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

We've Arrived in Assisi!!!

After a week in Rome for basic orientation to our new school, we took a bus to Assisi to begin to study Italian. All of our Theology classes, when we return to Rome, will be in Italian; so it is a bit important to learn, and quickly! Luckily, our courses don't start until October, so we have two months to devote to learning the lingua bella. And this is what brings us to Assisi. We started classes on Monday at an excellent language school just off the town center. We have four hours of class in the morning, Monday through Friday, and then we break into small groups for two more hours of class in the afternoon. It can really leave us mentally drained by the end of it, but after four days I think I've already made significant progress.

It is incredible to be staying in Assisi. We are almost directly between the basilicas of Sts. Fancis and Clare. Yet it seems my excitement to come here was odd

ly misplaced. I thought a lot about my first day in Assisi: the holy sights to see and the deep peace I would find on this little hill in Italy. But when we got to Assisi on Monday, it was pouring down rain. My first time in Assisi, and spent it running with my head covered trying to avoid puddles! Moreover, it is amazing how, in the town of a saint whose motto was pax, it is incredibly hard to find a quiet place to pray. The sheer number of pilgrims (praise God for it) provides constant movement in the holy places here.

Yet I take solace in that I am not alone in the disgraceful entrance into Assisi. As the first picture shows above, there is a statue out front of St. Francis’ Basilica of the saint return from battle, weak and defeated. The young Francis filled his he

ad with dreams of glory and honor and what his future would be like. Yet on his way to earn it in war like the rest of the men in his time; he was captured and was held prisoner for a year. He returned defeated with hanging head. But, in God’s great providence, it was this failure that brought about the conversion of a saint that still has an amazing impact on the world today.

Defeat, weakness, failure is what brings about true discipleship. Our expectations and grand desires only express how weak we really are. But it is when we are at our very lowest that God’s grace shines through. It is when we are defeated and broken that we find the Crucified One.

(For more picture go to: https://picasaweb.google.com/114615063407525807083/Assisi?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIPb2Kenp5n0FQ&feat=directlink )

First Week in Rome

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Praised be Jesus Christ!

Kevin and I have been in Rome about a week now.  We have been warmly welcomed to the Pontifical North American College by a group of second-year seminarians who have been leading us along daily excursions around Rome and surrounding areas.  Already in a week, we have received countless blessings in being immersed in the Eternal City.  Around each corner there is evidence of great saints and martyrs who have spent their lives in witness to Jesus Christ and His Church.

As we begin our journey in Rome and our final formation for the priesthood, we are accompanied by over 70 seminarians from dioceses in the US, Australia, and Canada.  It is a tremendous blessing to have so many wonderful brothers in Christ who share our vocation and desire to grow in love of Christ and His Church.

Once again, Kevin and I thank you for your prayers!  Thanks to your prayers, our transition has been filled with great joy.  In turn, know that we pray for you all daily.

All to the greater glory of God!

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The pictures are of some of the highlights of our time so far in Rome.

First, is a view of the seminary's roof.  There is a view of St. Peter's Basilica in the background. In the lower center of the picture can be seen the courtyard of the seminary where there is a fountain that is surrounded by 50 orange trees which represent the number of states in the US.

Second is the seminary's "campo sportivo," which includes a soccer field, softball field, basketball court, and racket ball courts.

Third, St. John Lateran which is the Cathedral of the Rome and thus the mother and head church of Rome and the world.

Fourth, you see where the remains of St. Catherine of Sienna are in the church Santa Maria sopra Minerva.  Kevin and I visited as we were strolling through Rome.  This church is located very close to where we will be going to school.  What a blessing to be able to pray before the remains of such a awesome saint as St. Catherine!

Praised be Jesus Christ!

And so we pause for a deep breath before the jump.

Welcome to In Via Solis! We are two seminarians from the Diocese of Phoenix studying for the Catholic Priesthood. We are so blessed to live in the beautiful desert and to have been formed by the living faith of the people in the Valley of the Sun. However, our pursuit of the priesthood for the sake of this community has led us to phase in our formation. This Sunday Fernando and I will travel to Rome to continue our studies over the next four year (that's in four days for those who are keeping count)!

We take with us the entire diocese as we, in the way Phoenicians do, follow The Way of the true Sun from whose heat nothing can escape. This blog is to express our gratitude to all the faithful of Phoenix for this incredible opportunity and to keep everyone informed and a part of what this journey brings us.

Yet, on the verge of our departure we were graced to take a joyful step toward the priesthood. Today, Fernando and I were admitted to Candidacy for Holy Orders. This was a moment for us to declare in front of the Church our desire and intention to pursue the priesthood. In turn, the Church, with joy, accepts us as Candidates and pledges spiritual support for our journey. This truly marks the beginning of our journey to Rome. Sure, temporally it comes right before we leave. But well beyond that, it is the source of the mission for which we are going. Our pursuit for the priesthood, express in our Candidacy, comes from our desire to follow God's will and serve the people of Phoenix. Inspired by the words of Bishop Olmsted's homily at this mornings mass, we hope to live in accordance with the joyful life of service to God and the Church. In these moments of peace we find leading up to our trip, we are filled with the breath of the Spirit which strengthens and encourages us.

Please keep us in your prayers as we start our studies in the Eternal City and look back here for updates on the graces God gives us. May Our Lady of Guadalupe intercede for us and all the faithful of Phoenix.