" A Gust of Holiness"

Well, folks, I've got a lot of catching up to do, as usual! A beautiful Easter season and another semester of studies have almost completely gone by, and it's crazy to think that, in just a few short weeks, I'll be officially in my second year of theological studies! Simply wild. This whole dizzying feeling really hit home just a few days ago, when all of us in the new man class received a list of the roughly 70 men who will be joining the College this coming fall. Just 12 short months ago, my classmates and I were on that list, preparing for the headfirst dive into life in Rome, a life which has included a new language, 250 new brothers, pasta everywhere, a bunch of saints, and a suspension of traffic rules. Now, it will be our turn as second year men to welcome our new brothers to the College, showing them the ropes and assuring them that everything's going to be alright, especially in the difficult moments.

But, the year's not done yet, and it seems that the Lord saved some of the best moments for these last couple of months! The best one happened on May 2nd, when His Holiness Pope Francis came to our house to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in anticipation of his visit to the States this coming September. It was cool to think that, only 4 months before he will be welcomed to the beautiful awesomeness that is the United States, the Pope was welcomed to the little slice of America right next door! I hope that we prepared him well.

The day began with a few conferences related to the life of Blessed Junipero Serra, an 18th century Franciscan missionary who established Catholic missions throughout Arizona and California, and converted thousands to the Catholic Church. To the great joy of the American Church, Pope Francis will canonize Father Serra during his visit, thus making him the first Hispanic to be enrolled among the growing number of American saints. Although the Pope was not present for the conferences, we were blessed to hear from many inspiring authorities on Father Serra's life, including the Italian Franciscan in charge of researching his life, and Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, who has undertaken the task of putting him forward to the people of the United States as a man of courage and gentleness among the indigenous peoples whom he served.

Blessed Junipero Serra

The Mass which followed was truly special. The Pope, not wanting his visit to be a huge, grandiose occasion, had requested that we simply celebrate the Liturgy as we normally do. Now, it's tough to have a "normal" Liturgy when the principal celebrant is the Vicar of Christ, but the Mass certainly did have a feeling of beautiful simplicity. The choir sang the proper chants of the Mass for the day (the memorial of St. Athanasius), and the men of the NAC served as readers, acolytes, and masters of ceremony for the Holy Father. There were certainly a few flash bulbs going off too! It was amazing to gather in the chapel where we celebrate Mass every day, and to pray as we always do, all while looking upon the successor of St. Peter.

The Pope's homily was beautiful and inspiring as always, and felt even more moving since he had come to our house to preach it. Naturally, he spoke to us of Blessed Junipero Serra, presenting him as a man who had not only captured his own devotion, but ought to be a companion to us as well. He summarized Father Serra's life by referring to three aspects which characterize him best, namely, his missionary zeal, his devotion to the Blessed Mother, and his exemplary witness of holiness. Personally, I was struck mostly by the Pope's words regarding Our Lady. He told us that Father Serra dedicated all of his missionary work to Our Lady of Guadalupe, who had become, and still is, the patroness of the new world. The Pope summarized our dependence on Our Lady of Guadalupe by saying that "You cannot separate her from the hearts of the American people, for she always hears and protects her American children." As Americans who are blessed to profess the Catholic Faith, we truly owe all our joy to her! And, as Americans called to bring the love of Christ to the rest of our brothers and sisters of this continent, we owe her as well our fervent prayer and devotion, since it is she who has been bringing souls to Christ since her appearance at Tepeyac.

As the Pope continued, he gave us our pep talk, our marching orders! He prayed for "a gust of holiness to sweep through the Americas," led by men and women rooted in the Gospel, and inspired by the Holy Spirit - men and women such as Junipero Serra, Kateri Tekakwitha, John Neumann, Frances Xavier Cabrini, and so many others. Certainly, these marching orders apply to all of us as well; we are called to be the next American saints!

A blessed Pentecost to all of you. You are always in my prayers!

Pope Francis with our rector, Monsignor Jim Checchio