First Days of Summer 2010
Hello everyone! I thought that as soon as exams were over everything would be quiet and I could relax for a couple days before going to my summer apostolate in Lourdes, France. However, I have been so busy that I have not even been able to hardly take a breath. It is important to note that busy does not mean that I have not enjoyed myself.
The Most Reverent Eusebius Beltran, archbishop of Oklahoma City, has been in Rome for a few days enjoying a vacation with some of his classmates. I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet Archbishop Beltran for an afternoon last weekend. We had a great conversation, lunch, and a walk through Piazza Navona, Piazza Eustachio, and Campo dei Fiori. He has been a great shepherd of the Church of Oklahoma City and it was a great opportunity for me to hear about his journey to priesthood and to the episcopacy.
This week was also the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. It is on this day every year that new archbishops from all over the world come to Rome to receive the pallium, a symbol of their responsibility in the form of a wool “yoke.” The night before the Papal Mass, I went to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls to attend Papal Vespers with the Holy Father. Brandon, Fr. Ed, and I were sitting in the middle of the Basilica and were asked to move towards the front with all of the priests and seminarians. We ended up getting great seats and were only a couple feet away as Pope Benedict processed down the central aisle. Normally, the Sistine Choir doesn’t sound that great, but they were perfect and it ended up being a wonderful celebration with the Holy Father.
Celebrating the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul
After the Pallium Mass, the North American College hosted a reception for the three new archbishops from the United States. I helped welcome the pilgrimage groups, the archbishops, and I also greeted the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. I was also able to spend a few minutes with Archbishop Beltran and one of his classmates from Atlanta.
This morning I saw Fr. Ed off as he continues his European pilgrimage and then I went to Mass at Santa Maria in Traspontina, a quick pre-France haircut, and a cappuccino at my favorite coffee bar.
Nothing brats the Lives of the Saints and a cappuccino to kick the day off in Rome!
This afternoon I will start packing and doing last minute preparations before the two-week experience in Lourdes. I am still not sure if I will take my computer, so it may be a while before I return to the “grid”. Please keep me in your prayers as I assist the pilgrims at Lourdes for the next couple weeks.
Video Blog: Vatican City State
While taking a break from the books, I decided to film a short video for my blog. Do people even like video blogs or should I keep my regular, text-based blog? At least the video blog is 1) faster, 2) easier, and 3) faster. Did I mention that a video blog is faster to put together? haha. Enjoy this short clip and please continue to pray for me during this final stretch of exams!
Snow in Rome
For the first time in 24 years, snow has fallen in the Eternal City of Rome. There were early reports yesterday that we may see some snow, but I think everyone was shocked to find how much snow has fallen this morning. At the North American College, it has been snowing for most of the morning. A few of the seminarians were down in St. Peter’s Square having a snowball fight and I saw several others making massive snowmen on the Campo Sportivo. What a beautiful sight! I was beginning to think I wouldn’t see any snow this year!
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- St. Peter’s Basilica is veiled by the first snow fall in Rome in 24 years.
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- A pine tree on the grounds of the North American College is weighted down by snow.
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- A seminarian makes a “snow angel” on the Campo Sportivo.
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- Brandon Macadaeg enjoys the view of snow covered Rome from the Sixth Floor Terrace.
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- The Pantheon and many other Roman churches and buildings are covered in snow.
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- St. Peter’s Basilica after the “Great Snow of 2010.” (Can I copyright this phrase?)
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- The North American College’s Cortile and Chapel are covered in snow with St. Peter’s Basilica in the background.
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- Damian Jellett, Diocese of Wagga Wagga in Australia.
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- Brandon Macadaeg, Diocese of Oakland in California
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- Jason Doke, Diocese of Jefferson City in Missouri
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- John Norman, Archdiocese of Omaha in Nebraska
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- Me! Brian Buettner, Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
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- A HUGE snowflake approaches Damian (ignore my finger in the photo, haha).
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- The newest member of the NAC Martyr’s soccer team, Frosty, Diocese of Rome.
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!
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- The massive statue of St. Paul greets visitors as they approach the main entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica.
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- 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.
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- From St. Peter’s Basilica, the view is pretty amazing of St. Peter’s Square.
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- The statue of St. Peter overlooks St. Peter’s Square and is only a few yards from where St. Peter was crucified upsidedown.
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- This wide-angle photo shows St. Peter’s Basilica as the sun peaks over the mountains.
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- Cobblestones cover the entire city of Rome, including St. Peter’s Square.
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- When standing at the the center of the colonnade, all of the columns line up perfectly.
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- Within St. Peter’s Square, there is a huge nativity scene constructed during Advent around the Egyptian obelisk.
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!
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- The NAC House Cassock is composed of a black cassock with blue buttons and a red fascia.
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- 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.
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- The Holy Father greets the seminarians of the North American College.
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- Pope Benedict addresses the seminarians, faculty, and alumni of the North American College.
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- This is the balcony that the Holy Father walks out onto after being elected Pope.
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- His Excellency Timothy Dolan was a rector of the North American College and is now the Archbishop of New York.
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- These steps lead up to the Papal Apartment and the rest of the Papal Palace.
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- Seminarians, Faculty, and Alumni of the North American College applaud as Pope Benedict XVI enters the Loggia.
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- His Excellency Anthony Taylor was a priest from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma until he was named Bishop of Little Rock by Pope Benedict XVI.
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!
Mass with Archbishop Joseph Di Noia and Diaconate Ordinations
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- Altar of the Chair
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- St. Peter’s Dome
Last week at the North American College was Deacon Week. The Fourth-Year Theologians were ordained deacons in St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday. However, leading up to the ordinations was very exciting. The week began with the Mass of Thankgiving by Archbishop Joseph Di Noia. He was ordained a bishop over the summer in Washington, D.C. and was named the Secretary of the Congregation of Divine Worship, an office within the Vatican. Therefore, the Mass served as an official “Vatican Welcome” with many cardinals, bishops, priests, and others from the Roman Curia. I think everyone was at the North American College for the Mass from the Vatican, except Pope Benedict XVI! It was a huge!
On Wednesday evening, there was a Vigil for the men that were to be ordained deacons the following morning. The vigil was basically a Holy Hour, with the Blessed Sacrament exposed, Readings, a homily, and a candlelight procession to the Grotto of Our Lady in front of the main entrance to the North American College. Following the prayerful evening, the seminarians from Oklahoma got together to have a going-away party for an Oklahoman seminarian who was returning to the Diocese of Tulsa for a pastoral year. The four of us had a great evening telling stories and talking about the excitement in the air for the soon-to-be-ordained deacons. We will miss you this year, Sean!
The following morning, Thursday, October 8th, 2009, my group of seminarians left for St. Peter’s Basilica really early. My job during the ordination was to usher people to their seats, seat the parents, family, and VIPs. The ordination took place at the Altar of the Chair within St. Peter’s Basilica, but I sat on the back steps of the High Altar for most of the Mass. It was so cool to experience thousands of people traveling here from the United States in order to see their son, grandson, brother, uncle, or friend, being ordained a deacon in St. Peter’s Basilica!
Following the Mass, a group of us were allowed to leave a side exit to the Vatican Grounds and then we rushed back to the North American College to set-up the Reception. My job was to keep the tables stocked with snacks and sandwiches for all of the North American College’s guests. However, after the reception was over, I rushed to my room, finished packing my bag, and then met Ryan and David downstairs to go to the airport for our flight to Malta for the weekend. The Ordination Day was amazing and it struck me several times of how fast these next three years will probably pass by before my ordination to the Diaconate, God-willing.
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.
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.
