Year II Summer Assignments

“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” (Ps 96:3). A rising second-year seminarian typically spends his first summer overseas to serve at a parish, a sanctuary, or a religious order’s ministry. He may also pursue further study through language schools or academic seminars. Second year seminarians were blessed to encounter and to serve the universal church through the following apostolic experiences. Here is an overview of where students served this past summer.

Eagle Butte, SD

Broken Arrow, OK

Academic/Language Study

Institut Catholique de Paris (Paris, France) Language International (Liguria, Italy) Siena Lingue Dante Alighieri School (Siena, Italy) Tertio Millennio Seminar (Krakow, Poland) The Italian School (Verbania, Italy) Universidad Católica de Ávila (Ávila, Spain)

Service/Missionary

Don Bosco Salesian Summer Camp (Pordenone, Italy) Missionaries of Charity (Madrid, Spain) Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center (Jerusalem, Israel) Sanctuaires Notre-Dame de Lourdes (Lourdes, France) Ukrainian Refugee Centers (Krakow, Poland)

Melbourne, Australia

Parish Assignments Overseas

Chiesa Collegiata dei Ss. Francesco e Ilaro (Lugo, Italy) Chiesa di Campocroce (Mogliano Veneto, Italy) Our Lady Help of Christians (Bedfordshire, United Kingdom) Parrochia San Gavino Martire (Sardinia, Italy) Parroquia Jesús y María (Aluche, Spain) Parroquia Santo Cristo de la Misericordia (Madrid, Spain) St. Catherine of Siena Parish (Melbourne, Australia) Sts. Peter and Paul's Parish (Cork, Ireland)

Parish Assignments in the US

All Saints Parish (Eagle Butte, SD) Church of St. Benedict (Broken Arrow, OK)

Pilgrimages

A Small, Humble Parish in the barrio

NICHOLAS MONNIN ‘25, DIOCESE OF FORT WAYNE-SOUTH BEND

M

y goals for the summer were two-fold: 1) improve my fluency in Spanish and 2) gain meaningful pastoral experiences. God granted these in the end, but not in the way I planned.

I had the opportunity to spend five weeks at a small, humble parish in the barrio of Aluche in Madrid, Spain. Most of my time was spent outside of the city, where I worked at various diocesan youth camps. When I first arrived, I had many expectations for how my summer would go and what kinds of experiences I would have, but I was quickly met with the reality of my own inability to achieve my expectations or control my experiences. I felt disappointed and wanting.

God was inviting me to a deeper relationship and ministry through these challenges. He was calling me to surrender my inabilities and my expectations for myself and for the summer so that he could do something beautiful.

By the time I left the parish, I had achieved my goals for the summer. I improved my ability and confidence in Spanish, and I also gained great pastoral experiences while forming meaningful relationships. Ultimately, it was only because I surrendered my plans and desires to God and his Providence, allowing him to work through me—despite my inabilities—that I was able to achieve my goals. And for that, thanks be to God! n

With arms raised, Nicholas Monnin '25 (Fort Wayne-South Bend) cheers his hiking group on as they march across the Spanish countryside.

The Stones Will Cry Out

JOSEPH DOHERTY ‘25, DIOCESE OF VENICE IN FLORIDA

"If I forget you, Jerusalem..." (Ps 137:5) Jacob Tschida '25 (Duluth), Joseph Doherty '25 (Venice in Florida), and Michael Rhodes '25 (Austin) smile to record their time of service at the Holy Land's Notre Dame Center. This past summer, two classmates and I had the opportunity to live and work in the Holy Land. One of the gifts of this experience was to participate in the Holy Mass offered next to the place of Jesus Christ’s burial. Each day, the Mass in the tomb is celebrated just inches above an ancient and sacred stone. This is the stone on which Jesus Christ’s body lay following his crucifixion and death—after the Lamb of God was sacrificed, his holy body rested there.

To witness the sacrifice of the Mass in this sacred space today invites a connection to be made. This stone slab on which Jesus’ body lay two thousand years ago can be considered a first altar, so it bears a connection to every local altar in every Catholic Church throughout the world. Daily at these stone altars throughout the world, the events of the Paschal Mystery become present and the body and blood of the sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ, rest there. Christ’s bond of love unites the local parish altar and Jerusalem. It is a beautiful testament to the universality and unity of the Catholic Church. n