A short update for the home-parish bulletin:

Dear Folks,


First of all I have to write this with my tail between my legs, since it has been so long since I have updated you all my great experience of being in Rome. It is one of my goals to be much more consistent with this during my second and following years. Next I am very grateful for all the generosity that a number of you have shown, especially in your prayers. You have no idea how much this helps me on a daily basis.


The year has flown buy and it has been filled with many great experiences, and also a number of opportunities to continue to grown in conformity to Christ as a priest. I have discovered again and again the beauty and joy of this vocation; and as this year end I look forward to the experiences that another year brings. One of the largest high lights of the year was the very unexpected opportunity to meet the Holy Father, and serve for one of his Masses. You perhaps tasted this to some extent when he visited the United States this past April. I have had the chance to see him on a routine basis, for large masses and for the weekly public blessing, and my affection for him as grown greatly. The Church is very fortunate to have him as her universal pastor.


There have also been sacrifices with being over here. I have two young nieces and one young nephew, and they are growing and I cannot be there to share in those experiences. It has also been difficult to learn the Italian language. I enjoy the language greatly, but it seems like ever bit of progress I make, there is much more to learn. I value this experience greatly though, since I think it helps me to understand the large number of immigrants we have in the area and their struggles to adjust to the local culture and language.


There have also been changes at the parish while I have been gone. A number of you have written me about missing the presence of a priest at the parish. This is understandable. The Eucharist is the "source and summit of the Catholic Faith" (from Saint Pope Pius X and repeated in the documents of the Second Vatican Council), and without a priest there is not daily Eucharist. All the other ministries of the Church flow from this "font of water and blood," so even if you are not a daily Mass goer, the change is very noticeable. I pray that this is time teaching all of us to have a greater appreciation for the Eucharist. Not that it was lacking before, but it is a mystery so profound that we can always dive deeper into it. I have heard many good things about the Deacon that the parish has been entrusted to. This is a new thing, and it sound like it is working very well.


This summer I will be at a seminar in Poland. The name of the seminar is: The Tertio Millennio Seminar on Faith and Free Society. The discussion topic is based on the social teachings of John Paul II, and focuses on one questions: In a free society should religious organizations have a voice, and how does it exercise this voice? This should be very interesting since half of the seminar participants will be from Easter Europe, which has only recently become a free society. As the Second Vatican Council re-affirms, in continuation with Church teaching, religious bodies always have a voice in society. It is a public entity, so it by its very nature it should influence the public life. This is what it means for the Church to be a prophetic sign in the World. This has recently been a debate in the United States with a variety of issues, including the definition of marriage, and also the presidential election. But it also has bearing on each of you, since it means that a Catholic cannot be a private Catholic, but public. The Church is only a sign in the midst of the world in so far as her members, all of you, carry her message into the world. Think about how much God trusts us, loves us, and has faith in us to trust His Message to us? It really should inspire awe.


After that I will be on parish internship in Lancaster experience. It should be an interesting experience to see how the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Faith is lived out and expressed in a different culture. What can they teach us about our life as Catholics? What experiences can I bring back to the diocese of Green Bay? What gifts from my own experiences can I bring them? These will be my reflection questions during those weeks.


I will continue to keep the parish in prayer, and ask that you prayers continue for me. Together each of us are members of the one Body of Christ, and this made very real in the Mass, but also our prayers for one another. If any of you have any questions you would like to ask me, or will be in Rome, I welcome you emails at roman.seminarian.gbdioc@gmail.com.


I hope that your summer is filled with many blessings,
Bill Brunner, Jr.,
Seminarian for the Diocese of Green Bay

Benedicamus Dominus! Deo Gratias

His Holiness, Benedict XVI, has appointed the 12th bishop of the See of Green Bay,

Most Reverend David Ricken

Every family needs a father. Each particular church is in many ways a family of faith. For almost a year, the Church of Green Bay has not had a father, since Bishop Zubik was called to his home see of Pittsburg. This past Tuesday, July 9, 2008, Holy Mother Church has provided another father for the Church of Green Bay in the person of Most Rev. David L. Ricken. He comes to us from the diocese of Cheyenne. He was worked hard there especially in promoting the faith through education. This has included even co-founding a new Catholic college in the classical liberal arts traditions. We welcome him to our diocese. Please keep him, and the diocese of Green Bay in your prayers -- as the installation date approaches on the feast of Saint Augustine, August 28, 2008. Also keep the diocese of Cheyenne in prayers, as for now their shepherd is Christ (from the Letters of Saint Ignatius).

I hope to come home for the installation, and even have permission to. I need to finance it myself though, so please also keep this intention in prayers.

Benedicamus Dominus,

Deo Gratias!

Saint Isidore Farm Club

May 19th Feast of Saint Isidore the Farmer

Rome is a beautiful city, and for this I am very thankful. I can enjoy over twenty-five hundred years of history, beautiful architecture, and all the amenities of living in a large city afford. It is beautiful and I am very grateful for the opportunity. But the fact remains – it is still a city. I am a country boy. A country boy will always be a little uncomfortable in a city. There is an allure about the open space, the nature, and just the attitude of the country that stays in a country boys heart. So alas I enjoy the city of Rome, but still long for the country. But really there is always a little bit of country in the city. The North American College even has its own “little farm” up on the hill over looking the college. Really it is just a small vegetable plot, but it serves my green thumb just fine. There is also the fraternity among country boys. Much to my surprise a few weeks ago I came into the refectory (dining hall) for pranzo (lunch) and four table where put together decorated with flowers, toy John Deere tractors -- It was Saint Isidore day. Saint Isidore is a Spanish saint, and the patron of farmers. He was so devoted to praying at the local church that his field work was getting neglected. Worried about this he prayed to God. Much to his surprise upon returning to his farm he say what was left unplowed, was now plowed; and what was left unplanted, was now planted. It was a miracle. So Saint Isidore continued his prayers each day, and each day his work was finished. Soon he began to wonder about these miracles. So leaving church early one day he snuck back to his farm to discover angles guiding the plows and picking the fruits of the vine and tree. The lesson that Medieval preachers often took from this bit of hagiography (holy writings, usually about a saint) is the same lesson that is contained in the sixth chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew: Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added onto you.This is a very important lesson in today’s world. It seems like everyone is traveling faster than a mile a minute with no time to prayer and rest – no time to rejoice in gifts given, no time to talk with Our Father in heaven who wishes to bless us in all things. I know that I need to remind myself of this lesson often in seminary – it can get very busy, so busy that I can forget to seek first his kingdom – really there is nothing more important. Papers need to get written, books need to get read, and jobs need to be completed, but perhaps spending a few extra minutes in prayer God will send a little angel to help in all these things.

Poland Day Two: Did you see the schwtzjkij at the twjykljef?

The main square of Krakow is called the Market Square -- this is the most of us standing in it. It is hard to believe but Poland used to be the most powerful country in Europe, and Krakow was the capital at that time. So the whole rise and fall of Eastern Europe was determined from this square.
Catholic-Christianity came to Poland over one thousand years ago. The first person to preach Christianity was Saint Adalbert. The white church to the right is built over the spot where he preached, and through his preaching converted the kingdom of Poland. The church in the background is the Basilka of Saint Mary. It is the largest church in Krakow. It is famous for its trumpeter, who keeps the time of the town by playing each hour on the hour -- 24/365. He is a real man, not a machine. Even in the wee hours, even on the freezing cold days. This is done in remembrance of the trumpet player who saved the town from a Tartan attack in the 1300's. He climbed the tower to play his song -- warning the whole town. Through his heroic efforts he saved the town, but lost his life as a Tartar managed to shout him through the throat before he even finished playing his song.
Just an inside view of the Basilka of Saint Mary.
And this was the seat of power for all of Krakow, all of Poland, and all of Eastern Europe -- WAWEL CASTLE and CATHEDRAL. This is the Cathedral where John Paul II was Archbishop before he was the Pope. It was very beautiful, but smaller than I thought it would be.
This is in the bell tower -- it is only rung on very special occasions -- for the sake to these people's ears I hope there is not a special occasion soon!

Thursday after Ash Wednesday: San Giorgio al Velabro

Velabro is swamp -- This very old church was built in the swampy area between the Tiber River, and the Aventine and Palatine Hills. What is striking are its simplicity and it is also very noticable that the building is not square. The front side is much wider than the apse end, causing the whole body of the church to narrow towards the altar. This focuses all attention on the altar -- but this is not why the church was built this way. It is built on at the foot of a hill, which means they could not build it square, but rather had to match the contour of the hill. Since it is with his own hands that God formed the hill the way it is, and since he is all knowing (thus would have known a church to his honor would be built here), it can be said that the way this irregularly built church is built to God's plan, and not to the plans of men -- who probably would have demolished the hill side to build the church square. This lead to a question: How do I do things: prayer, life, work, leisure, what ever? Do I do them the way God wants them, or the way I want them? Which is better for me? Is my prayer simple? Or do I even make my prayer complicated like my life? During LENT how does God want me to simplify my prayer with him and my life?

Ash Wednesday: Santa Sabina

Starting almost fifteen hundred years ago Popes have been coming to this church for Ash Wednesday, to start the season of Lent. This church is the oldest church building in the city of Rome. It is simple and classic. In the hours of the morning when the rays of the sun were still more horizontial, rather than vertical, we treked down the venerable Janiculum Hill, crossed the river, and trekked up the Aventine Hill. We are in Rome proper -- the Rome of the ancients. It is at the bottom of this hill that the city recieved her shipments of grain. It was a poorer section of the city -- and since OUR LORD favors the poor, perhaps this is why some of the first Christians gathered in this area to worship him.

The season of Lent is a time to grow closer to the LORD. The path to the LORD is old and ancient, and it was trodded by these early Christians -- they were the first ones to walk it -- so it was a rough path -- there were many snarls like the persecutions and martyrdom -- but they charted that path to Christ for us. By going to where they first worshipped, we join them on this path growing closer to the LORD.

Reflection Questions:
Who has lead me to the grow closer to Christ? Friends? Relative? Strangers? SAINTS (which saints)?

Have I thanked God for putting these people in my life so that I could come to know Him better? Have I thanked them?

What are my snares -- the things that keep me from growing closer to the LORD? How is He helping me to be free from these snares?

Lenten Reflections Based on the Stational Churches

What are the station churches?

After the end of the persecutions the number of Christian-Catholics in the city of Rome swelled. The Pope, who always desired to be a Father to those lambs entrusted to his care, desired to remain close to his lambs, even though the crowds were so large they could never fit into one church. So he started the practice of visiting the various parishes of Rome, so on a regular basis all the Christians of the city would meet their Holy Father. This is the start of the stational churches. Simple. As the liturgies developed, eventually the churches that the Holy Father would visit each day were set, especially during the privileged seasons of Lent and Advent. This was a continual practice in the Roman Church until the Popes moved to Avignon in France.

Since the great renewal of the Church after the Second Vatican Council, this tradition has been re-born with the Lenten Stational Liturgies. This is the primary way that the Pontifical North American College remembers the season of Lent. Each morning of Lent seminarians get up extra-early, and still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes start the procession down the Janiculum Hill toward that days stational church. In this way each day becomes a pilgrimage. Each seminarian becomes a pilgrim.

Theology in Ancient Stone

Many of the station churches are the oldest churches in Rome, and in the whole world. Christian men and women have gathered in many of these sacred spaces for close to two thousand years. These are the first parishes of Rome; these are the chapels built on top of the tombs of the holy martyrs; these are the houses were persecuted Christians gathered for prayer and the celebration of the Eucharist. This is where the Tradition of the Church is encountered and experienced in stone, by encountered those who on earth have worshiped Christ there before, and from heaven continue to worship with us now.

Perogi e snow -- Poland Day One of Eight

I'm leaving on a jet-plane...

It is the day after Christmas, and I need to get out of the city. Thank God for Poland. Christmas was great -- but you know it is just not the same without snow. Poland holds the promise of snow. So hope a plane at Leonardo Da'Vinci International Airport, and of we go -- all seven of us.



This will be my last view of Italy for the next eight days. It looks beautiful and majestic.

We have a little lay-over in Munich. By far the nicest airport I have ever been in. A little lunch at a German fast-food resturant, and we are good to go for our last leg of the journey (caption starting with me and going clockwise: Me, Aaron Johanneck, Matt Libra, Bill Ruelle, and Phillip Zubrod).

First surprise in Poland: Hotel Atlantis is not a hotel at all, instead it is Hostel Atlantis. I have always been told that it is a good experience to stay in a hostel, but when you don't expect it, it surprises you at first. It was actually a decent place to stay, plus it was close to the historic heart of Krakow.

Some of the guys though had the benefit of a nice priory guesthouse. This truly served as our homebase. This is a picture of their lower church underneath their refractory (dining room). Catholics have been worshipping in this room for just over eight-hundred years.

Well it is still the Christmas Season...

The Holy Father preparing to give the "Obi et Urbi" blessing on Christmas.

A view of where I was sitting for the midnight Mass with the Holy Father. Overall a good seat.
First Vespers (evening prayer) with the Holy Father. We came in very late, but were ushered right up to the front (no there is nothing special about us, the ushers just know that it is good to make the Basilica to look full for the Holy Father).
The Creche in the main chapel at PNAC.

Wow my first Christmas away from home! I did not know what to expect, but overall it went much better than I thought it would. The PONTIFICAL NORTH AMERICAN COLLEGE has been helping young aspiring priest with the holiday season for the last 149 years, and they did a good job at helping me through it. I think it was more difficult on my friends and family back in the United States than it was for me.

There are three main things that helped with the season: 1) over here we are all in the same boat for the most part, (2) Rome and the Vatican do Christmas very well, and (3) just trying to keep my eye on the prize, priesthood, and what this means for my life.

NAC treats us very well around the holidays, and the whole season starts out with a college-wide Christmas party in the refractory. It sets the mood quiet well. There are the traditional foods and drinks, caroling, a newly elected Bishop Callahan to read T'was the Night Before Christmas, a big tree. You know the usual things, for the most part. There is also a lot of support from through the strong fraternal bonds that we develop here.

While I would love to be home for the holidays, there is just something about a Roman holiday. You spend it with the Holy Father to start with. It is also much less commercial so the true signficance of it really stands out. I started out the whole Advent season by attending Solemn Evening Prayer at Saint Peter with the Holy Father, and was gifted two tickets for the reparto speciale for Midnight Mass with the Holy Father. This means I enjoyed some really good seats. See the picture that shows how close I was. The next morning I slept in late, and got ready just in time to head down to the square (which square? there is only one square, Saint Peter's of course!) for the Ubi et Orbi blessing from the Holy Father. This is when he blesses the city of Rome and the whole world besides in about 40 different languages.

Lastly, as Servant of God, Archbishop Sheen always said, a priest is not his own. It is great to spend time with ones family during the holiday season, but a priest does not do that. He has his parish family, and really taking Christ as a model, he spends his holidays with those who have no family to visit them. Being here in Rome prepares me for this, and we all have no family here, so we held each other up in prayer and with affirming words.

It is a small sacrifice, but the secret of the saints is that holiness is found very often in these everyday-ordinary sacrifices. I think this is something that I can learn from new-parents. They make many sacrifices to be good parents, and a priest must make many little sacrifices of his will (and body, and mind, and heart) to be a good Spiritual Father. All these experiences in Rome are preparing me for this.

Thank you to all for holding me up in prayer during this time, it has helped greatly. God bless and blessed Christmas season to each of you.

God in Light and Shadows

It is a busy time here in Rome. Dan Weiske, a good and close friend from last year at Mundelein, is in the middle of his visit. The weather is finally starting to cool down, and it is raining more often. It is not too cold in the city yet, usually I only need to wear a sweater or a light jacket around town. With the cool weather the atmosphere has cleared up, and I can clearly see snow falling on the mountains that surround Rome. My Italian teacher in August said that she thought that it would be cold winter. I do not know how she knows this, but Italians really take "old-wives tales" very seriously, and she was saying something about caterpillars and dogs that I didn't understand. So who knows?

Last night I went to Vespers with the Monastic Community of Jerusalem at Santismma Trinta' dei Monti, the church at the top of the Spanish steps. The specific charism of this community is "to promote the spirit of the monastic desert in the heart of cities." (See their website [in French] at http://jerusalem.cef.fr/). They are allowed their own monastic psalter, so their vespers service does not correspond to our breviary. It is very beautiful and prayerful though. It starts with a ceremony centering around Christ as our light, which includes an incensing of the altar and lighting a row of candles. It then goes into a number of psalms and readings in French interspersed with periods of silence for meditation, and concludes with the Magnificat and Te Deum in Italian. Since it is first vespers for Sunday, they see this service as the beginning of Sunday and as an invitation to enter into the day of prayer, so it is not ended with a formal dismissal or blessing. It is actually very simple and prayerful. Since I do not know French (or Italian all that well) nor the chant modes, I guess some people would say that this liturgy is not open to "active participation," but this is simply not true. Our Holy Father, in line with the Council Fathers, sees the primary aspect of active participation as a participation on the "altar of the heart," and these Vespers through the interplay of light and darkness, sound and silence, common gestures draw me into the spiritual reality that no matter what the language there is a sacramental aspect to prayer, especially the liturgy of the hours.

As far as the Italian is going and the Italian exam, let's just say that the Gregorian University is inviting me, along with two-thirds of my class-mates, to study Italian for sixty more hours. It is funny since I really do have understand most of the lectures. I can read fairly well in Italian. But that is the way things are, and it will not hurt me to study Italian a little more. Classes in general are going great. It is a lot of self-learning, since I need to do a lot of reading on my own, but I enjoy this. I can understand all of my professors, except for one. This is Father Tanner, S.J., who teaches Ancient and Medieval Church History, and he is an authority on this subject. He is brilliant, and yet no one can understand him. Like most of the professors at the Gregorian he is not a native Italian (he is British in origin), so Italian is not his first language (with him it might be his eighth). He speaks an odd hybrid between Italian and academic Oxford-style English. I usually find this to be a good time to write letters home. To be honest.

In other aspects I am doing well. It is time to start visiting apostolate sights, so that is what is what I have been doing. It has been interesting. I have been visiting hospitals and soup kitchens in Rome with some of the "old men." This past Friday I visited a soup kitchen which is run by a Catholic lay movement of Sant'Egidio. (See their website at http://www.santegidio.net/en/index.html). What is very different from my previous experiences working in soup kitchens was that this environment was much more pleasant than I have previously worked in. Instead of having the clients go through a soup line we serve them as waiters. They are given choices on what to they want to eat, and in general in this one little soup kitchen at the bottom of the back side of the Janiculum hill their dignity is respected. It was very nice. I hope I get an assignment in this area, since it is the area that I have the least experience with, and I also very much feel drawn to it. When I walk the streets of Rome and see people asking for money, I feel drawn to them. I do not know how to handle them, since I am told it is foolish to give them money. I can't help it sometimes though. I will also take oranges from the college and give them away. At the very least I look at them, and try to offer them a kindness of the heart. If I had to be materially poor, I think I would much rather be so in the United States, since we seem to have a better tolerance for them. In Italy they are getting fed-up with them, and this is getting expressed in official policy such as a few weeks ago when the city of Rome bulldozed some of the squatters' camp on the outskirts of the city.

Another star in the sky tonight.

In ancient times the Greeks and Roman thought that the stars where holes in the sky in which the heavenly light showed through. So that is why they looked to the sky to study the stars since at that moment they were glimpsing bits of heaven. By extension than it is easy to believe that in this scheme when our souls and the souls the our loved ones go to heaven that a new star is added to the celestial beauty. Tonight look up and you will see one more star, since the sweetest old lady that you ever have met is know looking down toward us and blessing us from heaven. My grandmother, Dolores Caroline Schmidt, died suddenly Sunday, October 28, 2007. Her long good-bye to her husband Jerome is now over, as he preceded her to prepare a spot in heaven for the both of them. She now has all the time to chat with Michael and Shirely, her two children who also were called back to God before her, and Michael her grandchild. We miss, and love her, but also know that she is supremely happy with those who love her in heaven and God who loved her so much that he shared her with us for eighty good years.

Some Silence and Wild Boar Sausage

To prepare for the start of lectures at the Greg a few of us headed out to the little town of Norcia in Umbria for some nice rest and relaxation. Umbria is the region that Assisi is in, so if you can imagine the landscape you can imagine the surrondings of Norcia. I think Norcia is prettier though since there is less development, less touristy, and it is greener. It is famous as the birth place of Saint Benedict, and also for its wild boar sausage.

WHY DID I TAKE A PICTURE OF BENEDICT'S BACK? To show that he leads me and many others in prayer. As someone leads you, you see their back, hence the imagine of the priest facing the same way as the people during Mass, it is the priest leading his people to heaven.

Norcia has everything you would imagine a little Italian town to have. More churches than you could possibly visit, a nice example of a medieval town wall, beautiful little narrow streets, good food, friendly people (almost no one knows English), and at least this weekend Oktoberfest (wait, Oktoberfest in an Italian town?). This is my friend Jeff from Portland and I enjoying some nice tasting German style leg of pork.

This is the main church in Norcia, the Basilica of Saints Benedict and Scholastica, they are twins. It is built above their place of birth. Even though it is one of the most important places for the Benedictines, for a long time they had no monastery here in Norcia. Recently a group of American Benedictines re-founded the monastery here. They hosted us, and taught us what Benedictine hospitality was all about. They also sing real-real-good. You can check out some of their music on their website: http://www.osbnorcia.org/
As I said Norcia is famous for its wild-boar sausage. Now a little ITALIAN LESSON: If you want to know where to buy something in Italian, find the same for the item in Italian, and add -eria at the end, and you got the name of the store. Example: gelato + eria = gelateria. As you can see this is a Norin-eria. They sell a little bit of NORCIA! These are all products typical of Norica that we can bring home, and it shows how proud they are of their community and really I think this can be an example to the US, which well each town seems like the next one. Be proud of what makes your little town unique. Perhaps when I get pack to the US of A, I will see a Green Bay-eria, or a Manitowoc-eria?

THE FOLLOWING ARE PICTURES FROM MY RETREAT AT THE

VENERABLE ENGLISH VILLA

WHICH IS ACROSS THE LAKE FROM CASTLE-GONDOLFO, THE POPE'S SUMMER HOUSE

The Apostolic Palace from the front door of the villa.
During the retreat I did a lot of hiking. The retreat house was half way up the mountain from the Lake Alban, so there was some very scenic hikes on the way down to the lake. The land is so steep that is slides down the side of the mountain, taking trees with it. This creates a "hanging-forest" appearance that I really liked. This area also includes some Roman ruins.

Sorry Two Months (Can we say B*U*S*Y)

Sorry to all for taking so long to update this. After two months perhaps I have lost some or all loyal readers. It has been a busy two months. But very active and spiritually moving. I cannot really put into words what has all happened within my heart, but I feel much closer to God in the end of it.
The transition to seminary abroad, to NAC, to being in Italy. Well it has been much more difficult than I thought it would be. I went for a little emotional roller coaster ride, but what is very much consoling is that I have felt myself growing ever closer to God in all of this. Reflecting on the Gospel passage: "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it shall never bare fruit," it has all become more real to me. It is something I understood before in some over superficial way, but know much more into the heart.
How do I update over two months? I really cannot say I know how to. I have a lot of pictures though so perhaps that will help.

This is from a day trip while I was in language school in Verbania. It is a giant statue of Saint Charles Borromeo. He is the patron saint of seminaries, so of course is close to my heart. I will devote a separate post to the beauties of Verbania and Lago Maggiore.

This is a view of the Pope's gardens at Castelgondolfo. Very beautiful. They are usually not open to the public, but it was a special favor to us when we were there to receive the blessing of His Holiness.

The whole class of new men took a two night trip to Assisi. It moved me spiritually more than I thought it would, since I never had a large devotion to Saint Francis. I loved taking walks in the country side around the town. There are olive trees for those who have never seen olive trees before. The shimmer like silver under the Umbrian sun.

The basic skyline of Siena. I spent two weeks here for language school. The Cathedral is on the left with the tower and the dome. It was very beautiful, but there is sadly a charge to enter. It is treated more like a museum, rather than the House of God. Did not Jesus act on this some how?

It is slowly sinking in.

I think it can be hard for people to know what it is like to pack up and move to a foreign country. My first few days in Italy, well it was a vacation, and it did not really sink into me what it meant to be across an ocean, away from much of what I consider to be familiar, and comfortable. I have now been settled into Verbania for two weeks, and this is the longest I have stayed in any place in Italy so far. It is starting to sink in. It is starting to become real. I don't want people to think that I regret coming, I don't. It is just a surreal reality. I am starting to become uncomfortable, starting to realize what it is like to not be able to come home due to the immense geographic distances. I am encountering people very different then what I am used to. I am encountered prejudices within myself that I did not even know I have. By all worldly standards I should be scared -- I am outside of my comfort zone. But....

But God did not build us for this world, but for the world to come. At times, yes I am scared, and sad, but this passes. What does not pass is that I can kneel down and pray. Encounter Him who does not change. To experience His Spirit dwelling in me, and through what I do experience and will experience, know that he is forming me. I know now at times it will hurt, but I remember what C.S. Lewis says about a sculpture. Each blow of the chisel causes it dear pain, but in the end it is a shining masterpiece. It will hurt, it will involve self sacrifice, it will mean renouncing, and mean leaving and even being forced from my comfort zone. In the end I am Christian though, and this means I am part of the people of Hope. I remember the last line of "Amazing Grace": "When we'd been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the Sun..." It is through this all that He, the one who loves me, Jesus, polishes me so that yes, one day I will be bright shining as the sun.

Still need to up-date much with pictures:
1) Siena
2) Volterra
3) Verbania
4) Switzerland

Well I saw the Pope (again)

The next day was the Pallium Mass and the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Of course being in Rome this is a big holiday. Businesses are closed, no school, etc. The North American College is always very good about providing tickets for the big events at the Basilica of Saint Peter. So a whole crew from NAC headed on over to the "bid ol' Church" for the Mass. For my first Papal Mass, it was very beautiful. What is most striking is that there were literally people from every corner of the world there. The Mass was celebrated using five different languages, French, English, Spanish, German, and Latin. It was really my first experience of the Catholic Church as catholic. As the book of Revelations say, "You [Christ] were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God men of every people and race, nation and tongue, and every tribe." The Catholic Church is the most inclusive institution in the world, never is it asked before baptism about nationality, income, race, intelligence, or any other factor, expect to be human, a beloved child of God. What is should do to the individual Catholic is to expand his heart, so that he can love men of ever nation and tribe. Wow! Does that ever sound difficult, but we do not do this alone. This love, pure and filled with truth and light, comes to us from God. It comes through any means God chooses (notice, not any means we choose, God is in charge here), primarily through the liturgy. It is the living again of the mystery of the incarnation, passion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At Mass God comes to earth, and through the power of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament we are brought, crossing the boundries of space and time, to experience being at the foot of the Cross. It is through this that God gives us the gift of the pure Christian love that can expand our heart of make room for all people. Fr. Ronald Rolheiser says this is good prepartion of heaven where you will be with "men of every race, and tonuge..." Just think this was only once Mass, imagine what the next five years will be like.