All Roads...

Abbiamo finito! We have finished our time in Assisi and have returned to Rome and the North American College. The classes in Assisi were wonderful and Fernando and I think we’ve got, at least, a good start to the Italian language. In fact, this morning we had to show our stuff on an Italian placement exam that will be used to group us into new classes for the next few weeks to continue our study of Italian before theology classes begin in October. And so really, we have just begun.

We were blessed to be joined by 20 more new NAC seminarians when we returned to Rome, a number of which Fernando and I knew during our time at the Josephinum. This new group brought fresh (so to speak- not counting the serious jet lag) enthusiasm and joy to our ever growing community at the onset of our journey together here in Rome. This brings the total number of new men to around 75! It the biggest class the NAC has seen in a long time and it is a grace to be a part of it. The total number of seminarian that study here, once they all return from there summer breaks, I’ve heard is close to 250.

We have already started to discover the long history and the many traditions of the College. A beautiful moment of the past few came just after the rest of our class arrived, and we, all 75 of us, were “clapped in”. This event is a tradition that only happens twice to a seminarian while he is here. On our first entrance as a class into the main chapel, the returning men and all of the faculty line the steps and clapped as we start this new part of our journey. They welcome the newest members of their community with joy and hope for the future, which, in turn, inspires us anew. The second time this happens is after our graduation, as our time here comes to a close and the joy is brought to completion.

Then, this morning, came a highlight of my time in Italy so far. All of us new seminarians were privileged to have a mass at the tomb of St. Peter. Under the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, this simple chapel was packed by close to 100 men in their clerics (all black and the white collar). It was a beautiful moment of prayer at the rock of the Church. It called to mind the reasons that we have made the long trip here. We are here to give witness to Jesus Christ, to give a reason for our hope.

For Peter this witness was a witness by blood…

a witness that has borne fruit.

After the Rains Comes Life

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Ciao a tutti!

Sia lode a Gesù Cristo!

Prego che tutti si trovano nella pace di Dio e sotto il manto di Maria.

Four weeks have gone by.  It feels like a monsoon storm has hit us with strong winds of spiritual consolation and fun adventure all while we have been trying to swim in the flood of the Italian language.  But it’s not over yet.  We still have three more days of language classes in Assisi before we head back to Rome on Wednesday.  Though I am more than ready to go back to Rome and settle in to where I will be living for the next 4 – 5 years, I am in no rush to leave Assisi.

Last week, Kevin and I were able to participate in the biggest feast in Assisi: the feast days of St. Clare and St. Rufino.  St. Clare is the contemporary of St. Francis who founded the religious order for women that lives in accord with the life of St. Francis.  Though few people know this, St. Rufino (not St. Francis) is the patron saint of Assisi.  He was the first bishop of Assisi, is credited for the conversion of Assisi from paganism to Catholicism, and he was martyred.  Although they are on two separate days, August 11 & 12, the celebration feels more like one big feast.

The big celebration begins with bells ringing throughout the morning announcing the commencement of each Sacrifice of the Mass offered in thanksgiving for of St. Clare.  I went to Mass at the Basilica of St. Clare in the evening which was followed by Vespers (Evening Prayer) led by the cloistered order of nuns, the Poor Clares of Assisi. Since they are cloistered and are never to leave the cloister, they were in a chapel next to the main church and led the prayer through a microphone.  It is too hard for me to describe it effectively.  However, I will say that listening to nuns chant a sublime experience.

Later that night, there was a huge procession from the cathedral of St. Rufino (aka. Rufinus of Assisi)  to the basilica of St. Clare.  Among the hundreds of people who processed there were citizens of Assisi, pilgrims from all over the world, and a group of seminarians from the North American College including two seminarians for the Diocese of Phoenix, AZ. 

As you will see in the following video, the faith – planted hundreds of year ago by the life and martyrdom of St. Rufino and nurtured by St. Francis and St. Clare – is still very much alive.

Let us pray for the grace to remain in Christ and the communion of saints, that our faith may be like deep roots, planted in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that sustain in us the virtue of hope as an unshakeable stem from which blossoms the flower of divine love, charity.

In Via: It’s a different kind of Heat!

It has been an eventful week. As we turn up the heat on the language studies, we have been graced by a Heat of new kind here in Assisi.

As seminarians we are used to sticking out, especially when we go places in a group. People just seem to know that we are seminarians. But the past couple weeks all of the seminarians we have been with here have been noticing another group that has stuck out even more than we do. It started with a few sightings last week, but now has grown into an atmosphere that has gripped the city.

Everywhere we go these days we see them, World Youth Day pilgrims! Teens from around the world on their way to Madrid, Spain to celebrate with each other, and the Holy Father, the joy of the Christian life. All of their pilgrimages end in Madrid, but for many Assisi

is a prayerful stop on the way. And we are beneficiaries of their stop. Their energy and joy is absolutely contagious. They witness, even to us seminaries, to the vitality and youthfulness of the Church today. For in the midst of our studies, travel and just the rut of community life, these teen are a beautify reminder of the zeal for which the Gospel calls.

In a more personal way, Fernando and I have been refreshed by the fire of faith of Phoenix pilgrims as they passed through. We were able to have a short, yet wonderful, lunch with some of the pilgrims from St. Joan of Arc Parish, a couple brother Phoenix seminarians (Jimmy Wraith and Ryan Lee), and Fr. Thielo Ramirez. We also were on the look out for Most Holy Trinity pilgrims, but unfortunately missed them, though we remain with them in prayer on their journey.

This time with our fellow Phoenicians was important to us to rekindle the zeal for the work we are doing here. Now more than ever, the reasons and people for which we go through seminary courses and formation can seem so far away, and so we are particularly grateful for their presence in Assisi with us.

Furthermore, they, and all the World Youth Day pilgrims, are joyful reminder of what our life in this world is: a pilgrimage of love and joy towards the everlasting celebration, the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. All of us are in via, on the Way, and must in prayer discern how we are to follow this way and grow ever more like the Son. It is so easy to forget and let slip into the background, but what joy is to be found in being conscious of the Lord’s call to us to live out a life of grace. And it is His Grace that will strengthen us on this pilgrimage and draw us ever close to Himself, the Sun by whose burning love we are set on fire!

I hope this video of World Youth Day over the years will provide inspiration for all of you, young and old, to recall in prayer the joy of the Gospel message and the call you have received to live it in your own lives. May St. Lawrence, on whose feast day I am writing this, and the all the martyrs, whose blood became the seeds of faith for the world, pray for us as we long to live in His love on our pilgrim way.

Two Weeks In

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Ciao a tutti!

Kevin and I have finished our second week of classes here in Assisi. We’re certainly making good progress in our Italian, but there is certainly a lot more work to be done before we reach proficiency.

After a long day of 6 hours of Italian class, my favorite thing to do is visit one of the over 10 churches in Assisi. The uplifting architecture, beautiful art, and tangible history of the lives of the saints form for the soul a catalyst to deeper prayer.

So far, my favorite places to pray are the tomb of St. Francis, beneath the lower church of the medieval Basilica of St. Francis, and Chiesa Nuova, a small, baroque style Franciscan church near our hotel. Both of these chapels are small and simple which I find makes them perfect places to be simply before our Lord in silent prayer.

The Basilica of St. Francis

Chiesa Nuova (Assisi)

However, as Kevin mentioned in the last blog post, it can be difficult to find silence in these churches because of the constant flow of tourists and pilgrims. Praised be God for drawing so many souls to peer into the mystery of His love found in the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare. Nonetheless, it can really be distracting when trying to enter into silence after a long day of Italian.

This experience has led me to a deeper reflection. More often than irreverent tourists, there are many other distractions that become obstacles to good prayer, that is, to the deep interior communion our Lord invites us to.

In my own experience, I have and continue to encounter many obstacles to prayer. Even now, there are frequent temptations in the form of distracting thoughts, or sometime simple laziness, which make it difficult to pray. Anxieties, temptations, struggles, uncertainties. The devil seems to use these often on those who are trying to grow in the interior life.

I read an excerpt from one of St. John Marie Vianney’s catechesis yesterday (which was his feast day) that really helped me on this topic. St. Vianney wrote that the devil presents many trials and temptations to the souls that have decided to surrender their wills to God’s Will.

So what do we do when our efforts to grow in intimacy with our Lord are constantly met with challenges?  We must remember the basic truths we know about God: namely, He is our creator Who desires that we live in His truth which sets us free. St. Francis and St. Clare are awesome examples of young people who persevered through many temptations, struggles and sufferings, all for their love of God. May their intercession, along with that of St. John Vianney, encourage us to persevere in love through our own trials, including the struggle to find quiet time for daily prayer.  

For the Catechism of the Catholic Church on Prayer, click here.

For some other pictures, including some from a day trip to Perugia, click here.

Downtown Perugia