One Week Left of Class!!!
Everything continues to go well in Rome. We are now one week away from finishing up the formal semester. However, I will have oral exams for each of my classes throughout the month of June. My final exam will be on June 24, and then I will be done with my first academic year of studies in Rome. It will be nice to be done with the first year.
Nothing else is really going on right now, but thank you again for all of 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!
Now Entering: Normal Rome Schedule
Second week of classes at the Gregorian University just wrapped up, yet I just passed the three-month mark of being in Italy. Things have been going well, but very busy. While the schedule is different everyday, I thought you may want to know what consists of an average day studying for the priesthood at the North American College.
I begin the day at 5:15am and arrive in the Immaculate Conception Chapel for the 6:15am Morning Prayer, followed by Mass. Mass is normally over around 7:10am, which gives me just enough time to grab a quick bowl of cereal in the refectory and then leave for the Gregorian University at 7:45am.
5:15am Wake-up
6:15am Morning Prayer in the Immaculate Conception Chapel
6:30am Mass in the Immaculate Conception Chapel
7:15am Breakfast in the refectory
7:45am Leave for classes at the Gregorian University
8:15am Arrive at the Gregorian University
8:30am First class begins
9:30am Second class begins
10:30am Third class begins
11:30am Fourth class begins
12:30pm Depart the Gregorian University for the North American College
1:00pm Arrive at the North American College
1:15pm Pranzo (Italian word for “lunch”)
2:10pm Finish pranzo
2:45pm Workout time
4:00pm Study, Seminars, Meetings, etc.
5:45pm Eucharistic Adoration
6:45pm Benediction and Evening Prayer
7:00pm Cena (Italian word for “dinner”)
7:30pm Get together with friends in the Student Lounge, study, formation conferences, etc.
9:30pm Shower, pack book bag for following day, and read
10:00pm Go to sleep
On top of this general schedule, I have meetings with my formation advisor and spiritual director on a regular basis and there is always something going on. It is a tight schedule, but it makes the days go by quickly. One thing is for sure, I am always looking forward to the weekend!
Pope Benedict XVI
Yesterday was a very special day for all of the first year seminarians at the Pontifical North American College. We were able to travel to Pope Benedict XVI’s summer residence, Castelgandolfo, for his Sunday Angelus address, prayer, and blessing upon the pilgrims. There were two full charter buses that transported us to the papal palace and we then entered a private entrance into the Papal Garden. It was very exciting to know that I was getting ready to see the Holy Father! When we departed the buses, we were free to walk around a little in the shade before moving to the public area of the palace. When we finally started walking towards to the piazza, we had to move to one side to let a car through. It was the Pope’s private car, but he wasn’t in it. Oh well!
We finally were able to position ourselves into the cortile (courtyard) next to one of the walls. There was so much excitement in the air as the minutes ticked away. Finally, just moments before the Pope came into view, the Swiss Guard stood at attention and everyone roared with cheers. Then Pope Benedict stepped out onto the balcony. Check out the video of the Papal Address by clicking here. Skip to 10 minutes and 50 seconds to see his special address to us and also for our class’ tradition of singing “Ad Multos Annos” for the first time to the Holy Father. It was an amazing experience and I will never forget it.
After the Papal Audience, we went to a restaurant that is a few blocks from the papal palace for Pranzo (lunch). It was a nice meal and we had a beautiful view of the lake that lies below the papal palace. After Pranzo, we were invited to tour the Papal Gardens by Archbishop James Harvey, Prefecture of the Papal Household. It was a great tour, but more importantly it made Pope Benedict XVI seem more real. I was walking on the path that we would walk on later that afternoon. I remember looking at several trees and thinking, “I wonder if Pope Benedict ever looks at that tree?”
We finished the tour by stopping at the statue of Mary that Pope Benedict XVI goes to every evening, while in Castelgandolfo, in order to pray the rosary with his two assistants. We were told that he prays there every evening at a specific time. Therefore, I was able to know that in less than one hour after leaving that spot, the Pope would come and pray there. WOW! That is mind bending!
It was a wonderful day and meant a lot to be in such close proximity to Christ’s vicar on Earth.
-
- Me, Jason Doke, Ryan Browning, and David Esquiliano waiting to see Pope Benedict XVI.
-
- Pope Benedict’s Car
-
- Me and Msgr. Checchio before the Papal Angelus.
-
- Moments before seeing the Pope!
-
- Pope Benedict XVI gave a short talk on the importance of families.
-
- This lake is behind the papal palace.
-
- Walking through the papal gardens.
-
- That was cool!
-
- Archbishop Harvey feeds the fish near the place where Pope Benedict prays the rosary everyday.
-
- We prayed the “Hail Holy Queen” prayer just one hour before Pope Benedict would pray the rosary from the same spot.
-
- Msgr. Mueggenborg, Archbishop Harvey, and Msgr. Checchio moments before we entered the cortile.
New Man Orientation
-
- Standing in front of St. Peter’s Basilica.
-
- Standing beneath the Portico at the front of St. Peter’s Basilica.
-
- Seminarian Brian Frice sports the North American College house cassock. Notice the red, white, and blue.
-
- 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.
-
- Walking through St. Peter’s Square as dawn breaks.
-
- Standing near the Tomb of St. Peter, our class made a proclamation of our faith, just as St. Peter had made before Jesus Christ.
-
- 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.
Back in Rome
Since I have last posted I have been very busy. Last Thursday we went with our tutors to the town of Arona, Italy. It is home of a huge statue of St. Charles Borromeo. In fact, when the Statue of Liberty was in the planning stages, the artist went to Arona to see the statue of St. Charles. I paid 4.00EU in order to climb inside the statue and I was able to take pictures through the holes in the statue’s eyes. In a way, I guess I can say that I have now looked through the eyes of a Saint. (Shout out to you, DAVID ESQUILIANO! haha)
Standing in front of the massive statue of St. Borromeo.
Inside of the head of the Statue of St. Charles Borromeo in Arona, Italia.
After the tour of Arona, Scott Jablonski and I went to Isola Bella to tour the Borromeo Palace and Estate that is on the island. It was beautiful and took us three hours to get through the palace and the gardens. The Borromeo family still owns the area and lives in the palace a few weeks out of the year. They normally reside in Milan.
The gardens of Isola Bella.
The train ride to Rome was very simple and we didn’t have any problems. It was good to get back to Rome, but it is really hot right now. Since we don’t have air conditioning many guys have started sleeping in the air conditioned student lounge. I could not hardly sleep last night, but I have a fan that helped with the circulation. I am planning on buying a ceiling fan this afternoon. Hopefully that will go a long way to cool this room down.
This morning was the official start to Orientation for the New Men at the Pontifical North American College. The morning started by us welcoming the rest of our classmates that studied Italian back in the states. We then processed through the main entrance to the Chapel with the faculty, staff, and seminarians “clapping us in” while the bells above the chapel tolled. They told us that this always happens when welcoming an incoming class and then is done again as each of us return to our dioceses as priests. It was pretty amazing and Msgr. Checchio’s opening comments were great. Following Daytime Prayer, we went to the cortile (courtyard) for a New Men Reception and brunch. It was great to meet a lot of new guys and some of the staff here at the NAC. This afternoon we are going on an excursion to the Church of St. Augustine. St. Monica, St. Augustine’s mother, is buried there and today happens to be her feast day. It is a NAC tradition to go to the tomb of St. Monica and pray for our mothers. It was through her prayer and prodding that St. Augustine finally converted to Christianity and allowed Christianity to be practiced in public.
We wait for our other classmates and then we walked into the Chapel.
I watched an amazing short video about the Priestly Ordinations this year for the Archdiocese of New York. It is worth a look!
First Days in the Eternal City
Today was my second full day in the city of Rome. It is so hard to believe that I am here. This week has been a week of orientation for the new first year seminarians here at the Pontifical North American College. I have no idea where the tradition began, but everyone refers to the first year men as New Men. The early orientation team, composed of second year men, have been so generous with their time to help us make the transition from the United States to Italy. It has been a great few days. My only real problem has been the “jet lag”. My body thinks I am taking a nap at night and then I wake up feeling refreshed around 2:30am. Not fun!
My journey to Rome began on Sunday, July 19, 2009. I flew around the country until I finally arrived in Newark, New Jersey. In fact, I caught my first glimpse of New York City from the plane! In Newark, I met up with the other seminarians. When we arrived in Rome on Monday, July 20th, we were promptly greeted by the second year men and all loaded up onto a charter bus. We filled the seats with seminarians and shoved our excess luggage under the bus. However, there was so much luggage that we filled the the entire aisle of the bus with luggage. It was pretty incredible. The rest of the day was filled up tours, meals, and unpacking.
The New Men riding from Fiumicino to the NAC.
Yesterday we went to the church of St. Lawrence of Brindisi. St. Lawrence is famous for telling his executioner to flip him over as he was burning alive on a grill. He explained that he was “done on this side”. It is no wonder that St. Lawrence is the patron saint of comedians. We then spent the rest of the afternoon getting lost with the sporadic mass transit system. Let’s just say that there was a lot of walking!!!
The New Men listen to the history of the Church of St. Lawrence in Rome.
I was able to do something today that I have always wanted to do. We went to the Catacombs of Priscilla, which are the only catacombs owned by the Vatican. The catacombs encompass eight miles of tunnels with three different levels. Most of the remains had been exhumed, but there were a few bones that we saw and many unopened burial chambers. The catacombs are rich with early Christian art, including the oldest image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was amazing to pray in the same place that many of the early Christians in Rome prayed. The culmination of our tour was the celebration of Mass in the catacombs.
Msgr. Mueggenborg celebrates Mass in the Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome.
This evening, my friend, David, and I walked to St. Peter’s Square to admire St. Peter’s Basilica at night. It was very relaxing and it was fun to hear all of the different languages being spoken by the pilgrims that had traveled to Rome. It was an incredible day, but I am exhausted! I am looking forward to having a very relaxing sleep tonight.
Brian standing in St. Peter's Square.
Getting Ready for a Change
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. My name is Brian Buettner and I am a Catholic seminarian from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. I graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a B.S. in Zoology – Biomedical Science in 2006, and then attended Conception Seminary College where I obtained a Bachelor’s of Philosophical and Theological Studies. It seems like I have been in school forever, but this next step is going to be completely different from anything I have every done. I have been assigned to study Theology in Rome, Italy! I will be living at the Pontifical North American College and will attend classes at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
I began the completing the application packet and visa process in February and finished my last preparatory step two weeks ago when I shipped my personal affects to the Eternal City. I am now living out of just two suitcases. It is hard to describe what it feels like to prepare to leave the country with a one-way plane ticket. It is exciting because of the wonderful experience that I know is waiting for me in Rome, but it is so hard to leave my family, friends, and even my hometown. I will not be able to come back home to visit for two years. So many things have been swirling through my mind about what things will be like when I return. However, I am happy to know that I will be able to still be connected to everyone with today’s technology. I think e-mail and Skype will be a huge asset!
I wanted this first blog entry to be a very general introduction and I look forward to keeping this blog up-to-date.
