Exam Time in Rome

If you are wondering why I have not been writing much on my blog, then read the title of this post!  IT IS EXAM TIME!  Most of the classes in Rome, specifically at the Pontifical Gregorian University, have a ten minute oral exam given at the end of the course.  Since the entire grade depends, for the most part, on these exams, there is a lot of focus and study required to do well.  Therefore, I have spent over a week working very hard on reading and studying to show my understanding of the classes I took this semester.  The classes I am taking this semester are Theological Thematic Seminar, Introduction to Greek of the New Testament I, Medieval Church History, Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels and Acts of the Apostles, Revelation and Its Transmission in the Church, and Christology.

As of right now, I have completed all of my final exams except for Revelation/Transmission and Christology.  Fortunately, I have a few days before the next exam, which has allowed me to decompress today.  It was great to go for a run and to watch a movie.  I am also planning on traveling to a nearby Italian town tomorrow for a little sight-seeing and lunch with my friend, Brandon.  However, I will then have to start preparing for these final two exams that separate me from the Spring Semester classes.

Thank you all so much for your prayers as I have been studying and taking these exams.  They help!

Last weekend I took some pictures around the North American College.  This is my assignment for the next few years and it is really starting to feel like home.  THANK YOU, GOD!

This is the front gate to the NAC.

When entering the NAC compound, this is what first meets your eyes.

Above the front entrance is the college’s Coat of Arms.

This latin inscription is also above the main entrance to the NAC.

This portico is on the periphery of the main cortile (courtyard).

This Coat of Arms is in the main cortile.

This is NAC’s auditorium where we hold conferences, lectures, and have different shows for the community.

This is the NAC Mail Room.

This is the NAC’s Laundry Facility

We have many floors and even more steps!

This is the NAC’s sports field, basketball court, and tennis courts.

This is the view towards the neighborhoods behind the NAC.

Institution to the Ministry of Lector

Below are some of the pictures from my class’ Institution to the Ministry of Lector last weekend.

I receive the Lectionary from Bishop Paul Loverde.

In addition to the busy weekend my class had last weekend with the Institution of Lector events, we also celebrated our six-month anniversary of arriving in Italy last night.  Our class has come such a long way in the last few months and I have enjoyed getting to know them better.

I know this is a short post, but I need to study for my final exams.  Please keep me in your prayers!

Rome in Pictures

Yesterday was a beautiful day.  I was beginning to get tired of the rain and clouds.  After Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, I snapped a few pictures and thought I should share them with you.  Enjoy!

The massive statue of St. Paul greets visitors as they approach the main entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica.

The balcony from the central Loggia is where the Holy Father gives his biannual “Urbi et Orbi” blessing and is the first place the faithful get to see a new pope.

From St. Peter’s Basilica, the view is pretty amazing of St. Peter’s Square.

The statue of St. Peter overlooks St. Peter’s Square and is only a few yards from where St. Peter was crucified upsidedown.

This wide-angle photo shows St. Peter’s Basilica as the sun peaks over the mountains.

Cobblestones cover the entire city of Rome, including St. Peter’s Square.

When standing at the the center of the colonnade, all of the columns line up perfectly.

Within St. Peter’s Square, there is a huge nativity scene constructed during Advent around the Egyptian obelisk.

Preparing to Become an Instituted Lector

This weekend is an important weekend for me and for my classmates at the North American College.  On Sunday morning, we will be Instituted Lectors by His Excellency Paul Loverde, Bishop of Arlington.  Seminarians at the North American College go through several ministerial steps as they pray and prepare for Holy Orders.  The first, Admission to Candidacy for Holy Orders, is required of all seminarians of the seminary before we arrive in Rome.  The second step is to be Instituted to the Ministry of Lector, which takes place during the first year of theology.  During a seminarian’s second year, seminarians are then Instituted to the Ministry of Acolytes.

In preparation to this next step in my priestly formation, one of the faculty members gave all of us a great formation conference on Thursday about the importance of “being the voice of God” to the people in the pews.  I am really looking forward to this new responsibility within the seminary.  Until now, I have only lead the recitation of the Holy Rosary, served as a waiter, and sung in the NAC Choir.  However, I will soon be able to serve the community in this special way.

In other news, exams are about a week away.  Please continue to keep me in your prayers in the coming weeks.  It will be nice to have these first rounds of oral exams done.  However, I will just need to focus on one exam at a time.

The seminarians here have also been fervently praying for the many men, women, and children who are suffering from the devastating earthquake in Haiti.  My home parish, St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, has been sponsoring an orphanage in Southern Haiti for the last few years.  While the earthquake did not immediately affect them, they are now facing a serious issue of trying to get food to their center.  Since the roads and infrastructure have fallen apart, there is a great concern that the 600 children living at the orphanage may be out of food in less than three days.  While speaking to Mrs. Wynn’s 5^th Grade class at All Saints Catholic School via Skype, they shared their concern for the children in Haiti and asked me to pray with them for Fr. Marc and all of the children at the Orphanage.  If you are interested in reading Fr. Marc’s updates from Haiti, please visit http://pwojeespwa.blogspot.com/.

Meeting Pope Benedict XVI

Photos from L’Osservatore Romano.

Alumni Weekend in Rome

The Holy Father address a private audience of faculty, bishops, alumni, and seminarians of the North American College.

Today was the best day of my life!  While that may sound like a stretch, let me explain.  To mark the 150th Anniversary of the Founding of the Pontifical North American College, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI invited the faculty, bishops, alumni, and seminarians to a private papal audience.  All of us, seminarians, realized that there were so many people that were going to be present that it would be very unlikely that we would have a chance to meet the Holy Father.  However, just being able to be in such close proximity to the Roman Pontiff had created a buzz of energy throughout the college in the last few weeks as the Alumni Reunion drew closer.

Today began with a Mass at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica celebrated by His Eminence John Cardinal Foley.  I was very blessed to be able to serve the Mass by wearing a humeral veil and holding Cardinal Foley’s miter when he was not using it.  It was a very simple job but as I sat in my chair beneath the Holy Spirit window, the reality of what was happening around me took my breath away.  Immediately, everything around me took on a richer color, and the massiveness of the Basilica overwhelmed me.  Here I was, a first year seminarian for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, holding the miter of a Prince of the Catholic Church.  Every moment seemed to freeze for me to take it all in.

Later in the morning, all of the seminarians, faculty, and alumni gathered at the front entrance of the seminary and we made our way through St. Peter’s Square and then we were quickly guided by the Swiss Guard to the Loggia, the area above the main doors of St. Peter’s Basilica.  This large hall is situated between five large, windowed balconies that overlook the Square.  The other side of the hall has matching windows that overlook the interior of the Basilica.  I was able to get a seat next to the aisle and about six rows from the front.  It was exciting to be surrounded by seminarian friends as we anticipated the private audience with the Holy Father.  No one knew what time the Pope would arrive, so we all took a seat, made small talk with each other, and frequently glanced towards the entrances of the hall.  After waiting for about ninety minutes, all of the lights turned on and we could all hear the faint gasp as we all took in the fact that we were about to see Christ’s vicar on Earth, the Pope.

As the curtains at the end of the hall were pulled back, the Holy Father raised his hands, and we responded with a loud applause.  However, I quickly realized that the Pope was taking a long time to make it down the first part of the aisle.  As soon as I received a clear view, I saw that the Holy Father was shaking hands with the North American College guests on the far side of the aisle.  I thought to myself, “Wow!  I might actually get to meet the Pope!”  I kept waiting for him to cross the aisle to our side, but he just kept shaking hands on the other side.

One of the seminarians whispered to me that it looked like the Holy Father was going to stay on that side of the aisle and was going to leave the hall by coming to our side of the aisle.  I cannot explain what was going through my mind, but I turned to my friend Joseph and said, “Joe, I think we are actually going to meet the Holy Father!”  He responded with a huge smile and shook his head in agreement.  What a moment!

The procession slowly made its way towards the front and the Holy Father made his way to his chair.  This was followed by a speech given by the rector of the Pontifical North American College, Monsignor James Checchio, and then we sang “Ad Multos Annos.”

Then the Holy Father addressed us (see the previous blog for the text of the speech).  It was such a surreal moment to know that I was so close to the Holy Father and that I may get to meet him.  In what seemed like seconds and hours, at the same time, the Holy Father finished his address, took a picture with the bishops and cardinals in attendance and then made his way toward the aisle as we all erupted again into applause.  As Pope Benedict approached me, I noticed that he was looking straight at me and was smiling.  He shook a few other hands and then it was my turn.  I shook his hand and told him that I was praying for him and I also thanked him for his priesthood.  He smiled and shook his head and then I kissed his ring.  It felt like I spoke to him for a full minute, but in reality it was very quick.  As he moved on to my other seminarian brothers, I turned back towards Joseph and we were both just beaming with joy.  I turned back towards the Holy Father just in time to see my friends, Brandon and Alan, shake hands with the Pope.  We all continued clapping until the Holy Father finished greeting us!

After the Pope left the Loggia, we slowly made our way through the Vatican and back to main bronze doors to the Papal Palace.  My walk back to the North American College was through sheets of rain, but I hardly noticed.  As I walked by the hundreds of tourists and pilgrims coming to see the beautiful Basilica of St. Peter, I was reminded that our Catholic faith, nourished by the blood of the martyrs, is something tangible.  Just as Jesus Christ called St. Peter to become the foundation stone of the Church, St. Peter’s successor continues to strengthen the Church by drawing all of us closer to Jesus Christ.  Today was the best day of my life because, even though it was only a moment, I encountered Jesus Christ’s vicar on Earth, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI!

The NAC House Cassock is composed of a black cassock with blue buttons and a red fascia.

Brandon, Peter, and I served the Alumni Mass celebrated by His Eminence John Cardinal Foley at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Holy Father greets the seminarians of the North American College.

Pope Benedict addresses the seminarians, faculty, and alumni of the North American College.

This is the balcony that the Holy Father walks out onto after being elected Pope.

His Excellency Timothy Dolan was a rector of the North American College and is now the Archbishop of New York.

These steps lead up to the Papal Apartment and the rest of the Papal Palace.

Seminarians, Faculty, and Alumni of the North American College applaud as Pope Benedict XVI enters the Loggia.

His Excellency Anthony Taylor was a priest from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma until he was named Bishop of Little Rock by Pope Benedict XVI.

Address to the North American College by Pope Benedict XVI

The following is the address from the Holy Father to the bishops, faculty, alumni, and seminarians of the North American College.  The message was given in the Vatican Loggia and marked the 150th Anniversary of America’s Seminary in Rome.

The Holy Father address a private audience of faculty, bishops, alumni, and seminarians of the North American College.

Your Eminences, Dear Brother Bishops and Priests,

I am pleased to welcome the alumni of the Pontifical North American College, together with the Rector, faculty and students of the seminary on the Janiculum hill, and the student priests of the Casa Santa Maria dell’Umiltà. Our meeting comes at the conclusion of the celebrations marking the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the College’s establishment by my predecessor, Blessed Pius IX. On this happy occasion I willingly join you in thanking the Lord for the many ways in which the College has remained faithful to its founding vision by training generations of worthy preachers of the Gospel and ministers of the sacraments, devoted to the Successor of Peter and committed to the building up of the Church in the United States of America.

It is appropriate, in this Year for Priests, that you have returned to the College and this Eternal City in order to give thanks for the academic and spiritual formation, which has nourished your priestly ministry over the years. The present Reunion is an opportunity not only to remember with gratitude the time of your studies, but also to reaffirm your filial affection for the Church of Rome, to recall the apostolic labors of the countless alumni who have gone before you, and to recommit yourselves to the high ideals of holiness, fidelity and pastoral zeal which you embraced on the day of your ordination. It is likewise an occasion to renew your love for the College and your appreciation of its distinctive mission to the Church in your country.

During my Pastoral Visit to the United States, I expressed my conviction that the Church in America is called to cultivate “an intellectual ‘culture’ which is genuinely Catholic, confident in the profound harmony of faith and reason, and prepared to bring the richness of faith’s vision to bear on the pressing issues which affect the future of American society” (Homily at Nationals Stadium, Washington, 17 April 2008). As Blessed Pius IX rightly foresaw, the Pontifical North American College in Rome is uniquely prepared to help meet this perennial challenge. In the century and a half since its foundation, the College has offered its students an exceptional experience of the universality of the Church, the breadth of her intellectual and spiritual tradition, and the urgency of her mandate to bring Christ’s saving truth to the men and women of every time and place. I am confident that, by emphasizing these hallmarks of a Roman education in every aspect of its program of formation, the College will continue to produce wise and generous pastors capable of transmitting the Catholic faith in its integrity, bringing Christ’s infinite mercy to the weak and the lost, and enabling America’s Catholics to be a leaven of the Gospel in the social, political and cultural life of their nation.

Dear brothers, I pray that in these days you will be renewed in the gift of the Holy Spirit, which you received on the day of your ordination. In the College chapel, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady is portrayed in the company of four outstanding models and patrons of priestly life and ministry: Saint Gregory the Great, Saint Pius X, Saint John Mary Vianney and Saint Vincent de Paul. During this Year for Priests, may these great saints continue to watch over the students who daily pray in their midst; may they guide and sustain your own ministry, and intercede for the priests of the United States. With cordial good wishes for the spiritual fruitfulness of the coming days, and with great affection in the Lord, I impart to you my Apostolic Blessing, which I willingly extend to all the alumni and friends of the Pontifical North American College.

The Christmas Season In Rome

I took this picture this morning after Mass.

Happy New Year, 2010!

Seminarians gathered on the roof of the North American College to watch fireworks being set off around Rome.

Since there were fireworks exploding 360 degrees around the College, the resulting smoke hung in the air.

In addition to seminarians from the NAC, there were also other American seminarians from their seminary in Belgium.

On January 1st, Catholics celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. I was blessed to sing in the People’s Choir for the Mass with Pope Benedict XVI.

The Papal Mass on January 1st was my first Papal Mass. I loved it!

Passport to Europe: Christmas in Ireland

Day Four and Five – Christmas Eve/ Christmas Day

December 24, 2009

This morning we celebrated Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish and then joined Fr. Patrick for tea and crumpets at the refectory.  It was a pretty relaxing morning as the impending Masses at the parish drew closer to fruition.  The schedule for the Masses at the parish was planned for 6pm for the Vigil Mass of Christmas.  Then the parish was reset for a Solemn High Mass celebrated in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.  In other words, it was the way the Catholic Mass was celebrated before the changes were implemented after the Second Vatican Council.  It is the first time that a Solemn High Mass of Christmas has been celebrated in the City of Cork in 45 years.  Both of the Masses were great and they set the tone for this Christmas Season.

I stayed up late in order to call my family back in Oklahoma.  My family has a tradition of spending Christmas Eve with my dad’s side of the family and Christmas day on my mom’s side.  However, this year was a little different because there was a massive snowstorm that barreled through Oklahoma leaving a trail of 14” of snow in its wake.  Many of the highways were shut down and made it very difficult, if not impossible, to travel throughout the city.  Therefore, I ended up talking to my grandparents as they celebrated Christmas Eve without the entire family at their house.  I guess that is what my family gets when they hope for a “White Christmas!”

December 25th

I woke up at 10am, went to Mass, took a nap, and ate a huge meal.  What could be a better Christmas?  (Being with my own family would obviously be better, but this is where God is calling me to be right now.  Therefore, I have tried to make the most of it!)

When the Atlantic Ocean separates family members, what do you do? SKYPE!

A view of the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul in Cork, Ireland.

Cory, Me, Fr. Patrick, Brandon, and Matthew pose for a picture during the Irish Christmas Dinner at the Rectory of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Nothing ends a great meal better than “stinky cheese”!