Winter 2004-05
The Pontifical
North American College M
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EVER ANCIENT, EVER NEW
Inside - Diaconate Ordination 2004 - “New Men” Arrive at the College - A Day at the Greg, Then and Now
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MAGAZINE STAFF Editor Michael McClane Diocese of Trenton Class of 2006 Assistant Editor Andrew Roza Archdiocese of Omaha Class of 2007 Layout and Design John McDonald Diocese of Birmingham Class of 2007 Photographer Seamus Griesbach Diocese of Portland Class of 2007
DE The Rector’s Corner
PA RT M E NT S
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by Rev. Msgr. Kevin McCoy ‘81, C’86
College Traditions
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House Cassocks by Rev. Mr. Brian Dellaert ’05
Vocation Stories
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“Come and See” by Joshua Waltz ‘07
The Development Office
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by Tricia Lloyd
The Economo’s Corner
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by Rev. Msgr. James Checchio ‘92, C’97
On the cover: First Class at the College, 1859 (top); Diaconate Class of 2005 (bottom)
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Australia Comes to the NAC
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New Students come from “Down Under.” by Joseph Redfern ‘06
Welcome New Faculty
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Rev. Richard Tomasek, SJ, & Rev. Msgr. David Bohr by Aaron Killips ‘07
A Spiritual Reflection on Priesthood For more information about the North American College, or to learn about opportunities for memorial gifts, contact Tricia Lloyd at our Washington, DC Office of Development: Tel: (202) 541-5411 Fax: (202) 722-8804 Email: nac@usccb.org or visit our website at www.pnac.org
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by Rev.Carter Griffin ‘04
Summer Travels
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by Andrew Roza ‘07’
Rev. Paul Murray, OP
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A spiritual education with an “Ange” Professor by Joshua Guillory ‘07
Pastoral Formation Workshop
Seminarians learn to become “Ministers of Empathy”
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by Harold Reeves ‘08
A Pilgrimage to Rome in Honor of Our Lady by Rev. Peter Mitchell
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Diaconate Ordination 2004 Sent Out to Live the Mission
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by Rev. Mr. Adam Park ’05
Ever Ancient, Ever New A Day at the Greg,Then and Now
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by Christopher Roberts ’07
New Men, Old Call New Student Orientation by Kim Shreck ’07
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Antonio’s Barber Shop A Cut Above
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by Rev. Mr. Steve Doktorczyk ’05
Stirring Up the Spirit Students Cook Up Recipes from Home
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by Jay Mello ’07
In Memoriam James Cardinal Hickey 1920-2004
Board of Governors Chairman Most Rev. Edwin F. O’Brien C’76 Archbishop of the Military Services, USA
Vice Chairman Most Rev. Richard E. Pates ’69 Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis
Secretary Most Rev. Patrick J. Zurek ’75 Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio
Treasurer Most Rev. John J. Myers ’67 Archbishop of Newark
Most Rev. Leonard P. Blair ’75, C’78 Bishop of Toledo The North American College community remembers in prayer our beloved former Rector, James Cardinal Hickey, who died on October 24, 2004. Cardinal Hickey was rector of our College from 1969 to 1974 and later was Archbishop of Washington from 1980 to 2000. Our next issue of this magazine will be dedicated in his honor.
Most Rev. Thomas G. Doran ’62, C’78 Bishop of Rockford
His Eminence Edward Cardinal Egan ’58, C’63 Archbishop of New York
Most Rev. Victor B. Galeone ’61 Bishop of St. Augustine
Most Rev. John R. Gaydos ’69
Administration
Bishop of Jefferson City
Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz
Rector
Bishop of Knoxville
Rev. Msgr. Kevin C. McCoy ’81, C’86
Most Rev. William J. Levada ’62, ’69
Vice Rector for Administration
Archbishop of San Francisco
Rev. Msgr. James Checchio ’92, C’97
Vice Rector for Student Life Rev. Peter McGuine ’90
Most Rev. Henry J. Mansell ’63 Archbishop of Hartford
Superior, Casa Santa Maria
Most Rev. Anthony M. Milone ’58
Rev. Msgr. Steven Raica ’95
Bishop of Great Falls-Billings
Director of Development
Most Rev. Michael J. Sheridan C’77
Mrs. Tricia Lloyd
Bishop of Colorado Springs
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“...the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (Jn 10:11) Rev. Msgr. Kevin C. McCoy ’81, C’86 Diocese of Sioux City Rector
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his issue of the North American College magazine will have you looking backward and forward as the men take a glimpse at the experience of their predecessors compared to their lives today. I’m certain you will enjoy the view through their “looking glass.” For me personally, however, the looking backward and forward has collapsed from fifty years ago to a short five or six-year time span. What I mean is this – just this past June, two alumni (both ordained priests in 2002) brought to Rome a pilgrimage group of some forty high school seniors, newly graduated. These young men and women came to Italy not only to experience Italian culture, but also to experience their Catholic faith.
is one thing that no one of us can ignore – namely, that we must always beg the harvest master to send workers to the harvest. Please join me and all at the College in praying for vocations. Encourage young people to consider this most worthy call. God bless you for supporting our ongoing efforts of priestly formation. And, once you have had an opportunity to read this issue of the North American College magazine, pass it along to a friend of yours who may not even know who we are and what we do! A blessed Christmas to you and yours . . .
“...looking backward and forward, this is one thing that no one of us can ignore – namely, that we must always beg the harvest master to send workers to the harvest.” The College’s two recent graduates were men who arrived at the seminary in 1998, which is the same year I joined the College’s faculty. Now these two priests were leading a group of faith-filled young Catholics who enthusiastically participated in daily Mass. What is more, they celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation one afternoon at the seminary. Wholesome, reverent young men and women striving to live lives of holiness. And, dare I say, they are striving for holiness because they have been well-formed by the example of many teachers and family members, but what pleases me is that I know their lives have been touched by the positive influence of priests whose formation occurred in part within the walls of this Pontifical North American College. I am hopeful that two or three of those young pilgrims may respond to Our Lord’s invitation to the priesthood or the religious life. And looking backward and forward, this
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Left to right: Andrew Keswick (Archdiocese of Melbourne, ’07), James McCarthy (Archdiocese of Sydney, ’08), and Nicholas Maurice (Diocese of Lismore, ’08).
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WELCOME MATES! Three Australian students come to the NAC
his year marks the beginning of a new era at the Pontifical North American College. While it is not uncommon to hear seminarians at the College speaking a bit of Italian, Spanish or even Latin, now it is more than likely that on your next visit you will hear such expressions as “G’day mate,” “How’r ya goin?” or “fair-dinkum.” For the first time in the College’s history, there are students studying here for Australian dioceses. Our new Australian seminarians this year are Andrew Keswick (Archdiocese of Melbourne), Nicolas Maurice (Diocese of Lismore) and James McCarthy (Archdiocese of Sydney). How did this happy occurrence come about? In view of the fact that Australia has no college in Rome, George Cardinal Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney, approached Msgr. Kevin McCoy about the possibility of sending seminarians to the North American College. Msgr. McCoy presented this proposal to the Board of Governors, and they welcomed the idea. When I asked Andrew, Stones known as the “Twelve Nicholas and James about Apostles” off the coast of their initial reaction to the Australia. possibility of completing their seminary formation at the College, they were very optimistic. “The NAC has a great deal to offer,” they said. They are very impressed with the students’ and formation team’s fraternal spirit and deep love and commitment toward the Church. The challenges the Church faces in the United States are similar to those faced in Australia, they said. While they could learn a great deal from the challenges that the Church in America faces,
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they added that perhaps the new Australian element will “offer a glimpse at the life of the Church in another part of the world.” This new development would be enriching for the Church. Moreover, they were hopeful that good The Sydney Opera House, friendships formed here at the an internationally recognized College would continue well landmark. into future ministry. When asked if they had any major challenges in settling into the College, they said that while they sometimes had to translate colloquial expressions into other forms so as to be understood by their American companions, for the most part there were none. They said that formation they had received in Australia prior to their arrival resonated well with what they had experienced so far at the College. Moreover, they were quick to identify the common ties between the American spirit and that of their homeland. They look forward to the years ahead as they journey together with their American brothers. As the students at the North American College continue to reflect on the many gifts they have been given and the great tradition they have inherited, they do so with great hope, now alongside the newest members of our community from Australia, who bring with them many gifts of their own.
Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
Joseph Redfern Diocese of La Crosse Class of 2006
Benvenuti Tutti! The College Welcomes New Faculty Members
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his year the North American College welcomes two new faculty members along with all of the New Men. Rev. Msgr. David Bohr and Rev. Richard Tomasek, S.J., come to us with differing backgrounds and a wealth of experience. For Msgr. Bohr, coming here is a bit of a homecoming. He is no stranger to Rome or the North American College; a graduate of the College as a member of the Class of 1972, Msgr. Bohr returned to graduate from the Casa Santa Maria in1977, receiving his S.T.D. in moral theology from the Accademia Alfonsiana. Msgr. Bohr was also here in Rome for his philosophy studies, which he completed at the Roman College. He is a priest from the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and has been helping in the formation of priests for 16 years – the last 14 as rector of St. Pius X Seminary in Dalton, Pennsylvania. He comes back to the North American College as the new Academic Dean. Msgr. Bohr has been involved in priestly formation continuously since 1978, when he was named Director of Continuing Education for Priests in the Scranton diocese. He did that until he joined the faculty of St. Pius X Seminary. He stated upon his arrival at the North American College, “My appointment to the faculty here allows me to continue a ministry I have grown Rev. Msgr. David Bohr to love, in a place I also love. I really enjoy being with seminarians. Their energy and commitment constantly renew my own priestly ministry.” Fr. Tomasek comes to the College as the new Director of Spiritual Formation. He is a priest from the Wisconsin Province of The Society of Jesus, although Msgr. McCoy is quick to point out that Fr. Tomasek, like himself, was born in Iowa. Fr. Tomasek has previously served in a parish, worked as a teacher and retreat master, and for the last eight years has served as the Director of Spiritual Formation at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. Fr. Tomasek said upon beginning his time here, “I am impressed by how well things are done here at the NAC. All is done with professionalism, prayer and genuine human care. The faculty, staff and student body have made it a joy to become part of this community and ministry.” We look forward to having Msgr. Bohr and Fr. Tomasek serve integral roles in the formation of future priests of Jesus Christ. May the Lord abundantly bless both of them and their ministry here in Rome. Rev. Richard Tomasek, S.J.
Aaron Killips Diocese of Savannah Class of 2007
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Diaconate Ordination 2004 Sent Out to Live the Mission
I Above: New deacons bring up the gifts for the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Above right: The assembly gathers In St. Peter’s Basilica before the ordination. Right: Bishop Sartain of Little Rock ordains Adam Park (Washington, ’05).
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have often associated my time in seminary formation with the temptation of Jesus in the desert. This might seem like a strange analogy, but as one reads how “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert” (Lk 4,1), it becomes apparent that we seminarians can relate to his desire to be in solitude with God the Father before venturing forth on his mission. The same Spirit drove us into our own “desert,” in which we desired to seek the face of God and explored the depths of this vocation to priesthood. While in the desert Jesus experienced temptations. We similarly had plenty of moments of temptation during our time in the desert. Whether these were the thoughts of inadequacy, doubt, or even fear, every
Clockwise from top: Bishop Sartain offers the consecratory prayer over the deacons; The deacon candidates listen attentively to the bishop as he questions the elect about their responsibilities and obligations as deacons; Brian Dellaert (Dubuque, ’05) makes his promise of obedience with his hands inside those of the bishop; Msgr. McCoy gives testimony that these men have been found worthy of Holy Orders.
seminarian was tempted at some point to leave the desert prematurely. However, as Jesus rebuked the devil by the truth and goodness of God, we too found courage and perseverance from the grace of God’s call. Jesus was also in the desert for forty days. For a length of time lasting anywhere from four to seven years, each of us spent our own “forty days” in the desert. The difference in years does not suggest that one was more qualified or refined than the other, but it was rather the precise amount of time that God desired for each one of us to be in the seminary, in order for us to be ready for the mission. When his time in the desert was over, Jesus returned to Galilee to preach the Gospel. Jesus was not sent into
the world to remain in the desert, but ultimately to proclaim the love and mercy of God. We too were not called to remain in seminary formation indefinitely. We now find ourselves moving out of the desert to venture forth into the world to live out God’s mission. On the seventh of October, twelve men were ordained to the Order of the Diaconate. Having received this tremendous sacrament, we have been radically transformed to be Christ to this world. We are now responsible to manifest all that we learned in the desert, in an integrated way, through lives that mirror Christ the Servant, who came not to be served but to serve. One can even say that our very lives are nurtured and motivated by this service. WINTER 2 0 0 4 - 0 5
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As we move out of the desert into a life of complete service, we need to make adjustments. As newly ordained deacons, we are beginning to see what it means to live totally in service to God and His people, to preach the Word of God effectively and sincerely, both in our words and by the conduct of our lives, and to serve at the altar with utter reverence before the Holy Sacrifice. Despite the slight trepidation in this new lifestyle, we are all zealously eager to go forth in this mission to proclaim the love and mercy of God. There is great excitement and eagerness to return to the world and serve God and His people, but at the same time, we are fully aware that there will be difficulties and temptations along the way. It will be in those moments that we will find strength by remembering our experience in the desert, when we recall God’s love and His continual grace that sustained us. My brother deacons and I will always be grateful for the abundant gifts that God has given us during our time in seminary, and we excitedly await the many blessings He will bring along our way as we begin our mission.
The Class of 2005 together with His Holiness John Paul II the day before their diaconate ordination.
Rev. Mr. Adam Park Archdiocese of Washington Class of 2005
Msgr. McCoy and the newly ordained deacons distribute Holy Communion.
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Rev. Mr. Daniel Hanley (Arlington, ’05) surrounded by family after the Ordination.
Rev. Mr. Jason Tyler (Little Rock ’05) distributes the Precious Blood during Holy Communion.
Rev. Mr. Joseph Freeman, (San Diego, ’05) distributes the Precious Blood.
Rev. Mr. Steven Doktorzyk (Orange in California, ’05) distributes the Precious Blood.
Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
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Left: Bishop Sartain ordains Steven Doktorzyk. Right and below: Fr. Pierre Paul, OMV, Director of Liturgical Music, leads the College Choir, providing magnificent music for the ordination. Below right: The new deacons process out of the Basilica.
Congratulations to the Class of 2005 Karl Bissinger David Carter Brian Dellaert Stephen Doktorczyk Justin Fish Joseph Freeman Randy Fronek John Gallas Gerald Goodrum Daniel Hanley Eric Hastings Donald Libby Anthony Lonzo Jason Makos Adam Park Robert Poitras Mark Reburiano Mark Steffl Craig Timmerman Jason Tyler William Vit Michael Vuky
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Diocese of Fall River Diocese of Knoxville Diocese of Dubuque Diocese of Orange in California Diocese of Duluth Diocese of San Diego Diocese of Rockford Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Diocese of Galveston-Houston Diocese of Arlington Diocese of Duluth Diocese of Gaylord Diocese of Columbus Archdiocese of Boston Archdiocese of Washington Archdiocese of Boston Archdiocese of San Francisco Diocese of New Ulm Diocese of New Ulm Diocese of Little Rock Diocese of Sioux City Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
REFLECTIONS OF A NEW PRIEST
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s I left for my ordination in Washington, DC, one of the spiritual directors at the North American College reminded me that I was not preparing for a day, but for a lifetime as a priest. It was good advice. Certainly, there is tremendous personal satisfaction in achieving the aim of six years of study and prayer. In that sense, ordination to the priesthood is the end and culmination of a journey. In a deeper sense, however, it is a new beginning. On May 29, with seven other men from my Archdiocese, I finally began my new life as a priest. In the weeks and months leading up to ordination, it was difficult to remain focused. There were many details involved in preparing, organizing, and anticipating the arrival of family and friends. When the day of ordination finally arrived, though, I felt ready and at peace. The ceremony in the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, was splendid; the Mass of Thanksgiving the following day – though I was nervous – was profoundly humbling and moving; and the receptions and luncheons with family and friends were most enjoyable. It truly was a weekend of graces and blessings. The greatest blessing of all, however, was the reality of what had just happened to me. Celebrating Mass on Pentecost Sunday, hearing confessions for the first time, and beginning to assume my new role as a spiritual father and guide, were unforgettable moments in my life. When I stop and reflect on what I am doing, I am overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude and unworthiness, and I remind myself that it is the Lord’s work and the Lord’s will for my life, that He alone will be my strength and my support in the priesthood.
Fr. Griffin preaches at his first Mass.
As the ordination weekend drew to a close, I was eager to begin my new duties as associate pastor at St. Anthony’s church in Northeast Washington. After a brief time of rest, I arrived and began my routine of celebrating daily Mass, visiting the sick, teaching Fr. Griffin celebrates his first Mass. children, and hearing confessions at the nearby Basilica. There is a great desire today for good and faithful preaching, reverent Masses, and gentle confessors. With an earnest desire to sustain my interior life of prayer, I beg God that I may be a good priest. Too often, I think, there is a tendency to focus on the challenges that priests face today; and to be sure, there are plenty. But if my first months are any indication at all, there is also tremendous joy in the priesthood, and great hope for the future. My friend’s advice was right: I was preparing not for a day, but for a lifetime. Now more than ever, and despite all those challenges, it is a life that I would not trade for the world. Rev. Carter Griffin Archdiocese of Washington Class of 2004
Fr. Griffin imparts his priestly blessing.
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W ith My Lord Where He W alked
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ome experiences are truly beyond words; my summer was undoubtedly one of them. My summer included a two-week pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Ignatius’ 30 day Spiritual Exercises. I was fortunate enough to make these Exercises at a place called St. Beuno’s, a beautiful house overlooking the valley of Clwyd in northern Wales. It is safe to say that visiting the very places where Jesus himself trod was an unforgettable experience. Whether walking through the cramped and hectic streets of the Old City of Jerusalem, or sitting peacefully on the shores of the rather small lake known as the Sea of Galilee, one is intensely aware that God Himself chose to inhabit this place. It is unfortunate that there have been so many difficulties in the Holy Land. Nevertheless nearly all of the holy sites remain open, safe, well maintained, and, somewhat eerily, empty. We found ourselves practically alone at some of the most sacred places in the world,
such as the Garden of Gethsemane, and Capernaum, where Peter and Andrew made their living as fishermen. While it was sad that more pilgrims were not visiting these places, the quiet which was present at many of these sites provided us with a special opportunity to immerse ourselves in the mystery of God making Himself present to us in a particular time and place. While certainly all these experiences were special in and of themselves, they became doubly important for me as I embarked upon the Spiritual Exercises the next month. St. Ignatius himself spent a great deal of time in the Holy Land; this is evident in the way he composes his Spiritual Exercises. Ignatius asks the retreatant to “compose the place,” to imagine it and to place oneself in it, using all the senses in the process. Having seen so many of the locations cited in Scripture, placing myself inside of the Gospel accounts felt almost natural. The demands that Ignatius places upon one who makes the Spiritual Exercises are many. The retreatant is
“It forced me to face up to what I really am, a person whose every action, good or bad, is in relation to Christ.”
Andy Roza stands under an olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane.
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Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
expected to pray five hours a day, remaining in silence throughout, with the exception of some time spent speaking with a director. The silence, while at times difficult, was also very instructive. It forced me to face up to what I really am, a person whose every action, good or bad, is in relation to Christ. There is, after all, only one thing in our lives that is guaranteed neither to end nor to be interrupted, and that is our relationship with our Creator. In those 30 days, stripped from televisions, computers, and all else that normally serves to entertain me, I was better able to see what God wants for my life: the joy and peace that can come only through selfoffering to Him, and self-sacrifice for others. The experiences of this summer will have an impact upon the rest of my life, and on the lives of all those I will serve in the future. There is only one adequate response to such lavish generosity, and that is gratitude. I look forward to living the Gospel in a renewed way, both in my time of formation here at the College, and in the future when I am back home in the United States. Andrew Roza Class of 2007 Archdiocese of Omaha
A traditional view of the holy city of Jerusalem as seen from outside the walls.
Sunset overlooking the Clwyd Valley and St. Beuno’s Ignatian Spirituality Center.
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A DAY AT THE GREGORIAN, THEN AND NOW Thinking Back, Looking Forward: Theologians in Training
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ince the founding of the Gregorian, the currents of Catholic theology have remained the same, and thuse the university today closely resembles its 16th century ancestor.
The language of instruction, as it had always been, was Latin – the mother tongue of the Church in the West. This was the language of the sacred liturgy and the great masters Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. Examinations were oral and likewise in Latin. Just as the Church had come of age speaking Latin, so the The above was the observation of a North seminarian was expected to mature in theological study American College student a little under fifty years ago using the Latin language. Today’s student attends his when writing for the predecessor to this magazine, lectures in Italian, and is able to take oral exams in any Roman Echoes. In those halcyon days of the fifties when tradition was not often challenged, it was natural to have great respect for the centuries-old pedagogy of the Gregorian University.
Top Left: The “Aula Magna” at the Gregorian, ca. 1959. Above Left: Fr.Timothy Zapelena, S.J., teaches at the Gregorian in 1959. Above Right: Fr. Scott Brodeur, S.J., uses “power point technology” in the ancient aula of the Gregorian University.
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Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
Above: Students scratch out notes in Latin during a lecture ca. 1910. Above Right: Today, students use efficient laptops in the same lecture hall, which is now equipped with wireless Internet.
of the six official languages of the Gregorian – English, Spanish, Italian, German, French, or Portuguese. Each morning, the Roman seminarians of decades past descended on the Gregorian from their respective colleges. Due to the distance from the Janiculum Hill to the Gregorian, men of the North American College came together by a special bus. Upon arrival, the American seminarians joined others from all over the Catholic world. Despite their diverse countries of origin, there was a striking uniformity of appearance among the seminarians. Each wore a cassock and black shoes. Every one of them seemed to go to the same barber. One by one they marched to their assigned sections in the aula for class and sat down at attention with notepad and pen in hand. Today, men of the College who study at the “Greg� are on their own getting to and from class. Some elect to walk, others take a municipal bus, and the more adventurous buy
Right: Students at the Gregorian from all over the world await the start of class. A class at the Gregorian ca. 1890.
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a motorino and try to navigate the Roman traffic. A clerical shirt and black pants have replaced the cassock as class attire. While there are seminarians who still use a notepad and pen to take notes, more and more use laptop computers and Palm Pilots. Students with laptops can even check their email during breaks between lectures! Then, just as today, academic work did not end after pranzo. Today the men may have a theology seminar or will spend time in private study. Fifty years ago, in the afternoons, a member of the faculty who attended the lectures would summarize the lectures in English so that the men could be sure that they understood each professor’s particular way of speaking and pronouncing Latin. Students spent private study time either reading Latin sources or textbooks, reviewing their class notes, or practicing Latin with a classmate in order to prepare for oral exams. Seminarians did the first two in their own sparsely decorated rooms; the last had to be done in a public space because the men were forbidden to enter one another’s rooms. Such an academic environment had the advantage of hundreds of years of mystique behind it. Hundreds of popes, bishops and saints were products of this very Gregorian system. One can only imagine the chills that went up and down the spines of the young men as they sat down for their first class after having been told of those who had gone before them. And today this is much the same, as the men, now studying in Italian, reflect on the hard work and accomplishments undertaken by their predecessors. Without a doubt, knowing this helps the men today, as it did for their forebears, to see their daily struggles as the light burden of the sweet yoke of Christ. While the pedagogy at the Gregorian has changed somewhat in the last fifty years, students today still cannot help but feel that they stand on the sure foundation of the men who went before them.
Christopher Roberts Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana Class of 2007
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Above: Between classes, students discuss some of the finer points of the lecture.
Above: After class, students gather to ask Fr. Pie-Ninot questions and clarifications.
Above: Alejandro del Toro, (’07, Rockford) chats with his classmates, including religious women, who in previous years, were not present in theology classes at the Gregorian.
Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
Priest and Poet A Chat with Fr. Paul Murray, O.P. is class on spiritual theology is more like a series of spiritual conferences, according to many of the students who have taken Fr. Paul Murray’s classes. A priest for over 30 years, this Irish Dominican has been teaching at the Angelicum for the past 11 years. Here are some of the thoughts of this priest, poet, and pastor of souls, on the priesthood and on the spiritual treasures of the Church.
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Q: Father, what shape do you think priesthood will take in the future? A: At present, priests are asked to be almost too many things: counselors, social workers, psychologists, administrators. But what will matter most, in the future, is a recovery of the sacred role of the priest and of his role as preacher. Of course, priests must remain good counselors and administrators. But what the people need most from us is that we have living knowledge of God. They need for us to be able to speak of God and of God’s nature.
Joshua Guillory Diocese of Lafayette Class of 2007
about what Von Balthasar called the greatest disaster in the history of the Church: the split between theology and devotion. In their lives, there is no divide between theology and devotion, between spirituality and faith. We can look back to the Church’s spiritual tradition to learn how to bridge this gap.
Q: Any saints in particular come to mind? A: Catherine of Siena, who is almost O Hidden God! my favorite saint, says that God allows Not the slow drum beating the humiliations that priests someIn the heart, the music times endure to help them be compasIn the blood. Not step by step sionate and not cruel toward the weak Led forward through the dark and suffering. She well understood Palpable medium of the senses. what Cardinal Newman meant when And yet, at the beginning notes he said that the priest who has not sufOf truth, when at last the tired fered will be inclined, when preaching, Dislocated strings of the spirit to speak only about himself. I also Have been wound back into place, A new stroke of rhythm, a new music admire St. Thomas Aquinas. In his work he shows how we can stay close Begins to quicken in my pulse, to the fundamentals of our faith withBegins to waken out of sloth out becoming fundamentalist. I am To a lover’s discipline Both my disjointed sense and thought also attracted by the little saints, Until, with no other guide, especially Bernadette. It was at No other plan except that inner throb Lourdes, incidentally, that I found my And cadence in my blood, I am drawn vocation to priesthood.
Q: What about the great spiritual Out into the darkness towards You. authors and saints in the Church? Fr. Paul Murray, O.P. Q: How does being a poet help you to A: At core, they are wonderful preachers of the Gospel who have found see the sacred nature of things? words to tell us what God is like. Their A: Beauty is the most ordinary way that lives bear witness not only to the beauGod draws us to himself. Compunction ty and goodness of God, but also to the is that moment wherein God touches beauty and mystery of the Church. and wakens us to his presence. We need Thus, despite all St. Teresa of Avila sufto name this moment for our people, to fered in the Church, with her last give them a vocabulary to help them breath she exclaimed: “Thank God I believe in the reality of God’s grace in am dying a daughter of the Church!” their lives. The preacher does this in one The saints help us understand that, for way, the poet in another. Of course, you living faith, we need both hard-headed don’t have to be a poet to be pierced thinking and a profound and simple through by the beauty of God. Fr. Paul Murray, O.P faith. They also have much to teach us WINTER 2 0 0 4 - 0 5
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Orientation 2004 A New Journey Guided by Those of the Past
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his fall the North American College community welcomed 44 New Men to their new home here in Rome. These new brothers arrive from over 30 dioceses across the United States and, for the first time, Australia. While the transition for the New Men to the College may be daunting, the hospitality offered to them by the residents of the College, and the tremendous opportunities available to them in the spiritual and historic surroundings of Rome, make them feel very welcome. While these men leave family, friends, and familiarity to cleave to Christ and His Church in her city, they do so on her terms. Rome holds a new culture,
The usual confusion ensues as new seminarians wait for their bags at the airport.
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people, language, and a way of doing and not doing things. Through the transition of these first days, the words of the prophet Jeremiah are particularly consoling: “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope.” For these new brothers, life at the College and in Rome challenges them to experience Christ’s plan of love and hope. During the two week period of orientation, the men had the opportunity to hope and pray with the Church in all of her splendor and simplicity. Their first opportunity was Mass with Peter, at his Basilica beside his bones, followed shortly thereafter by a visit to Peter’s
The New Men are welcomed as they enter the Immaculate Conception Chapel for the first time.
Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
The Class of 2008 outside of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Left to Right: His Holiness John Paul II at Castel Gandolfo; The Rector and seminarians pray the Angelus with the Holy Father; Seminarians listen to the greeting of the Holy Father for the New Men.
successor, John Paul II, at Castel Gandolfo for the Sunday Angelus. This rooted the brothers in the Roman soil nourished by the blood of the Prince of the Apostles, and reminded them that shepherding is a sacrifice. Later the men were able to spend a weekend in Assisi, in the dust of Francis and Clare, breathing in the air of peace which instilled in them the need to recognize their poverty before Christ. To honor our American roots, and to keep them united to those whom they desire to serve, they marked September 11 by celebrating Mass at the World War II military cemetery in Nettuno. Orientation concluded with a pilgrimage of prayer to the founder of the College, Blessed Pope Pius IX, and for one of the College’s seminarians, Servant of God Frank Parater. These men of the past reminded those of the present that they are not alone in this new stage of their discernment.
Under her title of Our Lady of Humility, Mary extends her mantle of protection over these new brothers, not just during the days of orientation, but throughout their time in Rome. As patroness of the College, she stands as a reminder to them of that humility which is central to Christ’s plan of hope for them. These men have boldly responded to the invitation of Christ’s plan for their lives. They ask for your prayers and love as they continue to embrace His plan, and as they pray for you whose support has made this time of transition such a tremendous gift.
Kim J. Schreck, Diocese of Pittsburgh & Daniel Waldeck, Archdiocese of Denver Class of 2007
Left: New seminarians celebrate Mass at the Casa Santa Maria. Above and Right: New Men and the Orientation Team celebrate Mass and offer prayers at the American military cemetery at Nettuno on September 11.
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The College Welcomes the New Men New seminarians gather to pray in the Church of San Lorenzo Fuori le Mure, where Blessed Pope Pius IX, founder of the College, is buried.
John Peck, III (Greensburg), Andrew Keswick (Melbourne), Robert Lampitt (Peoria), Brandon Allison (Springfield, IL), Jesse Zyskowski (Scranton), Nicholas Maurice (Lismore)
Justin Kizewski (La Crosse), Jonathan Reardon (Springfield), David Stecher (Kansas City, KS), Nicholas Argentieri (Pittsburgh), Paul Fasano (Rockford), Gabriel Acu単a (Chicago), Dylan Corbett (Providence)
Mark Glover (Springfield), Albert Marcello, III (Providence), Ryan Moravitz (Duluth), Thomas Niehaus (Winona), Mark Milbocker (Altoona-Johnstown), Michael Vanek, (Omaha)
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Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
David Thurber (Providence), Samuel Kachuba (Bridgeport), Benjamin Sember (Green Bay), Jason Parzynski (Lansing), Michael Brummond (Green Bay), Ernest Cibelli (Baltimore), Gregory Loughney (Scranton)
Joseph Previtali (San Francisco), James McCarthy (Sydney), Joseph Freedy (Pittsburgh), Ronnie Floyd (Fall River), Steven Titus (Cheyenne), Liam O’Mara (Omaha)
Joshua Ehli (Bismarck), Theodore Lange (Portland, OR), Franz Klein (La Crosse), Kevin Regan (Washington), Vincent DeRosa (Washington), Jeremy Rodrigues (Providence)
Shane Deman (Sioux City), John Gordon, III (Madison), David Brown (Arlington), Joel Sember (Green Bay), Patrick Riffle (Washington), Nicholas Dudo (Camden)
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ANTONIO’S BARBER SHOP A Cut Above
The two “Antonii” enjoy a little break together
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he year was 1958. Antonio Fulciniti, having recently arrived in Rome from Calabria, began working at a barbershop just west of Piazza Navona in Rome. At first he worked as a barber’s helper and was responsible for the upkeep of the shop. When the owner retired a few years later,the “first Antonio” began cutting hair. “Antonio Number 2,” as he has come to be known, had worked a few years as a barber in Naples. After serving in the military, he moved to Rome in 1970. Antonio Palmieri then began cutting hair with the first Antonio, in this barbershop along the Greg Route. Since his arrival, businesses would come and go, but the Antonii and their barbershop, known simply as Antonio’s, hung in there, keeping a steady stream of clients. Being in business together for over thirty years may not be that uncommon. But for priests, religious and seminarians, frequenting Antonio’s is a tradition in itself. Since the average seminarian spends four to five years studying in Rome, it is a good thing for the two Antonio’s that word of mouth advertising goes a long way. To this day, new priests and seminarians continue the tradition of patronizing Antonio’s . Antonio Palmieri has fond memories of his relationship with seminarians from the North American College. He joyfully reminisces about the bantering that has taken place between them and the seminarians. Once a videocassette of the New Man vs. Old Man football game was brought to the shop for everyone’s enjoyment. The elder Antonio rooted for the Old Men while the junior rooted for the New Men. They will also cut your hair any way you like it. One popular way is con macchina or with an electric razor. They are pretty talented with the scissors as
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well. The barbers are very patient, knowing that our Italian is limited. Antonio Number 2 is very satisfied as a barber. He enjoys socializing, hearing what is going in people’s lives (“like a priest does”), saying hello to the people who walk by and listening to the radio. He points out that while seminarians, priests and religious make up a fair amount of their business, artists, mechanics and poets are also regular clients. Stefano Fulciniti, son of the first Antonio, joined the business about two years ago. For many years, he cut women’s hair at another shop. He came on board when an area was added on to accommodate the styling needs of women, but he is qualified to serve the fashion needs of all. Like all good things that must come to an end, the Antonios are no exception. On February 22, 2004 the first Antonio passed away. It was a sad time for all of us. Some priests here offered Masses for the repose of his soul. Now his son Stefano will try to carry on the tradition. As long as Antonio’s is in business, they can count on loyal patronage from priests and seminarians of our College.
Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
Steve Doktorzyk gets a cut from Antonio Palmieri and Stefano Fulciniti. Stephen Doktorczyk Diocese of Orange Class of 2005
AN ALUMNUS SPEAKS... Everyday Joys
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ollowing my ordination, the first “priestly” act I that the best part of my job was “the people that I got did was to gather with my family and give my to work with” and the worst part was “the people that mother the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. I had to work with.” That still holds true in the She would die three weeks later. priestly ministry, but there is a greater depth and One may wonder why I would richness now. It is a richness that was choose to begin an article about the I am able to share the things always there, but is much enhanced joys of being a priest with that which are closest to me – now that I am able to share with othmemory, but for me it was not a Christ in the sacraments. ers the things that are closest to me – tragic event. My mom’s passing was Christ in the sacraments. Recently, a parishioner asked me if I thought that I heartbreaking, but because I was a priest, I was not powerless in the face of her cancer. It is true that I would still be so conservative if I had gone to a could not cure her, but I could bring the presence of seminary other than the North American College. God to her during that time of trial and help prepare “Going to Rome,” I explained, “has had nothing to do her and my family for her passing from this life to the with me being conservative, liberal, orthodox or anything else.” Yes, being able to visit the ancient next. More than anything churches, where so many heroically holy people have else, that is what my worshiped, did affect me. Yes, being able to study with priesthood has been like, and under some of the most brilliant people I have ever known has influenced me. Yes, personally witnessing bringing and finding God’s the Holy Father and how he has led the Church has presence in everyday life – in inspired me, but that has not had the effect that of the people I serve as of slanting my ministry in a particular political well as in my own. It is a life direction. Rather, it underscores full of laughs and jokes, for me how my priesthood stands accidents and errors, accom- upon the shoulders of the giants Fr. Pelzel’s mother at his plishments and failures. How who have passed the faith on to us, ordination. can you describe to anyone the how fortunate I have been, and sheer awe you experience when you witness the trans- how staggeringly much God loves formations that take place in the lives of the faithful? us. W ith a heritage like that, the There is the elation of standing at the altar, pronounc- future will be nothing less than ing the words of consecration and knowing that God is wonderful. It is a future full of present. There is also the laughing until it hurts, when hope and rich with promise. you get together with your classmates and relive both Fr. Pelzel distributes the colorful events we enjoyed while living at the Communion in his home parish. College and the bumblings, gaffes and blunders we have committed since then. My priesthood has been at times everything that I Rev.Bradley C. Pelzel hoped it would be and, at other times, everything I Diocese of Sioux City feared. When I worked in the restaurant business prior Class of 2002 to my entrance into the seminary, I would tell people WINTER 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5 23
C O L L E G E T RA D IT I O N S “I received from the Lord what I handed down to you...” (1 Cor 11:23)
House Cassocks hen people today flip through the class photographs of alumni outside the Red Room, they notice hundreds of seminarians in years past wearing the distinctive house cassocks of the College. These house cassocks are as old as the College itself. Their colors were selected to look patriotic with the red, white, and blue. Furthermore, as Robert McNamara notes in his book on the history of the College, the colors also had religious significance; the black cassock represented humility, the blue trim and buttons recalled devotion to the Immaculate Virgin, and the red sash stood for redemption. While some speculate that the design of the cassock came from Bernini himself, it is more certain that the design comes from the house cassock of the College of the Propaganda Fide, attended by seminarians from missionary countries. Some American seminarians studied there before our own College was founded and probably adopted the design of their house cassock. Because each national college in Rome had its own unique seminarian cassock, the cassock became an important source of identity for seminarians studying here. Over the last forty years the use of house cassocks in Rome decreased and, in some cases, disappeared altogether. Only a dozen of the North American College’s original house cassocks remained, and they were not in very good condition. For several years only the Masters of Ceremonies were able to wear them during solemn feasts. Last year at one of the College’s liturgical celebrations, Archbishop Daniel Cronin noticed one of the Masters of
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Seminarians in house cassocks buy chocolate and Vatican stamps and exchange money at the student lounge in 1959.
Ceremonies wearing the old house cassock. After speaking to the Rector, he made a very generous personal gift to have new house cassocks made, ensuring their use for years to come. The College arranged for a tailor to make thirty new house cassocks to be used more frequently in the ceremonial and liturgical life of the College. Already we have been able to use our uniform for special events, such as Cardinal Edmund Szoka’s 50th Anniversary of priestly ordination and the Pallium celebrations on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. Many of those in attendance shared their delight that the seminarians were once again wearing these cassocks. The first twelve seminarians of the North American College wore their brand new house cassocks on the day of the Inauguration of the college in 1859. Now, nearly 150 years later, the current seminarians of the College gratefully acknowledge that, through the generosity of Archbishop Cronin, they will be able to make this tradition a part of the life of the College once again. With this gift our identity will no longer be memorialized only in photographs, but will also have a place in our living memories for many years to come.
Compare the house cassock circa 1959 (left) to today’s house cassock, as worn by Ryan Bredemeyer (Peoria, ’07).
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Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
Rev. Mr. Brian Dellaert Archdiocese of Dubuque Class of 2005
Ministers of Empathy The Daunting Yet Rewarding Task Facing Future Priests
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n older man has lost his wife of 45 years, and is and a Ph.D. in Pastoral Counseling and Psychology from finding it hard to go on living. A middle aged Loyola College in Baltimore, as well as an S.T.L. from parishioner cannot understand why his wife of 6 the University of Louvain. He began teaching pastoral years has suddenly decided to walk out on him. The son counseling in 1998 at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, of two of the parish’s extraordinary ministers has where he was an adjunct in residence. Before coming to developed a problem with alcoholism. the North American College, Father Ross was on faculty The seminarian knows that these are situations he at St. Francis de Sales Seminary in his home diocese six is almost certain to encounter in ministry. People come years, the last two years spent as vice-rector. to their priests with problems that are often deeply Father Ross began each day with a series of lectures, personal and intensely painful. They come expecting introducing the men to the topic of the day. These understanding. They come expecting explanations. They lectures reviewed the variety of pastoral counseling come hoping to hear the voice of Jesus speaking to their models that have been proposed by Catholic psychololives. The prospect can be daunting. For while the gists. They reviewed the wrong and right ways to ask academic formation the seminarian receives has given probing questions of those who come for counseling, him knowledge of the Faith, these situations call for introduced the topics of counseling the victims of sexual something more – the ability to abuse, and explained the right understand the things that and wrong ways to reach out to a They come hoping to hear the voice people are not necessarily saying, person contemplating suicide. o f Je s u s s p e a k i n g t o t h e i r l i v e s . to reach out to people who are The heart of the workshop, hurting, and to comfort and however, was to be found in the guide them through their darkest times. opportunity for role playing. The men took the parts To meet the needs of the future priests currently of both parishioners and priests. Father Ross provided in formation, the North American College offers an some scenarios, but in the majority of cases, the annual pastoral counseling workshop each fall. The seminarians were allowed to play the parts of people workshop, which meets for six hours a day over whom they had encountered during their summer parish the course of a week, aims to foster empathetic assignments or before entering the seminary. The result communication skills and to introduce the seminarian to was an opportunity to reflect on real life experience, the unique counseling difficulties that are presented by while at the same time sharing that experience and the the elderly, the young, the bereaved, and many other lessons learned therefrom with the entire class. categories of persons. The workshop also teaches the As a result of the workshop, the seminarians of the seminarian the importance of defining and respecting North American College now stand better prepared to appropriate personal boundaries with parishioners and meet the challenges of parish ministries and to serve the parish employees. needs of their communities in the 21st century. This year, the responsibility of introducing the 39 men of the class of 2006 to the art of pastoral counseling fell to Father Ross Shecterle. A priest of the Archdiocese Harold Reeves of Milwaukee since 1986, Father Ross holds an M.A. Archdiocese of Washington Class of 2006
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“...come after me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mt 5:19)
“Come and See” “What do you want?” “To know what will bring me happiness, Lord.” “Come and see!” (Jn 1:38-39).
cow, this was pretty spectacular. My faith grew exponentially during my nine-day pilgrimage, as we visited the holy sites of the Eternal City. The vision of priesthood did not seem so strange anymore. knew the Lord would show me the happiness I was After supper one night it was announced that two seeking, but I was afraid of what that happiness students from our group of 33 would meet the Holy entailed. As in all things, He took the initiative. Father the next morning, because our Bishop was in At the beginning of my senior year of high school, two Rome for his ad limina visit. All of our names were determined priests were brought on staff to teach placed in a hat, and two were picked. Before the first religion. I had always dreaded religion class until that name came out, I said a little prayer in my heart: “Lord, year, when these two priests laid the rock foundation of my vocation. They saw something in me that I had never seen, and day after day they would remind me of what they saw. “You decided to join the ranks yet Waltzy?” they would ask. Day after day I would respond, “Yeah, that’s pretty funny, Father!” and would laugh as I walked away. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, a great schism in my heart had begun. The two priests decided to organize a trip to Rome after our graduation that year. My mother, who has never ceased praying for my vocation to the priesthood, thought this would be a wonderful chance for me to Above: Joshua Waltz meets the Holy Father after his graduation from high school. experience the Faith. I decided to go, first because I loved to travel, second because a couple of my friends would be on the trip, and third, because the drinking age in if You will that I should be a priest, pick my name.” I Italy was sixteen! Little did I know what awaited me breathed a sigh of relief as the first name was across the ocean! picked…only to choke on that sigh as my name was drawn next. Upon returning home I decided that in the little As I knelt in silence and tears, I heard in my prayer I had uttered that night before meeting the Holy Father, I had never asked “when” I should be a priest, heart, “Do not be afraid...come and see!” only “if ” I should be a priest. God fortunately does not give up as easily as we do. As I walked into St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time, My college years slipped away quickly as did my faith. I nearly fell over. I had never seen anything so amazing. On summer break of my junior year, I visited my old reliBeing from small-town North Dakota, where the biggest gion teacher. We talked at length about my life and what building we have is the state capitol and art is centered was to become of it. His only remark was, “Say three Hail around who can build the biggest life-like model of a Marys every day and Our Lady will do the rest.”
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Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
Over the last year of college, I moved into a house with three of my best friends, and started dating a wonderful girl. It seemed as though the three roses I gave to Mary each night were weaving a beautiful crown of the married life, but Our Blessed Lady had something else in mind. I was ready to graduate, yet I had found no peace in my soul. With everything going right in my life, why was everything wrong? All of this unrest finally knocked me off my horse, bringing me to my knees before Our Lord at St. Paul’s Newman Center in Fargo. I realized that I could run no longer from such a wonderful invitation. As I knelt in silence and tears, I heard in my heart, “Do not be afraid…come and see!” I thank Jesus as often as I can for such a wonderful calling. Do I miss the days of my past? Sometimes, but Jesus has given me so much more as he promised he would (Lk 18:28-30). I continue to follow our Blessed Mother, for she has gotten me this far, back to the place where it all began…Rome sweet home!!!
Joshua Waltz Class of 2007 Diocese of Bismarck
Clockwise from top: Joshua and his brother (also a seminarian) enjoy sweets with Kenyan seminarians. Joshua (r) and his brother with villagers during their summer apostolic work in Kenya. Joshua (r) and his brother stand at the edge of the Sea of Galilee during a recent trip to the Holy Land. Joshua (l) chats with Fr. Gonzalez, professor of Christology at the Angelicum. Joshua (middle) at the Angelicum with friends and classmates Sr. Shenaz Bhatti, and Sr. Zarina Hadyat, Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne Antide Thouret from Pakistan.
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Basta with the Pasta! American Seminarians Whip Up Comfort Food from Home
Surrounded by hungry seminarians, Jay Mello (Fall River, ’07), and Aaron Killips (Savannah, ’07), grill up some chicken.
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t is not that the men of the North American College do not like or appreciate the wonderful Italian cuisine that is prepared for them daily, for who would complain about the Spaghetti Carbonara or Amatriciana? But I think there comes a point in every man’s time at the College when he says, “Basta with the pasta! Where’s the beef?” This sentiment is usually followed by a group of men heading to the Hard Rock Café, or for others, up to the fifth floor student kitchen. A few years ago the fifth floor roof on the convent wing of the college was renovated to provide students with a fully operational kitchen where they can enjoy fellowship as well as the culinary talents of fellow students. The kitchen is large enough for a class dinner, yet also provides a smaller setting for groups of only four or five. In the warmer months the adjacent rooftop allows for an American style cookout.The grill and charcoal are rolled out, the chicken marinated, the steaks seasoned and the sweet corn shucked, providing all with the sweet memories of their American homeland. The unique dynamic of the North American College is that, unlike most American seminaries, we have men from all over the United States, Central America, Canada, and, starting this year, Australia as well. This cultural dynamic not only allows for the sharing of ecclesial experiences but also different culinary trends. As a New Englander, I can prepare one heck of a clam chowder or lobster, but I cannot begin to compare my cooking to John McDonald’s southern fried chicken, Zack Weber’s Cincinnati Skyline chili or Joe Shimek’s Midwest mashed potatoes.
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Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
It is certainly a great joy to share the fruits of another’s culinary talents, but perhaps the greatest joy that comes from the fifth floor kitchen is the brotherhood that is created in working together. It is as the Psalmist says, “How good it is when brothers dwell in unity, it is like oil on the head, running down upon the beard of Aaron, upon the collar of his robe” (Ps 133). How pleasurable it must be in the eyes of our Lord, when he looks upon his sons taking a break from their busy schedules of formation, academics and prayer to share a meal together and give thanks to God for all the many blessings in their life. While all are not given a talent in the area of cooking or baking, there is work for everyone at a class or hall dinner. Whether it be setting up tables or silverware, chopping onions or garlic, or even washing dishes, everyone plays a part in the fellowship we experience in the fifth floor kitchen. Jay Mello Diocese of Fall River Class of 2007
Clockwise from top: Edison Tayag (Rochester, ’07), Jesse Zyskowski (Scranton, ’07), and Joseph Shimek (Milwaukee, ’07) keep things in order as the cooking starts. John McDonald, (Birmingham, ’07) “stirs the pot” after seasoning up his red beans. Joseph Shimek performs a taste test to make sure everything is “fit to eat,” while Josh Waltz (Bismarck, ’07) gets a jump start on the cleanup. Finally, the entire Second Theology Class sits down to enjoy a meal together in fraternity and community.
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A PILGRIMAGE TO ROME IN HONOR OF OUR LADY
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n December 8 the North American College, as well as the entire Catholic world, celebrated the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, in which Blessed Pope Pius IX, the founder of our College, declared infallibly that the Blessed Virgin Mary was “from the first moment of her conception ... preserved immune from all stain of original sin.” Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is the patroness of this College, which officially opened on the fifth anniversary of Pius IX’s declaration: December 8, 1859. We here at the College celebrated this grand anniversary with joy, through beautiful liturgies, prayer, and talks about our Blessed Mother delivered by faculty. Fr. Peter Mitchell invites us to see this great event of 1854, through the eyes of the fourth bishop of Philadelphia, Saint John Neumann, one of the founding American bishops of the North American College. Bishop Neumann was invited by Blessed Pius IX to come to Rome in 1854 for the proclamation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Upon receiving this invitation, Neumann was greatly excited, not only because he would be visiting the Vicar of Christ and the tombs of the Apostles, but also because his trip across the Atlantic would give him the opportunity of visiting his family and homeland as well. His eighty-year-old father was still living in Prachatitz, Bohemia (the present Czech Republic). He had not been home since he had left to come to America twenty years earlier. First arriving in Rome, he stayed at the house of his fellow Redemptorists for two months. While in Rome, Bishop Neumann wore only his plain Redemptorist habit. He frequently visited the four major basilicas as well as the other shrines of Rome, blending into the crowd of simple pilgrims. It was only at the four-day consistory in December that he wore his full episcopal regalia, attending the solemn definition of the
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Immaculate Conception in St. Peter’s Basilica with 53 cardinals and numerous other bishops. On December 8, 1854, he wrote to a friend, “I thank God He allowed me to see this day in Rome.” From Rome, Bishop Neumann made his way home to his beloved Prachatitz. Despite Neumann’s objections, the bishop of Budweis insisted that Neumann ride home in his episcopal sleigh (it was January), and so the town’s famous son arrived home amidst fanfare and acclamation. He was joyfully reunited with family and friends. The highlights of his visit were the daily Masses he celebrated each day in the parish church where he was baptized. With thanksgiving to God, knowing he would never return home again, Bishop Neumann received these days with his family as a beautiful and unrepeatable grace. Bishop Neumann returned to the United States on March 27, 1855. Wherever he travelled in Europe, he begged people for their prayers for the mission in America, and told them of the desperate need for priests in the United States. May we follow Saint John Neumann’s example by praying for priests, invoking the aid of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, and visiting the tombs of the apostles here in Rome as often and as devoutly as we can.
Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
Rev. Peter Mitchell Diocese of Lincoln Casa Santa Maria
St. John Neumann
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“He is like a man building a house...upon rock” (Lk 6:48)
Bringing a Bit of Rome to the Nation’s Capital The Third Annual Umilta Awards were held on Saturday, November 13th at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. This year’s honorees were Rev. Msgr. Roger Roensch ’58, Director of the Bishops’ Office for U.S. Visitors to the Vatican, and H.E. Ambassador James Nicholson, United States Ambassador to the Holy See, and his wife, Suzanne. Supporters throughout the United States joined Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, Chairman of the Board of Governors, and Msgr. Kevin McCoy, Rector, and our alumni priests. This event was on the eve of the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops so that our alumni bishops could share in the festivities. Msgr. Roensch is fond of pointing out to the many people he has assisted in Rome at the Visitor’s Office that “Catholics should see a visit to the Holy See not as tourists, but as pilgrims.” He was ordained in 1958 and, after thirteen years of ministry, traveled back to Rome to assist the College’s administration in promoting the College’s mission through financial development. Eleven years later, he was transferred to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Washington, D.C., where he has helped countless pilgrims over the years. The College is proud to honor this beloved alumnus and avid supporter of his alma mater and knows that there is much work ahead for him to do in Rome. Rev. Msgr. Roger Roensch and Rev. Ambassador Nicholson, Msgr Kevin McCoy a native of Iowa born during the Great Depression, is a graduate of West Point, serving eight years as an Army Ranger and paratrooper, 22 years in the Army Reserve, as well as being awarded the Bronze Star Medal and several other awards as a Ranger in Vietnam. Suzanne, his wife, a talented artist, has always been an important part of her husband’s career. This career
has included practicing law, founding Nicholson Enterprises, Inc. (a developer of master-planned residential communities), and serving as Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Since then he has organized an international conference to combat human trafficking and has become a forceful advocate for human rights and American humanitarian concerns worldwide. In November 2002, he published The United States and the Holy See – The Long Road, his first Rev. Msgr. McCoy with Ambassador and Mrs. Nicholson book. It is a history of the diplomatic relationship between the United States and the Vatican from 1788 to the present. Suzanne has prepared her own book, which showcases the artwork in the Embassy of the United States to the Holy See. Both Ambassador and Mrs. Nicholson have been good friends of the College since their arrival in Rome, helping it to celebrate many special occasions. For the past three years, Ambassador Nicholson has faithfully joined our seminarians and priests every morning for 7:10 am Mass during Lent at the forty Station Churches. The College is grateful for the friendship of Ambassador and Mrs. Nicholson. Msgr. McCoy hopes that they think of the College as their second home. He is proud to honor them with this award. Everyone enjoyed an incredible Italian feast and felt as though a bit of Rome was brought to the nation’s capital for the night. Please let the Development Office know if you would like an invitation to join in next year’s U.S. celebration.
Tricia Lloyd Director of Development 202-541-5411 WINTER 2 0 0 4 - 0 5
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“Cleverly done! You too are an industrious and reliable servant” (Mt 25:23)
Meeting the Challenge of Communication
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ne of the priests I used to work with was fond of telling his staff and other priests, with regard to communicating with one another in a parish or the diocese, “When you think you are communicating enough, you probably have to double your efforts.” The Pontifical North American College has these words in mind, too. Not only are we striving to communicate well with one another, but we are also constantly trying to share with others the good news about our College. This magazine itself has developed beautifully over the years and is certainly now a first rate publication. There are many who are grateful to the students who contribute articles regularly and who work so hard to ready it for printing and mailing. We often receive notes
...we are constantly trying to share with others the good news about our College. and letters from readers who send along words of support along with their donations to cover the magazine’s expense. It is always encouraging to hear such positive feedback and, of course, to receive a financial contribution, too! The readers and supporters of the College back in the United States seem particularly to enjoy the articles which detail the daily life of seminarians here in Rome. On another communications front, a few years ago, a couple of our students decided that the Pontifical North American College should have a web site to call its own. They started one on their own, along with what support the College could give at the time. What a great service the web site is to the College, the students, and other people who want to share in our life in an interactive manner. Now the time has come to make it even better. One of our second year men, Seamus Griesbach of the Diocese of Portland in Maine, has taken it upon
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himself to update the web site with new, userfriendly features and an improved on-screen look. He told me that his goal was “to try to give an accurate portrayal of the College online, so that what we are is conveyed online.” This is not an easy task, but one that he is striving hard to attain. The faculty and staff of the College have even begun using the web-site for in-house tasks, as well. Beginning in November, the web site can be viewed at www.pnac.org Another updated area of communications is our telephone system. Our IT director told me that the College’s telephone system truly needed a new “brain” but that we could keep the same external body. The new system, which was installed over the summer and into the fall, provides digital equipment, as well as a less expensive provider for making telephone calls and a much reduced expense for yearly maintenance. Within a couple of years, the new system will have paid for itself. Of course, a kind benefactor is also being sought out to help us along and to allow us to use those saved funds elsewhere! While the old system was an improvement over the previous one, the new one is even better and allows both our campuses to be linked together. It eliminates the necessity of an outside line to telephone between the Casa Santa Maria and the seminary. Communications is always a challenge, but here at the Pontifical North American College we are striving to use modern communications technology to stay in touch and to further our mission in today’s time and place!
Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
by Rev. Msgr. James Checchio ’92, C’97 Diocese of Camden Vice Rector for Administration
I nvite someone y ou kno w to consider the Priesthood...
...Please Pray for Vocations!
Seminarians take a stroll along the Via Appia Antica, an ancient Roman road connecting Naples with the Eternal City.
Save the date! The next North American College Alumni Reunion will be held June 21–23, 2005 in Milwaukee,WI.
The Pontifical
North American College 3211 Fourth Street, Northeast Washington DC 20017-1194 Tel: (202) 541-5411 | Fax: (202) 722-8804 Email: nacrome@usccb.org or visit our website at www.pnac.org
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