSUE 3
T H E P O N T I F I C A L N O RT H A M E R I C A N C O L L E G E
Building up the Body of Christ 7 Orvieto Pilgrimage 8 From Sports to Seminary 12 Spring Play 16 Holy Week
Contents 8 7 Features 7 Orvieto Pilgrimage An ancient Eucharistic miracle still inspires
8 From Sports to Seminary
10 Hospital Apostolate 11 Why We Fast
12 Spring Play
"A Canticle for Leibowitz" at the NAC
14 Christology Reading Group
The Pontifical North American College
16 Holy Week
Celebrating the Passion and Resurrection
Former athletes pursue a new goal
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15 Older New Men
22 The Rector's Dinner 23 RSM Nurses 24 Birding in Rome 25 JPII Institute 26 Rebuilding after the Hurricanes 28 The Student Spice Cabinet 30 Martyrs Soccer Team 35 Re-Echoes: A Roman Snow Holiday
Cover Image: Veneration of the Cross at the College's Good Friday liturgy
16 12 Updates 5 Rector’s Corner 6 NAC Voices 18 Snapshots 20 Creative Corner
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Casa ICTE Economo's Corner Institutional Advancement
From the Editor
"Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)
In the days following Lent and Easter and looking toward the birth of the Church at Pentecost, this issue of the Roman Echoes pays special attention to the mystery of the body of Christ. Our life in the seminary is dedicated to serving this one body, of which we are all members, today and in the future. And we, in turn, receive our life from being joined to Christ’s body, now and, God please, into eternal life. We hope the following pages encourage you to see the ways Jesus is calling you to a place in His body as well. Christian Huebner, ‘19 Archdiocese of Washington Editor-in-Chief ROMAN ECHOES 2016 • VOLUME 20: ISSUE 4
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Contributors
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Christian Huebner ‘19, Archdiocese of Washington MANAGING EDITOR Joseph Boustany ‘19, Diocese of Lafayette
ASSISTANT EDITOR Nathanael Anderson ‘20, Archdiocese of Washington LAYOUT & DESIGN EDITOR Tyler Johnson ‘19, Archdiocese of Seattle ASSISTANT LAYOUT & DESIGN EDITORS Christopher Boyle ‘19, Archdiocese of Boston Andrew DeRouen ‘20, Diocese of Lake Charles PHOTOGRAPHERS Zach Brown ‘19, Diocese of Toledo Justin Weber '20, Archdiocese of Milwaukee Denis Nakkeeran '20, Archdiocese of Boston
Administration
of the Pontifical North American College RECTOR Very Rev. Peter C. Harman ‘99 VICE RECTOR FOR ADMINISTRATION Rev. Kerry Abbott, OFM Conv. ICTE ’14 VICE RECTOR FOR SEMINARY LIFE Rev. Adam Y. Park ‘05 ACADEMIC DEAN AND ROMAN ECHOES FACULTY LIAISON Rev. John P. Cush ’98, C’15 SUPERIOR, CASA SANTA MARIA Rev. Msgr. Fred Berardi C’82 DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR CONTINUING THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION Rev. James M. Sullivan, OP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Mark Randall, CFRE For more information about the Pontifical North American College, subscription questions, or to learn about ways you can financially support “America’s Seminary in Rome,” please contact Mark Randall, CFRE, Executive Director, Institutional Advancement. Tel: (202) 541-5411 Fax: (202) 722-8804 Email: pnacdc@pnac.org Website: www.pnac.org This publication is written, edited and photographed by the students of the Pontifical North American College.
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LEFT: Snowfall in Rome covers the statuary of St. Peter's Basilica.
Rector’s Corner Dear Friends of the North American College:
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ur Easter weekday readings from the Acts of the Apostles are an encouragement to every Christian. They are a reminder that being a follower of Christ has never been easy, but also that the Holy Spirit never abandons us in this task. Acts 5, proclaimed in the second week of Easter, recalls the Lord freeing the Apostles from imprisonment, the second of their persecutions, with the angel speaking these words: “Go and take your place in the temple area and tell the people everything about this life.” (Acts 5:20) These three instructions for the Apostles are important for us to hear too, as a house which forms future priests. “Go!” It is a reminder that we are not made or called just for ourselves, nor for staying where we are. This month, we will send out nearly forty men to be ordained as priests for dioceses in the United States. The seminary is not a permanent home, and the time comes each year for men
to be sent out. A little trepidation? A little relief? Certainly. Like those first apostles, may our men always remember how they were formed, and to what they are called. “Take your place in the temple.” This would have been intimidating for the apostles. After all, Jesus was the speaker. He was the one who preached and taught; they were listeners. But our men know that they called to take their place, where they are called to stand: at the pulpit and at the altar. They cannot be afraid to take their place, remembering that it is always about witnessing to the crucified and resurrected Christ, not themselves. By being faithful listeners to him in prayer, they know their place. “Tell the people everything about this life!” We are called most of all to be witnesses of the Gospel, how it has changed our lives. The life of which the angel spoke is the
life united to Christ. He who is unchanging continues to reveal something new about himself through the Church in every age. Their own life and ministry will become, please God, ways in which countless faithful will be confident that God is still and always at work. Please pray that our men to be ordained, and all of our men in formation, are confident that the Lord asks them to do these three things well. I am grateful for your support and prayers for our work.
Very Reverend Peter C. Harman, STD ’99, Rector
“Go and take your place in the temple area and tell the people everything about this life.” (Acts 5:20) “Go!” It is a reminder that we are not made or called just for ourselves, nor for staying where we are. This month, we will send out nearly forty men to be ordained as priests for dioceses in the United States.
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VOICES OF NAC “Living life in Christ is best embodied in the many sports of track and field. The various events and different types of training highlight the aspect of the diversity of living like Christ, while there is still unity within the team striving to win. Many of the individual sports emphasis the true aspect of the Christian life being a journey, which ends at the finish line of heaven.” Nicholas Vetter, Diocese of Bismark, Class of 2021
“Basketball embodies living the Christian faith best. The character of a person is revealed in the way they play: an unselfish person will sacrifice their own individual success for the good of the team while a selfish person will seek after individual glory over the needs of the team. Sacrificing oneself for the sake of others is an important part of the Christian life seen also in the sport of basketball.” Michael Fitzpatrick, Diocese of Orange, Class of 2020 6
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St Paul likes to use athletic metaphors to talk about spiritual striving. Examples abound, from “running a race,” to doing more than mere “shadowboxing,” and even to facing the spectacle of gladiator contests.
"Which sport do you think most embodies living life in Christ to the full?”
“I would say curling. Sometimes life in Christ is as simple as passionately sweeping the floor.” Rev. Nicholas Hagen ‘17, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
“In football, 11 men must act as one unit. If even one man misses his assignment, even the most brilliantly designed plays come to nothing. Tom Brady can only do what he does if the five offensive linemen in front do what they do. If only the right tackle misses an assignment, Tom Brady is totally neutralized. So too, the body of Christ has many members, each with a mission, a vocation, with something essential to contribute to the whole.” Jarad Wolf, Diocese of Bismark, Class of 2018
“I have always found running to be a most poignant image of the spiritual life. Running, like prayer, is one of the most basic and natural of human activities. It is universal; present across all generations and cultures, requiring no special gear, open to all young and old, rich and poor, men and women. Just as prayer is a principle that animates all the other dimensions of our life, so running serves as a foundation for almost all other athletic endeavors.” Christopher Marbury, Archdiocese of Denver, Class of 2020
This is My Body, This is My Blood: A Pilgrimage to Orvieto
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J U ST I N G O U G H ’ 2 0, A R C H D I O C E S E O F BA LT I M O R E he Eucharist is a reality unto itself: its properties are wholly unique; its effects are wondrously incomparable. There is no category into which it can neatly fit, nor words or concepts adequate to explain it. What looks, tastes, and feels like bread and wine are nothing other than the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. We know this by faith, not by sense or reason. Yet, the Holy Spirit (thanks be to Him) has guided theologians across the centuries to use the tools of philosophy and theology to show how this apparent contradiction––bread that is not really bread and wine that is not really wine––is, in fact, not an impossibility. Such arguments allow our intellect to more freely give assent to the Catholic belief. Moreover, God also, at times, works extraordinary Eucharistic miracles to motivate our will to believe in the Real Presence more fervently and to adore and receive the sacrament with greater charity. In this spirit, students in Fr. Bernhard Blankenhorn, OP’s course on the Eucharist at the Angelicum University made a pilgrimage with their professor this spring to Orvieto, known since the Middle Ages for its devotion to the Eucharist. We intended to frame our academic study within the historical context of this Umbrian hill town. In 1263, close to Orvieto, a consecrated host began to bleed in the hands of a priest who found it difficult to believe
NAC seminarians from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas along with some university faculty and classmates make a pilgrimage to Orvieto, which is known for a famous Eucharistic miracle.
in the Real Presence. The miraculous blood stained the corporal on the altar. Pope Urban IV ordered that the corporal be brought to Orvieto, and he subsequently established a new feast for the Eucharist, Corpus Christi, partly inspired by the miracle. Today, the corporal is kept safely in the city’s cathedral and is displayed for veneration at various times of the year, most notably as part of Orvieto’s renowned Corpus Christi festivities. Urban IV commissioned his personal friend, the Dominican friar Thomas Aquinas, who was assigned to teach his confrères in Orvieto at the time, to compile hymns, readings, and sequences to form a Mass and Office for the new feast. Many of these are still in use today: the Pange lingua accompanies the procession on Holy
Thursday, the final two verses of that hymn (“Tantum ergo”) are sung at Benediction, and the sequence Lauda Sion can be used before the Gospel on Corpus Christi. The student of St. Thomas Aquinas will hear echoes in these lines of verse of many key themes and concepts in his later treatise on the Eucharist in the Summa Theologiae. Indeed, the Angelic Doctor has taught well both systematically and poetically on the Bread of Angels; both are rich fare. We hope that our pilgrimage will increase our Eucharistic devotion, to lead us both to study and pray before the Blessed Sacrament more earnestly, and that St. Thomas’s intercession will aid us, like him, to desire Christ alone. n ROMAN ECHOES 2018 • VOLUME 22: ISSUE 3
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Deacons Joseph Furnaguera ’18 (Newark) and Jeff Hebert ’18 (Little Rock), both played college sports before seminary.
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From Sports to Seminary • • • •
N AT H A N A E L A N D E R S O N ’ 2 0, A R C H D I O C E S E O F WA S H I N GTO N
he Body of Christ” would not mean much to any of us if we did not have physical bodies in the first place. And the image of building up the Body would mean little without those who pushed themselves to the limits as athletes. Roman Echoes interviewed a couple of the College’s more experienced athletes, Deacon Jeffrey Hebert
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‘18 (Little Rock) and Deacon Joseph Furnaguera ‘18 (Newark), to learn how life on the field affects their time in the seminary. Thank you for taking the time to field some questions. First, which sport(s) did each of you excel at prior to seminary and at what level did you play? JEFF: Well, the sport I played the longest was football. I walked-on to
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Texas A&M as a wide-receiver, but I also played baseball and ran track through high school. As far as championships go, I didn’t reach that height until after college when I played with the Little Rock Kickball champions in 2008 and 2009. JOSEPH: My best sport was baseball. I played all sports growing up, but baseball was always my favorite. I played four years at my university.
Do you think your time on the field has changed your outlook on ministry? JEFF: I think it’s more in the reverse. My understanding of ministry has changed my approach to competition and sports. I used to compete to measure myself against others. Now I play as a means to spend time with others and learn from being challenged. JOSEPH: Yes, for better or worse. Sports have a quasi-liturgical aspect to them, especially baseball. There are rituals, routines, and rules to follow. I appreciate and respect a well-formed ministry and liturgy the same way I appreciate and respect a well-formed sports team. There is an element of community and of human expression that puts the individual in relationship with something greater than himself. I say “for worse” because sports can easily become all about performance. Sure, performance is necessary for a good ministry, but ministry is ultimately about bringing people into a relationship with Jesus Christ which isn’t always dependent on performance, but on faith. Joseph, have you had the opportunity to see athletic competition bear any fruit on how young people look up to seminarians and clergy? JOSEPH: I remember having an assistant coach once that was a priest. He was an older man, and I respected him because he was tough, but fair. The head coach was tough too, but not really fair. The priest’s virtues really stood out to me. Since entering seminary, I haven’t seen as much of those role-models as I would have liked to see. Athletic priests or seminarians sometimes fall into
the trap of using their vocation as a novelty to sports (myself included). An athlete doesn’t really care about someone’s state in life; they care about one’s conduct, one’s virtues, and one’s composure. Every once in a while we will invite some college kids for basketball or a local Roman softball team for a softball game. I have indeed seen these events bear fruit by informing one’s perception of the Church and/or seminarians and priests.
Joseph Furnaguera ’18 (Newark)
Jeff, did the Faith have any impact on how you approached the game and do you think people with faith approach their sport differently? JEFF: When I was younger, I don’t think I allowed my faith to change the way I approached football, at least not any substantially different way than my peers. We were all trying to win games and win fame, Christian or not. I look back now and imagine how my leadership and encouragement would have been different had I a deeper understanding of my faith. If I had played then with the heart Christ has given me now, I imagine it would have been a lot more fun.
After the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl victory this year, their coach lead the players in taking a knee and saying the Our Father. Joseph, why do you think sports continues to be an area in which public profession of faith is as common as it is? JOSEPH: Sports bring men and women to the forefront of their emotions, their fears, their excitement and their relationships. We become vulnerable and we need to appeal to someone or something greater to gain composure. As a freshman, there was a centerfielder on my team named Doug. He was a true athlete, built like a rock. He could run like lightning, hit for power and was an all-around player. He wasn’t a very religious man, but I’ll never forget one time before a big game he asked me to pray with him. We took a knee and prayed the Our Father together. His vulnerability led him to the humility of appealing to God for help. It was a cool experience. Here’s a lighter one. What is your favorite sports film and why? JEFF: I am a big fan of Little Giants. I’m a sucker for an upset story. JOSEPH: Rocky. The opening scene is Jesus with the Eucharist on the wall of an old, beat up boxing gym. I think the character, Rocky Balboa, manifests the ideal of a true athlete. One who works hard, is humble, is determined, and is not afraid to admit of his fears, but is able to overcome them. n
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Visiting the Sick at Salvator Mundi Hospital PETER GALLAGHER ’20, DIOCESE OF CAMDEN
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isiting the patients at Salvator Mundi International Hospital on Thursdays with my brother seminarians has been a wonderful part of my pastoral formation here in Rome. The hospital on the top of the Janiculum is well-known for its excellent care, as can be attested by our own seminarians when they fall ill. Our group, headed by my fellow Second Year classmate Joseph Mominee ‘20 (Toledo), strolls up this famous hill with the beautiful outlook over Rome catching up about how the week has went. What awaits us on the inside of the hospital is always a surprise: whether it be English-speaking patients from any continent in the world, or the beloved Romani who also need to be treated in the hospital for various procedures at times. After visiting our kind moderator, Sr. Paulete, we take time to pray before the Blessed Sacrament the Divine Mercy Chaplet, praying the Lord will have mercy on the souls we are about to visit and all the patients undergoing treatment at
Jesus provides the grace and the desire to be compassionate to those who are sick in any way we can.
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It is a joy to live out our priestly vocation in its seedling stage: seminarians learning after the Good Shepherd the way to be another Christ for our brothers and sisters. It is remarkable how much the Lord, through these encounters with those who are hospitalized, strengthens the desire to be there for one another, and to live a life of charity despite our obvious sinfulness. Jesus provides the grace and the desire to be compassionate to those who are sick in any way we can.
Salvator Mundi. The Lord is really the One we hope our patients will encounter during our visits.
Evangelization is far more than a simple strategy. It is a way of life that flows from our Baptismal call. Through these encounters the Lord has provided a rich context to witness to the overflowing love of God and answer real questions one may have about God, life, and the Church. This is especially important for those who are closer to death, who are afraid of what life after death is after all. As a reminder of our Father, who never abandons His children, it has been a pleasure to see how our patients take our gift of a miraculous medal blessed by Pope Francis.
Reflecting on this apostolic work has brought to the forefront the blessings God has poured out for me through these short encounters. Yes, we are visiting the patients so as to spend time with them talking, listening and praying. Yet their witness in suffering and their openness to the gift of our vocation has been very refreshing.
Our Lord especially came to heal the sick and restore life to those who most needed it. Following in the footsteps of our Savior, we often come to the bedside of the sick only to receiving healing love ourselves. “Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me” (Mt. 25:40). n
From left: Joseph Mominee ’20 (Toledo), Joe Moschetto ’20 (Arlington), Peter Gallagher ’20 (Camden), Dustin Busse ’21 (Portland in Oregon) and Chris Trummer ’21 (Springfield in Illinois) minister to patients at a local hospital in Rome for their apostolate.
Why We Fast R E V. A N T H O N Y BA E T ZO L D, C F R , I C T E ‘ 1 8
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s I write this, we find ourselves deep into Lent and quickly approaching Holy Week, a privileged time in the Church’s calendar given over to prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and conversion of heart. Fasting is a topic that may rank up there for some at the level of a root canal; better off not talking about it. For me, somehow fasting has come to mean the abstaining from anything that turns me away from God, like milk chocolate or Netflix. Maybe that is due to the homilies I have heard throughout the years (and subsequently given). True fasting may sound like a good idea on Ash Wednesday, but it can quickly devolve into just eating one cannoli rather than two during Lent. Yet, we are well aware of the importance of fasting. Our Blessed Lord fasted in the desert. Devout Jews like Our Blessed Lady and St. Joseph fasted, especially on Yom Kippur. St. John the Baptist was not exactly eating carbonara from Abruzzi’s every day as he proclaimed the coming of the Messiah in the desert. The fasts of St. Francis of Assisi and St. John Vianney would make some small reptiles lose weight. So many saints have given us great testimony on the spiritual value of fasting.
“Theology of the Body” conferences I have given over the years. I have found that audiences are blown away by God’s design of the body, and these experiences have led me to think that God is behind more than we know when it comes to the body and its function, health, and wellbeing. Now what about fasting? St. Thomas More believed that it was instituted by God for many profits. These profits can be seen by a number of studies (YouTube has great stuff on the benefits of fasting), even studies that make no mention of God. Secular society recognizes the good of fasting for our bodies, and this is hardly new. Hippocrates (460-470 BC), considered by many the father of modern medicine, prescribed fasting as a treatment for many ills. Plutarch (46-120 AD) said, “Instead of using medicine, better fast today.” We know that Plato and Aristotle also recognized the bodily benefits of fasting.
Studies tell us that among other benefits, fasting increases growth hormone levels, maintains muscle and bone tissue, reduces inflammation, improves our memory (good for finals week), produces clarity in thinking, boosts metabolism, increases insulin sensitivity, and of course everyone’s favorite, supports fat loss. Studies also suggest that fasting helps us to live longer. I remember St. Andre Besette, who died at 91, saying that his secret to living so long was that he did not eat very much. The great number of benefits of fasting is beyond this short article, but in short, fasting helps us live healthier, longer lives. Again, we know well that fasting is an essential part of our spiritual life, for it draws us closer to the Lord. And it also aids us in being good stewards of the body God has provided for us. n
The spiritual good of fasting carries on to affect us even at the physical level. Before joining the Franciscans, I studied and worked in clinical research settings. I’ve used some of this background in ROMAN ECHOES 2018 • VOLUME 22: ISSUE 3
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SPRING PLAY A scene from "A Canticle for Liebowitz," a play based off the book by Walter M. Miller which was adapted by seminarian James Downey ’19 (Des Moines). inset The cast and director of, A Canticle for Liebowitz, pose for a post-performance photo with Archbishop Patròn Wong, the Vatican Secretary for Seminaries (center).
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The Church of the Future(s): A Canticle for Leibowtiz Onstage at the Spring Play
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B E N RA H I M I ’ 1 9, A R C H D I O C E S E O F C H I C AG O
hat the process of formation for the priesthood is a time-consuming one is hardly a contested fact. Amidst the myriad conferences, apostolic works, classes, and general demands of community life, it can be hard enough to find time to pray, much less dedicate your time to involved extracurricular pursuits. However, a longstanding tradition at the Pontifical North American College is that, once a year, the seminarians will take on the role of thespians as they produce a play for the enjoyment of the community as well as others from the broader American community in Rome. Although challenging, it gives the men in the house a chance to exercise their theatrical chops as well as learn about the art of rhetoric—a skill needed as much at the lectern as it is on the stage. This year, the seminarians of the College adapted Walter M. Miller’s 1960 science fiction novel, A Canticle for Leibowtiz. Set in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of the southwestern United States, the novel follows the monastic community of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz. These monks are the preservers of
man’s past scientific knowledge, even if they themselves do not understand its workings, in order that it might be given back to man when he is ready for it. The play developed in three acts, each taking place six hundred years after the other. In each act, the abbot of the monastery is challenged to respond to problems that the Church has had to respond to throughout her history. The first act, entitled “Fiat Homo” (Let There Be Man), is not unlike the struggle of the Church to preserve civilization in the midst of cultural degradation. The second act brings the perceived struggle between faith and science to the fore and is tellingly entitled, “Fiat Lux” (Let There Be Light). The play concludes with the dramatic third act, “Fiat Voluntas Tua” (Thy Will Be Done). The conclusion brings the audience into the drama of an era in which the Church’s influence has been, for the most part, entirely lost. Intended to be analogous to the Church’s contemporary situation, the final act details the results of the Church’s waning influence in terms of concrete moral dilemmas, man’s own final acts of self-destruction, and the monks’ decision to follow humanity into space.
If the audience was looking for a tidy resolution to the complex issues brought up in the course of the story, the play did not provide them. The brilliance of Miller’s characterizations of the arguments over faith and reason, Church and state, and various moral quandaries lies in the fact that they do not admit of any reductively simple answer. For example, the character of Thon Taddeo in the second act, who represents Enlightenment-era rationality is not a looming villain pit against the heroic and faithful monks who hold innocently and blindly to faith. The audience sympathizes with Taddeo’s desire for human progress, just as much as with the Abbot’s struggle to find a synthesis between faith and reason. There are no reductive caricatures that admit of simple dismissal, and this remains one of the book’s most alluring features. The hope in producing this adaptation of A Canticle for Leibowitz is that the audience will be drawn into these perennial conflicts and see within these characters the particular struggles of the present. n
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The Christology Reading Group: Contemplating Christ in our Free Time K Y L E O’CO N N O R ’ 1 9, D I O C E S E O F R I C H M O N D
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nd the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. These words, taken from the Prologue of John’s Gospel, speak of a central mystery in our faith: that God the Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, became man. Any proper understanding of what it means for us to be the “body of Christ,” as St. Paul tells the Corinthians, has to begin here. It has to begin with the fact of the Incarnation, with the fact that “the body of Christ” is not a mere abstraction but is first and foremost an actual body which has been united to the Second Person of the Trinity from the moment of its creation and His Incarnation. For us as Catholics, and particularly for us as future Catholic priests, a proper understanding of what it means to be the body of Christ begins with a proper understanding of Christ Himself.
For years, the seminary has offered several optional reading groups each semester which allow us to dive more deeply into certain topics of interest. The groups are run by faculty members and attended by seminarians at all stages of formation and from all schools in the city. As such, these groups offer a wide variety of perspectives and foster a lot of learning in their discussion-based settings. Despite their optional nature and our generally busy schedules, a significant number of the seminarians in the house take advantage of these opportunities each year. 14
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This crucifixion mural located on one of the back walls of the Immaculate Conception Chapel.
This academic year, along with about thirty other seminarians in the College, I have taken part in a Christology Reading Group run by Fr. Daniel Hanley, the Director of Admissions and one of our Formation Advisors here at the North American College, as we have worked our way through all five hundred plus pages of The Incarnate Lord by Thomas Joseph White, OP. The book engages a traditional Thomistic Christology with many contemporary questions and issues, but it is ultimately divided into two parts: the first on the Incarnation and the second on the Passion. And these two central mysteries of our faith point us back to the fact of Christ’s body. At each of our weekly reading sessions, therefore, the discussion focuses on such fundamental questions as: what does it mean for our salvation that God became man or how can we understand our humanity in light of
how Jesus lived His? And on an even more basic level, the discussion always leads us to ask again and again: who is Jesus Christ? In the end, this year’s Christology Reading Group, like all good theology, has helped us to come to know more fully about Jesus. But like all good theology, it has not stopped there. Our study of The Incarnate Lord has also helped us come to know Jesus more fully and to love Him more deeply. In his letter to the Colossians, St. Paul writes of Jesus that “He is the head of the body, the Church” (Col. 1:18). And so, each week, as our group comes together to discuss the reading and to ponder the mysteries of Jesus Christ’s Incarnation and His Passion, we strive to live out our call as members of the Church, of His mystical body, to be more fully and more firmly united to the head, to Jesus Christ Himself. n
The New But Not-So-Young Men EDWARD GODEFROID ‘21, ARCHDIOCESE OF ST. LOUIS
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he famous golf teacher Harvey Penick from Austin, Texas did not like to call his older pupils ‘Senior Citizens’ but preferred to call them ‘Seasoned Citizens.’ He believed ‘Seasoned Citizens’ captured more of the essence that has grown from their life experience, and additionally, it does not carry any negative connotation. Many of the seminarians at the Pontifical North American College are in their early-to-mid-twenties. Therefore, when a man begins his seminary formation in his thirties he is considered a ‘seasoned’ man within the community. Being a seasoned seminarian myself at the ripe old age of thirty-one makes me fall into this category. Life as a later vocation amongst college grads has its benefits and disadvantages. Every fall a new class comes to the Pontifical North American College and is given the title of ‘New Men.’ Amongst the New Men there is always a great diversity from all over the United States and there are those few, like myself, who are given the title ‘older new men.’ The seasoned new men bring experiences of working in the secular world into seminary formation. I left my career as a golf professional and, like most seasoned seminarians that had to leave careers behind, started the serious process of discerning God’s call to serve as a priest in a totally new way of life.
Perhaps more than the younger new men, we seasoned new men can find great meaning in St. Paul's words in his Letter to the Galatians, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I live now in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” While all seminarians know there is a true sacrifice for those who live by faith in the Son of God, for us seasoned men we have lived the reality of a different life. For us, the sacrifice is a clear process of dying to oneself and conforming one’s will to the will of God. When New Men arrive in Rome, a time of transition is necessary to
become accustomed to a new country, a new language, and a new speed of life. While seasoned men have had more experience with new beginnings, we all find ourselves at the start of something new. However, for seasoned men, realizing that most men our age are settling down and beginning a family, this new chapter can be jolting to our psyche. Nevertheless, my five years in the golf business, working with people of all ages and at the service of others, has proven to be a priceless experience that will no doubt help me serve, God willing, in my ministry as a priest. n
Seminarian Edward Godefroid ’21 (St. Louis).
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HOLY WEEK
LITURGIES The minor basilica of San Marco al Campidoglio dedicated to the evangelist St. Mark is one of the many Lenten station churches in Rome. inset The NAC’s beautiful altar of repose setup in the Assumption Chapel for Holy Thursday.
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From Station Churches to Holy Week: Receiving Christ in the Liturgy
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M I C H A E L B U C K ‘ 1 9, A R C H D I O C E S E O F M E L B O U R N E n many ways, the pages of Roman Echoes provide a window into a distant world, remote not only on account of geographical distance but also because our life at the seminary is so unique, and consequently can seem distant from the daily life of both laypeople and priest-alumni alike. Nevertheless, there is one part of life that we all share: the Sacred Liturgy. We are all united in the liturgy, which shows forth our unity in faith and our communion in the one Catholic Church. On the 25th of March this year, Roman Catholics throughout the world began Holy Week by processing into their churches with branches held high, and Palm Sunday at the Pontifical North American College was no exception. Indeed, as for the whole Church, the summit of the liturgical year at the College is Holy Week, with its culmination in the Sacred Paschal Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil). Our celebration of the mysteries of Our Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection at this time is really the point-of-reference for our celebration of the liturgy throughout the year. For example, every Sunday is a “Little Easter,” and the penance we undertake on ordinary Fridays
throughout the year points us back to the events of Good Friday. For this reason, months of preparation precede the dignified celebration of the Holy Week liturgies. At the College, we spiritually prepare for Holy Week during the time of Lent, which we begin with the Ash Wednesday Mass at the church of Santa Sabina all’Aventino. In accordance with a venerable Roman liturgical tradition, a different church in Rome is assigned as the “station” for each day of Lent, and this ancient basilica of the 5th century is the traditional “station church” for Ash Wednesday. Throughout the weeks of Lent, life at the College takes on a distinctive tone as students are free to attend either the morning House Mass or the daily station church Mass, which is also organized by students and priests of the College. Another mark of the Lenten season is that Fridays take on a more penitential character, with some silence at meals and with many students praying the Stations of the Cross together in the evening. The practical liturgical preparation for Holy Week is organized by the Director of Liturgical Formation, Fr. Kurt Belsole OSB, with the assistance of several
students. The College Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Blake Novosad ’19 (Galveston-Houston), and the Head Sacristan, Mr. James Morrison ’19 (Washington), lead teams of MC’s and sacristans, whose dedication and diligence make our beautiful College liturgies possible. Much effort is made to ensure that the ceremonies go well so that we have a clear idea in mind of how Holy Week is to be celebrated when we one day find ourselves in parishes organizing everything ourselves. One of the highlights of Holy Week at the NAC is the beautiful music provided by our choir, under the direction of Mr. Leon Griesbach. The choir begins to rehearse music for Holy Week months in advance, and unfailingly the music is a beautiful part of our worship, helping all present to raise their minds and hearts to God. Of all the liturgies of Holy Week, nothing compares with the beauty and solemnity of the Easter Vigil. On that night of nights, we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. As Christians gather after nightfall in Churches throughout Rome and the whole world, let us rejoice in the message that goes out to the ends of the earth: He is Risen! Alleluia! n
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Snapshots
Rector, Father Peter Harman ’99 (Springfield) winds up for a snowball fight with the seminarians in St. Peter’s Square as Vice-Rector, Fr. Adam Park '05 (Washington) looks on.
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First year men Kyle Poje '21 (Seattle) and Patrick Hannegan '21 (St. Louis) lead the College in an Irish folk song at the St. Patrick’s Day Cena.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda C'89, F'09 (St. Paul and Minneapolis) shares with the College his experience of being a shepherd in a culture of indifference during the annual Carl J. Peter Lecture.
Spiderman joins the student section as the North American Martyrs compete against other seminary soccer teams in the annual Clericus Cup tournament here in Rome.
The College gathers with the other seminaries of Rome for a private audience with Pope Francis this March.
The Pontifical North American College
Zachary Brown '19 (Toledo) and Matthew Donahue '21 (Knoxville) stand by a very priestly snowman on the Campo Sportivo.
Peter Gallagher '20 (Camden) and Will Frei '20 (Charleston) are instituted as acolytes along with forty-five of their classmates in the second year.
Deacon Stephen Logue '18 (Harrisburg) leads the community in prayer during Stations of the Cross, a tradition at the College each Friday of Lent.
Ralph D’Elia '19 (St. Petersburg), Christopher Boyle '19 (Boston), Denis Nakkeeran '20 (Boston), Justin Gough '19 (Baltimore), Alex Nevitt '19 (Paterson) and Matthew Faucett '19 (Green Bay) enjoy Irish beef stew during the St. Patrick’s Day cena.
The NAC choir, led by music director Leon Griesbach, during the Holy week liturgies.
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Creative Corner The Gospel is proclaimed in many different forms, and the College is full of men who use their talents as artists and artisans for that end. This issue's Creative Corner highlights some of the works made by our own hands for the glory of God. 1
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1. Sketch of Pope Saint John Paul II by Jonathan Vala '20 (Sydney). 2. Wooden diocesan map of Tennessee by Luke Wilgenbusch '19 (Nashville). 3. Painting by Tom Robertson ’21 (Washington).
© iStockphoto
4. Watercolor painting by Alessandro Calderoni Ortiz ’21 (Tulsa).
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5. Hand drawn title page for illustrated Syriac breviary by Michael Shami '20 (Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles).
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Dillon t inlay by a o b il a s d oo Custom w ichmond). (R 1 '2 e c u Br
Tabernacle stand made by Deacon Greg Parent ’18 (Green B ay). 5
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The Rector’s Dinner: A Seminarian’s Reflection J O H N GA N C A R Z ’ 1 9, A R C H D I O C E S E O F H A RT FO R D
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here are many firsts for an incoming seminarian at the Pontifical North American College: the first walk from the College to St. Peter’s Square, the first Thanksgiving overseas with our “Spaghetti Bowl” football match, the first round of oral exams at a Roman university, the first letter sent home from a Vatican address. Seminary life in the Eternal City provides many opportunities for new experiences. When, though, does a new seminarian finally feel at home amidst the rhythms of NAC traditions? When is the inauguration finally complete? The answer is clear: the Rector’s Dinner. Among our major festivities at the College, this could be called “the last of the firsts.” After serving at the Rector’s Dinner, a New Man is well on his way to becoming a seasoned member of our seminary community. As an assistant to the Rector’s Dinner Prefect for the last two years, I can attest to the many dedicated hours of planning, preparation, and serving on the part of the priest faculty members, seminarians, and staff. Each of the more than two hundred men studying for the priesthood has a dedicated job for the evening. Assigned duties range from serving as a waiter to directing parking to plating lasagna. Each group has a seminarian capo (we borrow the Italian word for “head”) who has had experience from previous
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Rector’s Dinners. As is commonplace at the College, we take advantage of the time-tested tips and practices that have been handed down from year to year. At all levels, there is a classic sense of American ingenuity, structure, and resourcefulness. The organization and execution of the event is simply remarkable. Overnight, the men transition from seminary formation as usual to hosting a banquet for hundreds. Nonetheless, while the Rector’s Dinner is a break from formation as usual, it is by no means a hiatus from formation. The words of Christ come to mind after he washes his disciples’ feet, “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” (John 13:15) It is not coincidental that Our Lord’s example of service takes place in the context of the Last Supper. Priesthood is
fundamentally linked with service from the very beginning. At the Rector’s Dinner we unite in the common aim to serve those benefactors who, for their part, are also serving us with their prayers and assistance. Moreover, every meal, including the Rector’s Dinner, is a metaphor for that ultimate banquet, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. As future priests we will fulfill the Lord’s solemn words, “Do this in memory of me,” every time we celebrate the Most Holy Eucharist. Each of our seminary “firsts” and all the experiences which follow them are above all ordered to this, nourishing Christ’s flock through His sacraments. As a seminary community we thank and pray for all of those who so generously support us in this mission of faith, hope, and love. n
The College was privileged to honor Mrs. Judy Barrett of Calistoga, CA, and Archbishop Joseph Di Noia, O.P. (far right), at this year’s Rector’s Dinner.
Mercy for the Infirm S I ST E R S E A N M A R I E ST R I BY, R S M
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ickness is something that comes to everyone at certain points in life. When we are sick, we are confronted with our own weakness, our own vulnerability. Many times, it can be a fearful experience. When you are far from all that is familiar, these difficulties of illness can be greatly magnified. Having someone who is available to help when these times come can be a great comfort and assistance. In 1997, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, then Rector of the North American College, invited the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan to reopen the infirmary at the College to care for seminarians and priests during their time of study and formation here in Rome. Since then, the infirmary has been staffed by Sisters of Mercy who have been available to help care for men with illnesses ranging from mild colds and allergies to sports injuries and emergency surgeries. Much of the work of the infirmary nurses is helping men to find the correct treatments and the correct medications in Italian, as well as helping to connect them with English-speaking doctors in Rome when needed. We have a great team of doctors that have worked with our priests and seminarians for many years. These doctors cover not only general medicine but also specialties such as orthopedics, dermatology, and ophthalmology. When any of the seminarians are preparing for mission trips, we also help them with any health related preparations-vaccines and medications.
Sister Sean Marie Striby, RSM and Sister Marie Mechtild Wasserthal, RSM oversee the College Infirmary
The work of the infirmary sisters goes beyond physical assistance during times of illness. As religious sisters, we are assigned to this apostolate as an obedience given by our Superior General. This makes it not only a work we do, but a service in and for the Church. Primarily, this means that we take seriously the task of praying daily for the seminary and for our patients specifically. Because in religious life our apostolate is common, these prayers are also offered daily by the whole local community of Sisters of Mercy in Rome at our Holy Hour. We are also able to offer a witness of our life as religious sisters vowed to God and the example of living a consecrated life. This provides opportunities for men who have not had the experience of interacting with religious sisters
previously. Being at the North American College also provides an opportunity for the seminarians to learn more about religious life and its role in the Church. Being of service to priests and men studying to become priests is a great blessing and joy for us. We have the privilege of getting to know seminarians as New Men and then being able to receive their first blessings when they are ordained to the priesthood. In a time when it is difficult to be a priest in this world and he must face many challenges and often many hostilities to the faith, we pray our apostolate of service and prayer can be a support to these men who give their lives for God and His Church. n
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All Birds of the Air, Bless the Lord J OS E P H M O M I N E E ‘ 2 0, D I O C E S E O F TO L E D O
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hen I was growing up, one of the most common things that my dad might say was, “Oh you know that one!” Whether it was around the farm, in the woods nearby, or even on vacation, inevitably, if I was outside with my dad, I was bound to hear, “Oh you know that one!” Growing up, my dad’s hobby of bird-watching seemed to follow us everywhere we went. My dad had always found a great joy in testing us to see if we were listening; hearing the birds that were around us. Usually, I would make a guess at one of the common birds and he might say, “No, but I know you know it!” This test would typically end in my dad saying that the bird that we heard was a cardinal, robin, killdeer, or one of the other birds local to Ohio. Growing up, I took for granted the life-lesson that my dad was teaching me through listening to birds...that is, until I left home and entered seminary. As I walked around the campus of my college seminary, the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, I realized that without thinking I was recognizing which birds I heard around me because they were the same ones that I was used to hear at home. More and more, my interest in my dad’s hobby grew, slowly becoming my own hobby as well. While there was no one to remind me, “Oh you know that one!”, I realized that my dad’s lesson in attentive listening truly did teach me; that I
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Joseph Mominee ’20 (Toledo) has brought his background in birdwatching to the grounds of the College.
could identify birds around me just by listening. Since coming to Rome, my dad’s lesson proved to become a great challenge. I used the lesson in attentive listening that he taught me as a kid again; but this time to learn new kinds of birds that are commonly heard just with a simple walk around the NAC. I’ve realized that the lesson that my dad taught me was not just about identifying birds. Through his hobby, my dad taught me the necessary lesson of being attentive. In the many advances made in our modern times, perhaps one thing that has suffered is an attentive awareness that comes simply from listening for what breaks through the silence. It can be easy at times for texts, notifications, emails,
work, or travels to drown out the silence around us. But it is in the silence that we listen attentively to what or who calls out to us. And it is in this that my dad’s lesson has proven essential in my life. It can be easy to miss what is before us, but it can also be just as easy to attentively experience both the gift of our lives and the gift of the presence of God. An engraving on the doors to the Immaculate Conception Chapel at the North American College says, “Enter into the temple of God piously, devotedly, and attentively.” As God calls to the hearts of his children born in Baptism, it is our quiet yet attentive response of entrance into His presence that allows us to experience His grace all around us. We just have to listen. n
Seeing the Whole Person at the JPII Institute R E V. M R . DA N I E L E VA N S C A R R ‘ 1 8, D I O C E S E O F G R E E N S B U R G
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rifting down the Janiculum Hill, traversing traffic along Trastevere, pedaling past the Circus Maximus and the baths of Caracalla, and gasping for air as I ascend the final hill to its monumental obelisk marking the end of my three-mile journey. This is my commute to the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences—a commute which is not complete until I have stopped in its quaint university chapel to give thanks for a safe journey before class begins. This lengthy commute seems appropriate for my studies. St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body is renowned for its teaching on matters of sexuality, marriage, and family life, which remain the focus of our program of study. At its heart, however, is an anthropology that embraces the whole of man as body, mind, and soul. And so while lectures engage the mind, and the chapel the spirit, the commute—and coffee bar—engage the body as well! Out of this integrated anthropology come our courses in which we consider a broad spectrum of disciplines. We ponder Scriptural texts and the Fathers connecting various expressions of love, fidelity and spousal imagery. We contemplate the spirituality of the heart and its role in a healthy body-soul integration.
We study philosophers such as Robert Spaemann and Hannah Arendt who respond to modern questions of personhood. Finally, we consider how to bring all of these reflections into practice in marriage preparation, counseling, and preaching. The close-knit nature of our Institute refreshes my perspective continually. In the classroom we are surrounded by priests, men and women religious, missionaries, young couples, and parents from all corners of the world who beautifully testify to the diverse gifts that the Lord has given them. In sharing our questions, concerns, and
Deacons Dominic Rankin ’18 (Springfield in Illinois), and Daniel Carr ’18 (Greensburg) stand in front of the John Paul II Institute, where they study.
cultural experiences with one another, we gain a broader understanding of the universal Church. My classmate, Rev. Mr. Dominic Rankin ’18 (Springfield in Illinois) and I, along with Rev. Jacob Strand ’12 (Milwaukee), who is finishing his doctorate, come together to discuss our studies and thoughts in an American context. Likewise, our professors come from various backgrounds and disciplines, allowing for a greater appropriation of material. It impresses me that they share offices with one another, probably out of necessity since our space is small. I also notice their close camaraderie during our Institute-wide gatherings. This has ultimately led to a marvelous sense of community throughout the entire Institute. I am convinced that St. John Paul II did not only intend to create an Institute to develop theological ideas but also a communion of professors and students. The notion of communion is far more than sharing a physical space with a common purpose. It involves true unity in spirit and in truth. It involves presence, discussion, and prayer. It involves the whole person. As such, even having the occasional lunch with classmates to shoot the breeze serves to continue his legacy. While I know that he is daily interceding on our behalf, especially when we invoke his name in prayer before our lectures, I’m just as certain that he’s chuckling every day as I struggle up that hill on my bicycle. n
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© iStockphoto
Homes destroyed by Hurricane Irma in St. John, United States Virgin Islands, in 2017.
Eye of the Storm:
the Church Rebuilds in the U.S. Virgin Islands
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A N D R E W L E S KO ’ 2 0, D I O C E S E O F ST. T H O M A S I N T H E V I R G I N I S L A N DS
ast fall, Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, causing widespread devastation. In the aftermath of the storms, I had the opportunity to interview my bishop, the Most Reverend Herbert Bevard, about his experience of the hurricanes and helping people rebuild after they passed.
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Your Excellency, what was the situation like in the diocese during and after the storms? During the storms everyone took shelter, not to do so would have been a catastrophe. The peak wind gusts were nearly 200 miles per hour which was strong enough to uproot trees, blow big buildings down and lift a tremendous amount of debris into the
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We all realize our dependence upon Almighty God and His help during hardship.
air. After each hurricane you had a situation which was actually worse than the storm itself. The roads were blocked in many places by fallen trees, and fallen power lines and poles. All commerce, of course, came to an absolute end. There was no electricity and no phone or internet service. We did not have electricity in our chancery from the first hurricane in September until the day before Christmas Eve. So, it was very, very difficult to live in the Virgin Islands following the storms. Had you ever personally been in a hurricane before? What was it like for you and others? I had been in small hurricanes or tropical storms in the past, but these two hurricanes were unprecedented in their size. While inside the hurricanes, the wind and rain make a tremendous amount of noise. I liken it to lying down between railroad tracks as one high speed train after another passed over top for about eight hours straight. It is impossible to sleep or work with the noise, and also there is the emotional trauma of not knowing what will happen next; of not knowing if you are going to survive it. Additionally, having all kinds of debris hitting the building you are in is very terrifying and makes it difficult to do anything but hide in a safe spot and pray.
rectories were badly hurt or destroyed, and also some convents. Catholic Charities installations overall fared well, but we did lose one homeless shelter completely in St. Croix. How has the Church reached out to those hardest hit? The Church has reached out, with the help of Catholic Charities USA, to those who have suffered the loss of their homes. Also, many people lost their ability to support themselves because their jobs were blown away with the wind and they were reduced to destitution. I believe at this time we are serving about 550 meals a day. We have also provided water, clothing and medical supplies. Our homeless shelters are filled with people who were there already or people who have lost their homes. So, this effort is very desperately needed and I am pleased with the response we were able to provide. Significantly, because the public schools took so long to reopen, we opened all four of our Catholic schools to all children on the islands regardless of their religion or ability to pay full-tuition. This was a great witness of Christian charity to many non-Catholics and our schools grew in their numbers of students.
What damage occurred to the parishes, schools and other facilities?
Have you seen an outpouring of support to help with this crisis?
I think that in one way or another, every church in the diocese suffered some damage. Two of our parishes sustained major damage. Our schools suffered some damage, but we were able to re-open them within a few days of Hurricane Maria’s departure. Some
Yes, there are many people who are being very supportive. We are extremely grateful for the generosity of numerous individuals, organizations, parishes, dioceses and archdioceses. Because of this help, we are able to keep our relief efforts and rebuilding operating
at maximum capacity (for the time being). My fear is that when the initial outpouring of charity comes to an end, we will not be able to continue the same level of support in the future and that will produce hardships and difficulties for many people. Have you seen some parishioners renew their contact with their parish or grow in faith as a result of the storm? Yes, we all realize our dependence upon Almighty God and His help during hardship. And I think people have rallied around their parishes because they are doing so much good. In addition to providing the sacraments and a strong community, some of our parishes have reached out with very innovative and practical ways to help many people. For example, one parish set up washing machines so parishioners could wash and dry clothes. Simple things that we ordinarily take for granted, like doing laundry, become huge problems when you don’t have electricity for months and months. How can people help going forward? Of course, first and foremost, with their prayers. We are very grateful to all those who have prayed so beautifully and consistently for us. I want them to know that God HAS answered their prayers! Although daily life can be a struggle, we have survived and have been kept safe and sound. While there has been much damage, there is even greater hope. Anyone who would like to help sustain our relief efforts may send us donations. n
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Salt of the Earth: The Church in a Spice Rack A N D R E W D E R O U E N ‘ 2 0, D I O C E S E O F L A K E C H A R L E S
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pinch of this, a dash of that. When it comes to home cooking, we all have our little culinary secrets. Coming from Louisiana, where giving away recipes is borderline sinful, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the College has a place to stash all those precious spices from home.
cultures that give America its bold flavor, can emerge from the back of the spice rack and grace our taste buds with memories, stories, and general recipes from home. Who knew that a shake of Old Bay seasoning would lead to a conversation about traditional family crab boils with a friend from Maryland? Or who would have thought I’d ever get the chance to talk about the salt domes of Avery Island where Tabasco peppers are uniquely grown, processed and shipped all over the world, after sharing a splash of the sauce with the table? Little by little, this spice rack expands the American palate to appreciate the variety within its own story of upbringing.
Inconspicuously tucked away in our refectory kitchen is perhaps Rome’s most eclectic spice rack. Here, one can find just about anything to bring a salad to life or make a soup pop out of the bowl. But perhaps the spice rack’s greatest treasure is the snapshot it offers us of the American palate. What are our secret ingredients, you ask? Well, of the sixty-six sweet, savory, salty and spicy items we could say sodium is our favorite. But more specifically, we’ve got several bottles of Sriracha, Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce, and about a half dozen brands of Cajun spices, including Tony Chachere’s, Slap Ya Mama, and Crystal hot sauce. Since arriving at the College, I’ve discovered that our variety of special seasonings quite naturally breaks the ice at any pranzo table. Here, conversations go beyond the day-to-day and bring us back into our childhood pantries, where the cultures in which we grew up, the
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All it takes is a pinch of this and a dash of that. n
One NAC tradition seminarians love is to bring different spices and sauces from back home to use with meals. This new cabinet has become the NAC’s ‘spice rack’.
Cajun spices make up about one-third of all ingredients stored on the College's spice rack.
Casa Santa Maria: To Defend a Doctorate REV. ANDREW LIAUGMINAS, ARCHDIOCESE OF CHICAGO, CASA ‘17
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s the final academic act of a student’s course, the doctoral defense is designed to demonstrate, in one solemn and public moment, that the doctorandus possesses “not only the capacity for critical analysis, the development of thought, and the synthesis of new and complex ideas, but also the capacity to communicate his proper area of expertise to his peers, to the scholastic community at large, and to society in general,” as the Qualification Framework of the doctoral program at the Pontifical Gregorian University stipulates. During that “solemn and public academic act,” the document adds, the doctoral student should also demonstrate that he has met the overall goals of the University’s doctoral program: namely, that he has a “systematic comprehension” of his field of study, that his research observes “scientific rigor,” and that the results of his original work propose to “extend the frontiers of his field of study.” Given the importance of that most “solemn and public” of academic events, how does a doctorandus properly prepare for the defense? The answer to this question varies depending on the particular University and even Faculty in which the priest is posing his thesis. My own recent experience of defending a thesis highlighted for me the importance of both the remote and proximate dimensions of preparation.
Regarding remote preparations, from the moment a student matriculates in a doctoral degree program, he embarks upon a journey that leads him ever deeper into his chosen specialization and the interconnections of that area with other areas in the wider discipline. In terms of proximate preparations, common wisdom at the Casa Santa Maria highlights the importance of conducting a thorough re-reading of one’s own thesis, a review of the writings of one’s principal interlocutors, and a consideration of possible objections to the thesis—both in its formal and material aspects—prior to the date of one’s defense. The fact that a doctoral
Fr. Andrew Liaugminas C ’17 (Chicago), standing in front of the Calvert House Catholic Center at the University of Chicago where he is the Chaplain and Director of the Center.
defense is called ein Rigorosum in German universities highlights well this aspect of preparation. At the same time, in my own recent experience of defending my thesis, I found that it was helpful to conduct the work of review and anticipation conscious of the fact that a doctoral defense is the first moment of the appropriation of one’s work on the part of the broader scholarly community. In my own experience, I found that the priest sent to Rome for doctoral studies is blessed to have at the Casa Santa Maria all the resources he needs to carry out this journey well: space and time for prayer, an excellent in-house library, plenty of study spaces, and a supportive priestly community. These elements are essential for the priest-student, on the one hand, to carry out the endless hours of reading, research, writing, and revision that are integral aspects of his doctoral studies while, on the other hand, continuing to foster the growth of his priestly life and spirituality. For all of this, and by way of closing, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Fr. Peter Harman, Msgr. Fred Berardi, and all the priest residents of the Casa Santa Maria who joined me on the journey ad doctoratum, and whose priestly fraternity I was blessed to share during my years there. n
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MARTYRS SOCCER TEAM
The 2017-2018 North American Martyrs soccer team poses after their first win of the Clericus Cup. inset Fr. Tim Wratkowski ’17 (St. Paul and Minneapolis), jumps to head a ball during the Martyrs' first game of the season.
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Fields of Faith K Y L E P OJ E ’ 2 1 , A R C H D I O C E S E O F S E AT T L E
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significant role model in my life once described the sports field as a “school of virtue.” While I never played with this man on the field, nor did I meet him, his words ring true. I believe them, not simply because this man was Pope Saint John Paul II, a man who understood virtue very well. It is because I have had the opportunity to experience it myself. This season, playing on the North American Martyrs soccer team has been just that opportunity. Playing any type of sport on your own may teach you discipline, perseverance, and develop your interior strength, but nothing can beat the richness of playing with a group of other men. Together, the twenty-four of us Martyrs have spent time in this school of virtue. We have learned what it means to be a team, to act as one. Our four defensive players, self-proclaimed as “the four horsemen,” bring an image to mind, that we resemble a band of brothers in battle. In fact, the mechanics of our team are not far off from those of the ancient Roman cohorts that
used to march through the very city in which we study. The cohort was a compact and maneuverable unit of the ancient Roman Empire’s intricate military hierarchy. Proving to be a useful model for leading groups through the Vatican Museums during high tourist season, the Roman cohort also demonstrates key characteristics of a successful soccer team.
The Roman cohort did not only march for themselves but for the people back home, unified under one symbolic banner. We, the North American Martyrs, play for more than ourselves. We play for the whole seminary community, and they are all standing behind us. We have the best and largest “12th man” you will find in the bleachers of any game, and we march for them.
A soccer team’s success relies on the ability of the players to act as one body. Each player must keep in mind every other player, standing near or far. They must move together as one unified group. They must spend so much time on the practice field that they develop the instinct to know what their brother’s next move is.
Our soccer team means so much to the players who devote themselves to its greater goal. We understand that our time together is about more than winning games. We grow in Pope Saint John Paul II’s “school of virtue.” With the whole community in mind, we are learning to “run the race so as to win” (1 Cor. 9:24), not alone, but as a fraternity, one single unit, one body. n
The constant practice of relying on your brother and allowing him to rely on you is the soil in which we grow. Instead of military victory, the fruits we have harvested from this field are loyalty, trust, harmony, brotherhood, sacrifice, humility, interdependence, courage, and fraternal joy. This is what the team has meant to us.
Institute for Continuing Theological Education
Filling the Empty Tomb: Finding the Body of Christ REV. ERNEST BAYER, ARCHDIOCESE OF DENVER, ICTE SPRING '17
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he cobblestone streets of Old Jerusalem were pleasantly quiet at six in the morning as we made our way to the Holy Sepulchre. The high walls caught hints that the sun had risen, but he had not yet shown its face in the narrow passageways. So quiet was the atmosphere that it may have resembled that of the first Easter when the women made their way to that same tomb. Winding our way through the quiet streets of morning, we had the advantage of knowing that he was no longer in that sepulchre. We fourteen priests would be less surprised than Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. For we would have the unique privilege of entering the tomb and celebrating the Eucharist. We knew, more or less, what to expect during the brief thirty minutes. So we went, peaceful as the dawn, to celebrate our well-known ritual. Could there be any room left in this ancient ritual for surprise? The Tomb of Christ sits under a huge pillared Rotunda with stars on the ceiling, and rays from the rising sun were descending from its high windows. This Rotunda rises from the foundation of the basilica built by the Emperor Constantine in 336 AD. Directly underneath its center is the
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marble edicule erected in 1810 by the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches to surround the Tomb itself. Lowering our heads to enter the edicule we found ourselves in a small antechamber, designated the Chapel of the Angel. It commemorates the place where the angel announced to the women: “I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” (Matt. 28:5-6) “The place where he lay” was a much smaller space at the end of the antechamber accommodating only two or three people. The celebrant for the Mass bowed low to enter that inner sanctum. The rest of us gathered in a tight circle in the antechamber itself. There we proclaimed the Scriptures while, one by one, we took turns bowing low and entering the tomb’s cocoon and standing before the altar itself. As the priests continued the Eucharist Prayer, the Risen Jesus became present again, hovering just above the stone slab. His presence was as wondrous as that of every Mass. Since the very first Easter, he has made himself known to disciples “in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:35). More surprising to me was the revelation of his living presence in the antechamber where the rest of
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
us stood in a tight circle facing each other. As priests, religious, and lay faithful from around the world, we were being transformed into the risen Body of Christ, radiating life in a tomb no longer empty. God the Father granted the prayer of our ancient ritual, as the Third Eucharistic Prayer reminds us: “that we who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ.” If we truly believe in the resurrection and in the Eucharist, we will emerge from Church transformed into “one body, one spirit in Christ.” Empowered by the Eucharist we will heed the dismissal to “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” Then, through our words and deeds of love, the rising Sun will awaken the sleepy city. n
Economo’s Corner “Angels” in the Snow R E V. K E R RY A B B OT T, O F M CO N V. , I C T E ' 1 4
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or many of you (perhaps most) the memory of the frigid winter of 2017/2018 is now a thought that may cause you a brief shiver as you enjoy warmer climes. Rome is known for its generally mild Mediterranean climate, but every so often our radiators and boilers are challenged to keep minds, bodies, and spirits warm. That was the case this past February 25th and 26th, when for the first time since 2012 we were blessed with several inches of snow. As the myriad of photographs on our PNAC Flickr page (www.flickr.com/ photos/pnac/) attest, the combination of snow and seminarians, not to mention staff and faculty, created a mystical and joy-filled mix of slushy adventures. But even though the snow was predicted, and we at the College were as prepared as one might be in a city that announced the blades for its seventy snow plows were the wrong size to fit on the designated trucks, Sunday night I watched the sky with a bit of trepidation. What would the morning bring? Would our staff be able to make it to work? Would there be any buses, trains, or subway? Would we be able to prepare breakfast (and lunch and dinner) for those intrepid pilgrims heading out at 6 a.m. for the Station Church Mass at San Clemente? Would the electricity stay on, the boilers boil and radiators heat? At 2 a.m. when it finally began to snow, I was torn between feelings of, “oh boy!” and “oh no!”
Five inches of snow is just a “dusting” in Duluth, but it is a deluge in Rome! At 5:30, I headed down to the Kitchen prepared to “fire up the stove” and prepare cold cereal for all (the limits of my culinary skill), where I met our Rector, Very Rev. Peter C. Harman.
Both our kitchen helper Sig. Roy Mendez, and one of our cooks, Francesco Marino (pictured), had to walk several kilometers leaving home at 4:00 a.m. to arrive in time to prepare breakfast.
Then, much to our edified hearts, slowly but surely our Kitchen and Refectory staff started to file in with big, if a bit frozen, smiles! Both our kitchen helper Sig. Roy Mendez, and one of our cooks, Francesco Marino, had to walk several kilometers, leaving home at 4 a.m. to arrive in time to prepare breakfast. In no time, we went from the prospect of cold cereal to the welcome reality of hot scrambled eggs for our intrepid snowball “warriors” (many university classes were cancelled). Even though there were no buses, and most trains were cancelled, in a short while we had a full complement of
staff both on the Janiculum campus and at the Casa Santa Maria, with only a few who live in outlying areas, where the snow was much deeper, unable to leave home. While I mention Francesco and Roy by name, and their dedication to the College community is profound, it is not unique. Dozens of our staff braved those dangerous streets and cold temperatures that day, as they do 365 days a year, to care for us, ensure that we are safe and well fed, and, ultimately, able to study, pray, learn, and grow in the Lord. While many of our staff may work unseen, the effects of their faith-filled labors in the life of the College are anything but unnoticed, or unappreciated. I am reminded of 1 Cor. 12:26. “If [one] part [of the body] suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.” Day in and day out our staff leave their homes so that in the words of St Paul, “there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.” (1 Cor. 12:25) I am constantly inspired by our Italian staff—our sisters and brothers in Christ—and it truly warmed my heart to see the handcrafted “thank-you” card from our students to our personale expressing gratitude for the “snowy” concern displayed during an extraordinary week in February…and every day. n
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Institutional Advancement
“To Many Years!”
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MARK RANDALL, CFRE • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
he North American College Rector’s Dinner has grown quite a bit over the past twenty-six years. It was started in 1991 by then-Rector Msgr. Edwin O’Brien C‘76 to celebrate the mission of the College and those who financially support it. What began as a small gathering of friends in Rome is today a diverse evening that in many ways reflects the “body” of the larger College community.
At the Rector’s Dinner on April 12, 2018, over 440 persons from 40 different states and 5 foreign countries were present. Attendees included laity from the United States, NAC alumni, diplomats from Rome, European aristocracy, members of Catholic media, Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops. Everyone comes ready to enjoy our hospitality, see friends new and old, chat with seminarians, and of course, enjoy a home-cooked Italian meal (by our own College kitchen team!). As the panoramic photo of the
Refectory below shows, the crowd was a diverse body of supporters. Selecting the annual recipients of the Rector’s Award is no small task. Not because we have a lack of worthy recipients, but because limiting to only two each year is a challenge! Over the years, our honorees have each demonstrated extraordinary support for the College, but have also come from a variety of backgrounds.
has provided the opportunity to engage friends and benefactors from Rome, the United States and other parts of the world in the College’s vibrant life and its unique role in the Roman Catholic Church in North America.” Indeed!
This year, the evening concluded with something new to the Dinner, but traditional for the College community: the singing of Ad Multos Annos. At most celebratory events and banquets at the seminary, this hymn is sung at the This year, it was a delight to honor end. It is a traditional Latin expression Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia, of goodwill and longevity of life and OP and Mrs. Judy Barrett. Both service which means “to many years.” honorees gave eloquent remarks Led by the students, all of our guests following the Award presentations, sang this lovely sentiment and it was a citing their love for the College and the joyful end to another successful event. importance of its work for the Church. I hear similar comments from the Seminarian John Gancarz has provided many benefactors I engage with each an excellent student perspective of the week. The audience gave an extended Dinner in his article on page 22. He standing ovation to them both. describes well the technical backstory of the evening: how 200+ students pull As one journalist wrote of the evening, off such a grand dinner and what is “Through the years, the Rector’s Dinner means in terms of their formation. n
SAVE THE DATE FOR THE 27TH ANNUAL RECTOR’S DINNER: MAY 2, 2019 34
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Re-Echoes: A Roman Snow Holiday
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nowfall does not come often in Rome. When it does, it tends to be well-documented, as this issue’s photos of our recent storm can attest. In commemoration of our surprise February holiday, this issue's “Re-Echoes” feature dug up photographs of a snow day of an earlier generation, from the winter of 1963. Then, as now, an unexpected turn of the weather added a touch of grace to the College and the city.
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For more information about the Pontifical North American College, subscription questions, or to learn about ways you can financially support “America’s Seminary in Rome,” please contact Mark Randall, CFRE, Executive Director, Institutional Advancement. Tel: (202) 541-5411 Fax: (202) 722-8804 Email: pnacdc@pnac.org Website: www.pnac.org “Like” The Pontifical North American College on Facebook to keep up with the latest photos, news, and events from our campuses in Rome. The Cortile degli Aranci (Courtyard of the Oranges) at the Seminary
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