I am back, and with much to say!

Well, mid-terms are over, and they went well. My brain was not used to cramming and studying so much, but I persevered. We are now at a point of resting, at least for a little while.

There are several things to note since my last opportunity to post.

1)

As you see just below the title bar on the blog, I have added “Events” as a link. This will take you to another page with a list of the major events, and events that I consider important, like soccer (!) and the dates when they will occur. Also, I will eventually add links to each date when there is a need to comment on the event, for easier monitoring of what is going on. Also, I hope to add an “Horarium” and a “Pictures” link next to the “Events” one, so you can see what the prayer schedule is here, and pray along if you would like, and so you can see some pictures of the seminary

2)

I have been meaning to talk about our Apostolate work, which every seminarian does on Thursdays. For every seminarian after the College I year, an assignment is given to work at a parish, which includes a school, nursing home, hospital, or other related center where the seminarian can get experiences in pastoral ministry. My assignment is to a parish in North Philadelphia called St. Athanasius, the pastor of which is Msgr. Bevard, a well-known and highly respected priest of the Archdiocese, for reasons that are clear to me from my experience so far.

The parish is in a bad area of Philadelphia, which is not hard to find these days, apparently. I will hold off on the details of the violence of these areas for now. Suffice it to say, they want me to wear clerics for my apostolate because the clerics should keep me safer than if I were in a black suit or casual clothes. There are other areas where seminarians wear clerics because of the violence from the Hispanic gangs in the area. These superstitious gang members leave men in black (i.e. clerics) alone because they believe, falsely, that a priest has the power to curse them. Fascinating.

At the parish, I teach 6th, 7th, and 8th grade religion classes. For the 6th graders, I am preparing two to come into the Church at Easter, whereas for the 7th and 8th graders, I teach a class of 20 to 30 kids, most of whom are not Catholic. We use the Baltimore Catechism, which is a magnificent teaching tool because of the way it is laid out and includes pictures. The classes are 30 minutes long so it is easy to keep their attention for that long and not run out of things to say. The fact that I am taking a Practical Theology course and a Catechism course helps tremendously when it comes to preparing for the classes.

We eat lunch with the pastor at the rectory and then go with him on visitations to the homes of parishioners, or to nursing homes or hospitals to see parishioners who are there. After this is done, he takes us to some important or beautiful Church in Philadelphia, or some religious/historical areas of the city. We have visited, so far, the Cathedral for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia downtown, a Carmelite Convent, the Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, and, today, the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa. Please visit the links to see more about them. Just click on the words in this paragraph.

Having done three different years of work in a pastoral internship for the Diocese before the coming of Bishop Burbidge, I am very experienced in these areas. However, the teaching opportunities and the wisdom from a Monsignor are definitely welcomed elements of my formation. The Thursday Apostolate will change each year and will continue until graduation from the seminary, followed by, God willing, Priestly Ordination.

3)

Also of note, our trip home to the great state of North Carolina was a welcomed retreat from Yankee oppression (just kidding!...or am I?!). My home in little Washington in my “Shire,” (i.e. the land of the Hobbits from the great myth The Lord of the Rings).

4)

Coming up next week are three great events: Cassock Day, where we move from wearing suits everyday, to wearing clerics everyday (!!!); my birthday, on October 30th, when I turn 28; and the Feast of St. Charles Borromeo, my Patron Saint and the Patron Saint of the Seminary. The next weekend, my dad will be visiting as he finishes a business trip in the area. This is an exciting time. Just after that will be the Thanksgiving break. Time flies.

5)

This Saturday we have a soccer game against Theological College, from Washington, DC, at12:15pm. I have no idea how good their team is. Last Friday, the 12th, we had the first of the Upperside/Lowerside games, the first being a soccer match between the two divisions at St. Charles. The Lowerside, which moved from the structure of having only one forward, which the Seminary team had been using, to one that had two forwards, proved to be the wiser of the teams. The Lowerside fought unto a great victory, with yours truly at the front as the additional forward who scored two of the three goals to bring the Lowerside (i.e. the College Division) to a 3 – 2 win. It was great fun, and hopefully there will be pictures available online soon.

Also, for those interested in seeing pictures from the Rector’s Cup Tournament, go to Theological Clowning, a website with pictures taken by one of the theologians here at the seminary.

Until next time, keep praying and seeking holiness.

Peace and Good.