the Duluth Seminarians in front of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls
Happy Advent!
Advent is my favorite season. Its a time when we Christians can really reflect on our readiness for Christ. Not only his first coming in the Incarnation, but more importantly his second coming and our personal judgment before God. You'll notice that the readings during the Sundays of Advent also touch on Christ's second coming and judgment. Advent is a time of waiting for Christ, a time to be sober and alert, a time of hope, Christ the King is coming!
We just finished our Thanksgiving weekend. Obviously different in Italy, but being America's seminary in Rome, we did it up. Turkey, stuffing, and even pumpkin pies. Pumpkin pies that were served while four priests were singing about pumpkin pies "I believe in pumpkin pies" to the tune of "I believe I can fly" by R. Kelly. It was amusing I must admit.
Saturday evening we had a pair of shows. One produced and put on by the newmen, and one by the oldmen. We did ours to the theme of SNL, complete with the Weekend update and the Real Men of Virtue (take off of real men of genius, budweiser radio commercial) which poked fun at few prominent seminarians here. In another skit, I played the part of one of our vice-rectors speaking at a vice rector's conference. Since it is the 150 anniversary of our Seminary, this skit took place in 1859 and did a spoof on our internet network system here, it being a carrier pigeon messaging system back then. It went over real well.
Sunday we had the big flag football game, newmen versus the oldmen. We lost by 3 points, the closest any newman team has come in ten years. Both teams spent a month preparing for the game and I can now see why we only do it once a year. It was real intense and physical. I had the wind knocked out of me and another guy fractured part of his face.
Classes are going well. You need to force yourself to study during the semester because there is no test or paper until a final 10 minute oral exam for most of the classes. At the opening lecture for the University, Father Giertech spoke on "why are there so few Thomistic saints?" Fr. Giertech is the Papal theologian and he teaches moral theology at my university. This gives you an idea of some of the professors we have here. Also at the opening ceremonies, the new rector spoke. He mentioned how he was happy that enrollment was up, and about other things including finances but he mentioned that in the big scheme of things all that matters is that the Truth is being taught and sought out at the University. This was neat to hear. When was the last time any of our presidents of our Catholic universities said anything of the sort in the States? The Angelicum is a great place to be. So many holy men and women pursuing the truth of the faith. When I'm there I feel like I'm in a holy place. In fact my classroom is the same room in which JPII defended his doctoral dissertation.
The week before Thanksgiving the five other guys and myself from the diocese of Duluth went to Siena for the weekend. Siena is the home of St. Catherine of Siena the patroness of Europe and a doctor of the Church. She is an incorruptible, they have her head on display in one of the churches there. We also visited the Cathedral there whose architecture is common for the time. It is like the Cathedral in Orvieto and the basilica of St. Claire in Assisi. I call them prisoner churches for the stripes of alternating colors of bricks. I think their pretty cool.
Siena also is the home of a Eucharistic miracle. There are consecrated hosts, Jesus, that are over 230 years old, yet have not shown any signs of decay. Someone stole the ciborium containing the hosts one night. The whole town prayed for the safe return of the hosts. They were found some days later in the charity box of a nearby church. They had some dust on them, so instead of consuming the hosts they were going to let them decay, which is a legitimate option. However, they didn't decay. There have been numerous scientific tests done that have only upheld the belief in the miracle. We were able to spend an hour in prayer with the hosts exposed in a class ciborium which is behind the glass in the picture below.
Again, I will try to keep on this. Keep me accountable by sending my messages or comments telling me to post more. I need motivation.
"But, since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we wake or sleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." 1 Thess 5: 8-11
This painting is in the Cathedral of Siena. Its for all you mothers out there!
"Nostra Donna Del Latte"
our lady of the milk
