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!)
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- When the Atlantic Ocean separates family members, what do you do? SKYPE!
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- A view of the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul in Cork, Ireland.
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- Nothing ends a great meal better than “stinky cheese”!
Passport to Europe: Cork, Ireland (Christmas Break – Day 3)
Day Three
December 23, 2009
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- Give a box of Christmas ornaments to six guys and this is what you get!
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- Altar servers at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church and four seminarians from the North American College decorated the Christmas Tree in the Rectory in Cork, Ireland.
Today’s big highlight was the arrival of Fr. Patrick’s sister and niece. They flew in from London and immediately went to work to prepare a huge meal for all of us. The meal consisted of tuna and swordfish filets, fresh green beans, broccoli, fresh bread, potatoes, and desserts. It was quite a spread, but they insisted that the dinner was not a big meal. I had not eaten that much in months!
However, they promised that the Christmas Dinner was going to be the big banquet, complete with turkey, ham, goose, and several other types of meat. I am really looking forward to a traditional Irish Christmas Dinner!
Passport to Europe: Cobh, Ireland
Four seminarians stand around waiting for the train to Cobh, Ireland.
Day Two
December 22, 2009
For our second full day in Ireland we took the opportunity to travel to the nearby town of Cobh, Ireland. The train ride was a short 25-minute journey that took us from Cork dropped us right at the harbor in Cobh. One of the seminarians knew a woman from the town and she, graciously, treated us to a nice lunch and then drove us to a convent with cloistered Benedictine Sisters. We were very blessed to meet with the Mother Superior and I really enjoyed our conversation. She expressed her prayers for an increase in number of seminarians throughout the world, especially in Ireland. She was such a joy-filled woman and I hope to meet her again if I ever return to the town.
Cobh is famous for being one of the ports that the Titanic ported at before sinking on its way to America. The town is also near the place where the S.S. Lusitania sank. The train engineer told me that there is a cemetery that many of the victims from the S.S. Lusitania are buried. We did not have enough time to visit the cemetery, but we did visit one of the most beautiful cathedrals that I have ever seen.
The Cathedral of St. Coleman, the seat of the Diocese of Cloyne, was a magnificent gothic cathedral situated on a spot that overlooks the port harbor of Cobh. It was constructed in the mid-19th Century and could have been seen by passengers on board the S.S. Titanic during its maiden voyage to America. The Cathedral had mosaic floors, beautiful statues, and a wonderful high altar. It was a great place to rest in the presence of God.
On the train towards Cobh, we passed by this small castle.
Beyond the center island, the Titanic awaited the final passengers to be ferried from the White Star Lines office in Cobh, Ireland. The Titanic was too large to actually enter harbor!
As the sun was setting, the Cathedral of St. Coleman looked striking against the calm harbor waters.
The interior of the gothic Cathedral of St. Coleman in Cobh, Ireland. Passengers from the Titanic probably prayed in this church before boarding the Titanic.
The Harbor of Cobh, Ireland
Standing near where the final passengers boarded the Titanic before it sunk in the Atlantic Ocean.
Passport to Europe: Cork, Ireland (Christmas Break – Day One)
Christmas Break in Ireland – Day One
December 21, 2009
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- Welcome to Cork, Ireland
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- First moments after arriving in Ireland.
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- The City of Cork, Ireland was quiet when we reached the Church at 1:30am.
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- Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church was a beautiful interior and exterior. It is a great place to pray.
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- Cory and I are the two seminarians from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City studying in Rome right now.
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- On our first day in Ireland, we were able to attend a presidential address to victims and volunteers associated with a recent flood that devastated the city of Cork.
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- I posed for a quick picture next to the Irish Presidential motorcade as it awaited the President to depart the community center.
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- All of the needed ingredients for a huge Irish Christmas dinner could be found at the famous Irish Market in Cork.
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- Cork, Ireland was preparing for the Christmas holiday!
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- Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church lies within the city center of Cork, Ireland.
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- The Presbytery of Sts. Peter and Paul houses the clergy and the parish offices. The four of us seminarians stayed here during our Christmas vacation.
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- President McAleese greets Sts. Peter and Paul pastor, Fr. Patrick.
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- Fr. Patrick, Brandon, Matthew, Me, President McAlesse, Cory, and Dr. McAleese pose after the President’s address.
My Christmas vacation began with a three and a half hour flight from Rome, Italy to Cork, Ireland. In an attempt to get everyone in the Christmas spirit, the airliner played secular Christmas music on the speakers as we both boarded and departed the plane. However, the music was shortly interrupted on the way off the plane because the flight attendant warned us to be careful of the ice on the rails of the stairs as we exited the plane. The Christmas music faded back in and I knew that this was going to be an interesting Christmas holiday in Europe.
Before I continue, it is important to explain a little recent history in the city of Cork, Ireland. Just a few weeks ago, a natural disaster struck in this, the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland. It all began with torrential rains that raised the Lee River to a dangerous level. A quasi-governmental organization, known as the ESB (Electrical Services Board, I believe), realized the gravity of the situation; they independently decided to open up the floodgates without any warning to the residents of this beautiful city. The result of their action was a city thrown into a disaster that ruined many homes and businesses, just weeks before Christmas. People awoke around 3am to find that their homes were flooded and many of their personal effects were destroyed. There is also a university in the town that stored many rare books in the basement of their library, which was quickly underwater. While so many lives were rocked, especially during this time of economic hardship, not a single person died as a result.
In response to the many people whose lives were shaken and the many hands that helped with the recovery efforts, the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, traveled to Cork, Ireland to meet with members of the community. She thanked them for their hard work as they continue to rebuild the city and tried to give them hope that things will return to normal. One of the guests invited to this meeting with President McAleese was Fr. Patrick, pastor at Sts. Peter and Paul in Cork’s city center. This also happened to be the parish I am living in for the Christmas holiday. The four of us seminarians were invited to join him in welcoming the President of Ireland to city of Cork!
After she made a short speech, she personally greeted many of the people in attendance, including Fr. Patrick and the four of us seminarians accompanying him. I never imagined that I would be meeting the President of Ireland within the first twelve hours of entering the country! What an experience! Fr. Patrick then took us to a restaurant that overlooks the river that flooded just a few short weeks ago. I was surprised at how kind and generous the people of Ireland have been to us. For example, there is a group of sixty teenagers that volunteer with an organization called S.H.A.R.E. It was founded by a religious brother in Cork, Ireland and has expanded from one parish school to now over twenty. They were instrumental during their recovery efforts after the floods of Cork and were especially honored by the President. In addition to assisting the elderly of the community, they have a massive fundraising campaign every Christmas. At EVERY intersection within the city center, I have seen two or three of these kids in bright yellow jackets and distributing small yellow stickers to those who donate money to them. I have taken the opportunity to talk to several of them as I have walked around the town and they are excited and proud of being a part of something that is truly making the lives of others better. I spoke to one of the boys at the community center after the President’s visit and he noticed me later on the street. He went out of his way to stop me to say “hi.” That would NEVER happen in Rome!
We spent the rest of the day going to a famous town market and I ended the evening by eating a burger and a shake at a 50’s style diner in the historic city center. It was a great day and a perfect start to my Christmas Break in Ireland.
Let the Christmas Vacation Begin
My residence hall, "Fourth Convent" won the grand prize in this year's Christmas Decorating Contest. It helped all of us get into the Christmas Spirit.
Today is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. The Christmas Break from the Roman universities began yesterday and many of the seminarians from the North American College have begun their Christmas Vacation. As for me, I spent yesterday running errands throughout the city. The good news: I finally bought a battery for my Nike watch that died a month ago. The bad news: the hands for the stopwatch and for the date no longer work. At least I can quit asking everyone, “Hey, what time is it?” Perhaps, they will even quit asking me, “Hey, what is today’s date?”
Tonight I am flying to County Cork, Ireland for the Christmas holiday. I will be traveling with three other seminarians from Oklahoma and Texas. I will be living in a rectory of a church for eleven days and will return to Rome on New Year’s Eve.
I will then be singing in the “People’s Choir” for Mass with Pope Benedict XVI on January 1st (The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God). Therefore, if you are watching the Papal Mass on television, any time you hear the choir singing, you may hear me!
Finally, my Christmas Break will end with a four-day trip to Aviano U.S. Air Force Base near Venice, Italy. There is a group of us that will tour the Air Force Base and enjoy being on U.S. soil for a few days. I am also planning on eating at a Taco Bell, if there is one on base. God Bless America! haha
Merry Christmas!
