Hall Prayer

Koinonia: Tuesday Hall Prayer and Grace-Sharing

REV. MR. RANDY HOANG ‘21, ARCHDIOCESE OF PORTLAND IN OREGON

ROMAN ECHOES 25TH YEAR

NAC FACTS

The hallway is one important aspect of community life at the College. Members of the hallway, in addition to gathering each Tuesday for Hall Prayer, gather for other social events at various times throughout the year. For example, on Thanksgiving morning each hall community gathers for breakfast. Each hallway has its own traditions and customs which distinguish it from the other halls of the College. In a setting of over 150 men, one can easily find himself lost in a crowd of people. Out of the wisdom of our forefathers, many traditions have sprouted within the walls of the College to alleviate that isolation, one of which is the tradition of our weekly Tuesday

Hall Prayer.

Once a week on Tuesday evenings, instead of gathering as an entire community for evening prayer in the Immaculate Conception Chapel, each corridor assembles in their respective lounge for fraternity, prayer, and to share how the Lord is working in our lives. It is an opportunity for the men in the corridor to press the pause button on the busyness of life and live in the moment surrounded by brothers, some of which they have not seen throughout the week because of different schedules and responsibilities in and outside of the house.

In recent years, the men of the corridor of Fourth Hospital (named for its view of the

The men of Fourth Hospital ("Fourth NASA") join together for their weekly "koinonia" gathering, complete with various snacks and fellowship. Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital which it overlooks, and fondly known as “Fourth NASA” at the seminary) have developed a tradition of our own to gather prior to Evening Prayer for food and fraternity. These evenings are hosted by one of the five deacons of the corridor. What was previously simply an excuse to hang out with each other has now transformed into what we call in Greek, koinonia.

This year in particular, the corridor has come to a fuller embodiment of koinonia. For some, koinonia is understood as fellowship; but in Sacred Scripture, it is so much more. In the biblical sense of the word, koinonia is communion. It is a coming together and becoming one, a oneness in charity and mission. This is evident in the relationship that the saints have with our Lord. In the recesses of the spiritual life, our Lord calls us, forms us, and sends us. The process of formation involves many factors used to prepare men for ordination as priests of Christ, and the fellowship we share in the corridor is an evident way in which we are indeed forming each other during day-to-day life.

For the corridor of Fourth Hospital, Tuesday Hall Prayer has become much more than an opportunity to gather for prayer and sharing. It is now an occasion for us to deepen our sense of brotherhood and ultimately grow to exemplify Christ’s mission with which we have been entrusted. n