MY
Last week, Thursday, 5:00 am: half of the seminary groggily loads bags and cassocks onto a charter bus set for Alexandria, VA, Washington D.C., and the March for Life. Most of us were well-prepared to sleep through the majority of the trip. Some brought reading, others headphones. When the sun had risen, we prayed morning prayer and a rosary together.
A long drive and many stops later, we arrived at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, with time to spare before the Vigil Mass for Life. We vested and explored the Basilica. It was more beautiful than I remembered. I was particularly touched by the number of priests hearing confessions and the number of people in line for confessions. I saw what seemed like people from entire convents and schools pouring into the church and filling all the pews - 5,000 people attended the mass. About an hour before mass, every seminarian at the Basilica gathered in the Crypt church, by the sacristy. Guys from different seminaries who rarely get to see one another got to reunite and catch up. I reunited with some old friends and met new ones. I was struck by the sheer number of seminarians - and I've been told this mass was only half as well attended as pre-COVID masses! When the Master of Ceremonies ushered us into the sanctuary, we filled the three wings surrounding the High Altar. (Pictures included in the slide show!) The March for Life painted a clear picture of Catholic solidarity for me, in my seminary and in seminaries around the country. The bus ride to the Basilica was filled with both bus games and discussions about the possible fruits of the Synod on Synodality. After the mass, we returned to the hotel lobby, ate pizza, talked, and played board games. Whenever I met other seminarians in the crypt, I was surprised by how much shared experience we had, even though we'd never met before then. We joked about the behind-the-scenes experience of organizing a big mass as we watched the M.C. and servers frantically trying to make things happen - an experience every seminarian knows well. Through the sacrifice of the mass, a lion's share of the nation's seminarians prayed together for the cause of human life as unified sea of black, white, and folded hands. As many of you may have heard, a group called Catholics for Choice projected pro-choice slogans on the exterior of the Basilica. I think the thousands of faithful Catholics attending the March for Life and Vigil Mass would agree with Cardinal Gregory as he responds, "The true voice of the Church was only to be found within The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception last evening. There, people prayed and offered the Eucharist asking God to restore a true reverence for all human life." (https://adw.org/news/statement-from-cardinal-wilton-gregory-light-show-protest-national-shrine/) Totus Tuus! P.S. A second part next week, describing the March for Life itself and a couple other stories. I've been put into quarantine again and have been in quarantine all of this last week. My symptoms have not been very bad, and I've used this time to pray and rest. I've been praying for you all - pray for me. Hopefully I'll be out of quarantine tomorrow, so pray that my transition is smooth and that I can catch up on homework quickly and effectively!
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Once a week, a group of seminarians carpools over to one of the abortion clinics in the area. We stand on the sidewalk in front of the building and pray a Rosary and a Divine Mercy chaplet for an end to abortion, for the lives of the unborn, and for mothers and fathers everywhere.
People react in all sorts of ways, but they definitely react. We've had men and women stop their cars in the middle of the highway we're next to, roll down their windows, and yell obscenities at us. Sometimes people just honk angrily or flip their middle finger. We focus on praying. One time, a small group of counter-protestors formed. One of the Columbus seminarians recognized them - they had gone to his (nominally) Catholic high school. What stung most was they prayed along with us, but proclaimed that they were praying each decade for abortion rights. We talked with them afterwards. I've been praying for them. There is a note of hope. We also receive a roughly equal amount of support. People cheer us on, pray with us, or stop to encourage us. The other day, a man from a local non-denominational church pulled over and prayed with us. We've had people stop and politely ask us questions, seeking genuine discussion. This ministry has been such a blessing for me - it has directed my prayer and touched my heart in ways I never would have predicted. It has moved me toward greater compassion. I've never gotten angry at anyone I've encountered there - God provides a supernatural grace to know His love for them. While I encourage all of you to pray anywhere and frequently for an end to abortion, if you can, I urge you to pray at an abortion clinic. Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. P.S: I wrote this post in advance. The whole seminary is waking up very early on Thursday morning to drive to Washington D.C. for the March for Life. We'll be serving at mass and in a procession from the Basilica on Thursday and participating in the March for Life on Friday. Pray for our safe travels, for everyone marching, and for an end to the modern slaughter of the innocents The first week of classes started full-throttle. I'm taking 18 credits this semester - more than traditionally recommended since we also have so many non-academic commitments. I'm completing the second semester of Latin, History of Western Civilization, and Writing. I'm studying Public speaking, a survey of Ancient Philosophy and a course called Philosophy of Nature. The reading and homework is already beginning to pile up. I'm also going to be ministering to people outside of the seminary on what are called "Apostolic Assignments." I'll talk about this more in another post.
We're also about to have another silent retreat. It starts tomorrow and will continue into Sunday. It's a sharp contrast to the craziness of classes and re-immersion into community life. It'll be nice to hit the brakes, slow down, rest, and pray. I will be praying for all of you during my retreat. Totus Tuus! As beautiful as life in seminary is, it's a lot like being in the tomb with Christ for the three days after his death and before his resurrection. Seminarians are being formed slowly and carefully into Christ in a somewhat secluded place, often away from their own dioceses. This is why it's been so good to be back in Steubenville. I'm home. I don't just mean that literally, I am back at the family house, but being back in the diocesan community feels like being home. Meeting with old friends, serving mass at home parishes, becoming re-involved in the lives of the churches that formed me, and getting back in touch with brother seminarians, priests, and the people who have been supporting me (you!) has been unbelievably rejuvenating. Being on break has helped realign my perspective. To paraphrase Bishop Fulton Sheen, the seminarian is not his own, he is meant for body of Christ - Jesus present in the church.
I'll soon be returning to the Josephinum for another semester of study. This break has reminded me, a seminarian, what... or rather who I'm studying for. P.S: Sharing my joy, I just learned that I made the Dean’s list for this past semester! |
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