Silence...

...was held for the last few days in the College Division of St. Charles Seminary during our annual beginning of the year retreat. We had a retreat master leading it with conferences several times a day, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and, a couple times, night prayer in common. There is always, and was especially during the retreat, a feeling here similar to a religious Order, with prayer in common at least twice a day, in addition to the Mass, and a great and holy fraternity among the seminarians.

We are now talking again and I am able to "blog" again! We had a surprise appearance (two days notice) from His Excellency, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, this morning before Morning Prayer. The Raleigh seminarians gathered with him for Morning Prayer and to catch up on how seminary life is so far. I, of course, had nothing but great things to tell him. It was a great joy to see him at St. Charles Seminary as my Bishop, being myself a seminarian, thanks be to God.

While on "lockdown," as we call it, that enclosed environment within the holy walls of St. Charles, particularly when on retreat, but not solely, there was apparently an attack from a sea monster on the coast of the great North Carolina! Little did I know, and I would not have known, had my dear father not mentioned it in a voicemail that he left me! I used to want to be a meteorologist, hurricane hunter specifically, so I have followed tropical activity for most of my life but, somehow, this one snuck under my radar. Oh well, apparently it did not have a big punch.

Also of interest is the latest Diocesan Holy Hour for Vocations. Since the college divison (which includes College I, College II, College III, College IV, Pre-Theology I and Pre-Theology II seminarians...that is, all but five of the St. Charles Raleigh seminarians) was on retreat, we had a Penance Service at 7pm, when the Holy Hour began in the Diocese, and so were not able to properly unite in prayer with the Diocese. However, our brethren in the Theology Division were united in prayer for vocations in the Diocese of Raleigh. Next First Friday, we will be one in prayer, all of us.

One more thing this time around: for those of you who think that it is cool up here, it is not. We had a few cool days (80s), but it has been in the low to mid 90s the rest of the time, so we are commiserating with the southern brethren!