Ora et Labora

When the glorious diaconate festivities had died down a little, it was time for some weekend rest before the beginning of another academic year. After the long hours of pastoral and homiletic workshops, the choir practices in preparation for the ordination Mass, and the various logistics of hosting priests, friends, and family from back home, it was truly time for a little break from Rome!

So, for a brief, but restful weekend, I joined two priests and a permanent deacon of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on a wonderful, prayerful journey to the tiny Umbrian town of Norcia. The town is beautiful in its own right, nestled peacefully in the Sibillini mountains in north-central Italy. Plus, it's small enough that you could pretty much walk through every street in town over the course of a couple hours; quite a big change from the ever-chaotic eternal city! Like many other such quaint towns in Umbria, Norcia draws tourists from all over Italy, Europe, and other parts of the globe by virtue of its picturesque landscape, small town feel, and very, very tasty food. In fact, Umbria is one of the few places in the world that can boast the local harvesting and sale of all 4 species of the infamous truffle (in Italian, tartufo). As I learned soon after arriving in Italy, seeing "truffle" on a menu usually doesn't mean that you're ordering something chocolatey...But, the tartufo has a flavor all its own, and as soon as you sprinkle some on pasta or spread it over a slice of bread, you know immediately why they are so highly sought after!

Little meat and cheese shops abound in Norcia!

But, in addition to its many natural qualities, Norcia boasts another, much more meaningful treasure: the birthplace of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica, the twin brother and sister who founded Western Monasticism! St. Benedict's Rule, which he regulated for his newfound Benedictine monasteries would come to be unwavering source of stability in Europe following the fall of the Roman Empire, calling men into a life of community centered around worship of God and monastic obedience, a life of Ora et labora (pray and work). St. Scholastica, for her part, would go on to form the first female branch of the Benedictine order, making her, in essence the mother of female religious life, at least in Western Christianity.

Considering the great importance of Norcia in the lives of these two saints, it is not surprising that there have been Benedictine monks living and working in Norcia since the 10th century, thus giving the city a thoroughly Benedictine tradition. However, in 1810, the monks of Norcia who had lived in the monastery since its founding were forced to flee during the persecution of Napoleon, thus leaving the birthplace of Benedict and Scholastica bereft of its beautiful monastic tradition...

But, through God's grace, the monks returned! This time, however, the monastery was not to be the home of Italian, or even European monks, but of Americans! In the 1990's an American monk named Fr. Cassian received the inspiration to bring monasticism back to Norcia, and, after receiving canonical approval, moved into the monastery of Norcia with his brother monks in the year 2000. Since then, the monastic community has grown and flourished. They have made additions to their building, restored the old basilica which stands majestically in the center of town, created a spirit of deep prayer and silence in their worship of God, assisted the Norcia community in countless ways, and even opened a brewery! By means of their beer especially, the monks have been able to reach people across the globe, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, who are fascinated by the monks' proud tradition of brewing beer ut laetificet cor hominum ("to gladden man's heart"). Trust me, when you drink the Norcia brew, your heart really is gladdened!

Unfortunately, the town of Norcia, like many towns in the nearby regions, was significantly damaged by the earthquake which rocked central Italy just two months ago. Thankfully, no one in the town was killed, but the damage caused to many of the buildings, including the monks' beautiful basilica and living quarters, was substantial. For a few weeks immediately after the disaster, the monks had moved to Rome in order to remain together and decide how they would respond. In such a situation, with their place of worship architecturally condemned, and the majority of their monastery unlivable, it may have seemed natural for the monks to have continued their life for many months in Rome, where things were, seemingly, much safer.

But one thing that is amazing about Benedictine monks is their vow of stability. When a monk professes his religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, he also makes a fourth vow of stability, in which he promises remain faithfully attached to that monastery in which he will, conceivably, live out the rest of his life. It is one of the most beautiful aspects of Benedictine life, and one which allows monasticism to continue to be such a fruitful enterprise, both within the Church in that local area and in the lives of those may not have any interest in the faith. This vow of stability is just as radical today as in the days when St. Benedict was establishing the first monastic communities! In a world which seems to place such a high premium on the need for novelty and change and the ability to move from one thing to the next almost at a whim, the stability of the Benedictine monk stands as a testimony to God's faithfulness, as well as His love for us in the ordinary, mundane aspects of our daily life, in the ora et labora, we might say.

And so, the monks came back. After a mere two weeks in Rome, they returned to their home in Norcia, to join with their fellow citizens in the task of rebuilding their city, to continue to offer their daily prayers with and for the universal Church, and, of course, to keep gladdening men's hearts with their beer. They are currently divided as a community, with 6 of the monks living in the few undamaged cells in the monastery itself, and the other 10 living outside the walls of Norcia in makeshift tents! The monks are truly making many sacrifices, the heaviest of which much certainly be this temporary separation from one another. Certainly, there prayers will continue to make a difference in the lives of their brothers and sisters in Norcia, as well as in the lives of so many around the world!

So, this weekend was a chance to visit these simple, prayerful, quiet, awe-inspiring men who call themselves Benedictine monks. These men have something to teach all of us about God, about prayer, about work, and about ourselves. May we strive to imitate their example of stability, remaining faithful to God always, even in the earthquakes which shake up our own lives.

The Best Week of the Year

The beginning of every academic year at the NAC is marked by arguably the single most beautiful event of the entire year! This coming Thursday, 30 of our brothers who are entering theology IV will be ordained deacons in St. Peter's Basilica at the hands of Sean Cardinal O'Malley, the Archbishop of Boston. It's an amazing experience to watch hundreds of American prelates, priests, deacons, seminarians, family members and friends pack into the vast space behind Bernini's iconic baldechino, at the breathtaking altar of the chair. There, on the marble floor at the center of Christendom, my 30 brothers will literally lay down their lives in service of God and His people, and, upon rising once again, will be conformed to Christ the Servant when Cardinal O'Malley lays his hands upon them.

For the third straight year, I will participate in the celebration by singing in the choir. To be honest, a church as big as St. Peter's has a really difficult acoustic to sing in! But we always do our best, and the music always does turn out beautifully. The beauty of an other-worldy liturgy is truly a wonderful gift that we are able to give the newly ordained men and their families.

Probably the coolest thing about the ordinations (at least from the point of view of a "younger brother") is that, every year, the reality of ordained ministry becomes more and more vivid! This year, for instance, I will be able to witness the ordination of two of my best friends in the world, Tim Wratkowski and Nick Hagen, both of whom are to be ordained for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. I've know both of them for so long, and it's going to be so surreal to see them kneel before the Cardinal as laymen and rise again as deacons! I'm so proud of both those guys, as well as the entire class of ordinandi, and it's so cool to think that, in roughly one year's time, it will be time for my classmates and I to lay down our lives on that marble floor!

The morning after the ordination Mass is always quite a treat too. Every newly ordained deacon chooses a church in Rome in which to have a Mass of Thanksgiving with his family and friends. It is at this Mass that he is able to proclaim the Gospel and preach a homily for the first time! Having been to a couple such "first deacon Masses" now, I can honestly say that there are few things cooler! (A "first priest Mass" is probably one of those cooler things!)

Tonight, we will be celebrating a Mass in our College with all the friends and family of the deacons-elect as an "opener" of sorts to this amazing week. Then, on Wednesday evening, all the priests and seminarians of the College will gather in this same chapel for an hour of adoration, a reflection on the diaconate, and procession to our outdoor statue of the Blessed Mother, where we will entrust our 30 brothers to the motherly care of Our Lady, Queen of the Clergy. It is always one of the most wonderful, heart-warming moments of prayer in the entire NAC year. And this year, it promises to be more moving than ever, as I think about these amazing friends and brothers who will soon be receiving this tremendous gift of the diaconate.

Please pray for Tim, Nick, and the other 28 men who will be ordained this Thursday! May God bless them and grant them joy and generosity in their vocations!

Christ's peace to you all!

-Colin

Coming Down from the Mountain...

Hey folks,

Yesterday, my 45 classmates and I returned from our retreat in the town of Ariccia, nestled in the beautiful hills just an hour or so south of Rome. We stayed at a lovely little retreat house overlooking Lake Albano, a pristine volcanic lake surrounded by quaint Italian towns and beautiful foliage (green is a color we don't get to see so much in the busy streets of Rome!).

On a clear day, it is possible to see the dome of St. Peter's Basilica off in the distance, little more than a speck on the horizon. West of that, we could look out onto the shore of the Mediterranean! Even though our retreat took place in silence, almost every evening was the occasion for many of us seminarians to gather silently on the large patio overlooking the lake, taking in the beauty around us and meditating on the tremendous graces which God has given us in allowing us to live amidst so much beauty. We were even blessed with a little crazy weather during the week too! Wind and rain and funky clouds and everything that was awesome...we got to see it all!

The retreat itself was grace-filled beyond belief. Outside of Mass and Evening Prayer as a group, each of us spent half an hour each day meeting with a spiritual director, receiving a few Scripture passages to meditate upon for that day, and sharing any particular graces or struggles on his heart. While not formally an Ignatian spiritual exercises retreat, it certainly had a similar feel. The focus was on imaginative prayer, in which you attempt to delve more deeply into the Sacred Scriptures, oftentimes through imagining yourself in the particular scene. As you might be able to imagine, this can be pretty difficult with all distractions and random thoughts which run through the average person's head in an hour! But the Lord calls us to be faithful, not successful! Through persevering with the Lord and continuing to be generous toward Him with your time, it is amazing what beautiful things He can accomplish.

This coming week, my class is at the College for our final week of conferences before the diaconate weekend craziness rolls into town. This week, it will be a series of homiletic conferences, combined with a couple opportunities to give some practice homilies. Should be a very growth-filled experience, as usual!

Until next time,

Colin

After 23 Months: Stateside!

When my classmates and I boarded the plane at Newark International Airport on July 14, 2014 and soon watched the shoreline of the United States pass out of sight, we knew that it would be another 23 months before we would see that shoreline again! Certainly, the thought of beginning our theological studies, the joy of meeting our new brother seminarians, and the prospect of living in the heart of the Church gave us all deep peace and great excitement as we began our journey into what was largely an unknown chapter in our formation lives. But, for all the wonderful blessings which we knew the Lord had prepared for us "across the pond," there couldn't but be a sadness at the fact that we were leaving our home! Family, friends, parishioners, priests, brother seminarians, baseball, the English language, real hamburgers...It was tough to leave it all behind.

It had been far too long.

With so many days standing between our leaving America and our long-desired return (somewhere around 700 I think!), the focus was obviously to always live in the moment. I learned during that time the valuable grace of being able to sprout where I am planted, and to seek ever more to cling to the Lord throughout all the trials and difficulties which transitions can create. Live in the moment. Don't count down from 700 days until the moment when it's time to go home. Allow the Lord to guide you every single day, in the midst of the amazing experiences, and those which might just make you homesick...This was our task as NAC seminarians in our first and second years of theology: to live each day as a gift, to allow the Lord Himself to guide us a care for us during this transition.

What wonderful advice this was! Over the course of the next 23 months, the Lord blessed me with two amazing years of formation: a tremendously challenging and life-giving seminary community, centered around the Lord and focused on a life of prayer and virtue...no fewer than 250 brothers, all of whom, whether close friends or men whom I might run into only rarely, have called me on to a deeper love of God and His Church...blessed experiences of travelling, not only in Europe, but also in Africa, experiences which have offered me so many opportunities to connect with God's people and encounter the vast treasures of the Catholic Church. Indeed, sitting on that airplane as it left America behind, I could never have imagined how good the Lord would be to me during those next 23 months!

Minneapolis, how I missed you

And then, almost before I knew it, the time came. It was my turn to go home! Almost in the blink of an eye, it seemed, spring semester 2016 had come upon us. And, while it was the most out-of-control-crazy and how-on-earth-am-I-going-to-survive-this semester of my academic life, it was overshadowed by the joy of going home! My classmates and I were buying our plane tickets, receiving our summer parish assignments, asking each other what our first meal back in America would be (Chick-Fil-A ended up being mine!), and just generally geeking out over all the wonderful graces and experiences that awaited us stateside. We even had a customized Google Map with pins on all our different summer assignment parishes; we were really all over the place!

No trip to St. Paul was complete without a stop at the Cathedral!

Sometime in February, my vocation director Fr. David Blume brought me the happy tidings that I would be spending the summer (as well as summer of 2017) at the Church of the Epiphany in Coon Rapids, Minnesota! It was really a winning decision for everyone, since it kept me close enough to home to allow me to see my family on a regular basis (a big win for Momma Jones especially!), while also allowing me to observe the daily life of one of the largest suburban parishes in the Archdiocese, something I've always desired to be a part of.

During my first two years of theology at the NAC, a certain phrase which is often repeated by the faculty priests in their conferences and conversations is: "you cannot imagine how good the people of God will be to you!" Boy, did they get that one right!

From day 1 at Epiphany, the people of God truly were so good to me. Every morning, I had the opportunity to assist at Mass by distributing the Blessed Sacrament! As an installed acolyte, this is a ministry which I can now perform anywhere in the Church, and, since it such a huge part of diaconal and priestly ministry, it was pretty cool to be able to jump right in! Many times, as folks would be coming up for Communion, I would be hit with the thought that I am giving Jesus to His people right now!! Pretty amazing stuff.

Before and after Mass, whether the 8 am daily one or any of the 5 Sunday Masses, I got a taste of the very simple priestly activity of greeting people...it was sometimes quite a crowd. Since I was wearing clerics like the priests, I often had to tell people that they didn't have to call me Father, but it was still pretty cool to be able to tell folks that I was their summer seminarian. They were all so welcoming, and it was amazing how, as the summer went on, I really was getting to know many of those wonderful families.

Don't get me started on the hometown 9...

One of the most amazing and, perhaps unexpected, graces of the summer was the time I was able to spend with the Epiphany youth. Believe it or not, I entered the summer a little freaked out by the prospect of being around American middle-schoolers and high-schoolers! I mean, it had been two full years since I had been home; I didn't know a thing about "what the kids are doing these days," and I was afraid of being out of the loop!

Well, I learned on roughly my first day in the parish that that was a pretty dumb thing to be afraid of. The kids were so incredible, and my time spent helping out in the parish's youth ministry programs ended up being one of the most powerful experiences of those 6 action-packed weeks. In June, I spent 6 days at Extreme Faith Camp, which offers middle-schooler the opportunity to encounter the Lord in prayer, community, and the Sacraments, especially Reconciliation and Eucharistic Adoration. The evening of Confession was especially cool. The small group leaders helped their kids to examine their consciences, and answered any questions they might have about the Sacrament. Many of the kids, understandably, were originally a little freaked out at the idea...But, thanks be to God, they all went! The joy and peace which many of them recounted was truly incredible, a sure testimony to the fact that God truly wants to encounter us in His Sacraments, if we merely go before Him with an open heart. What a blessing, too, to realize how much He used all of us youth ministers as instruments to "prepare the way before Him." Our hard work and prayer truly paid off in the lives of those kids!

I also had the opportunity to be quite involved with the Epiphany high-schoolers, who are pretty much the coolest people I know. In many parishes, the summer presents many challenges and obstacles to doing any sort of real high-school ministry. But those obstacles couldn't slow the roll at Epiphany! Every Thursday, between 20 and 25 boys and girls from the parish's youth group would gather for the 8 am Mass, drink coffee and play games in the youth room, before heading out to the field for what were some of the best ultimate frisbee games I've ever been a part of. Seriously, those kids put me to shame week after week. I guess I've got some work to do this coming year!

The youth ministry experience at Epiphany was highlighted by an amazingly grace-filled 5-day trip to Steubenville, Ohio in late-July. We were 6 chaperones with roughly 30 kids, in for two very long bus rides to and from the youth conference. It was so much fun to simply get to know the young men and women, most of whom were so deeply seeking the Lord and open to whatever He might have in store for them in their lives. Even those kids who may have been present more because of parental compulsion were moved by the Lord in powerful ways, especially in the moments of prayer which took place at the conference, and in great sense of community which the youth group continually fostered.

The kids are alright

Then, there were the priests! I was incredibly blessed to be with 4, yes, 4!!!! wonderful priests this summer. Three of those priests were assigned to the parish, while the fourth worked full time at hospitals in Coon Rapids and Fridley, but the impact of such strong, consistent priestly witness in one place was truly felt. In fact, one Sunday, there were so many priests around saying hello to people after Mass, that one woman who was visiting Epiphany for the weekend asked me, "Is there some sort of religious order here at this parish?" Her question really wasn't a surprising one, since most parishes are lucky to have even 2 priests around. And yet, thanks to the grace of many vocations to the Archdiocese in recent years, as well as the many pastoral needs of a parish as large as Epiphany, the parish is blessed by the presence of these 4 very holy, prayerful men.

If you've stuck around for this big 'ole update, thank you so much for reading. Currently, I'm back in Rome, where my classmates and I have been enjoying a week of swapping summer stories, doing some pastoral counseling workshops, and, of course, trying to kick jet lag in the face. We'll be going on retreat tomorrow in a beautiful little town near Lake Albano, roughly an hour from Rome, for some much needed time of prayer and rest. Know that I will be keeping you all in my prayers; I ask the same from you. Until next time!

-Colin

Recollection

Once a semester, those of us here at the North American College are blessed to have a day of recollection. For roughly 24 hours, the various obligations and general busy-ness of the community's schedule grind to a halt - of course, with the exception, of that which is most important: Jesus Christ, and time spent with him. (Incidentally, it also happens to be a great day to catch up on sleep!)

During these blessed hours, we celebrate Sunday Mass together and eat our meals in silence, while our spiritual directors open their doors to hear confessions and talk with us about the Lord's action in our lives. It's truly amazing how this little oasis of peace and quiet can make such a difference in a hectic semester of studies!

And of course, without fail, a day spent with the Lord always leaves us more ready to serve Him, more open to hear His voice once the routine of life begins again!

On this peaceful day, know that I will be lifting up in prayer all those who continue to be with me on this journey. I don't say it enough, but I am so grateful for the prayers and support of everyone whom the Lord has placed in my life!

May you and your loved ones also find the peace of recollection in this Lenten season, that the Lord's voice may become clearer every day.

-Colin

They say that...

"Greenland is covered with ice, and Iceland is very nice." Well, I can say with great certainly that Iceland definitely lives up to its name in late December - it is covered in ice! But, as a Minnesotan who isn't allowed to go home for Christmas, what more could I ask for than below-freezing temperatures, cloudy skies, freezing rain, sloppy roads, slippery sidewalks, and beautiful evening snow-fall? (Although, at press time, it looks like Minnesota hasn't quite cooperated in that department this year - I feel your pain, my friends!)

Our little suburb of Hafnarfjörður, Iceland

My classmate John LoCoco and I arrived in Iceland on December 19th, and will be here until the 29th. It has been an adventure, to say the least! Thankfully, we have been staying at a parish in a town called Hafnarfjörður, a suburb roughly 5 miles south of Reykjavik, the capital and largest city of Iceland. Even though it's not Home for the Holidays, there's something so amazing and universal about being with the people of God, especially in these joyful days. We've been able to experience so many of those wonderful parochial joys here: serving Mass, spending time with families, drinking hot chocolate, and butchering Icelandic Christmas carols - all those things I miss about MN!

St. Joseph's awaiting the Midnight Mass!

Our generous hosts are none other than the fathers and sisters of the Incarnate Word, the same religious order who hosted my brothers and I in Tanzania this summer! When I heard that the order had a parish in Iceland, my ears perked up; I knew there would be no better way to experience this country than through the joys of a parish, with priests and sisters showing us the ropes, the people of God welcoming us into their lives, and the Blessed Sacrament literally right above our heads! Yes, there is nothing quite like finding the Catholic Church, especially in a country struggling so much with the darkness of secularism and religious indifference. Needless to say, we are blessed to be here in this beautiful little community.

From our lodging here at St. Joseph's, we have been able to experience many of the sights, smells (sometimes very strong, depending of what kind of seafood is being served), and sounds of Reykjavik and the nearby area. The capital city was much smaller than I was expecting - actually, the whole country is very sparsely populated; there are only about 300,000 people on the entire island, with most of them living in the Reykjavik metro area. To put that whole number in perspective, there are about 100,000 more people in Minneapolis proper than there are in all of Iceland! 

Sunset over downtown Reykjavik...at about 3pm!

While he prominent church in the city is a Protestant one, although it certainly exerts a nice Christian influence on the Reykjavik skyline. We stopped in on our first visit to the city, but the church we really wanted to see was on another side of town: the Catholic Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King! It's the only minor Basilica in Scandinavia (giving it the special recognition of the Pope - just like the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis), and hosted Pope St. John Paul II for Mass when he visited in 1989. It's a peaceful, beautiful little church which serves countless members of Iceland's immigrant Catholic community: people from Latin America, Poland, the Philippines, and Lithuania.

While we've certainly been blessed to spend time in and around beautiful Reykjavik, by far the best moments of our stay have been just living the seminarian life! We have been invited to the houses of parishioners each of the last four evenings, so we have had the wonderful opportunity to meet many wonderful couples and their kids. Lots of Christmas carols have been sung, and lots of amazing Filippino food has been consumed! Around the parish too, Fr. Horacio and Fr. Juan Carlos, our generous hosts from Argentina, have allowed us to help out with the Masses, join them for their meals, pray with them in the mornings, and simply talk to them about priestly life. We've also learned the hard way that they are both much, much better at ping-pong and foosball than we are...like, astronomically better. So that's been a nice little source of humility.

We have a couple more days here in Iceland, before it's time to head back to Italy! As with so many other trips, it will certainly be hard to leave this beautiful little place - especially the people who have made us feel so welcome. But, as is always the case, we know that we can continue to be together in prayer. And who knows? Maybe we'll find ourselves on this little island once again (although I think I'd like to see the sun next time).

Merry Christmas, and God bless!

-Colin

Here are some other pictures of beautiful Iceland; I hope you enjoy:

She was pretty popular, but I managed to snag a pic with an awesome Icelandic horse; it's the purest breed of horse in the world!

St. Thorlac, the 12th century Bishop of Skálholt, and patron saint of Iceland.

Gulfoss, the golden falls.

The Reykjavik harbor.

Holy water fowl, batman!

Saw some real geysers! They were definitely as awesome as expected.

More Ordinary Things

It recently dawned on me that, in addition to not updating this blog nearly as often as I should, my updates have almost always consisted of travels outside of the North American College - travel weekends, Christmas, and the wonderful summer experience the Lord blessed me with in Tanzania. I am so grateful for all of these wonderful blessings, and I pray that each place I have been able to see and experience will somehow make me a better priest one day! But I would certainly be remiss if I did not write at all about the more routine side of life which takes place here at the North American College.

All of us here (and that's over 260 men!) have now been back at the classroom for a month now. And, while most of our brothers back at U.S. seminaries are getting ready for the home stretch of their fall semesters, we are only just getting into the meat and potatoes! Such are the mysterious ways of the Roman Universities.

But while we have only just returned to the classroom, things have been far from uneventful here at the North American College in these past few months since we returned from our various summer apostolates. In fact, one of the College's most beautiful events happens every year at the beginning of October, before classes have begun. This is the Diaconate Ordination Mass for the 4th theology class, the men who, at the end of the academic year, will return to their dioceses to be ordained priests forever! As Monsignor Jim Checchio, the rector of the NAC, always says, the beginning and end of the year are always the most beautiful times to be at the College, since "the grace of ordination affects everything!" At the beginning of the academic year, we watch and pray as our 4th year brothers proceed to the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica, lie down on the marble beneath the stained-glass window of the Holy Spirit, and rise to be conformed to Christ the servant, or, in Greek, Christos diaconos.

Since early October, the schedule has settled into a bit of a rhythm, as classes, apostolates, communal prayer, and formation conferences have all gotten fully underway. It's been a great blessing to be back in the routine, even though it's a very busy routine! The faculty here is always fond of reminding us that, no matter how busy we think we are in seminary, there will always be more to do as a priest! Truly, everything we do and participate in here at the College contributes to our formation in some way - to helping us become the best priests we can be. And this is something for which I am truly grateful!

One such aspect of formation which my second-year classmates and I have had the opportunity to dive into this year has been that of preaching! Yes, this is the year when we begin to learn the art of homiletics. We had a week-long conference on the topic in September, presented by one of the College's faculty who is a Dominican, the Order of Preachers. So we were in good hands! The conference consisted of watching videos of various speakers and preachers - everyone from Martin Luther King Jr. to Joel Osteen to Venerable Fulton Sheen, and identifying what makes those particular speakers so effective. We would then receive various tips and tricks from Father related to his own preaching experience: how to prepare, delivery skills, advice on content, etc. It really felt like we were drinking from a fire hose!

Fortunately, after having spent time in discussion and receiving advice, we have had several opportunities to try our hand at preaching! Each of us have been divided into groups of 4 or 5 seminarians with a priest moderator, and given a specific preaching topic and scenario for a given day. For instance, we have preached on Our Lady of the Rosary, Exaltation of the Cross, Our Lady of Sorrows, the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, and a simple daily Mass. So we've already had a pretty wide range of preaching experiences! The practices have certainly not been without a healthy bit of stress, but my classmates and I have found it to be really awesome. I think we have been especially surprised by the fact that we actually can give a decent homily! Each of us, having our own experiences, devotion, prayer life, and disposition, have truly been able to make the homilies our own. One thing I have loved has been the opportunity to hear what my brothers have to say about the particular readings or feast of the day - oftentimes, they mention something that I had never thought about before! It's pretty cool.

Anyway, I just wanted to give a little update to anyone who might be reading. Thank you so much for your prayers, as always. I am so grateful for the way the Lord has supported me through the support of all my family and friends, so thank you! Know that I pray for you as well. May God bless you!

-Colin