Wisconsin Thanksgiving in Rome

Even though we are Rome, the men of the Pontifical North American College still enjoy a fine traditional Thanksgiving.

Just like how everyone has a day of vacation from work, Thanksgiving is one of the few days that we are officially allowed to cut class. Most of us take advantage of this to sleep in, and so did I. For me this mean I slept until the incredibly late hour of 6:00 AM. I honestly could not sleep any later! This is very different from my university days! I decided to spend the morning by going to Saint Peter in the Vatican. While it is always beautiful to visit, this holy sight of Christendom is especially prayerful before the tour groups start arriving at 9:00 AM. I prayed for the Pope and our bishops, our nation and her president-elect, and I prayed for my own family.

Cooking breakfast in the corridor. This is "scraple." One great thing about corridor breakfast is that we welcome back our priests alumni, this year Rev. Fr. Nick Dudo (on the far left) and Rev. Fr. Joe Freddy (on the center). In the far right is my next door neighbor, Deacon Jesse Burish of the diocese of La Crosse. Keep him especially in your prayers since he is preparing for his ordination to the priesthood this upcoming summer.

Returning to my corridor I found preparations for breakfast well on the way. Each corridor prepares its own big “American-style” breakfast. It is almost as much of a highlight as the turkey dinner later in the day. My corridor enjoyed Virginian-fried apples, egg-bake, Southern biscuits and gravy, and most especially the Philadelphian specialty of “scraple.” We make out own, and I inherited the recipe, so next year I will be continuing the tradition. This breakfast is really a welcoming event for all the first year men, since it feels so much like home.

"New Men," Brian Romportl of the diocese of Green Bay is looking at the turkey and stuffing with hungry eyes.

We celebrate a beautiful Mass, and after Mass we enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner. We have everything you could expect: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pasta, and cranberries. Well maybe the pasta is not traditionally a Thanksgiving dish, but in Italy they just cannot imagine a formal meal without pasta. This is followed by the Ambassador to the Holy See, Mary Ann Glendon, reads President Bush’s Proclamation of Thanksgiving, and than there is the long awaited presentation of the pumpkin pies. They are usually paraded out an original comical-musical-number.

"New Men," Jacob Strand from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is enjoying a great pumpkin pie!

The great thing about Thanksgiving at the Pontifical North American College is that so much effort is put forth by our employees to help us feel at home. It shows that they consider us family, and this helps us to remember the family and friends that we miss back in the United States and Australia. It is also a time that the College really demonstrates its generosity, as the refectory (dining room) is over-filled with Americans from all over Rome. If it was not for the College, most of these Americans would not be able to celebrate the holiday.

Thanksgiving dinner with all the traditional trimmings!

Well each of us misses our family and friends during these holidays that focus so much on spending time with family and friends, it is also a time to call to mind what we are thankful. There is much to be thankful for. It is a great opportunity to live, study and pray in Rome. It is great to be called to the priesthood. Each day I become more and more thankful for being called to this holy vocation. Hopefully each of use have given thanks to God for the vocation we have received, whether it is to be a spouse, a parent, a child, a doctor, a teacher, whatever, since each of our vocations is the way that God calls us to holiness and happiness.

I hope that each of you had a blessed holiday.