REVIEW: Seminarian Summer Update

Market Square in Krakow, picture courtsey of Michael Nowak.

Peace and blessings to all of you. I hope that the summer season has found each of you as well as it has found me. My summer was divided between three main activities: Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society at Krakow in Poland, parish internship at Lancaster in England, and an orientation team member back at Rome for the men just starting out at the North American College. Each offered its own rewards and challenges, but God graces worked through it all.

At the Tertio Millennio Seminar I learned about Catholic Social Teaching, especially as envisioned by Pope John Paul II. This area of Catholic teaching is very dynamic at this time. It offers a truly Gospel challenge to a world that seems to turn away from the Gospel more and more each day. It explores the place and voice of the Church in the world and in politics. It looks at the Churches role in addressing poverty and other injustices. It included the study of the “just war theory,” also is the place of public moral reasoning – so it looks at issues like the “culture of life” vs. the “culture of death,” the death penalty, and other current issues like embryonic stem cell research. It as the question: What should the response of the Church be to each of these issues? How does the Church bring about a more just society?

It was particularly interesting studying it in Poland, since it was the principles of the Church’s social doctrine that inspired the revolution of 1989, which overthrew communism in Poland and the rest of Easter Europe. This was dramatic and a significant victory for the Gospel – but it is not an event that can remain in the past. The mission to justice and charity lays always before us, it needs to be constantly maintained, and constantly informed by the Gospel. Since the Gospel ultimately stands for justice, truth (which is true for all people), and above all Love, having the Gospel inform decisions such as voting and public policy is never an injustice and never a violation of religious freedom.

View of Lancaster from Saint Mary's Priory (unfortunately a Church property stolen by the Anglicans, but never returned and Castle Hill overlooking the town of Lancaster. The steeple is of the Cathedral where I did my apostlate, and the bell tower is the town hall, paid for by a Catholic family which remained faithful to Mother Church during the "penal days" when Catholicism was illegal in England.

Peace and blessings to all of you. I hope that the summer season has found each of you as well as it has found me. My summer was divided between three main activities: Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society at Krakow in Poland, parish internship at Lancaster in England, and an orientation team member back at Rome for the men just starting out at the North American College. Each offered its own rewards and challenges, but God graces worked through it all.

At the Tertio Millennio Seminar I learned about Catholic Social Teaching, especially as envisioned by Pope John Paul II. This area of Catholic teaching is very dynamic at this time. It offers a truly Gospel challenge to a world that seems to turn away from the Gospel more and more each day. It explores the place and voice of the Church in the world and in politics. It looks at the Churches role in addressing poverty and other injustices. It included the study of the “just war theory,” also is the place of public moral reasoning – so it looks at issues like the “culture of life” vs. the “culture of death,” the death penalty, and other current issues like embryonic stem cell research. It as the question: What should the response of the Church be to each of these issues? How does the Church bring about a more just society?

It was particularly interesting studying it in Poland, since it was the principles of the Church’s social doctrine that inspired the revolution of 1989, which overthrew communism in Poland and the rest of Easter Europe. This was dramatic and a significant victory for the Gospel – but it is not an event that can remain in the past. The mission to justice and charity lays always before us, it needs to be constantly maintained, and constantly informed by the Gospel. Since the Gospel ultimately stands for justice, truth (which is true for all people), and above all Love, having the Gospel inform decisions such as voting and public policy is never an injustice and never a violation of religious freedom.

The parish experience, along with the silent retreat at the end of the summer, served as a great stimulus to my vocation. Just as Jesus instructed the woman at the well to draw deeply of the waters of eternal life, he instructed me to do the same. As I was feed by the daily experiences of serving at Mass and visiting the homebound, by desire to be a priest – one who lays down his life in sacrifice for others -- has grown. I know though that I cannot be a good pastor without drinking of these waters, and a vital reconnection was made between the Lord and myself during the retreat. Perhaps the married couples reading this update can relate to this experience. Ever get so busy in your married life and family life, that you forget to spend time with your spouse and your family? Well it can happen to a seminarian and to a priest too! So this retreat was greatly appreciated – and I hope to spend more time with the Lord this summer.

Finally some really great news – the Pontifical North American College has welcomed sixty-one “new men” this year. These are over sixty men who in four years will be raised to the order of priesthood in four years to lay down their lives for you as your pastors and teachers. This is part of a greater trend throughout the United States of more and more men saying “yes” to the Lord and the awesome call to be a priest. As many parish communities in our diocese continue to face the difficulties of not having a pastor to be with us, we must listen to the Lord when he say, “pray to the Father, that he may send harvesters…” Please pray for more men to answer the call. Encourage your sons, nephews, brothers, cousins, and friends – if they have a call to priesthood, God will provide all that they need to be happy, healthy and holy.

Lastly pray for me that I may be a happy, healthy, and holy priest.