RomanEchoes M AY 2 0 1 9
VOLUME 23: 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
Every Thought Captive to Christ 10 Henry V at NAC 16 Theology on Your Knees 22 Learning Rome for Lent 28 Art of Storytelling
Contents 16 10 Features 7 Reflecting on the Diaconate 8 50 Years with the Fathers 9 Guiding the Bullet Away
20 The Blood of the Martyrs
from the Heart
22 Learning Rome for Lent
10 Henry V at NAC
12 Learning from a God of Irony
13 The Classics: Purposelessness with a Point 14 An Acolyte Before and Beyond the Altar 15 Learning a Foreign Language in (another) Foreign Country
16 Doing Theology on Your Knees
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is the Seed of the Church 21 An Education in Mardi Gras
24 Faculty Books
25 Back to the Basics of Evangelization 26 From Los Angeles to the Angelicum 27 Interstellar and Interlinear Expeditions
28 The Art of Storytelling 32 Teaching the ABC's of our Faith 33 Every Parish Priest Must be a Doctor of Souls
28 22 Updates 5 Rector’s Corner 6 NAC Voices 18 Snapshots
30 Economo's Corner 31 ICTE 34 Institutional Advancement
From the Editor
May we always open wide the gates of our minds so that the king of glory may enter.
St. Catherine of Siena once said that if she had to choose between a spiritual director who was saintly but not so sharp when it came to teachings of the Church, or one who knew the science of sanctity but did not yet measure up himself, she would happily choose the latter. St. Paul, while deriding vain learning, was equally blunt in warning a Cretan bishop that it is possible “to bring ruin on entire households by false teaching.” (Titus 1:11). Those are not excuses for inauthenticity, but they do next exactly encourage the humble parish priest to use Denzinger’s Compendium as a door stopper either. The intellectual and imaginative life of each priest either refracts the light of glory for the illumination of his parishioners or hinders them from seeing the vistas that open to heaven itself. May we always open wide the gates of our minds so that the king of glory may enter. Nathanael Anderson, '20 Archdiocese of Washington, Editor-in-Chief
Contributors
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nathanael Anderson '20, Archdiocese of Washington MANAGING EDITOR Nathaniel Glenn '20, Diocese of Phoenix ASSISTANT EDITOR Seth Lemaire '21, Diocese of Lafayette LAYOUT & DESIGN EDITOR Andy DeRouen '20, Diocese of Lake Charles ASSISTANT LAYOUT & DESIGN EDITOR Madison Hayes '21, Archdiocese of Anchorage
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. Edward Linton, OSB 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: The men of the second-year class kneel together in prayer before their institution as acolytes on February 24th. The Pontifical North American College
Rector’s Corner Deepening the Intellectual Life: Studying God and His Church
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hen I have the chance to speak with people about how the formation of priests happens at the seminary, I am always encouraged by their interest in the subject. They want to know what fills our day, what we do. Everyone seems to know that this involves some kind of study and learning. While there is much more to it than that, this issue of Roman Echoes seeks to familiarize the reader with a slice of what we call the academic life or “Intellection Pillar” in the formation of priests. I trust you will find it both interesting and encouraging. The people of God deserve and depend on priests who understand and can explain the Scriptures, the Church’s 2000 year old teaching and traditions and the ways of life which foster union with God. They want priests who can preach and both challenge and encourage them in the Christian life. They desire priests who know the struggles of living virtuously and the rewards of doing so.
Whether the men here come to us from a College seminary, or a “pre-theology” program of philosophy after completing their college degree in another academic field, all of them have previously been in a seminary formation program. But no matter where they are from, taking up
theological studies in Rome with other seminarians, religious and lay people from around the world in one of the Pontifical Universities here is always an adjustment. This adjustment, including the taking of course examinations individually with the professor, helps prepare a future priest to organize his thoughts, be quick on his feet, and engage the examiner confidently and systematically. This is a good priestly skill, for as I say to the men who might be anxious about an oral exam: “This is good practice, because I have never had a parishioner come up to me after Mass and ask me to explain something to them in a ten page paper by next Thursday!” While we know that their classroom instruction is essential, we also know that there is more to learning about God and the Church than what happens within the walls of a classroom. Academic instruction serves as the necessary foundation upon which a seminarian deepens his love for how God has revealed himself through the Church. But the living Church is also an important teacher of what he learns in the classroom. What cannot be overlooked is the interaction between the Intellectual life and both the Spiritual life and the Pastoral life.
the blessing of having his studies be the material for his prayer, and vice-versa. The mind and the heart work together to grasp the encounter of man with God. But since a priest is not a man for himself, but for service to others, this pursuit of God in both study and prayer is not the final goal. He is to take that which he has learned and how he has been schooled in prayer and take this to the vineyard of the Lord which is the Church. This pastoral outreach is the fruit of all he has learned. It is also the motive for wanting to learn: his studying, reading, writing, preaching and practicing. His apostolic assignments here and his parish experience over the summer at home both test him and fulfill him. So, there is a lot more for a seminarian than just going to school. He is schooled by so many other formal and informal experiences. Over the years you have read about many of them. I hope this issue of Roman Echoes teaches you a little about how our men learn.
Very Reverend Peter C. Harman, STD ’99, Rector
One’s reciprocal relationship between study and prayer is crucial for being formed as a priest. A seminarian has
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VOICES OF NAC “In studying marriage and the family at the St. JPII Institute we deal with the most sacred, intimate, and sensitive areas of people's lives. One class that has impacted me greatly was the Communion of Persons and the Mission of the Church. God created the family as the most basic and universal place where he reveals his heart. The language and the logic of the family tell us who God is and how he acts. Families need the care and support of other families and their pastors in order to best express the heart of God to each other and to the world.” Rev. Mr. Jerome Krug, ’19, Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
“Human Embodiment and Ethics is one course at the Angelicum that has shown me that the human body, as a constitutive part of the human person, plays an integral role in structuring human thought at the level of conscience and below. Faith reveals that arbitrarily creating ethical systems apart from God never leads to genuine human fulfillment and flourishing. By understanding how this truth is likewise expressed naturally in the human person, who is the unity of body and soul, one appreciates God’s design even more and is better equipped to correct erroneous ethical systems." Rev. Ben Pitre, ’18, Diocese of Lafayette 6
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While intellectual formation is not confined to the classrooms of the Roman universities, the diversity of options for advanced degrees can form minds and spark interests that continue for a lifetime.
What is one course that has left deep impression on you and why?
“In Monsignor Antonio Nitrola's second-cycle dogma course at the Gregorian, 'Globalization, Anthropology, and Eschatology,' we learned that whereas the world is unsure whether hope is a gift or something futile, we know by faith that our hope in the resurrection is not in vain. This gift of hope has helped me to persevere in times of trial and has urged me to be generous with my life just as God is generous with his. I hope to bring this same hope to others in my future ministry.” Rev. Mr. John Jang, ’19, Archdiocese of Sydney
“Through the extensive study of Latin and Greek at the Augustinianum, I better appreciate not only the doctrine of the Fathers of the Church, but also their different way of thinking. I have come to learn the culture and history of the places and peoples which used these languages for centuries, which gives me new insight into the Scriptures and the early history of the Church. What’s more, encountering the Fathers in their original languages makes me appreciate the beautiful rhetoric of these masterful orators.” Rev. Mr. Michael Buck, ’19, Archdiocese of Melbourne
“Regarding my time taking courses for the Ratzinger Program, here in Rome, I would say that Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger is not only one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century, but he can also be considered one of the greatest spiritual masters of our time. He teaches us that theology is not simply about what we know about God; rather it is about how we use what we know to encounter the person of Jesus Christ, which should be the goal of any theological endeavor! These classes have made a great impact on my own knowledge and future ministry.” Randy Hoang, ’20, Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
“In the course' Fundamentals of Liturgical Theology' at the Santa Croce we discussed how the liturgy is the presence of Christ in the Church. I think an ever deeper understanding of this can help us better grasp why and how we do what we do every day as ordained ministers.” Rev. Mr. Alfredo Porras, ’19, Diocese of Worcester
Reflecting on the Diaconate with a Numerary, a Dominican and a Jesuit JUSTIN GOLNA ’20, DIOCESE OF WHEELING-CHARLESTON
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s my class prepares to promise celibacy, prayer, and obedience at our ordination to the diaconate, we have sought to meditate on each of these promises during the past few months. During our regularly scheduled Holy Hours, faculty members from the three universities we attend were invited to offer a reflection. I was grateful these professors accepted the invitation to offer their own theological and personal insights on a specific promise for our prayer. The first of these reflections, on celibacy, was given in February by Reverend Arturo Bellocq, Professor of Moral Theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. Having been a numerary—a celibate layperson who serves the Prelature of Opus Dei—before entering priestly formation, Fr. Bellocq knows what it means to wholeheartedly embrace the call to celibacy. His lively talk centered on the source of celibacy as being an encounter of love. In highlighting the model of celibacy that was given to the Church by Jesus Christ Himself, Father Bellocq emphasized that Jesus’ celibacy did not lack love; rather His fruitful celibacy filled His Sacred Heart completely with love that overflowed for man on the Cross and continues to do so in the Most Holy Eucharist. Fr. Bellocq explained that celibacy is the greatest gift the Lord gave us after the life of faith since,
that are recited at every hour are the same Psalms that Jesus Christ Himself prayed; through this encounter, liturgical prayer becomes a means of participating more fully in the interior life of Christ. Even beyond the official liturgy, the promise of prayer is what prevents us from becoming functionaries and is the wellspring from which we will draw upon for our strength. Deacons Gregory Crane '19 (Bismarck) and Joseph Cwik '19 (Washington) were ordained by His Eminence Daniel Cardinal Dinardo in St. Peter's Basilica this past year.
through celibacy, our hearts are dilated for divine love of God. Rev. Paul Murray, O.P., Professor of Spiritual Theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas offered his reflection in our Immaculate Conception Chapel on March 27th. Fr. Murray began by commenting on the fact that he had been invited to give the same lecture about 18 years ago. This year’s talk, he admitted, would have sounded a bit alarmist to younger self, but constant prayer is critically important for clergy today to remain wholly devoted to the work of God. First, he explained the necessity of remaining faithful to the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours. This prayer helps the cleric enter into the mystery of the Church, uniting his own prayers to the needs of the universal Church and even the whole world. The Psalms
The last of the reflections was given by Father Scott Brodeur, S.J., Director of the Department of Biblical Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, on the promise of obedience on April 29th. Fr. Brodeur, SJ, focused on the deacon’s promise of obedience to his ordinary as both an expression and grace-filled extension of the virtue of obedience of every Christian. With the help of examples from Scripture as well as Church history, he presented some helpful insights gleaned from two letters of St. Ignatius of Loyola on governance and obedience. He clearly showed how these timeless ideals and historical spiritual practices, mutatis mutandis (allowing for the differences over time), can help deacons and priests in the Church of today. Whether we are ordained in our home dioceses this summer or at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica on October 3rd, we have received in these reflections a deeper understanding of the promises we will soon make as a means of our own salvation, the salvation of others, and the strengthening of Holy Mother Church. n ROMAN ECHOES 2019 • VOLUME 23: ISSUE 3
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50 Years with the Fathers
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REV. LOUIS MASI ’18, ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK
ach year or so, a few seminarians from the College embark upon the study of the Fathers of the Church at the Augustinianum, Rome’s Patristic Institute, which celebrates its golden jubilee this year. To commemorate the anniversary, the faculty and students of the Institute were received by the Holy Father in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace on February 16th. After a short discourse on the importance of the Fathers for the continued mission of the Church, Pope Francis personally greeted all present. In his address, the Holy Father noted that the work of the Institute prepares its students “to participate with wisdom and responsibility...in the debates on the crucial challenges of our time.” Thus, the Holy Father recognized that the challenges faced by the Fathers as they sought to penetrate the depths of the mysteries of the faith and to communicate the faith are not often unlike our own. The Holy Father continued, “such a service is closely connected to evangelization.” In noting this, the Holy Father also highlighted that the testimony of the Fathers can provide crucial insight for the Church’s task of passing on the faith today. Of interest to a patrologist (one who studies the Fathers) are not only the teachings contained in the writings of the Fathers, but also their own life stories, their historical context, and their theological and evangelical methods.
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In his address, the Holy Father noted that the work of the Institute prepares its students “to participate with wisdom and responsibility...in the debates on the crucial challenges of our time.” As a young priest I have been particularly inspired by the sermons of many of the Fathers which drew large crowds of Christians and non-Christians alike and led to the conversion of hearts. Reading their homilies has strongly influenced my own homiletic style. Saint Ambrose, for example, drew Saint Augustine closer to the Lord through his preaching. Augustine recounts, “all unknowing, I was led to [Ambrose] by you [Lord], so that through him I might be led, while fully knowing it, to you... I listened carefully to him as he preached to the people.” (Confessions, 5, 13, 23) Though Ambrose was a great rhetorician, it was not his ability to entertain or amuse that was attractive to his listeners. Augustine continues, “his discourse...was less lively and entertaining than was that of Faustus (a heretical bishop), [but Ambrose] taught salvation in a most salutary way” (ibid.). The sermons of the Fathers were, of course, well prepared and delivered with great zeal, but most importantly they reveal that the Fathers had an
From Left to Right: Rev. Mr. Michael Buck '19 (Melbourne), Rev. Louis Masi '18 (New York) and Rev. Drew Olson '18 (Madison) smile after a full day of classes at the Augustinianum, Rome's Patristic Institute.
intimate knowledge of the Scriptures that came from dedicated prayer and study. By concentrating on the Scriptures, the Fathers were able to preach Christ in His mysteries, stirring up in the hearts of their audiences a deeper desire to know and love Christ. They also had both the courage to preach the entirety of the revealed Word and the prudence to know when and how to do it. The Augustinianum has taught me how and why to read the Fathers. In so doing, it has opened for me a treasury of wisdom which I will continue to draw from and share with others for the entirety of my priesthood. n
Developing a Priestly Heart at "the JPII" R E V. D O M I N I C RA N K I N ’ 1 8, D I O C E S E O F S P R I N G F I E L D -I N-I L L I N O I S
This spring, Fr. Dominic Rankin completes his studies for the Licentiate in Sacred Theology at Rome’s John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences.
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owards the front, left side…” Growing up, my family would often occupy that pew for Mass or Adoration at our parish. In seminary, both in the USA and now here in Rome, my modus operandi when entering the chapel for prayer is still to make a beeline for that front-left area of the chapel. And, to no surprise, when I started attending the John Paul II Institute two years ago, I immediately gravitated towards my usual spot. I study with students from all over the world, but with four of us from the College in that row every morning, professors know where to look for the anglophones. The location also puts us right in front of a photo that dominates the left wall of our classroom, depicting a young Pope John Paul II walking through the doors of the Institute on the day that it was inaugurated. That day was supposed to be May 13, 1981, but as history would have it, his drive after the Wednesday audience that evening was not across town to the Lateran, but a high-speed race to the Gemelli Hospital, where doctors struggled to save his life from multiple bullet wounds after the assassination attempt. His words as he slipped in and out of consciousness were “O Maria, Madonna! Maria, Madonna!” and, learning later that the bullet had missed killing him by only a fraction of millimeter, he credited her with saving his life, and giving him the
following 24 years of his pontificate, saying “one hand fired, and another guided the bullet.” Of course, then, it was to Mary’s intercession, as he walked through those doors on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary the following year, that he entrusted the Institute and all its students, something we recall and repeat each day as we pray a Hail Mary or the Angelus before beginning class. In a special way, that picture of Saint John Paul II, reminds me every day to consecrate the rest of my earthly years as a priest into Our Lady’s hands as well.
Our Lady of Fatima played a special role in the life of Pope St. John Paul II, and the students of "the JPII" continue to seek her intercession as well.
The story doesn’t end there though. John Paul entrusted his Institute – a place to study the theology of marriage and family – into the hands of a mother because he knew that just as the Evil One began his attack on humanity upon a married couple, so “the final battle between Christ and Satan would be over marriage and the family.” But the victory has already been won! Just as marriage and families, redeemed by Christ, are a privileged place of Christ’s victory here and now, so the final victory will be one in which creation itself is brought into full spousal and familial union with God. Studying at the John Paul II Institute has opened my mind to the profundity, beauty, and goodness of human love, and the immensity of the gift that Christ brought to it through His redemption of humanity in its entirety – body, soul, mind, and heart – on the cross. And so, just as he opened my heart to a fuller love for Christ’s mother, John Paul has also captivated my early-priesthood with another love. As he put it: “as a young priest, I learned to love human love.” At Christ’s cross, in His full self-gift to His bride the Church, a gift of divine and human love, the one who stands by Our Lord is His mother, who with His grace, and through her motherly love, is promised by God to crush Satan’s head. May she pray for “the JPII” (as we fondly call the Institute) and all those to whom it prepares us to minister! n ROMAN ECHOES 2019 • VOLUME 23: ISSUE 3
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SHAKESPEARE’S
HENRY V
King Henry V, impersonated by Rev. Mr. Kevin Chalifoux '19 (Burlington), plans with his English forces against the fair courts of France. inset The entire cast and crew of this year's NAC Play take a knee around thier king after months of adjusting scripts, memorizing lines, making costumes and developing set designs.
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Not to Us but Thy Arm Alone MICHAEL LEDESMA ’21, DIOCESE OF TYLER
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hakespeare’s Henry V’s iconic lines, which include “Once more unto the breach…” and the St. Crispin Day speech, are some of the most well known in play literature. As director for this year’s company at the College, one of the most difficult decisions I had to make was choosing the play. One of the main determinants of that decision was the usual one—a company composed of an all-male cast. So, with the help of the play producer, Rev. John P. Cush, STD, and the assistant play director, Curtis Weisenburger '21 (Toledo), we came to the decision that Shakespeare’s Henry V was both a play that could easily be adapted to fit an all-male cast and, most importantly, was a play that could be influential for the men of the house. Much of my past summer was spent studying Shakespeare’s Henry V to see what could be adapted or cut. There were scenes that included Katherine, the French King’s daughter, that had to be cut, while other scenes that had to be shortened because of time constraint. In the end, I confidently finalized the redacted play: it fit neatly together and was easy-to-follow. The auditions for the play were held in early October before school started and it was a great turnout with both new and old men auditioning for the various roles. The final cast count was 24, which allowed most of the men at least a few lines.
Both Curtis and I devoted the first semester to organizing teams to form costumes, a stage construction, and tech teams. The greatest work began during the second semester with weekly scene rehearsals as well as the costume and stage construction teams beginning their laborious efforts. The final productions on March 29th and 30th were a great success. The cast worked hard to bring forth the characters within Henry V, and I think both the house and the many guests were able to appreciate the work we put into it. There are many themes one can draw from within Henry V: just and unjust war, loyalty, brotherhood, maturity, and honor, to name just a few. The themes that the production team, above all, wanted to focus on were loyalty and brotherhood. The line interpretations and stage movements were centered around this idea. Loyalty and brotherhood are intimately linked at the moment King Henry goes off to battle. After suffering great losses at the battle of Agincourt, the King disguises himself and goes into his camp to see the spirits of his soldiers. He is troubled by their drooping figures. Their loyalty to the king and their sense of brotherhood amongst themselves is at a low. He tries to lift their spirits, to no avail. Even his closest princes doubt that they will win their battle, but King Henry never accepted defeat. He instead delivers his famous St. Crispin Crispianus speech with the field of Agincourt in the distance.
“Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host, That he which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart; his passport shall be made We would not die in that man’s company That fears his fellowship to die with us.” With these bestiring words his soldiers rally their spirits to fight once more, and victory is granted to them. King Henry transforms from a doubtful leader marked by tepidity to a king full of the zeal, hope, and fortitude, which is what his men need from him. These key components of loyalty and brotherhood are essential not only for the growth of the play itself, but they resonate in the life of a man preparing to enter the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Shakespeare’s Henry V gives us words that we can meditate upon, especially during this critical time in the Church. We are on the field of battle. The Church is looking into the distance and sees a great adversary: the prince of darkness. We know the end of the play as surely as we know our war has already been won, but each of us must stand firm in faith and hope. We do not stand alone. To our right and left faithful brethren flank us. We charge forth in the name of Christ full of zeal and fortitude. With Henry we cry, “O God, thy arm was here; and not to us, but thy arm alone, ascribe we all!” n
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Learning from a God of Irony
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N I C H O L A S C A S E ‘ 2 1 , A R C H D I O C E S E O F SA N F RA N C I S CO
have always loved to teach. So, it surprised no one that after college I decided to pursue a career in academia. But, after years of writing, research, attending conferences, and presenting papers, I began to believe God was calling me to something more, something larger than academics. When I discerned priesthood with the Archdiocese of San Francisco, I had thought I was leaving a life of formal academics behind. You can imagine the irony when I found out that I was being asked to go to Rome for further academic studies. Our archdiocese has a major seminary, and given my background, it is a very real possibility that teaching in the seminary will be a large part of my future life as a priest. We’ve all heard that we believe in a God of surprises, but I’m here to testify that we should also believe in a God of irony. After spending the better part of my adult life studying the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, I was not surprised to be asked to lead a reading group on his works here at the College. I had taught classes on Thomas and his commentators before, but never in a seminary environment. I admit I was intrigued by the challenge of working with seminarians on the work of Thomas. I was also interested by the possibility that what I could begin here at the College in studying Fundamental Theology could be a foretaste of what may come.
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Nicholas Case '21 (San Francisco) spends his Tuesday afternoons guiding his fellow seminarian brothers through the writings of Thomas Aquinas.
I have always enjoyed teaching, but working with seminarians, who are also my peers, was a challenge I had yet to encounter. What I have found through our classes has been particularly inspiring. These men, out of their own desire, have decided to take time out of their busy schedules to devote themselves to further study, in addition to their coursework. None of them need attend my Tuesday afternoon classes on the St. Thomas’ Commentary on the Gospel of John. But what has impressed me greatly is that they engage the texts, not purely on the level of historical study, but applying principles to contemporary concerns; this has led to enthusiastic debates. They are not content with knowing the facts; they want to apply them and use them to evangelize.
On a personal level, I have found that I still do love teaching. Perhaps what I gained most from this experience is knowledge that God does not ask us to abandon our gifts and talents, whatever they may be, when we enter down the path of ordination. Rather, our Lord crystallizes the gifts He gives us, and he brings them to fruition in ways we previously could not have imagined nor expected. I have discovered that this is the way to understand my own life’s path. It is a course that has utilized my background in ways I could never have anticipated sitting in those classrooms years ago. And, in today’s world, what is more important than the formation of priests? If, in the future I can become even a small part of a positive contribution to this, it will all be worth it. n
The Classics: Purposelessness with a Point R E V. M R . K E V I N C H A L I FO U X ’ 1 9, D I O C E S E O F B U R L I N GTO N
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ince coming to the College, I have organized small informal reading groups centered upon some of the great riches of our Western Tradition. My first year, about dozen of us read and discussed Dante’s Divine Comedy together. Over the course of my second year, we read Shakespeare’s sonnets and history plays, haphazardly performing our favorite scenes, complete with the occasional sword and heartrending lament over a fallen comrade. The poems of T.S. Eliot and W.B. Yeats were our constant companions throughout last year, carrying us all the way from Innisfree to Little Gidding. As for this year, we are continuing to make our way through Milton’s Paradise Lost, having just heard Adam praise his wife, Eve, for “those graceful acts/Those thousand decencies that daily flow/From all her words and actions.” The past two years, we have spent more time simply reading the works aloud than we have in discussing them. This is for several reasons. Seminarians already have plenty to read for their classes and some find the idea of signing up for another reading commitment daunting. Furthermore, one of the greatest challenges many face in learning to appreciate poetry is that they seldom hear it read aloud. A love for the sound and rhythm of words has been planted and nourished within the group, and this is a particularly laudable trait
for those who will be tasked with proclaiming the Gospel and preaching the mysteries of our salvation for the rest of their lives. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we have sought to shed the utilitarian shackles of our age and strive instead to enjoy these magnificent works simply because they are good and beautiful. We learn to rejoice in the beautiful and to despise the hateful and base. My hope for these groups is to help build us up in virtue through
An image from Gustave Doré's illustrated Paradise Lost depicts St. Michael the Archangel leading Gabriel, Raphael and the apocryphal Uriel and Abdiel against Satan.
the recapturing and restoring of our imaginations, that we might not only know what is good and true, but love them with our very blood and bones. And yet, the reading groups flourish and achieve real greatness insofar as they remain purposeless, insofar as we receive these works as an end in themselves. We meet not so that our list of “Classics Read” can grow, but so that our hearts can. In the end, I can only say that I am deeply indebted to those teachers in my life who ignited the fire of love for books, from my quiet fourth grade teacher to the brilliant professors of my seminary years, and I have desired simply to share this love. Along with teachers such as Blessed Cardinal Newman, C.S. Lewis, and John Senior, whom I have known only through their writings, the best teachers I have had were those who in their own passion for literature taught by example the certain gaze of humble receptivity that must be adopted in order for these great works to reveal their secrets. I sincerely hope that our shared contemplation of these works, which offer us a privileged glimpse into the drama of human existence, will enable us to grow in that greatness and sensitivity of heart that comes from having seen reality through a myriad of eyes. I hope it will restore in us the Christian vision of the world, that stage upon which the greatest story is being told, even now. n
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An Acolyte Before and Beyond the Altar
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SAMUEL BASS ‘21, DIOCESE OF AUSTIN n Sunday, February 24th, 43 of the second year men were instituted as acolytes by the Most Rev. Steven Lopes, Bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter (commonly known as the Anglican Ordinariate). The most obvious definition of an acolyte is that of a man who is officially instituted in the church to serve Mass and other liturgies. Their role is to assist the deacons and the priest around the altar, so that the priest can pray the Mass reverently and without distraction. And it is the Church herself who confirms us in this calling. Receiving this ministry marks a serious juncture in the path toward priestly ordination since it is the last ministry we receive before, God willing, we are called by our bishops
to ordination as deacons at the end of our third year. But beyond the definition of the ministry I gave above, the gift of the ministry of acolyte comes with a great responsibility. Not only do we serve our Lord around the altar, but our whole lives must increasingly reflect the Lord we serve. The Rite of Institution helped make this clear to me when Bishop Lopes placed a ciborium in my hands, containing the hosts to be consecrated during the Mass. He told each of us, “Make your life worthy of your service at the table of the Lord and of his church.” In other words, being an acolyte is not only about what we do at the altar; it is about the person reflected in those actions. As our Vice-Rector, Father Adam Park, reminded us during the holy hour before our institution, this
step is privileged opportunity to examine our lives and ask ourselves: “Do we compare ourselves to the standard of the world, or do we compare ourselves to Jesus Christ?” It is an opportunity to recommit ourselves to serving Jesus, and conforming our lives to his way of acting, his way of loving. The Gospel we heard at Mass that day was a good reminder of what loving as Jesus loved demands. We heard him tell us as he told the crowds: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Lk 6:27) And, as Bishop Lopes pointed out in his homily, this kind of love is not possible by our own efforts. Forgiving those who have hurt us, loving those who hate us, is only possible with the grace of Christ acting in us. The institution was a call to renewed gratitude for the gift Jesus has given us in the Eucharist. He gives us the grace to follow in his footsteps, and shows us by his life and death how to live a truly Christian life. In reflecting on this gift of Jesus, who sets the pattern for, and is the only true measure of our lives, Bishop Lopes cited a prayer that Blessed John Henry Newman wrote on the occasion of being ordained a Catholic priest:
Samuel Bass '21 (Austin) answers the call to "show a sincere love for Christ's Mystical Body" as he is instituted as an acolyte with his classmates.
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“Let me make thee, O Holy Jesus, my pattern in my pilgrimage here, that thou may be my portion for all eternity.” Fitting words to take with us as my brothers and I took this next step in our journey of priestly formation. n
Learning a Foreign Language in (another) Foreign Country SHANE HEWSON ’19, DIOCESE OF TULSA
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taly is not where one goes to learn Spanish. This sounds obvious enough but to many of the men at the North American College, but it can be tempting to think that if one learns Italian it will somehow seamlessly convert into Spanish. Barring the gift of Pentecost and a miraculous infusion of new tongues, it goes without saying that while learning one language does make the next that much easier, this is not quite a realistic expectation. As an undergraduate student of the Spanish language, I took the opportunity to spend nearly two years abroad in the Spanish-speaking world. Having spent considerable amounts of time immersed in the cultures and language of Mexico, Chile, and Honduras among others, I came to love the language and those who speak it. This fascination for the beauty and eloquence of Spanish has impelled me to maintain my fluency while in Italy through a variety of means. One of the most effective ways to learn a language, besides full immersion, is to listen to its music, to familiarize oneself with the words and phrases, singing along in order to get a sense of the rhythym and flow needed in the tongue. Although many might balk at the method, I took to listening to Rap and Reggaeton. I figured that if I could follow along and sing the lyrics of this fast paced and highly colloquial artform then I could just as well speak with any person of native tongue. Secondly, it is important that one
Top Left: Rev. Mr. Shane Hewson '19 (Tulsa) joins classmates (From Top Right) Rev. Joseph Sigur '19 (Beaumont) and Rev. Mr. William Banowsky '19 (Oklahoma City) gather before the altar after celebrating First Holy Communion for the boys and girls at their Spanish speaking apostolate parish.
reads original literature of a culture whose language one wants to learn. Having a Bachelors of Arts in Spanish Language means that I was in contact with many of the great writers of Latin America, from Jorge Luis Borges to Carlos Fuentes. But Italy has actually helped me in ways I did not expect. A great aid to maintaining my level of Spanish has been my Spanish-speaking apostolate here in Rome. Together with several other seminarians, I teach catechesis to children and youth preparing to receive their First Communion and Confirmation. The apostolate has been a blessing because I am able to continue working in Spanish, gaining invaluable experience in catechetics and working with children. However, I have also found it challenging to discipline the children. They can run circles around me in Spanish when it comes to explaining why this or that action is not acceptable in the classroom. So finding one’s authentic
voice while still commanding an authority in a second language poses a more difficult challenge than simply speaking well and carrying on a conversation. Ultimately, being fluent in Spanish while living in Italy requires that I come out of myself a bit and get involved with the Spanish-speaking communities at the seminary, the university and in the city of Rome. As the Spanish-speaking population in the United Sates and our home parishes rises, the need for well-equipped Spanish-speaking priests has become an imperative. Many bishops in America are answering this pastoral need by requiring their seminarians to learn Spanish during their time in formation. However, whether the language is Italian or Spanish, fostering a deep love for the people who speak it is essential to one’s linguistic success. This can only come about when me, my language and my culture encounters you, your language and your culture. n ROMAN ECHOES 2019 • VOLUME 23: ISSUE 3
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Back Left: Zachary Schaefbauer '22 (Sioux Falls) makes a visit to the Most Blessed Sacrament at the Angelicum's adoration chapel in between classes with other students seeking to integrate prayer prayer with intellectual studies.
Doing Theology on Your Knees
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he Pontifical University of St. Thomas, known simply as the Angelicum, fittingly draws inspiration from life and works of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor. A crucial moment in his life occurred within a small chapel of a Dominican church nestled in the heart of Naples. The saint had just recently written a treatise on the Eucharist. Afterwards in a moment of prayer, the Lord miraculously conversed with the saint from a certain crucifix, 16
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saying “You have spoken well of me, Thomas. What would you have as a reward?” The theologian humbly answered, “Nothing, only you, Lord.” Presently, there is another little chapel of a Dominican university nestled in the heart of Rome. It is the Angelicum adoration chapel. In the classroom, we study many of this saint’s important writings on various theological topics, but in the chapel, we learn another important lesson entirely. The Angelicum adoration chapel provides
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Students and professors volunteer one hour of their week to spend in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament as a “Eucharistic Guardian”. They watch and pray with Our Lord for their own intentions and those of the university.
the university a place of prayer and meditation in close proximity to the place of work and study. Its simplicity reflects the solemn poverty of the religious order that live there. Lighting its central element are two burning oil lamps, the lights of faith and reason, illuminating the Eucharistic Host, enshrined in a gold monstrance, as a supreme foretaste of the lumen gloriae, the light of divine glory. And just behind, one sees an image of Mary, the model of holiness for all who come to adore her Son. It is one of the smallest rooms in the building, yet its smallness brings with it a greatest advantage: nearness to the Lord on the altar. What better school of theology is there than to sit at the feet of Jesus, as did the disciples who came before us? How does the student body make use of such a gift as our little chapel? It begins at the start of each semester. Students and professors volunteer one hour of their week to spend in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament as a “Eucharistic Guardian”. They watch and pray with Our Lord for their own intentions and those of the university. Consequently, from the first bell to the last class of the day, the chapel enjoys the company of at least two such guardians along with the Eucharistic Presence. For 17 years, the students and faculty have practiced such devotion. It has had a transforming
effect on individual students as well as the community as a whole since every moment spent in study is supported by a moment spent in prayer. Many students take advantage of this honorable tradition, but even more will spontaneously visit the Lord throughout the day. To illustrate what I mean, one must know about the pausa caffé. This event is a necessary part of the Roman school day to break from class every 45 minutes to take a walk, talk with friends, and of course, grab a coffee as needed. This practice serves to keep the students refreshed and ready to learn. Yet, the pausa caffé is also a time when you will see many students visiting the Adoration Chapel. They come to say a quick prayer to Jesus, to share with Him the struggles they may be having in class, or simply to be with Him as one would visit any other friend during break time. Here, one finds true invigoration, better even than an espresso from the Angelicum bar. For such students, the day becomes not so much praying in between study, but studying in between prayer. This chapel bears special importance to those studying for the priesthood. The Second Vatican Council’s Optatam Totius says of seminarians: “They should be taught to seek Christ.” Indeed, we seek Christ in our theological studies. Nevertheless, we
do not study just to know facts about the Lord, but we, like St. Thomas, study to know the Lord! Pope St. John Paul II reminds us of the essential link between studying theology and prayer, “True theology proceeds from the faith and aims at leading to the faith.” Likewise, this chapel is a constant reminder of what our Holy Father Pope Francis has said, that “true theology is done on one’s knees.” As I complete my S.T.B. degree and prepare for the next stage of priestly formation, I look back in gratitude for everything that has made the Angelicum a great environment to grow in the faith, and most especially for the small, simple chapel at its heart. Whether or not I was always fully there, the Lord certainly was. In that chapel, I thanked the Lord for the opportunity to study theology, I grappled with the Lord over what it all means, and when all else failed, I simply adored. Wherever I go from here, I hope to find more “Angelicum chapels” waiting for me. We all need a resting place where we can be alone with the Lord, even in those places of our work or study. My hope is that we all find some quiet place in our own little worlds to let go of worldly cares, to refocus ourselves upon Christ, to voice with St. Thomas the goal of all our desires, and then receive as our reward, “Nothing, only you, Lord.” n
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Snapshots
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Steve Delia '22 (Paterson) tosses beads while on parade at this year's STUAC Mardi Gras.
As the days grow longer, Spring begins to blossom here in Rome.
Our student (and faculty) section keeps the spirit of victory alive for the North American Martyrs throughout the Clericus Cup.
Dcn. James Morrison '19 (Washington) attempts to block a pass during an ultimate frisbee game in a matchup with seminarians from the Legionaries in March.
Patrick McCain '21 (Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter) stands with his ordinary, Bishop Steven J. Lopes '01, C '05, following the Institution of Acolytes.
Grant Dvorak '22 (Bismarck), Michael Martin '22 (Tulsa), Alex Fry '22 (Dallas) and Jacob Magnuson '22 (Bismarck) serve up a hot pot of gumbo under the direction of head chef, Alex Lancon '22 (Lafayette), for STUAC Mardi Gras.
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From Left: Rev. Mr. James Morrison '19 (Washington), and Zachary Schaefbauer '22 (Sioux Falls) enjoy a game of Spike Ball on the Campo Sportivo with seminarians Zachary Jones '22 (Sioux City) and Edward Godefroid '21 (St. Loius).
Michael Berndt '20 (Springfield-in-Illinois) claims his crown as Mardi Gras King during the annual celebration at the College.
Laurus nobilis, an ancient symbol of victory, adorns San Vitale during the station church pilgrimage in Rome.
From Left to Right: Madison Hayes '21 (Anchorage), Rev. Mr. Matthew Faucett '19 (Green Bay), Bradley Easterbrooks '22 (San Diego), Fr. Aiden Logan, O.C.S.O. (Vocations Director, AMS), Rev. Benjamin Pitre '18 (Lafayette), Timothy Mergen '20 (Madison) and Patrick Costello '21 (Green Bay) enjoy a visit from their Vocations Director from the Archdiocese for the Military Services U.S.A. at the College.
Left to Right: Rev. Mr. John Calabro '19 (Paterson) leads the community in prayer during the Stations of the Cross on a Friday in Lent with Acolytes Avery Daniel '20 (Atlanta), Joseph Mominee '20 (Toledo) and Nathaneal Anderson '20 (Washington).
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The Blood of the Martyrs is the Seed of the Church ANTHONY KLEIN ’20, DIOCESE OF SIOUX FALLS
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riginally, Tertullian’s famous quotation was not exactly a reference to events as comparatively insignificant as turf burn or skinned knees, but I do think his quotation is meaningful for our soccer team. The College’s squad, The North American Martyrs, takes its name from the Jesuit martyrs who planted precious seeds of faith in our nation, seeds which could very well be the reason some of us are in the seminary in the first place. Many people have been surprised to hear that there is a Roman seminary league and that we are able to compete with other teams regularly. While soccer is not the crux of our mission here, the history of our little league is worth noting. The Clericus Cup began in 2007 with the desire of promoting the interaction of the many priests and seminarians that live in this city. While united in faith, many nations are also united in their love of soccer. The Cup capitalizes on that by gathering together 16 teams from
Paul Floersch '21 (Omaha) knocks in a penalty kick during a match with the Legionaries of Christ at the College.
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Center Right: Paul Floersch '21 (Omaha) looks over the game plan with fellow Martyrs teammates during a friendly scrimmage at the College.
different seminaries or colleges throughout Rome. Thus, we match-up with players from all over the world. While it’s all in good fun, we are also able to put together a competitive team most years. Last year we won in dramatic fashion against our neighbors on the hill, the Urbanianum, which is the pontifical university directed by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. After an early season loss in the first round, we faced them again in the championship to win the “Battle of the Janiculum” by a shootout: bringing the Cup to the NAC for the 3rd time. We are hoping for another successful season this year, which kicks off with our first game against, you guessed it, the Urbanianum. Aside from the benefit of good physical exercise and healthy competition, the best part of our team is the camaraderie. Our College is a big house, which is certainly a blessing, and soccer provides the perfect opportunity to see
brother seminarians that may live on different corridors or study at different universities. It is a wonderful sight to see deacons running alongside first year men and Aussies jumping up for the ball with Americans. Our squad is comprised of over twenty players and includes seminarians in each year of formation, including one student priest. Our coach, Fr. Drew Olson ‘18 (Madison) is the returning “Coach of the Year” from last year’s tournament. The Martyrs team is a great way for seminarians to bond and build up our community. I’ve had several soccer teammates throughout my life, but the Martyrs team has been rather unique. While we know that soccer unites us on the field, we also know Who unites us both on and off the field. Beginning each practice at the foot of the crucifix that overlooks our field, we begin in prayer to keep our competition in perspective. We want to win, but ultimately, as the martyrs remind us, we want to be seeds for the Church. n
From Feast to Fast—An Education in Mardi Gras ALEX LANCON ’22, DIOCESE OF LAFAYETTE
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n Louisiana there are four seasons—crawfish, hurricane, football, and Mardi Gras. I do not expect everyone to understand these traditions. But, after the recent Mardi Gras celebration, comments from my classmates such as, “Is that what Jambalaya looks like?” (referring to the pot of gumbo) and “Why did he spell krewe with a k?”, have left me with no choice but to shed light on such confusion.
The distant origins of Mardi Gras are a little closer to home than you may think. No, I’m not talking about the United States, but Rome! According to many historians, the revelry of Fat Tuesday can actually be traced back thousands of years to ancient Roman pagan celebrations of fertility and spring. As the Church has done with other pagan practices, these raucous celebrations were Christianized, and as Christianity spread, so did the celebration. This is especially true of France. In fact, Mardi Gras comes from the French words for fat and Tuesday, referring to the day of feasting before the fast of Ash Wednesday. Another common name for the season, Carnival, comes from the Medieval Lain word, carnelevarium, meaning to remove or take away meat. So how did Mardi Gras get to the United States? You can thank the French for that. In 1699 French-Canadian explorers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Sieur de Bienville arrived just south of present-day New Orleans. Knowing it was the day before Ash
Wednesday back home, the explorers named the newfound area Point du Mardi Gras complete with a small celebration. Though elegant balls and social societies known as “krewes” soon followed, the first parade in the city wasn’t until 1870. However, to the surprise of many, Mobile actually boasts the first Mardi Gras parade, having celebrated decades before New Orleans. Nevertheless, it was the New Orleanian Krewe of Rex which popularized the colors of the season: purple symbolizing justice, green for faith, and gold for power. One shouldn’t give New Orleans and even Mobile all the credit though. Far from the craziness, commercialism, and crowds of the city, the “real” Mardi Gras is said to take place in Cajun Country, otherwise known as Acadiana. (South Central Louisiana settled by French exiles from the Acadie region of Canada). The Courir de Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday Run is a centuries old tradition in my diocese which stretches
back to Medieval France as a rural counterpart to the Carnival celebrations of the city. You won’t find posh Mardi Gras balls here. As part of the centuries old tradition, men, complete with mask and satirical costume, travel by foot or horseback from house to house begging (and dancing and singing and performing skits) for ingredients to make a communal gumbo served in the evening. This tradition comes from Medieval French peasants who during difficult times would beg for food prior to Lent. Not all ingredients come that easy though. The most important, the chicken, must be caught! Dressed in typically colorful costume and accompanied by song, participants pursue the prized ingredient. Whoever snatches the most fouls gets a trophy and more importantly, bragging rights. The day is capped off with a parade, crafts for the family, or even an old fashioned boucherie (hog slow roasted over a fire). n
Rev. Joseph Sigur '19 (Beaumont) finds the baby Jesus hidden in one of twenty king cakes.
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Seminarians gather outside the doors of San Lorenzo in Panisperna for the morning Mass, already packed with pilgrims.
Learning Rome for Lent
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PAT R I C K COST E L LO ’ 2 1 , D I O C E S E O F G R E E N BAY
typical scene of our Lenten Station Church Pilgrimage is dozens of backpacks strewn about the entrance, and even side chapels, of an ancient church suddenly crowded by seminarians and also by young priests hurrying to vest after walking, biking and busing their way to Mass.
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The men of the College who participate in the daily 7:00 AM station Masses need to bring all their things for school along with them since the first period begins just an hour after the final blessing. After Mass, seminarians will often spend a few moments praying at the tombs and with the relics of the saints and martyrs before heading off to the Casa Santa Maria for a pilgrim’s
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The greatest saint of all, our mother Mary (with four station churches named in her honor), reminds us that this Jesus is a teacher worthy of all our trust.
breakfast followed by class at one of the Pontifical Universities. Joining us at the daily station Masses are also many American college students we serve in our apostolates who are on a spring break pilgrimage or a semester abroad, as well as various other residents and visitors. While formal theology occurs explicitly in the lecture hall and classroom, we can say that during Lent in Rome the first class of the day happens at the station churches. It is in those holy places that we see first-hand what a life lived for and in Jesus Christ looks like. Our tutors become the men and women of Holy Mother Church who have run the race and kept the faith in ages past and now from heaven help us along the way. There are some saints from the stations who are eminent for their preaching and learning, and certainly all the saints we encounter in the churches teach us through the witness of their lives. By attending the station churches, we can see the unique gifts that Rome offers to a Catholic student; Rome itself is a ‘living university’ where in a real sense we learn ecclesiology from Pope St. Clement I, pastoral theology from St. Lawrence, Christian anthropology from St. Augustine, and moral theology from St. Cecilia. Such saints of Rome who we pray with along the station pilgrimage teach us by word and example to think with the Church. At times some may question the value of studying theology in Rome, a city so far away from home and the people and places of our future priestly ministry. Can’t a seminarian learn theology anywhere? Pope St. John Paul II responded to this question in his memoir Gift and Mystery as he reflected on his time in Rome as a young priest-student:
“[F]or those fortunate enough to study in the capital of Christendom, it was more important to 'learn Rome itself' than simply to study…I had made every effort during my two-year stay in the Eternal City to 'learn' Rome: the Rome of the catacombs, the Rome of the martyrs, the Rome of Peter and Paul, the Rome of the confessors of the faith. I often think back on those years with great emotion. As I left, I took with me not only a much broader theological education but also a strengthened priesthood and a more profound vision of the Church. That period of intense study close to the tombs of the Apostles had given me much, from every point of view.” The tombs of four of those Apostles are on the itinerary of the Lenten station pilgrimage. As we walk to and pray at their churches year after year, those men who walked with our Blessed Lord for three years intercede for us and teach us seminarians what His priesthood is truly about. From Apostles and popes to widows and virgin-martyrs, ultimately all teachers and witnesses of the faith point us to Jesus Christ, our “one teacher” (Mt 23:8). Like Mary of Bethany, we find ourselves as students at the feet of Jesus while at the station Mass each morning. Listening to the Scriptures we learn from Jesus who tells us that “Day after day I sat in the temple teaching” (Mt 26:55). The "temple" is a privileged place of encounter with the Lord, and throughout the forty days of Lent it is in the station churches that we learn from Him and worship Him and love Him. A classic principle in Catholic theology is “Lex orandi, lex credendi” or “The law of prayer is the law of belief.”
In other words, our prayer informs our belief. When we pray the Holy Mass reverently in the most ancient and holy station churches of Rome, surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses of the saints and martyrs, our minds become convinced of the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Gospel and the Christian life.
Each morning, seminarians gather around the Firmum Est coat of arms at the NAC's entrance to pray and ask the intercession of the station church's saint before setting out on the daily pilgrimage.
In this Lenten classroom of prayer and belief we come to understand more fully our identity as beloved sons of the Father and our constant need for His forgiveness and mercy, weak and mortal men that we are. Here Jesus teaches us, we hear His voice calling and the saints, our spiritual classmates with us at the feet of Jesus, encourage us to keep saying “yes” to His call. The greatest saint of all, our mother Mary (with four station churches named in her honor), reminds us that this Jesus is a teacher worthy of all our trust. On the Feast of the Annunciation—a welcome solemnity during this year’s Lenten journey—Our Lady gives us the prime example of the proper disposition of a student of Christ: “Be it done unto me according to thy word.” (Lk 1:38) n ROMAN ECHOES 2019 • VOLUME 23: ISSUE 3
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Faculty Books in Print SETH LEMAIRE ’21, DIOCESE OF LAFAYETTE Seminarians are not the only ones trying to meet paper deadlines at the College. Two of our spiritual directors, Rev. Walter Oxley,’03, C’09 (Toledo) and Rev. Randy Soto (San José Costa Rica), recently published works of their own. Fr. Oxley just published his 2009 dissertation, now entitled "Personhood and Communion: A Critical Application of Relational Ontology and Ecclesiology," while Fr. Soto has published "Introduction to the Study of the New Testament Greek: Swetnam-Soto Greek English Lexicon." I got the chance to talk to them about their recent publications and their inspirations for writing.
RE: Fr. Oxley, would you mind giving us the cliff-notes version of your book? I critically analyze the Greek Orthodox theologian John Zizoulas, using his methodology to engage the themes of personhood and communion. I was very interested in truth, but specifically how truth is understood in the context of relationality, and how human personhood involves relationality. Zizoulas helped me to look at relationality from a Trinitarian and Eucharistic perspective, concluding that truth is understood in the context of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the truth, the theological place for rooting relationality in its objectivity. Therefore, the person is made for the Eucharist. I wrote this work during the papacy of Pope Emeritus Benedict XIV, using his work, Deus Caritas Est, as sort of a capstone. The end of my work concludes that love is the key hermeneutic for linking personhood and the Eucharist, personhood and relation.
RE: You mentioned “relationality” for the parish priest. Where did you find your inspiration for writing on this topic? As a parish priest, I was faced with encountering relationality. How do I engage people? How do I find fulfillment in listening with people, 24
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in being with people? I had to find a way to understand truth, because I am motivated by the discovery of truth as a Catholic. I sought to find how relationality could be explained by truth. That’s what this work has been for me; my working out how to theologically explain parish priesthood in the context of Catholic teaching.
RE: How would each of you say that your written works have influenced or been useful to your ministry as a priest? Fr. Oxley: It helped me by informing my way of going about theology. It also informed my passion for spiritual direction, because it helped me see the particularity of each human person and how they participate in the life of Christ and the Church. Spiritual Direction is more of a pinnacle experience than teaching; it’s more about the person and how they relate to God and the Church. Fr. Soto: My thesis was on the Theology of the Priesthood of Jesus Christ according to Paul’s letter to the Hebrews. However, after writing this, I wanted my other works to be more approachable by the people of God, as a way to bring us closer to worship. So, I decided to write a poem, which allowed me to summarize the content of my thesis and allow it to be read by
anyone. I added this to the final edition of my thesis and published form.
RE: Fr. Soto, what prompted you to write your new book on New Testament Greek? I’ve taught Greek for several years using "An Introduction to the Study of the New Testament Greek", published by Fr. James Swetnam, S.J., a former professor of the Biblicum here in Rome. The grammar certainly has a logical development, helping to engage the study of Greek of the New Testament. However, I had found that it had a flaw; with each lesson, you find yourself going back to try and remember the vocabulary throughout. The problem was not discovering the meaning of the words, but rather where to find them. What I did was compile all of the information from his work and put it into a lexicon, ordered by lesson and alphabetical order. I wrote this in his honor.
RE: Final question. Fr. Soto, is this your first time in the publishing arena? This is my tenth publication. The others include my thesis, a book on Lectio Divina, a book on prayers in the Church in various languages, a Via Crucis, a book on the Rosary, and a book on Spanish prayer.
Back to the Basics of Evangelization REV. DAMIAN FERENCE C ‘21, DIOCESE OF CLEVELAND
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was invited to write this essay about my new book, The Strangeness of Truth and my evangelization work with Word on Fire, and although it may not seem like it, I think that the first part of this essay contains the key to evangelization. As I write this essay, our Church is suffering through the horror, ugliness, pain, and embarrassment of the sex abuse crisis. I was ordained one year after the 2002 scandal, and that was very bad–this one is worse. There can be a temptation, as the Italians say, to keep the bella figura and to avoid writing or talking about these things frankly, but that approach hasn’t served us too well. In fact, the worldly attractions of power, influence, honor, pleasure, and keeping up appearances are the very things that have gotten us into this current mess. So how do we get ourselves out of it?
messiness and ugliness of our sin and transforms it into our salvation by his divine grace.
the bones of a terrible sinner turned saint. But that’s our story. That’s the Good News.
We are sinners and Jesus loves sinners. He alone makes all things new. He is the light that drives out the darkness. He makes the deaf hear, the blind see, the paralyzed walk, and brings the dead back to life. There is no sin too great for his mercy. Judas didn’t believe that. Peter did.
When traveling on a commercial airplane, just before takeoff, the flight attendant announces that an oxygen mask that will drop in case of an emergency, followed by this instruction: “Put on your mask first, then help those around you.” That’s a good image for evangelization. At this moment in the Church, it’s wise to make sure that Christ is living his Paschal Mystery in us before we attempt to tell others about Him. But once he is living within us, reaching out to fellow sinners to tell them the Good News will come quite naturally, or supernaturally. n
The great Flannery O’Connor once wrote, “The Church is founded on Peter who denied Christ three times and couldn’t walk on the water by himself.” Sometimes I think we forget that. We forget that the biggest Catholic church in the world is built on top of
We don’t. At the very heart of our Catholic faith is the belief that God became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ and saved us from sin. He wasn’t born in a pristine castle or sterile hospital room, but in a stable, which was far beneath his dignity, but it is the exact place he wanted to be, in the messiness and sinfulness of human living. He saved us from sin by dying on the wood of a cross, which was also below him, an insult both to his divinity and his humanity. But that’s how God saved us and that’s how He continues to save us. He lowers himself into the
Published in February, Rev. Damian Ference's book is a meditation on how the eternal mysteries of our faith make themselves felt in the everyday.
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From Los Angeles to the Angelicum P E T E R M C S H U R L E Y ’ 2 0, D I O C E S E O F A R L I N GTO N
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n March 7th at the University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) we celebrated the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas with the bestowal of the University’s highest honor upon the Most Reverend Robert Barron, Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles. The bestowal of an honorary doctorate by a university is done in recognition of someone’s outstanding contribution to the intellectual life. Bishop Barron is someone who has inspired millions of people around the world through his teaching of the Catholic faith. We began the day with Bishop Barron celebrating the Mass, which, as a student of the Angelicum, was an honor to help serve. During his homily I was struck not only by his spiritual message but also the beauty with which he presented it. One of the points which was particularly inspiring came from something Bishop Barron shared from his own life. Apparently, he first encountered the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas as a fourteen-year-old at the Dominican-run school he attended. A Dominican priest presented to the class one of St. Thomas’s proofs for the existence of God. Perhaps not all teenagers find these arguments equally persuading at first glance, but Bishop Barron recounted how during this class the reality of God’s existence came to him in a profound way as if for the first time. This compelled him, even at such a young age, to become acquainted with the Angelic Doctor. And it gave him the introduction to
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Bishop Robert Barron steps into the Angelicum’s Church of Saints Dominic and Sixtus before celebrating Mass.
a faithful guide and friend who has stayed with him throughout his life. For the lecture and bestowal of the honorary doctorate after Mass, close to 1,000 people had registered for the gathering in the Angelicum’s largest lecture. One of the Dominicans of the Angelicum shared that the last time this lecture hall had been this full was when now St. John Paul II visited the University during his pontificate. This time, the crowd gathered to hear Bishop Barron deliver a paper entitled The God Who is, The God Who Gives. His principal point focused on a conundrum of gift-giving, which had been put forth by certain postmodern thinkers such as Jacques Derrida. In our lives, when a gift is given to us we experience an obligation of returning thanks, or even giving a gift in return. This means that every gift is given with the expectation of a return, and has the seeming consequence that there can be no utterly generous
gift-giver. Bishop Barron showed that because of who and how God is, he does not benefit in the least from any favor rendered in return. This means that God can give perfectly, in utter generosity. Our very life is a gift of utter generosity from God, and not only that, but by grace God gives us the gift of himself—the infusion of the Holy Spirit. This gift gives us in turn the ability to give with total generosity. The conundrum of gift-giving is solved because of who God is and the grace that he gives to us. The introduction to Thomas was a grace that set him on his course of life to love the truth and pursue God’s call. The message that he gave to us is a deeper realization of God’s total generosity. This is a message to continue pondering. It is an equally simple and profound truth that we can never exhaust: our God is a generous God. n
In the Angelicum's St. John Paul II Hall, Bishop Robert Barron gives a lecture on Derrida's problem of gift and offers a Thomistic answer.
Interstellar and Interlinear Expeditions A D I I N D RA ’ 2 0, D I O C E S E O F SA N D H U R ST
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ince this essay is about the topic of our library, let me begin with a more enticing opening before you dare turn the page. In the climactic moment in the 2014 Christopher Nolan’s movie Interstellar, Cooper, a veteran astronaut who is called back on mission, finds himself trapped in an outlandish five-dimensional space. As he is trying to navigate through this inexplicable structure, he sees his daughter, Murphy, on the other side of the space-time dimension. Murphy, who is browsing their family library, senses that Cooper trying to make contact with her. Eventually. they managed to communicate through Morse Code with the help of various arrangements of books in the library shelves. This communication becomes the key to solve the missing link of interstellar travel. Apart from it being one of my favourite movies of all time, I think Interstellar offers a valuable message. Though probably not intended, it shows the importance of the role of a library as a gateway to the immense treasure of knowledge. In the digital era while almost everything is ‘in the cloud’, libraries worldwide still faithfully offer their service in the upbuilding of knowledge in society. In deference to our time, this March we also finished adding 8,000 new “eBooks” to our digital library, and we have access to 566 online periodicals. Here at the College, we are grateful to have a fantastic library here on the Janiculum, which is curated by two Dominican Sisters Mother of the
Sister Maria Silva, OP, keeps our library in tip-top shape with the help of seminarians, including Adi Indra '20 (Sandhurst).
Eucharist; Sr. Maria Silva, OP and Sr. Gianna-Marie Borchers, OP, who is helped by a very capable secretary, Ms. Francesca Ronci. We can also thank them for the rotating curations of everything from Lenten themed books to the tesine of our NAC faculty members, reminding us that they were in formation like us not all so long ago. And the library bears the name of someone that only prior alumni had the honour to know—Brother Randal Riede CFX, who was in charge here for 26 years as he built up the 64,000 volumes we justifiably call the “finest English library in all of Rome.” Some of us seminarians take part in the care of the library as our house jobs. This year’s library team consists of: Peter Gallagher ’20 (Camden), Alessandro Calderoni-Ortiz ’21 (Tulsa) and Peter Srsich ’21 (Denver) and myself. We work together with the Sisters to perform various duties in the like of book shelving, labelling and many others. A typical afternoon usually begins with a short catch-up with the Sisters, discussing the
game-plan for the day, and then shelving the carts of books returned by seminarians. The shift concludes with a more relaxed debrief and often, we have the opportunity to enjoy delicious cookies baked by Sr. Maria. The library is a place where we ‘communicate’ with the world of knowledge. For us who are part of the ‘behind-the-scene’ team, it is a privilege to serve our community in this way. We strive to assist our brothers in their formation program “to acquire a wisdom which in turn opens to and is directed toward knowing and adhering to God” (Pastores Dabo Vobis, 51). What most people do not realize is that the library team are often edified and inspired by witnessing the dedication of our brothers in their study. It is a reminder for us to remain diligent in our duties. And it is an honour for us to be part of their endeavour to communicate every dimension of Jesus Christ, the Wisdom Incarnate, to our own place in the cosmos. n ROMAN ECHOES 2019 • VOLUME 23: ISSUE 3
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Sonia, you , at th e lik e m at ok lo t n’ do “I’m just a nothing…. and accepted that I’m a nothing and I’ll ve won’t change my mind. I’ just like you said. ing, leave this world as a noth with worry. I didn’t say that at all… - No, she answered away and ok lo to g n ui n i nt co y, dl ie rr - Didn’t you? he said hu ket. He had started to work pull at the edge of his blan himself up. world that counts e th n i tle t li ry ve s e’ er th k n - No, I thi for nothing.” Phoenix of se ce io D 0, 2 ’ n len G el - Nathani
“The idea of the shephe swapping faces unset tled rd. he had just But here was his ch ance; been offere a silver pla d his drea tte ms on What abou r. What about his old t his friend life? s and fam about his sh ily? What eep? As if readin g his thoug hts, the ma merchant sk reassured the shephe rd. “Don’t worr y about lea v ing behind life. Everyo you ne I will be sure will forget about you r old , and to take ca re of your Just think, sheep. the life yo u desire ca yours, a n be ll you have to do is m ake a dea l.” Gabriel Te rrill ’20, Diocese of Phoenix
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“Pe Ch nny n r pre istm ever for sent as. F real o alw the s wa r som ly lik s e we ays m. “T nev e re d th e r t las e w hou hey r qu ason e we h Ev t ch at t ght i could ite a , play ek a a e pre ry y nce hey n won be s fu ing w fter n a w e th sent ar, m to im ere der, nyt as w ith h e h s tri m ou to t oth prove . How but n ing!” aiti er n e pw e h wa ou t for e st r wo her ver, ow t she g h u s S ld o s c ort be even re (a ld re ircu he h ey on ing tom be nd tu ms ad ly Jos Da orr tte of rn u tan one e Dio ph y.” ow r o ten nw ces ce Wa . T ne a se hlm ha s!). swap nted . of t m Th ped Lin eier ea e a col ’20 nt n , n tod nual ay
The Art of Telling the Story Nathaniel Glenn ’20, Diocese of Phoenix
As seminarians, we have many chances to write. We compose papers, theses, homilies, catechetical talks, and even articles for Roman Echoes. However, we rarely get to write prose or verse simply for the joy of writing itself. In view of this lacuna, a group of seminarians organized ourselves into a “short composition” contest, so that we could practice the art of free writing, share our work with each other, and receive helpful criticism. The compositions could have taken any form at all: short fiction, poetry, essay, or memoir. We further decided to limit the entries to no more than four or five typed pages, so that we could focus on developing the quality (more than the quantity) of our writing. Having composed our works throughout the fall semester, we’ve now gathered them together and sent them to be tried. Fr. John McDonald, the College’s Carl J. Peter Chair of Homiletics (and an avid reader himself), agreed to serve as our judge and choose the “Best in Show” among the entries. Here at Roman Echoes, we’re happy to give some brief selections from our extracurricular scribblings.
ncelled a c n e dult wh ppy. When a n a s rly I wa e ha "I knew an to make m day or an ea "I think at that point in my life my ic s,” eg plans b ther on a picn ith “Sorry guy s vocation was to wonder. I kinda felt like the ouds ga ssage begins w frankly, make l c me ich, world was my oyster, but until that point morning sh of hope wh ow into these a gr ru in my life, I had never tried oysters. I have I get a . But I had to an episode as r ek py me hap ys. I remembe I spent all we now, and they’re just…okay. Oysters aren’t jo en mature in Phoenix wh anyon Lake, really your typical meal. It is more likely for back ng at C estern spot i d t i k u o n for a me to order the Caesar salad at a restaurant, uthw waiting hat sort of so es: grand st lac and if I’m feeling culinary, I’ll have it with which i ishes happy p with green rn d that fu untains spotte d the fresh grilled chicken. That’s more to my liking. o n ochre m ll and proud, a So…at this point in my life, the world was cti, ta y above." a c my Caesar salad, and I was very happy." en sk blue op , ñez ’20 u N o t o S Michael Berndt ’20, Diocese of Marvin f Phoenix o Springfield-in-Illinois Diocese
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Economo’s Corner
If It’s Thursday It Must Be Gnocchi
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R E V. K E R RY A B B OT T, O F M CO N V. , I C T E ' 1 4 have lived in Italy for nearly twelve years, and if one factors in my early life as a “military brat” and later years in active duty military service, that number totals nearly two dozen years outside the United States, or nearly one-third of my life. Many were spent in Rome, and while a city that regards itself as “eternal” can manifest a certain sense of continuity, surprises still occur. These surprises can help remind us of our fundamental mission at the College: “to educate and prepare men to serve the people of God as pastors whose hearts and minds are filled with the light of Christ and love for the Church.”
Some of our faculty recently witnessed one of our alumni, Rev. Lucas Tomson, a priest of the Diocese of Spokane, defend his doctoral dissertation, Invicem Onera Sua Portantes: The Importance of “The Other” While Seeking God in the Early Writings of St. Augustine of Hippo. Following his presbyteral ordination in 2007, Father Tomson returned to his diocese to shepherd the souls of the people of the Inland Northwest while completing his doctoral studies during his “spare” time. The chair of the doctoral defense committee urged him to have it published since the committee felt it critical to the body of scholarly work used in the study of St Augustine. This joyous moment actually began roughly two decades ago in Spokane when, having returned from a deployment to the war in Afghanistan, I was invited to celebrate Mass for
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A Thursday specialty in Rome: Gnocchi, offered with sage, butter and pepper.
Catholic schoolchildren. A young Lucas Tomson served that Mass and I remember being impressed even then with his joy and his calm and capable demeanor. The years passed and I soon moved on from Spokane. Now I find myself at the College serving with some of Father Tomson’s classmates who are either on our faculty or working in the curia of the Holy See. How could I have ever imagined that twenty years ago when that young man “served” Mass that one day our service to the Church and the College would bring about a reunion in the Eternal City? Following the defense, some of us walked up the tree-lined Via Merulana that leads from the Lateran Basilica and University to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I walked up that street when I was a student, and I
imagine that Father Tomson has done likewise. We were so proud of our brother, and wanted to celebrate what he accomplished for the Church. We came to a little café, and sat down as the very kind cameriere engaged in the Roman restaurant ritual of listing the fresh specialties of the day, adding that “ovviamente ci sono anche gli gnocchi!” I looked over at the plate of another diner, and indeed the gnocchi (small wheat flour dumplings often served with butter and sage) looked delicious. “Wow, they have gnocchi!” I enthusiastically exclaimed, only to hear in response, “of course they do, it’s Thursday, there’s always gnocchi in Rome!” After all these years, after all of my assignments and expectations… I’d missed that if it’s Thursday in Rome there must be gnocchi. We’re never too old to learn, to be amazed at how every so often when we find ourselves prisoners of our own expectations, we can find ourselves humbled in the realization that we have so much more to learn about God and one another. In the life of Fr. Lucas Tomson we are privileged to witness the personification of the College’s mission. As blessed and talented as he is, it is the visionaries that founded our College and you, our benefactors, who help make real the heart and soul of what our studies in Rome are all about: “to educate and prepare men to serve the people of God as pastors whose hearts and minds are filled with the light of Christ and love for the Church.” n
Institute for Continuing Theological Education
Feminine Echoes and Priestly Hearts REV. JOE TOWNSEND, DIOCESE OF TULSA
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his magazine’s title derives from the Greek word eche, meaning sound, a repeating sound, a sound that each of us can find inspiration from. Although it was 43 years ago, I can still hear the sound of my mother echoing in my heart as she encouraged me to follow what I heard as God’s voice. It was his call for me to explore the Catholic faith and to fearlessly allow God to speak to me about a faith that was not my own father’s, a faith that was not of my birth. It is a sound, an echo, to which I am glad I listened. My mother’s voice was a feminine sound which has blessed me many times over. This memory echoed once again for those in the ICTE community, when the many women presenters, whose echoes of faith and challenge, of intellect and humor, of passion and experience, we have been blessed and for which we are grateful. Sr. Mary Patrice RSM, the College’s resident psychologist, was among those who presented on topics ranging from working with women in ministry to women doctors of the Church. But none of this should surprise us men of the Church. This is the blessing that, has time and time, again echoed in the history of the Church. From the very beginning of the new era, it was a feminine voice from the Virgin, “be it done to me according to Your will.” For it was Mary’s voice which first expressed the heart of a disciple, to be “totus tuus.”
Sunlight shines through the stained glass windows of Sts. John Paul II and Teresa of Calcutta in the College's JPII Chapel.
We hear it expressed in the great doctor of the Church, Teresa of Ávila, who reminded and still reminds us even today, in her writings, “Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. Though all things pass, God does not change. Patience wins all things. But he lacks nothing who possesses God; For God alone suffices.” What sweetness, what comfort can be found in this echo, now nearly 500 years since it was first voiced, especially in a world in which there is great temptation to be disturbed or frightened due to the realities in the world and the Church. Faithful women have played a large part of the journey in the life of the universal Church and they continue to do so, especially in my own life! I am so grateful to women like Saint Teresa of Ávila and so many others, who continue to remind us all of what is most important as followers of Jesus, “Remember that you have only one
soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life… If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing.” A sabbatical is a time to refresh, reflect, renew this “one life” given to us. It is a time to hear again the echoes of our past that inspired and guided priests at the dawn of our ordination to the priesthood. These echoes continue in us even now, as priests with years of experience, as we move into the twilight of our priesthood. These are echoes that can inspire and nurture. My hope is that both the young men of the College, who look forward to many years of priesthood, and those who have already been blessed by many gracedfilled years of priesthood, may find inspiration in these voices. May we continue to be forever grateful to all the women who inspire us. n
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Teaching the ABC's of our Faith PAT R I C K M CC A I N ‘ 2 1 , P E R S O N A L O R D I N A R I AT E O F T H E C H A I R O F ST. P E T E R
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ace-to-face pastoral formation is an indispensable part of the College’s various apostolates. My particular apostolate—teaching third grade catechesis at Saint Francis International School—is at once both a joy and a challenge. Prior to entering the seminary, I worked in social services and served the poor for several years. For this reason, I was excited to receive a teaching assignment that would require the integration of the spiritual, intellectual, and human dimensions of priestly formation. There are many joys of the apostolate: hearing and answering the children’s questions; watching them learn about the faith and progress in the spiritual life. There are also a few challenges: balancing the children’s different learning needs, staying on-track to meet my long-term expectations, and teaching in a multi-cultural setting (my students represent five countries across four continents). The biggest challenge, however, is that I myself am a student—still learning to be a teacher. When I began the apostolate three semesters ago, I recall being a bit nervous about figuring out every aspect of the apostolate right away. Since I was a new teacher I was concerned (among other things) about whether the children would respond well to me. I began with the attitude that the success of this apostolate was of paramount importance. And it would be a success if the children behaved well,
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Patrick McCain '21 (Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter) teaches students the ABC’s of the faith at the St. Francis International School as part of his seminary formation.
listened attentively to the lessons, and sufficiently demonstrated their grasp of the material, proving that they are ready for sacramental preparation the following year. My perspective changed rather quickly, however. These children are young; talking and moving from place to place during class is not entirely out of the question. Methodology and lesson planning are important, but they are at the service of religious education and faith formation. Of all the questions I’ve asked myself, this is the most important: how can I help the boy or girl in front of me? Seminarians often reflect on the priest’s participation in the threefold office of Christ: that of teaching, sanctifying, and governing. Frequently, I reflect on my apostolate as a little sheepfold. It is there that I must strive to imitate Christ the Shepherd, Christ the Servant—as Pastores Dabo Vobis
(paragraph 22) describes His ministry: to know each child individually and call him or her by name; to “feel compassion” for the children who come from various places and have varied backgrounds; to gather and protect them; to “lead them to [the] green pastures” of God’s love and truth; and to rejoice with them when they come to a deeper knowledge of God. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to minister to the children in my class. For them, I am a teacher; with them, I am a student of the mysteries of our Faith. May it be so in future parochial ministry. The parish church is sometimes called a “school of prayer,” and prayer is the logical culmination of all catechesis. All my efforts to proclaim the good news of God’s love and to help my students respond to it are ordered to one end: friendship with God. Because of this apostolate, I understand the importance of consecrated study, which nourishes prayer, and I am better able to communicate this to those whom I will teach. n
Raymond Pendleton '22 (Corpus Christi) decides which question to take first.
Every Parish Priest Must be a Doctor of Souls REV. MR. BRANDON WOLF, ’19, DIOCESE OF BISMARCK
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Ignatius wholeheartedly embraced the commands of Jesus “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.”
have been blessed in my final year of formation to study for a diploma from the Ignatian Spirituality Center at the Pontifical Gregorian University. This program has allowed me to take some time this year before returning to home diocese as a priest to apply what I have learned to the spiritual well-being of my own soul and that of others by studying the life, times, and spiritual doctrine of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Of particular note has been the study of the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius, the discernment of spirits in souls, and the process of conversion in a soul seeking to grow closer to God. Ignatius wholeheartedly embraced the commands of Jesus “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.” The desire of Ignatius to live these commands is made singularly manifest in the Spiritual Exercises, as he wrote in an explanatory letter that they are “the very best thing that in this life I can think, perceive, or understand for helping a person benefit himself as well as bring fruit, benefit, and advantage to many others…” In the Spiritual Exercises we see a developed procedure to stoke the fire of love for God in the soul, and to more ardently praise, reverence, and serve the Lord in and through all things for His greater glory. By so doing, the soul is able to attain that for which it was created, namely, union with its Creator.
spiritual consolations and desolations rightly, we can more clearly see the will of God in our life.
The bronze statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola is perched above his tomb and altar at the Church of the Gesù in Rome.
Within the Exercises themselves, Ignatius presents a set of principles called the Rules for the Discernment of Spirits. These rules, which are valuable while doing the exercises and in the practice of the spiritual life as a whole, help to guide the soul on its journey to union with God. By understanding how the good and evil spirits work, how those spirits will either try to draw the soul closer to God or tempt it away, and understanding
As I go forward into priestly ministry and specifically the spiritual direction of souls, my hope is that by putting into practice what I have learned this year, it will not only draw my own soul to closer union with our Lord, but that I will, in turn, through the grace of God, be of assistance to those souls who seek and desire Him. For it is in desiring, knowing, and loving God and His will for us that He fills us with His joy so that our joy may be full! If Ignatian Spirituality sounds like something you would like to explore further, I invite you to search around and see if there are any Ignatian Retreat Houses nearby where you live. There are also a number of great books to be read on the different aspects of Ignatian Spirituality. n
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27th Annual Rector’s Dinner MARK RANDALL, CFRE • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
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he College community welcomed nearly 400 guests from 33 different states and 7 foreign countries on May 9, 2019 in celebration of our mission to form faithful, holy priests, and to acknowledge those who make that task possible. The evening began in a new way: under beautiful weather in the cortile (the main courtyard) of the seminary. In many ways, the Rector’s Dinner is a family reunion. Alumni, long-time benefactors, faculty, Vatican diplomats, and a variety of other friends are delighted to be “back on the hill” to see one another. And clearly, our guests always enjoy being with our students who host the evening by serving as parking attendants, greeters, waiters, musicians, and so on. A recurring theme of the evening was gratitude. Each of the speakers during the dinner made a point of thanking those present for their generous support of the College mission, underscoring the fact that we rely on the financial investment of benefactors in order to meet our budgetary needs. It was a joy to honor three of our most generous supporters from Texas this year. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo ’76, an alumnus and the current Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, was sadly unable
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Very Rev. Peter Harman ‘99 (left) and Mr. and Mrs. George Strake, Jr. (right)
to attend the dinner since he was recuperating from a recent illness but sent a kind letter of appreciation for the award and wrote about the importance of the College in the American Church.
and thanked the seminarians for their vocation.
As the evening progressed, I heard multiple times from guests how grateful they were to be here at the College, to We also presented the Rector’s Award see the joy of the men and the strong to Mr. and Mrs. George Strake, Jr. It was hope for the future that they offer. It George Strake, Sr. who anonymously can easy to lose that sense of hope at paid for the excavations under St. Peter’s times. But being with our community, Basilica that ultimately discovered if for only an evening, one cannot help the remains of our first pope. Many but see that the future of the Church is of our students are scavi tour guides. truly hopeful. These men will return to The Strake Foundation has supported the United States as faithfully formed, the North American College for many holy priests. And for the support of our years. In his acceptance remarks, guests at the Rector’s Dinner, and yours Mr. Strake paid tribute to his father as well, we are incredibly grateful. n
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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. Seminarians line up on the field for pre-game warmups before a Martyr’s soccer game in the group round of Clericus Cup matches.