Merry Christmas!

It certainly wasn't the mile-long Reid family Christmas dinner table, but Fr. Harvey's feast for his six seminarian guests made for a wonderful Christmas meal!  We donned our tasteful paper crowns found in our Christmas crackers, and sat down to what ended up being an approximately 6-hour lunch/dinner/supper/feast of awesomeness.  (Don't worry, that was with a few breaks, including a walk around the block to help everything settle!)  Earlier that day, and the night before, we were able to serve 3 of the parish's 5 Christmas Masses.  It was a wonderful blessing to experience the joy of parish life during this beautiful season: everything from Christmas carols before Mass, the blessing of the manger scene, and a Nativity pageant by the children.  Truly a blessing!

Aside from sleeping and eating wonderful home-cooked meals, we have been able to see and experience many of the treasures of London.  We spent an evening at the British Museum and got to see the Rosetta Stone!  I've heard that if you touch it, you instantly learn every language known to man.  However, the bullet-proof glass prevented this from being done, so it looks like Italian classes will still be a struggle...

The Rosetta Stone features a single text written in three languages: Egyptian hieroglyphics, Demotic (a vernacular Egyptian), and Greek.  The Stone allowed archaeologists to translate the hieroglyphics!

On Tuesday, we saw Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre in London!  So yeah, that was pretty awesome...

And, since you all know me pretty well, you know that it wouldn't be a trip without visiting a few more churches!  Thanks to our host, Fr. Harvey, we were given some great suggestions on places where we could experience the Catholic Church in London:

Corpus Christi Church, on the West End of London.  This church was designed to be, and still is, "the Actor's Church," because it is located near many of the city's great theaters.  It's pulpit also hosted many well-known preachers, including Monsignor Ronald Knox, a friend of G.K Chesterton who converted to Catholicism in 1918, and Henry Cardinal Manning, a hugely influential figure in English Catholicism in the 19th century.

Corpus Christi features a statue of St. Genesius, a martyr of the early Church and the patron saint of actors.  Notice the masks at his feet!

On Christmas Eve, we had the joy of visiting a place that was very highly recommended to us by many people: the Brompton Oratory, located in the Chelsea neighborhood of London.  The Oratorians are a community of priests founded in Rome in the 16th century by St. Philip Neri for the simple tasks of living together, praying together, and performing works of charity together!  The Oratory is currently one of 4 Oratories in London, and was the second one founded by one of my favorite (hopefully soon to be) saints: Blessed John Henry Newman!

The man himself.

Walking into the Oratory was like walking into a church back in Rome: the architecture was Baroque, the pulpit was in the middle of the nave, and there was some saint enshrined in a side altar!  A little taste of home, I suppose.

"She's a real beaut, Clark!"

Today, we had the chance to visit a small convent of Benedictine nuns near London's Hyde Park, where perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is kept in honor of the Tyburn Gallows which were once located nearby.  It was at those gallows that an estimated 50,000 people lost their lives during the Protestant Reformation in England, many of whom have been declared Venerable, Blessed, and Canonized by the Church!

The Blessed Sacrament is adored in the heart of London 24/7!

After visiting the convent, myself and my 2 companions set off to find the stone which marked the actual site of the Tyburn gallows, a stone which was, according to a sign outside the convent, exactly 300 paces east of us.  I was initially certain that east led us directly across the street, but after scouring a large grassy knoll and finding nothing, we realized that what I had believed to be east was actually south, and that it was no surprise that I had not made it from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts.  After getting our bearings (literally), we finally found the stone in the middle of a median of a busy intersection, marking the place where hundreds of holy men and women gave their lives at the gallows rather than deny their love for Jesus Christ and His Church.  Such a simple place, but truly quite remarkable.

Tomorrow, I will be leaving Fr. Harvey's and meeting up with my great aunt and uncle, to spend a few days with them in Lutterworth, a small town a couple hours north of London.  I am incredibly grateful for the joys and laughs of the past week, for the parishioners of St. Edmund's who have given us more baked goods than we had ever imagined, for Fr. Harvey's great hospitality and warmth, and for the 5 men with whom I have been able to share these wonderful experiences.  I am truly blessed!  Thank you all for your prayers, and, as always, know of mine.  God bless you all; Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

-Colin

Bonus Pictures:

President Reagan stands proudly in front of the American Embassy in London.  These colors don't run.

Our 2nd great culinary craving: Chipotle!  We partook on multiple occasions.

London Calling

Well, since we can't go home for Christmas, we figured we could get the next best thing: a land of dreary winter skies, Starbucks Eggnog Lattes, properly formed lines, and the glorious English language.  Today, three of my NAC brothers and I arrived at London Gatwick airport to begin a two-week long adventure in the heart of the British Empire!  We are staying with an incredibly kind priest who is the pastor of a parish in Loughton, roughly 40 minutes northeast of London, in the Catholic Diocese of Brentwood.  He has generously hosted NAC seminarians in his rectory for many years now, so we will be the next in a long line of men who have benefited from his hospitality!

Myself, Anthony Stewart, and Vince Fernandez.  Thanks to our other traveler Michael Holmquist for taking the picture!

The picture above is taken in front of Westminster Cathedral, the mother church of Catholicism in England and Wales.  Construction of the church began in 1903, and has slowly and steadily continued in the years since.  It is in the beautiful Neo-Byzantine architectural style, featuring three large domes, a beautiful baldechino over the altar, an Eastern-style crucifix, and some spectacular mosaics.  The church is not yet finished, which is why the marble decoration only reaches about halfway up; but even so, it's a beautiful place!  We celebrated the fourth Sunday of Advent there today, and were blessed to listen to a beautiful men and boys' choir sing the Mass parts.  The parish community is joyful and vibrant, and the huge church was nearly full of both parishioners and pilgrims alike!

After Mass, we satisfied one of our two American culinary cravings by paying a visit to a Starbucks right across the street.  (Stay tuned to find out what the other craving is!)  Vince was pretty excited when he found the Eggnog Latte.  And he had every right to be excited, because it was amazing.

Let's go!!!

Next, we headed to Victoria Station, the main transportation hub in downtown London, where we loaded up our Oyster cards (reloadable transit passes) and got on the tube (London's epic underground metro system).  We made it to our stop in Loughton, and got to St. Edmund's parish without a problem!  A cup of tea later, I can say with great joy that it is good to be here.  More to come, I hope!  I am, after all, the world's worst blogger.  But I will do my best to keep you all posted.  Thanks for the prayers, and, as always, know of mine!

Michael makes sure we got off at the right stop.  Anthony is just happy to be here.

A Joyous Day with the Great Archbishop of Milan

Well, my apologies for another long, undeserved sabbatical!  I think it's safe to say I'm basically the world's worst blogger.... Anyhow, I figured a good time to get back into it would be on the wonderful feast of my home parish patron, as well as the patron of seminarians, St. Charles Borromeo.

"He loved God and man."

St. Charles was a truly incredible man, chosen by God at a very turbulent time in the Church's history to undertake several monumental tasks on her behalf.  He was raised in the midst of great nobility, wealth, and power, and was even made a Cardinal at the young age of 21, according to the common nepotistic norms of the time (his uncle was the Pope Pius IV).  However, rather than allow himself to be consumed by the culture of his time, Charles dedicated his entire life to the service of God and neighbor.  He attended the closing sessions of the Council of Trent, and worked tirelessly to implement the conciliar reforms in the Archdiocese of Milan, of which he became the archbishop at the age of 25!  In Milan, Charles became known and loved as a true shepherd, as he traveled across countless miles to visit the diocese's outermost parishes, and sold all his possessions to help the poor during times of famine.

I was certainly fortunate enough to be formed by St. Charles' prayers and presence throughout my childhood at that beautiful parish in Northeast Minneapolis, but I didn't really know much about him until I came to seminary and learned that he is the patron of seminarians!  Participating in the 40-hour Eucharistic celebrations every year at St. Paul Seminary allowed me to draw closer to this inspiring man, and now, in Rome, I get to be very close to his heart.  As in, literally, his heart is venerated in the church of Sant' Ambrogio, a roughly 20 minute walk from the NAC!  So today, after class, I had the joy of visiting the heart of St. Charles Borromeo, to pray for my parish back home, and also for all of my brother seminarians.  There even happened to be Mass starting just as we got there!

One funny story about St. Charles is that he had a remarkably large nose.  

Since he was well aware of this fact, he made sure that every depiction of him be done from the side, so that he might never be overcome by vanity!  And when you consider the fact that St. Charles' episcopal motto was "Humilitas, Humilitas, Humilitas" ("Humility, Humility, Humility"), this humorous self-criticism makes a lot of sense!  May we all be filled with this great humility which so filled St. Charles, and which allowed him to love God with an undivided heart and his neighbor with all his strength.

Preserve in the midst of your people,

we ask, O Lord, the spirit with which you filled

the Bishop Saint Charles Borromeo,

that your Church may be constantly renewed

and, by conforming herself to the likeness of Christ,

may show his face to the world.

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity

of the Holy Spirit,

One God for ever and ever. Amen.

From Silence to Craziness!

As can hopefully be seen from the smiles on my classmates' faces, the first-year silent retreat in Greccio was a beautiful one.  And, in customary silent retreat fashion, the lifting of the silence yesterday morning was followed by roughly 6 straight hours of loud voices and laughter, as we called to mind the joys of the week and enjoyed our wonderful freedom of speech.  (There was also some special rejoicing by our Kansas City brothers, who turned on their phones to see that the Royals' 29-year playoff drought had ended!)

Our retreat center was a beautiful Franciscan-run building nestled into the side of a mountain, overlooking a picturesque valley and further mountains off to the east.  The small, medieval town of Greccio was a lovely 40-minute walk away, and boasts of the place where St. Francis constructed the first Nativity scene!  The town is very famous for this bit of history, and there are images of St. Francis and his creche all over the town.  Closer to the retreat center, there is a small Franciscan hermitage, where one can visit the saint's room, as well as a beautiful grotto where he would often pray.  Despite having lived in a much more primitive time (and having walked pretty much everywhere), St. Francis sure did find his way around in Italy.  It seems that no matter where we are in the country, we're never too far from some area of significance in the life of that incredible saint!

The retreat certainly came at a wonderfully opportune time, since this week is one of the most hectic of the year!  On Thursday, October 2nd, 43 men of the North American College will be ordained to the diaconate by His Eminence Cardinal Wuerl at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica.  As pretty much anyone here will say, it is one of the most beautiful moments of the year for the College, and a cause for great celebration!  I have had the privilege of being in the choir which will be singing for the Mass, so I think I will get a pretty awesome seat!  Please pray for those 43 men who will be prostrating themselves on the floor as they give their lives in configuration to Christ the Servant.

God bless!

-Colin

"You're Most Welcome!"

The new men of the Pontifical North American College have heard these words many times in the last month, as we have experienced time and again the beautiful spirit of fraternity and welcome that is very much a part of this seminary.  It is often said here that because the men come so far from home, it is even more important to make this place feel like home, and we have certainly enjoyed the fruits of the hard work that has gone into making this college our true home!

During our first week back from Siena, we visited the beautiful shrine on the outskirts of Rome called Our Lady of Divine Love, where each of us received an image of Our Lady of Humility, the Patroness of the North American College.  Later on that week, we were able to visit that original image in the chapel of the Casa Santa Maria, a house for English speaking priests who are sent to Rome for studies.  We were led in Vespers by Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, and processed outside to a statue of our lady, where we sang the "Salve Regina" (The "Hail Holy Queen") and dedicated our lives as seminarians to our Blessed Mother.  Our lady is truly watching over us here!

Every seminarian has this image in his room!

Our orientation period also featured an excursion to the gardens of Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's summer home in the beautiful mountains outside of Rome.  Unfortunately, the Pope wasn't there, but we were able to see many of the favorite spots of Pope St. John Paul II, and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI!

Pope St. John Paul II in prayer at his fish pond (not my picture!)

My brothers and I standing at the very same pond!

One of the last off-campus trips of orientation was a trip to the Swiss Guard barracks, which are located just inside the wall on the north side of the Vatican.  It was pretty awesome to get a behind-the-scenes look at what is essentially the coolest military force in the world.  We also got a crash course in the Swiss Guard's proud 500-year history, the most notable event of which was their valiant stand during the 1527 sack of Rome, in which three quarters of the Guard died protecting the fleeing Pope Clement VII.  The barracks featured weapons from every era, as well as the evolution of their ever-awesome Conquistador-esque uniforms.

NAC Orientation finished with a weekend trip to Assisi, a town made forever holy and famous by the life of one of the greatest saints to ever live!  The escape to the Umbrian countryside was a welcome relief from the Roman heat, and the free schedule offered us many hours to hike, pray, (eat, sleep) and explore the richness of the city.  Throughout the weekend, we were blessed to have Mass in the town's holiest sites: The Basilica of Saint Clare, which holds the famous San Damiano Cross as well as the tomb of St. Clare, The Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, where St. Francis would often go to pray, and The Basilica of St. Rufino, the town's Cathedral where both Francis and Clare were baptized.  All the while, we new men had many opportunities to hang out with each other and with the faculty priests who had accompanied us.  It was a truly blessed weekend!

Can't beat that view.

The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Rufino, where Sts. Francis and Clare became Christians!

Aside from all the wonderful trips, our days have been filled with other things like our daily 4-hour Italian classes (which just finished up this past Friday!), as well as various conferences and introductions into the daily life and routine of the seminary.  As more and more of the older men have come back, the house has gotten a lot busier, and it's been pretty awesome (as well as overwhelming) meeting so many guys from all over the country, many of whom are preparing to be ordained to the diaconate in less than two weeks!  An especially wonderful grace has been spending time with my four diocesan brothers, Fr. Joe Kuharski (a fifth-year priest finishing up his theology licentiate), Paul Haverstock, Nick Hagen, and Tim Wratkowski.  And, these past couple of week, we were even blessed by the presence of Bishop Andrew Cozzens, the Archdiocese's new auxiliary, who was in town attending a conference for new bishops.

Today, the new man class will depart for our retreat in the town of Greccio, roughly 90 minutes from Rome, another town which has Franciscan significance, since it is located on the mountain where St. Francis received the stigmata!  Please pray for me and my 47 brothers as we enter into silence before the start of our first year of theology.  Be assured of my prayers for all my family and friends as well, which includes you!

Until next time, please enjoy this picture of my favorite Roman street performer, Chufu the magician, juggler, unicycler extraordinaire.  God bless!

It's Not Just a Horse Race...

In the U.S., we are privileged to witness some pretty awesome, intense sporting events.  The Superbowl, October baseball, March Madness, state high school tournaments, just to name a few.  We have all bitten our nails to the nub in the bottom of the ninth, or during the two-minute drill, or in the final 5 seconds before the buzzer, and we have all experienced both the triumph and the heartbreak of that final outcome (or, if you’re from Minnesota, you’ve just experienced the heartbreak).

While I will certainly be the first to defend the United States on taking the cake with many of our properly ‘Murican traditions, I’m afraid I have stumbled upon a sporting event which, frankly, puts the intensity of probably every other sporting event on the planet to shame.  This event is none other than a 700-year old horserace held twice a year in Siena: The Palio.  But, as I have been reminded time and time again by the Sienese locals, “This is not just a horserace.  It’s a battle.”

The Palio dates back to the 1300’s, a time when you might say European popular piety was at a high.  The event has always been, and continues to be, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and, in fact, the two Palio’s which take place each year occur on or around two important Marian feast days (usually the closest Saturday).  The feasts are Santa Maria in Provenzana (July 2^nd) and the Solemnity of the Assumption (August 15^th).  (So if anyone ever tries to tell you that the Assumption “wasn’t a thing” until 1950, you can kindly direct their attention to this medieval equestrian tradition.)  The race takes place in Siena’s main square, called “La Piazza del Campo.” The horses race on the street surrounding the piazza, running clockwise around the course three times, for a total time of about 90 seconds! 

Important Fact: “The Palio” actually refers to a large cloth banner that is awarded to the winning Contrada.  Every Palio is different, since it is depicted by a new artist every time.  On every Palio, there can be found an image of Our Blessed Mother, as well as small images of the 10 Contradas who are running.  Other than that, everything is up to the creativity of the artist!

A Contrada's "trophy room," housing their prized Palios

However, your next question will logically be: “But why the heck did they start racing horses?” A great question, indeed!  In order to understand the importance of the Palio, one must understand a fundamental aspect of life in Siena: The Contrada.  The medieval town of Siena (the part of the city within the walls) is divided into 17 small neighborhoods, which are called “Contradas.”  Each Contrada, despite being comprised of perhaps only a few city blocks, is, by itself, a fully functional and self-sufficient community, containing its own church, supermarket, community center, etc.  Most of the year, you probably wouldn’t notice much “Contrada pride,” since Siena is usually a pretty normal place.  But once Palio season starts, all bets are off!  Residents begin wearing their Contrada colors and chanting unintelligible Italian songs, while hardcore flagtwirlers and drummers being practicing in the streets.  The reason is simple: when your Contrada wins the Palio, it means you are the best.  And that’s what it’s all about, right?

Important Fact: Not all Contradas run in the Palio.  Since the track isn’t wide enough for 17 horses, only 10 Contradas have a horse in a given race.  The Contradas rotate in such a way that the 7 Contradas who didn’t run in the last Palio automatically run in the next one, along with 3 of the 10 from the last race, who are chosen randomly.  However, this doesn’t stop all 17 Contradas from participating in the Palio festivities!

The flags of the 10 participating Contradas hang above the Piazza.

Below is the list of each Contrada and the number of their horse.

“Palio Week” began on Sunday with the very important unveiling of the Palio, which will eventually be awarded to the winning Contrada.  Until then, it is in the Cathedral of Siena, where the Sienese perform various superstitious rituals in hopes of claiming the trophy on Saturday.  (The most popular ritual is that of throwing your Contrada scarf up at the image of the Blessed Mother, so that she can “bless” your cause.)

On Wednesday, the 10 participating Contradas were randomly assigned their horses, and the past few days have involved a few practice races and a whole lot of chanting in the streets.  Needless to say, it’s been pretty cool to be a part of this epicly ridiculous tradition!  On Friday morning, we seminarians had the opportunity to serve the Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption at the Cathedral, which is essentially the most important day of the liturgical year for the city of Siena.  It was a beautiful Mass, and certainly a beautiful blessing to be so close to the celebration!

And this isn't even half the craziness!

After the Palio, things will be winding down for us here in Siena.  We will have our final two days of Italian class on Monday and Tuesday, before getting on the bus for Rome on Wednesday!  It really is crazy to think that the month here is over, especially since I can clearly remember getting here and wondering, “How am I going to survive a month of this program?!” But I think that maybe, just maybe, in the midst of all these wonderful saints and beautiful Tuscan towns and 4-course meals and 700-year old horseraces, I’ve actually learned a little Italian!  God is good, folks!

And just so you know that I'm not only watching horses and crazy Italians, here's an image of Our Lord and St. Catherine of Siena from the Basilica of Saint Dominic!

It's Like Home Away From Home Away From Home

Since classes in Rome don’t start up until early October, the name of the game for the new man class at the NAC is to learn Italian.  This is important not only because we will be spending most of our next five years in Italy, but, for many of us, our classroom lectures will be in Italian as well!  And if there’s one thing that’s more daunting than trying to learn about the Trinity, it’s trying to learn about the Trinity in a foreign language.  So Italian studies, it is! 

Of the three summer Italian programs offered by the NAC, the Archdiocese has sent me to Siena, a beautiful Tuscan town of roughly 50,000 people, made famous by one of the influential and inspiring saints in the history of the Church, St. Catherine of Siena.  The month-long Italian program is pretty rigorous, offering 4 hours of classroom lecture and an hour and a half of private tutoring every day, and a host family who keeps me on my Italian toes at pretty much every waking hour.

I have been living with Viviano and Angela Ogheri, an elderly couple who own a small condo just west of the old town of Siena.  They don’t have any kids, but they have welcomed me very lovingly into their family, which means that for the first time in my life (or at least since I was 3 and a half), I’m an only child!  I have been blessed to spend many hours on the porch with Viviano, chatting about everything from how bees pollinate plants to his previous life as a designer of typewriters, to his dislike of Benito Mussolini.  At 8 pm every night, we dish up Angela’s special Tuscan pasta, turn on the TV to the local news, and let the Chianti flow.  Since Angela usually sticks to a salad, and Viviano doesn’t eat much, I usually have no choice but to eat everything on the table, while my Italian mother repeatedly exhorts me “Mangia! Mangia!” (“Eat! Eat!”) I haven’t looked at a scale in a while, but I think the immersion is working wonders!

Cookies and coffee for breakfast every morning!

During the day, we seminarians find plenty of time between classes to hang out, enjoy the city, and pray at Siena’s various beautiful churches.  It really is a blessing to have so many options for daily Mass, and so many beautiful places to say a prayer throughout the day!  One small grace occurred last Monday, my first day in Siena, when I went to a small church called San Martino for an evening Mass after class.  I was about half an hour early, and stumbled upon a small group of ladies praying the Rosary before Mass.  One of the women invited me to join them, and even offered me an Italian booklet explaining the Rosary and containing all the prayers in Italian!  Before long, I was able to follow along with them by memory, which was pretty awesome!  It has also been cool to slowly re-learn the Mass responses, many of which I still remembered from my semester in Rome.  We seminarians have even been blessed by the presence of an American Dominican priest named Fr. Alfred, who has been teaching us a bit about the Church in Italy.  Fr. Alfred has explained to us how, despite the rich tradition of her great saints, the witness of her martyrs, and the proximity of the Papacy, the Church in most Italian cities is truly suffering, and Siena is no exception.  The city’s beautiful Duomo is unfortunately full of tourists at all times of the day.  Many of them pay a few Euro to get in, take their pictures, and go on with their day.  While it certainly is great that there are so many people visiting a beautiful church, it’s also sad that this church is seen as merely another museum.  We need to pray ardently for renewal and fervor in the Church here in Italy.  Hopefully, the witness of a few American seminarians will be a grace for Siena!

Since we are free on the weekends, I had the grace of spending two nights in the beautiful city of Florence with 3 of my brother seminarians who are also living here in Siena.  It was a wonderful weekend of prayer, fraternity, and art!  On Saturday, we attended Mass in the Duomo’s famous Baptistry, which features an incredible mosaic dome of the Last Judgment.  Let’s just say you knew what you were getting yourself into when you were getting baptized in there!  After Mass, we had a chance to visit with the 4-foot tall, 84-year old priest, who left us with some very inspiring words: “The priesthood . . . It’s all about Christ.  It’s all about Christ!”

On Saturday, we saw the Academia Museum, and on Sunday, the Uffizi.  It was certainly the most art I’ve ever seen in my life, and probably the first time I’ve walked through an art museum of my own volition.  But both tours were absolutely incredible!  Michelangelo’s David was taller and more stunning than I had expected, and I just don’t think I can possibly fathom how anyone could make it with their own hands.  The sheer beauty of the rest of the art was quite overwhelming, and I may possibly be desensitized to seeing images of Jesus crowning His Blessed Mother (it seemed like that was the subject of half the pieces).  However, one thing that I will always find inspiring is the fact that history’s greatest works of art were commissioned for the purpose of drawing hearts and minds to God.  Whether it was an image of the Annunciation, or a depiction of the Massacre of the Innocents, every piece of art told the story of salvation!

Well, week 2 of 4 in Siena is fully underway!  The 17 of us here is Siena have been blessed by the arrival of Fr. Gaffney, a NAC spiritual director from Rhode Island who will be spending the week with us, as well as offering Mass and hearing confessions.  I don’t feel quite ready yet to confess my sins in Italian, so I’m pretty glad he’s here!  It will also be great to have Mass together as a seminarian community, since we were mostly spread throughout the city during our first week.  Please prega per noi (pray for us) and for all the NAC men studying Italian this month; Lord knows we need it!  Please be assured of mine as well.

In Christ,

Colin

Ty Sanders, Greg Parent, John LoCoco, and myself in Florence!

Brothers and Sisters,

First of all, welcome! I hope that this blog will be an opportunity to share with you some of the many graces and adventures which the Lord will certainly have in store throughout my next 5 years in Rome. I am so grateful for all of the prayers and support I have received throughout my first 4 years of seminary and which have already continued as I move on to theological studies at the North American College. Please keep those prayers coming! It is my hope that this blog will allow many of my family, friends, and benefactors to see what I'm up to in the Eternal City and beyond.  Please also know that you all are in my prayers as well!

On Sunday, July 13th, I flew from MSP airport to Newark International, just outside New York.  This was the meeting place for 39 of the 55 new men at the North American College, as we all prepared to depart for Fiumicino Airport in Rome.  It was pretty awesome getting there early, and watching as these 39 men slowly assembled together in the terminal.  Imagine a sea of joyful guys in polos and khakis holding breviaries, praying together, and talking about each others' home diocese.  That's pretty much how it went!

We arrived in Rome the next day, July 14th, which seems like an eternity ago.  We were welcomed to our new home by about a dozen second-year men, all of whom have been incredibly generous to us this week in helping us to get settled and making our transition to the NAC a blessed one.  Our first day in Rome consisted of a trip to none other than St. Peter's Basilica.  One of the priests on staff explained to us some of the beautiful images of the square and the facade, before leaving us with the inspiring challenge to "never let this church get old." He was certainly right.  Over the past week, this advice has been echoed by almost every one of the older men.

In the days since our arrival, we have been blessed to be able to jump right into the NAC life (minus some pretty important things, like class).  In keeping with the general custom of the Italians, the seminarians here spend the morning out and about the city.  During a normal day in a semester, this would consist of classes.  However, for us, mornings have been chock-full of wonderful excursions to various holy sites in the city!  On Tuesday, we visited the catacombs of St. Callixtus, which are the largest of the many catacombs locations in Rome.  While there, we also had the blessing of having Mass in a small room which at one time would have housed the remains of dozens of martyrs!  Our tour guide, a rotund, eccentric Frenchman, explained to us that while many nowadays might see the catacombs as a place of death, the Christians thought of them as completely the opposite: they were places of life, because that was where the body waited to be reunited with the glorified soul!  I can certainly understand what he meant, because the catacombs left me not with a feeling of eeriness, but rather with a great peace.  The faith of the first Christians was certainly a powerful force in the early days of Christianity, and still continues to be.

On Wednesday, we received a beautiful tour of the Basilica of St. John Lateran from an incredibly holy Scottish nun named Sister Emmanuela.  As an opportunity for evangelization, she gives tours of the major basilicas to tourists and pilgrims alike, and her love for the Church and devotion to these beautiful buildings became evident from the get-go.  Before even entering the basilica, Sister showed us how the beautiful statues atop the church's facade serve to draw pilgrims up to heaven by showing us the images of the saints in the background of their heavenly glory!

Christ stands in the middle, with the Fathers of the East and West on either side

Once inside, we saw that this theme of paradise remained the focus.  The statues of the apostles and images of salvation history prepare us for only one thing: the sacrifice of the Mass!  Sure enough, at the end of the nave, we encountered the breathtaking baldechino, the large structure covering Papal altar, which is only used by the Holy Father.  The Lateran was certainly incredible!  And I suppose that makes sense, since it is the Pope's Cathedral, and the home parish of every Catholic in the world!

The baldechino at the Lateran!

(Fun Fact: If you're wondering who St. John Lateran is, this is a very good thing to be wondering.  Actually, there is no St. John Lateran.  The basilica is dedicated to two other real St. John's, namely, St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist.  The name "Lateran" comes from the name of the family that owned the land which the Emperor Constantine bought to build the church.)

On Thursday, we visited the small Umbrian town of Orvieto, which is roughly an hour-and-a-half bus ride from Rome.  It was wonderful to get out of the crowded city for a bit and see the beautiful Italian countryside.  The old town is set atop a large cliff, and the medieval walls and gates are still mostly intact, giving the town a really cool, medieval feel.  I sure as heck wouldn't want to attack it.  Anyway, our main destination was Orvieto's beautiful Duomo (another word for Cathedral church, I think?), which, in addition to being an amazing structure in its own right, actually houses the first ever documented Eucharistic miracle!

The story of the miracle is actually really cool.  In 1263, a priest was celebrating Mass in the Duomo, and was experiencing some doubts about the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  As he was elevating the host, blood began to drip out and land on the corporal on the altar!  Since nobody really knew what to do, he figured he would go tell the Pope.  Like everybody else, Pope Urban IV was blown away, and immediately set about trying to increase the Church's devotion to the Body and Blood of Our Lord in the Eucharist.  The result?  The feast of Corpus Christi, which has been celebrated in the Church every year since 1264!  Another result, the commissioning of St. Thomas Aquinas to write the prayers and hymns for the Mass, most of which we still use today!  In fact, we had the beautiful grace of having Mass in the very chapel in which the corporal is still held, and, during Mass, we sang two of St. Thomas' most beautiful hymns, Adoro Te Devote, and Pange Lingua.  It was simply one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.  I thank the Lord that I was able to experience this deep encounter with him in the Eucharist!

The last two days have taken us to the Basilicas of San Clemente and St. Paul Outside the Walls, two of the most remarkable churches in Rome (and that really is saying something!).  Since I realize that this post has been very long and since I should probably sleep, I won't go into all the wonderful details now, especially since I'm looking forward to spending more time at both of those places soon.  For now, please know that my prayer at St. Paul's was especially directed toward all those back home who have been praying for me and supporting me throughout my life and throughout my journey!  I prayed also in a special way for my beloved Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis, whose inspiring patron is buried just beneath the altar.  I love that basilica so incredibly much, just as I love my beautiful Archdiocese and all the people there.

Well, after spending a week adjusting to Rome, they're kicking me out!  I will be spending my next four weeks in the town of Siena, living with an Italian couple, taking some Italian classes, speaking with an Italian tutor, and for all intents and purposes drowning in the sea of "alora" and "va bene." I'm really looking forward to it, though, and I will be joined by 16 of my new brothers who will be there to support me, pray for me, and maybe toss in some English encouragement every once in a while.  I'm not sure how often I will be able to write there, but until next time, pregate per me (pray for me)!

In Christ,
Colin

P.S. You can email any prayer requests you may have to me at colinator01@gmail.com.  I would love to intercede for you and your loved ones!