In light of the recent media coverage of the sex abuse crisis both in Europe and in the U.S., I could not help but recall how the environment today feels a bit like when I first entered formation in the fall of 2003. Then, like today, each day you opened the newspaper only to be confronted by more coverage of the priest sex abuse scandal. It is only natural, therefore, that just as when the scandal first broke in 2002 such coverage might weigh heavy on those of us in formation, our families and loved ones, and all the faithful who love and support their priests so much.
Added to the many challenges already facing people of faith in today’s society, vocational discernment and priestly formation can be made more difficult in such a context. However, in spite of everything I believe that the key of weathering this storm remains holding on to the words of Jesus spoken to each of us, “Follow me.” Why do men still answer the call to the priesthood in spite of all that is going on? The answer remains in the continual call of the Lord made to priests in spite of and in the face of all the obstacles and challenges that the Church faces in every age.
A vocation is hearing the Lord’s voice echoing in one’s heart. It is an intimate and personal call made to each priest calling him to follow the Master. It is a call, which similar to the one made to the Apostles, implies that we might have to endure trials and encounter difficulties. Reading the Sunday Gospels over these past few weeks, we can see the renewed call made by the Risen Lord to the apostles in spite of their doubt, fear, pain, and trepidations. Are these challening times? No doubt. Yet, in spite of all that challenges us and all that weighs heavy upon us with our eyes gazing on the Risen Jesus, who stands victorious over sin and death, we like the Apostles step forward to offer ourselves for his service. We do so like generations before us, who also faced trials and difficulty, to answer that timeless call once given to Peter, ”Feed my sheep.”
On Sunday, March 7th, 55 second year students were instituted Acolytes by Archbishop Thomas Rodi, Archbishop of Mobile, in the Immaculate Conception Chapel of the Pontifical North American College. Among them were three seminarians of the Diocese of Brooklyn: Stephen Giulietti, Giancarlo Pattugalan, and Joseph Zwosta.
Each man presented himself before Archbishop Rodi, and while grasping the paten used for the celebration of the Eucharist, were instructed by the bishop, “Take this vessel of bread for the celebration of the Eucharist. Make your lives worthy of your service at the table of the Lord and of his Church.” The Institution of Acolyte while not exclusively reserved to those preparing for the priesthood is with Lector and Candidacy one of the key steps toward diaconate and priestly ordination. These three men and their classmates now charged with serving at the Sacred Liturgy and bringing Holy Communionto the sick and the home-bound will now exercise their ministry both in the seminary, around the city of Rome, and this summer in their assigned parishes.
We congratulate Stephen, Gino, and Joe and pray that as they serve at the Altar of God they will be strengthened in their vocation to the priesthood and grow closer to the Lord.
Recently, I was heading out of the building on the elevator when a classmate of mine, out of nowhere, said, “So, we’ve got four months.” The comment took me off guard, and I immediately began to mentally calculate how many months remained before June 26. Sure enough…it was four months.
These last few months before ordination are filled with preparations and things to do. It seems that each member of my family has been assigned a particular duty. Lists are made, items checked off, and new lists are formed. Errands are being run, e-mails sent back and forth, and phone calls often run long into the night. Yet, in the midst of all this activity and preparation there remains one central calming and stabilizing element: encountering Christ Jesus. Increasingly, over these last few months we who with God’s help will be ordained this summer cannot help but feel ever more intensely that desire to be conformed to Jesus Christ, and with him at the center all the other activities fall into a secondary place.
As I go through all of my applications, essays, and paperwork that I completed when I began this journey of formation, I am repeatedly struck by the Lord’s providence at work. Even in times of trial and difficulty one can see the invitation of the Lord to grow and become more like Him, and it is in those often unexpected encounters that one’s faith grows, one’s heart is softened, and one’s relationship with the Lord is strengthened. In my breviary, there is a card with a passage written by St. Theresa of Avila (which is addressed to each Christian), but which as ordination approaches I have been reflecting upon in light of the call to priesthood:
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassionately on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Have a Blessed Lent, and keep us in your prayers!
On January 17, 56 first year students were instituted Lectors by Bishop Paul Loverde, Bishop of Arlington, in the Immaculate Conception Chapel of the Pontifical North American College. Among them were two seminarians of the Diocese of Brooklyn: Christopher Heanue and Jun Hee Lee. Each man presented himself before Bishop Loverde and while placing their hands on the Sacred Scriptures were instructed by the bishop, “Take this book of holy Scripture and be faithful in handing on the Word of God so that it may grow strong in the hearts of his people.” The Institution of Lector while not exclusively reserved to those preparing for the priesthood remains with Acolyte and Candidacy one of the key steps toward diaconate and priestly ordination. We congratulate Chris and Jun and pray that the Word of God may continue to bear fruit in their lives as they continue their priestly formation.
Presentation of Those to Be Instituted
Chris Instituted
Jun Instituted
I believe it is not an overstatement to say that the hearts and minds of a large part of the world are focused on the situation in Haiti. The great devastation that has occurred, the unfathomable loss of life, and the continued suffering of a resilient people who have been through so much over these past few decades, causes all of us to stop and consider what we can do to help our brothers and sisters in need during this time.
It is also clear that the Church of Haiti has suffered a tremendous loss as well. I received word from a friend of mine that in his community at least one seminarian is missing in their Haitian province. The Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, Joseph Serge Miot, as well as a number of clergy and seminarians have lost their lives as a result of the earthquake. Msgr. Bernardito Auza, the Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti, has reported that combined with the tremendous loss of life, all of the city’s major churches, its cathedral, and seminary have all collapsed.
In the face of this disaster, I believe, however, one central characteristic of the Church emerges clearly once again: its charity. Ignatius of Antioch in the prologue to his Epistle to Rome, writes that the Church of Rome, “presides in charity.” Indeed, in the face of the suffering of others, it has always been the tradition of the Church to reach out and do all it can to aid those in need. This situation is no exception. Archbishop Dolan, Archbishop of New York, recently commented that Haiti is “the broken and bloody body of Jesus.” As members of our Lord’s mystical body, therefore, we live in communion with each other and can do nothing else but respond to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Therefore, by our prayers, by our financial contributions, and by our care and concern for those among us who might have lost family or friends in Haiti, let us once again live that charity, so essential to who we are as Christ’s mystical body on earth.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Patroness of Haiti, Pray for Us!
Each year that I’ve been in Rome, we have had to let our classmates and professors know that we will not be in class on the last Thursday in November because it is a national day of Thanksgiving. The rector of our college even sends a letter to the different universities excusing us from classes on that day. It has always surprised me, however, that when we mention Thanksgiving Day the immediate response is, “Oh…si, il Tacchino.” (the italian word for turkey). However, this year one student stopped and instead of this normal response highlighting our dinner’s main course said to me, “You know that is a great thing, to spend one day as a country to thank God.” I confess that this made me pause and appreciate once again what Thanksgiving is truly about, and how great an act of witness it remains.
For us as Catholics, however, thanksgiving is not a rare occurrence; in fact, it is the very meaning of Eucharist. To be a “Eucharistic people” means that at the center of our lives is a deep and abiding gratitude for all the abundant blessings our Lord has bestowed upon us, not the least of which is our faith and our vocation. I cannot help but think of the words the bishop speaks to the ordinandi when he hands on the chalice and paten, “imitate what you celebrate.” If as future priests we will one day celebrate the Eucharist, it must also mean that we will embody in our own lives a true and sincere gratitude, as thanksgiving in reality is at the heart of the mystery and of our faith itself. I think my classmate said it correctly, what a great thing it really is. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Last night we had a great time here at the college celebrating our Halloween/Oktoberfest Party. During the course of the year each class sponsors a house-wide celebration, and it is always amazing to see a class come together, show their many talents, and having a great time. As polka music was being played, student made German cuisine being served, and a general loud laughter shared by all, I could not help but think of how important fraternity is in our lives as seminarians and future priests. Many have a concept of the priest as living a “solitary life,” and while certainly there are moments of solitude (which can often be great moments of prayer and reflection), the life of a priest and seminarian is far from solitary. Relationships are central in the lives of priests, especially those relationships with family and friends. However, in a special way there is something special and important about the friendships priests and seminarians share with each other.
Much is shared among priests and seminarians: a common experience of formation, of ministry and apostolic life, and also of similar challenges being faced in where they are serving. In some ways, one can see such friendships among members of the presbyteral college modeled in the Apostolic college gathered around the Lord. With at least two sets of brothers (Peter and Andrew and James and John) and the others coming from different walks of life, I imagine that there was certainly a fraternity and friendship shared by the 12. They shared a particular experience of being called and sent out by the Lord, of suffering at his death and of experiencing the joy of the resurrection. They were 12 men gathered together by the Lord, and in him they found the source of their unity and fraternity. Friendships among priests likewise are supports and sources of great joy, whose origin and unity is found in the Lord who has called us to serve Him. It was hard not to hear the words of scripture ring true last night, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live in unity” (Ps.133:1).
Diocesan Trip to Rieti/Greccio 2008-2009
Five banners are waving right now from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Illuminated at night and waving during the day these five banners bear the images of the Church’s five new saints. Canonized yesterday, they include two prominent figures for the Church in the U.S., as St. Jeanne Jugan is the foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor who do so much good work throughout the country and also St. Damien of Molokai the Belgian missionary to the lepers of Kalaupapa.
Here at the college we have the privilege this afternoon of venerating the relics of St. Damien brought here by the Diocese of Honolulu. It appears to me to be fitting that the Church has canonized such a holy and selfless priest in this Year for Priests. His heroic life is a testament to the selflessness and pastoral charity that each priest is called to manifest in the service of God’s people. He serves as a great example for all of us in formation for the priesthood and challenges me as I come closer to priestly ordination. As we pray in the preface of Holy Men and Women, “[Lord] You renew the Church in every age by raising up men and women outstanding in holiness…” Outstanding examples of holiness…five of them displayed this week for the world to see.
St. Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński
St. Francisco Coll y Guitart
St. Damien Joseph de Veuster
St. Rafael (Arnáiz Barón)
St. Marie de la Croix (Jeanne Jugan)
PRAY FOR US!
I am writing today having just returned from a great five day silent retreat with my classmates, many of whom will be ordained this Thursday to the diaconate. Silence can be a very powerful aid to prayer, especially when you are in a retreat setting because it opens your senses up to everything going on around you and allows you to more acutely hear the Lord’s voice speaking to your heart. This is done through contemplation, reflection and lectio divina on the scriptures and even sometimes in other reading and other activities you find yourself doing. Another aid to prayer in these times is also journaling. It would be an aid to any type of vocational discernment as well. To sit and write down your thoughts, memories, and even the events of the day all help you to organize your thoughts and sometimes even allow you to notice the workings of God’s Providence in your life.
“That they may know my joy…” These words from John’s Gospel literally popped out at me and became a great source of great reflection about the life of the priest this past week. So much sorrow and tragedy is present in our world, and yet in the midst of everything we are called to stand and be ministers of God’s presence and at times remind people of the joy of Christian living. We have much to share, and in preaching the Good News inevitably part of what we share is the hope and joy that comes from knowing Christ has conquered death, evil, darkness and has called us to share in his victory.
So as we get ready to witness the ordination of 30 new deacons here in Rome, as we embark on another academic year, and as we enjoy another Sunday to praise and worship our God, let us never forget as St. Peter reminds us in his epistle “that there is cause for rejoicing here…(1Pt 1:3)”
My name is Deacon Michael Bruno, I am a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Brooklyn recently ordained on July 25th. I am also completing my fourth year of studies at the North American College in Rome. In these past few weeks since diaconal ordination, one line that has echoed quite frequently in my mind is the instruction during the passing on of the Book of the Gospels, “Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you now are…” For me that is a humbling and challenging call, to be a herald of the Gospel in today’s world, in our neighborhoods, communities, on our streets, and in fact anywhere we find ourselves. Yet, this is an essential part of who we are called to be as men answering a call to the priesthood, heralds of the Good News.
The Holy Father challenged us to embrace this call at St. Joseph’s in Dunwoodie during his Apostolic Visit saying, “And who now will bear the Gospel on the streets of New York?” I find myself quite often praying for the grace to be an effective herald and a faithful servant. All the while I am humbled by the loving goodness of God at work in the world and in my own life. It has been a wonderful few weeks as a deacon, and I thank God for the opportunity to proclaim the Gospel with the great priests and deacons of our diocese and of the entire Church.
