Institution to the Ministry of Lector
Below are some of the pictures from my class’ Institution to the Ministry of Lector last weekend.
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- 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!
November in Rome
Now that we have entered the middle of November, things have been pretty normal. In fact, the schedule from week to week is the exact same. The only difference is that I have been learning so much each week. However, there has not been a lot of extra time to explore the city of Rome. By the time I get done with my classes, lunch, studying and exercising, I just want to relax. Having to walk throughout the city never sounds that enticing when I have time to actually explore.
There was a couple visiting from Norman, Oklahoma last weekend that made me realize how much I need to see in Rome. Many tour groups fly into Rome, jump on a bus, and then fly from one historic or religious site to another. However, there are a few seminarians here that make a list of places they want to visit and then they just go down the list. Perhaps I should start doing that in my spare time. At least I could share my experience with you in this blog.
At the college, we are preparing for New Man Weekend, which takes place the weekend following Thanksgiving. There are many fun things for the community to do and see. The highlight of the weekend is the Spaghetti Bowl. This North American College tradition is a flag football game between the New Men and the Old Men from the college. In years past, the Old Men tend to win, in part because they have the entire seminary to scout through, while the New Men have limited numbers. However, I think we might have a chance to win this year.
QB James Platania fires a pass to his receiver.
The Spaghetti Bowl Old Men Team openly wept while watching the incredible football skills of the New Men of '13.
New Men finish up practice with a prayer of thanksgiving.
In addition to the Spaghetti Bowl, we also have a talent show and a huge Thanksgiving Banquet, which the college is known for holding. Many Americans in Rome that are not associated with an American organization are welcomed to the North American College for this special feast, unique to the United States. One of the Scottish seminarians told me yesterday that he heard that tickets for the banquet go for a thousand dollars. Can you believe that? He asked me if it was true and I assured him it was not. It is more like two thousand! haha The whole point of keeping us busy during Thanksgiving Weekend is to keep us from missing home too much. Thanksgiving is such a family-oriented holiday and I am looking forward to video conferencing with my family during our annual Family Thanksgiving Dinner at my house. It will be nice to see my grandmother, cousins, aunts, uncles, and my immediate family. I am so thankful for SKYPE! It has helped me feel closer to home every time I talk to my family and friends from back home.
Finally there is some good news for the North American College! It is possible that the seminarians from the college will be invited to a private audience with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, early next year to commemorate the close of the 150 year anniversary celebration of the founding of the North American College in Rome. The college is the largest national seminary in Rome, celebrating a big anniversary, and during the Year of the Priest. I think our chances are pretty good that it will actually happen.
That is about all that is going on right now in Rome! Ciao!
Wasting Time With God
Yesterday, I returned back to Rome from the first year “New Man” retreat. The retreat was very simple in its format. It was a silent retreat with community liturgies (Mass, Morning and Evening Prayer, Holy Hour), and two 45-minute conferences by our retreat leader. The rest of the time was free for us to sit back and refocus our spiritual lives before classes begin next week. The conferences were wonderful and invited me to go deeper with my love and dependence of Jesus Christ. It was a great retreat and I am looking forward to continue to reap the harvest from the retreat for months to come.
The retreat center was located in Greccio, Italy. It is located in the mountains and is home to the first Nativity Scene, created by St. Francis of Assisi. He did this in order to give Italians another option when they desired to travel to Bethlehem to experience where Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. However, because of the civil unrest in that area of the world, it was extremely dangerous to travel the pilgrimage roads to the Holy Land. St. Francis then decided to create the first live Nativity Scene for the people in the area, many of whom were poor, to experience the miracle of the Word being made flesh. It also allowed the people to be closer linked to the Baby Jesus in his poverty and complete dependence upon the Father.
One day, I decided to hike the trail behind the Church of St. Francis. I didn’t really know what was on the trail, because I was not able to talk to the other seminarians during the retreat. However, I had a great time exploring. The wooded path led, very steeply, up the mountain. There were several parts of the path that were very narrow and, with one wrong step, a pilgrim would fall… pretty far. Eventually, the nature trail ended and turned into a beautiful stone pathway that led to the top of the mountain. It was a lot easier to walk, but the path also grew more steep. With a lot of time and sweat, I reached the top and then explored the meadow located at the top of the mountain. The meadow was level and had a nice sandy path through the fruit trees and other shrubs. While I have never been to the Holy Land, this is what I would have imagined would have met my eyes during the time of Jesus’ birth. The walk and hike also allowed me to enter deeply into the Passion and Death of Christ and that first Easter morning. I really liked the silence and simplicity of just being in the presence of God on that mountain. What a great way to waste time with Him!
Thank you all so much for praying for me and the other seminarians during the retreat. I am looking forward use the graces I gained on the retreat to become a better disciple of Christ and to, with God’s grace, to serve at the altar as an ordained priest of Jesus Christ.
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- The seminarians as we approached the retreat center.
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- This is where I spent a lot of my time in prayer.
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- Some of the artwork on the grounds of the retreat center were a little cryptic. I can’t tell if this is an angel or a human bat.
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- These statues welcomed visitors to the chapel at the retreat center, Oasi Bambino Gesu.
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- This statue was on the grounds of the retreat center, but I just don’t get it!
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- This paved path allowed the early pilgrims to experience Bethlehem in their own backyard.
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- This meadow and gravel road was at the top of the mountain.
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- This gate marked the summit of the mountain.
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- This is where St. Bonaventure lived.
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- Fog overtook the fields around Greccio every morning.
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- Overlooking the valley.
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- Getting one last look at the panoramic view before returning to Rome.
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- The nature trails were very steep, but a lot of fun to climb.
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- The location was beautiful!
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- The courtyard at the convent.
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- Silence is lifted!
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- The Convent in Greccio, Italy is located on the side of the mountain.
Weekend in Assisi
This weekend was a great weekend because we were able to get out of language classes on Friday and travel to Assisi for a weekend get away. However, before leaving for Assisi, a Welcome Banquet was held in honor of our class (Class of 2013). The evening began with Vespers and then we were invited to the “Red Room”, which is only used to welcome visiting dignitaries to America’s Seminary in Rome. The reception area was beautiful and had huge windows with a great view of St. Peter’s Basilica, which is a few blocks from the seminary.
The view from the NAC's "Red Room" reception room.
After enjoying some conversation and appetizers, we proceeded to the cortile in front of the main chapel doors for the Welcome Banquet. The dinner was great and the Second Year seminarians worked so hard to make the evening a smashing success. After a great toast by both Msgr. Checchio and Michael Gallacher, a first year seminarian from the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia. After all of the festivities, I sat on the top level of the North American College with three other seminarians and we had a great conversation as we overlooked St. Peter’s Basilica and the city of Rome.
St. Peter's Basilica at night from the roof of the North American College.
On Friday morning we departed for Assisi really in the morning. Assisi is the home of Saints Francis and Clare. The Franciscan Religious Order bloomed from St. Francis’s example and the Poor Clare Sisters originated with St. Clare. The town is built on the side of a steep mountain, Mt. Subasio, and everything is focused on the lives of these two famous and great Saints. I was able to pray at many of the important places that served as the backdrop to St. Francis’ conversion and his new life. The highlights of the trip include visiting the Basilica of San Francesco, the Basilica of Santa Chiara, and St. Francis’ hermitage on Mt. Subasio. I was able to see the remains of St. Clare that are kept in the crypt of the Basilica of Santa Chiera and the crucifix in which spoke to St. Francis.
The Basilica of St. Francis is a huge structure and it shows how proud the town was and is for this famous Saint that was born and lived there.
The Basilica of St. Clare is beautiful and contains the body of St. Clare within the crypt.
One of the best, and worst, parts of the trip to Assisi was the hike I took up to the Hermitage of St. Francis. It is a 4 km hike straight up the mountain. All of my clothes were soaking wet with sweat by the time I reached the top, but the view that met my eyes at the top of the trail was amazing. The nature path was very narrow, one side stone and the other side a drop off. It felt like flying because of the height we were at and also because of the views we could see straight down into the town of Assisi and the lower valley.
The beginning of the 4km hike to the Hermitage of St. Francis.
The path up to the hermitage was very rocky and steep. It was a bit scary at times and I was exhausted.
This is one of the views you can see if you hike the 4km trail up the mountain toward St. Francis' Hermitage.
We took a break on the hike to take some pictures.
We had an outdoor Mass up in the mountain near the Hermitage.
I also really enjoyed going to a music festival within the walls of the fortress that is situated over the town of Assisi. It is really high up the mountain and provided great views of the city. We were able to listen to traditional folk music and enjoy the “block party” type of evening with the Italian locals and their families. We had a blast.
Rocca Maggiore is the fortress overlooking the town of Assisi.
We enjoyed an italian folk music festival with many of the locals.
Italians really know how to have a great time!
I am now back at the North American College in Rome. Just two weeks until my Italian Entrance Exam! I have learned so much in the past weeks and I hope I am able to put that knowledge to good use.
Being “Over There”
Things have been busy here at the college this week. All of us “New Men” have started with our second set of Italian classes in-house. While it is important to be able to speak the language of the country you are surrounded by, the more immediate reason for cramming the language into my head is for the Italian Proficiency Exam administered by the university in which I will be studying in the coming years. The language has been tough to learn, but I have put a lot of work into it. I still have a long way to go, but I am happy with how much I have learned in the last six weeks. I have about two and half weeks before the exam, so I will be studying hard until then. However, that doesn’t mean that I will not be doing anything interesting.
Tomorrow we are traveling to Assisi for a quasi-retreat that will last from Friday until Sunday. I have never been to Assisi and I am eagerly looking forward to experience the place where St. Francis and St. Clare lived, prayed, and worked. I am looking forward to having some time to relax a little. Things have been so busy here that I already feel like I am playing catch-up. Specifically with the language, I was able to spend plenty of time working on Italian outside of class, but that is not as possible now. This is the first time I have had some free time in the last four days and I thought I should at least post a little something about what has been going on here. However, after I am finished posting this, I will jump back into the books and learn some new words, practice conjugating some verbs, and remind myself that anything is possible with God’s grace.
This evening is the official Welcome Banquet at the Pontifical North American College. We will celebrate Mass at 5:30pm and then appetizers will be served in the faculty dining hall. We will then migrate out into the cortile in front of the main chapel doors and we will have dinner. I believe there are a few toasts and speeches, but it should really be a time to relax and enjoy the company of my classmates and the seminary faculty.
Many people have been asking me what it is like to be “over there.” These first weeks have been challenging because I left EVERYTHING behind. Sure, I brought some stuff with me to make my room feel like home, but I left my family, friends, and all of the little things that I used to take for granted. While I was studying Pre-Theology at Conception Seminary College, we were living in the middle of nowhere, Missouri. However, we still took advantage of our cars in order to drive to Maryville or St. Joseph in order to go out to eat at a restaurant or make a “Wal-mart run.” Now we walk just walk everywhere and even the idea of Wal-mart is a foreign to Italy (literally). Ultimately, there are many challenges with moving to a new country, but I firmly believe that God does not give us anything that we cannot handle. Even though I miss my family immensely, I know that this is part of the sacrifice I am making to God. I am giving my entire life to the Jesus Christ and placing all of my trust into Him. It is difficult to give up things that are comfortable, but I am trying to look at this experience as something that will stretch me in new ways in order to become a better priest for the people of Oklahoma City. This mindset also makes life not as stressful. I know that I am not in control, but I am ready to face the challenges and obstacles that I am (and will) encounter in the future. I have also been able to grow in prayer by praising God for all of the great things He has blessed me with, as well as thanking him for the challenges before me now. I am confident that these will be beneficial to me in the future and for the people that I hope to serve someday as a priest.
New Man Orientation
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- Standing in front of St. Peter’s Basilica.
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- Standing beneath the Portico at the front of St. Peter’s Basilica.
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- Seminarian Brian Frice sports the North American College house cassock. Notice the red, white, and blue.
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- Our first Mass in the Crypt below St. Peter’s Basilica. The chapel is surrounded by the tombs of the popes, including Pope John Paul II.
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- Walking through St. Peter’s Square as dawn breaks.
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- Standing near the Tomb of St. Peter, our class made a proclamation of our faith, just as St. Peter had made before Jesus Christ.
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- My classmates standing in front of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Today is day three of Orientation for the “New Men”, first year seminarians, at the Pontifical North American College. The Orientation has been completely organized and implemented by the Second Year seminarians here at the NAC. They have done a great job to welcome us and make us feel at home in this new country. In a way, the North American College feels like we are in the United States because we predominately speak english and there is a very large wall separating the college’s property from the rest of Rome. Some of us refer to the NAC as “Fortress America” because of the high security. The NAC also features a beautiful sports field, track, tennis courts, and a basketball court. It is a very nice facility.
Yesterday we celebrated Mass at the Tomb of St. Peter in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica. It was an amazing experience to pray so near to where St. Peter was buried after his crucifixion by the Roman Emperor Nero. Seminarians from the North American College have been coming to St. Peter’s Basilica for an opening Mass forever (or for a long time, at least). It is a good way to focus on the sacrifice that so many martyrs have made in order to preserve our faith and, ultimately, that Jesus Christ shed His blood in order that we could live. No matter where seminarians go for their priestly formation, this concept is the key. I did not leave my family, friends, language, and comforts from the United States in order to come over here and be a tourist. I have come here in order to lay down my life for the people of God. By praying in such close proximity to these famous Saints, I pray that I will have the courage to follow Christ without any hesitation.
Surviving the First Week of Italian
I have survived the first week of Italian lessons. I have learned a lot of vocabulary, but I think it will probably take some time to be able to put phrases together in a grammatically correct way! However, thanks to Paola and Elisa, I should be able to get pretty far in these four weeks.
My days in Verbania have been pretty methodical. I have been waking up around 7:30 am in order to get ready for my lessons, pray the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer, grab a quick croissant in the dining room, and then I find myself ready for my lessons at 9:00 am. I first meet with Elisa and we focus on vocabulary and speaking. At 10:30 am I get a quick break and then I start back at 10:45 am with Paola. Paola cannot speak any English, but our lessons are awesome. She is my grammar teacher and she is also blessed with a lot of patience. I finish up the one-on-one lessons at 12:30 pm, just in time for Pranzo (lunch)! Our meals are huge! I finally started asking for half-portions! The meals are normally three courses (a pasta dish, meat dish, and dessert). We wrap up Pranzo around 2:00 pm and then the afternoon is free to study on my own. I have been working with the Rosetta Stone computer program and also spend time going over my notes from my lessons. However, I do more than just study.
The afternoon is a good time to go for a walk or even a swim in the cool/cold Lago Maggiore (which I did this week)! The town of Verbania is a tourist’s heaven! There are little shops littering the alleys and there are not really a lot of tourists crowding everywhere. Verbania is a far cry from Rome!
After spending the afternoon studying, napping, and exploring, we celebrate Mass in the chapel of the Hotel (il Chiostro is a remodeled Augustinian Cloister) at 7:00 pm, followed by Cena (dinner). Cena goes on forever and is like Pranzo but with a salad added in there. We are done with cena around 8:30 pm and then we go our separate ways. This year there are 17 seminarians here from the North American College (nine New Men and eight Old Men). Therefore, there are many possible things to do and we often split up. I have went with a group of guys that walk to lakefront to have coffee every evening at a small, Italian, outdoor restaurant several times. It is nice to just chill out and enjoy the evening. However, the 2 euro 50 Coca-Cola is too expensive. I wish I liked coffee!
Below are some pictures of Verbania and Lago Maggiore.
My home for the next four weeks.
Verbania is located near the Italian/Swiss border.
Dan, David, and Ryan swimming in Lago Maggiore.
The 16th century belfry of the Basilica of San Vittore is beautiful.
Another picture of San Vittore.
Arrival in Verbania
I arrived in Verbania, Italy by train earlier this evening. It was a long eight hour journey from the seminary, but the last few minutes of the train ride were worth the exhaustion! I have never seen anything so beautiful and stunning in my life. The contrast between the lake, Lago Maggiore, and the sheer height of the mountains are shocking. The town is situated on the border between Italy and Switzerland and I believe that these mountains are the beginning of the Swiss Alps. Of course, the mountains just get larger as you move into Switzerland, but they are pretty impressive in Verbania. I am here with eight other New Men from the North American College, and there will be several other 2nd Year Men joining us tomorrow. In fact, my Italian classes begin tomorrow morning so I should try to get to bed. Not to worry…I will post pictures real soon. However, the priority is now switched from being a tourist to being a student.
Please pray for me!
