Mary Lead Us

We are almost one month into our seminary career! It's hard to believe how fast the time has gone by. I have really enjoyed everything so far. I have met so many great people and made some new friends. I got to all of my classes on time and have passed my first five Latin tests with A's. Overall, it has been a wonderful first month in the seminary!

One thing that I found that I have found while I have been here at St. Joseph's, is the importance of prayer. I can't remember a time that I have been so busy! As seminarians, we have many more obligations than most of the regular students on the Loyola University campus. Besides Morning prayer, Mass and Evening prayer everyday, we also have Formation meetings on Mondays, Compline (Night prayer) on our floors in the building on Tuesdays, confessions and rosary on Wednesday, Adoration and Benediction on Thursdays. All of these obligations and requirements, plus time for study and homework keep us pretty busy.

It is important during these busy moments, that we never lose sight of prayer, specifically individual prayer. After busy days, we can get grumpy or stressed out, but we must never become anxious or bored with prayer. This is exactly what the devil wants us to do. He wants us to draw away from our contact with God so that we become weak and no longer focused on His will. It is for this reason why it is so important to pray as we continue our discernment.

A wonderful model of for us to focus on is our Blessed Mother Mary. She continually intercedes for us to her son. If we want to get closer to Christ, than we must go to His mother. She knew him best and will lead us right to His heart. Why wouldn't we entrust her with our prayers? She is our help and protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. If we pray to her, she will bring our prayers to the Father and then will cover us with her mantle. So I ask for prayers, for myself and my brother seminarians, that we may never lose the urge to pray and will to run to Mary our Mother no matter how tired or stressed we may be. Please know of my prayers for all of you, that she will cover you with her mantle each and everyday.

The Pilgrimage: 50 Miles to Holy Hill

Millions of people make religious pilgrimages each year. Whether it is making a trip to Lourdes, Fatima or Champion, Wisconsin, a religious pilgrimage is a time to step back from our day to day lives and begin a voyage, not only in a physical state but also in a spiritual sense. It is during these pilgrimages that we begin to draw deeper into our relationships with Christ, giving ourselves a chance to admire, as well as ponder, His wonderful deeds and His constant love for human kind.

A few weeks ago,  I was given the chance to embark on my first religious pilgrimage led by Archdiocesan Vocations Director Father Luke Strand. This pilgrimage was a 50 mile walk from St. Francis De Sales Seminary in St. Francis to Holy Hill in Hubertus, Wisconsin. Following Mass, we began our pilgrimage with a trip to visit Auxiliary Bishop Donald J. Hying at his office at the Archbishop Cousins Center to wish him a happy one year anniversary to the episcopacy.

After congratulating our awesome Auxiliary Bishop, we made our way to various churches on the south side of Milwaukee such as: Immaculate Conception in Bay View, the Bascilica of St. Josaphat on 6th and Lincoln Avenue, St. Anthony's on 9th and Mitchell, as well as the St. Joan of Arc Chapel on the Marquette University Campus before going to Aurora Sinai Medical Center on Kilbourn Ave, where my Mom had planned a wonderful lunch for the starving pilgrims.

After filling our bellys with some amazing food, we continued to make our way  up Wisconsin Ave, picking up two Marquette students that chose to pilgrimage with us for the day. We stopped to pray in front of Planned Parenthood, tried with no avail to get a look at the new chapel that was built inside Marquette University High School and prayed inside the Schoenstatt Shrine on 55th and Wisconsin Ave. For dinner, we traveled to Christ King Parish in Wauwatosa and finally arrived at St. Mary's Visitation Parish in Elm Grove at 8:00 to spend the night. The next day began with 6:30 AM Mass. We were graciously invited to have breakfast at the home of Brian Magliocco and his wife, Melissa.  Brian is the coordinator of WYRE Ministries which produces wonderful events for the youth of Wisconsin with opportunities to grow closer to God, such as the Wisconsin Youth Rally that is held every year.

After breakfast, we made the trip to St. John Vianney Parish in Brookfield to pray Morning Prayer and then to St. Dominic's Parish for lunch with Fr. David Reith, the Pastor, and newly ordained Fr. Brad Krawczyk, now the Associate Pastor. After breakfast it was straight walking all the way to Merton, Wisconsin. Relying solely on Divine Providence, we were amazed when a man stopped us on the side of the road with bottles of water and Hershey chocolate bars. It was even more amazing to us when he revealed to us that he was a Mormon. We stopped at Fr. Luke Strand's aunt's house for dinner and to spend the night. The first thing we all did was jump in the cold pool. Relaxing our tired bodies in the pool was awesome!

We woke up the next morning refreshed and energized, ready to conquer the final 10 miles to Holy Hill. We were a mile away from our destination when we decided to walk the rest of the way barefoot. It was just a small sacrifice, offering up our tired bare feet to Christ. I can't even imagine how He could walk the Via Dolorosa with so many lacerations on His body, His crown of thorns and His tired feet. All of these painful details with the addition of a heavy wooden cross in just incomprehensible! This small sacrifice that we gave, by walking the last mile to Holy Hill barefoot was our way of completing our pilgrimage, by uniting ourselves with Christ, and offering up our sore and tired bodies, so that He could transform them and use them for His glory. This was the purpose of our pilgrimage, to give witness to Christ by walking these 50 miles, carrying a Papal flag, carrying no food of our own with us, totally relying on God like we should be each and every day of our lives. 

Attending the 4:00 o'clock Mass at Holy Hill was such a fitting end to the pilgrimage, reminding us what our true purpose of this journey was. Pilgrimages are supposed to bring you closer to God and for us, this literally was true. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I hope to go on more pilgrimages in the future, continuing to move ever closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

"The End is Just the Beginning"

Well the end of a long beautiful summer vacation is slowly coming to an end. It felt so good to sleep in a little bit and not worry about homework and tests and grades for a while. Unfortunately school starts up this Thursday! To tell you the truth, I am not ready to go back to school, then again who really is ready for school to start?

This summer was an extremely busy one for me. I had the unique opportunity as many of you may know, working two jobs; one as a maintenance assistant at my parish and the other as a dietary aide at Heritage Assisted Living Complex. It was definitely an interesting and rewarding experience.

My job as a maintenance assistant began with a brisk five mile bike ride at 5:30 in the morning. It definitely helped me work up a sweat. I learned a lot this summer; I learned how to fix broken desks and chairs, how to strip and wax church and school floors but most importantly, the importance of hard work, taking initiative and never giving up when things get hard or difficult.

My second job as a dietary aide at Heritage Assisted Living gave me an excellent chance to meet and work with all different kinds of people. I am so fortunate to be able to create relationships with some of the residents, being able to talk to them, ask them how their day is going and just being able to put on a smile on their faces. These are things that I am so grateful for everyday. We are all called to live and show Christ to others, so I am so happy that I can bring just a little bit of joy and happiness to some of the residents with just in a simple "hello".

Since this is my senior year, it is also a year of continued college searching, continued studying for ACT tests, writing papers and doing homework, but also a year of making memories with my friends at Nathan Hale High School. It will be a different year with different teachers and different classmates but all in all, it will be a lot of fun! Starting something new is always great! I am anxious about beginning my last year of high school this year. I know that it will be a lot of work so you can bet that I will be leaning on God for help so that I can finish my high school career strongly and will also depend on Him as I move on to a new stage in my life. I ask you to please keep all students who are returning to school this year in your prayers.

"The end is just the beginning!"- From the movie "Soul Surfer"

Congratulations Bishop Hying!

This Wednesday I was given the tremendous honor of being able to attend Bishop Donald J. Hying's Ordination as the new Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee! After all, it isn't everyday that you see an Ordination of a Bishop, not to mention that of a close friend.

My Mom, Dad, and my friend Jerry and I were lucky to be a part of the 700 invited guests at this wonderful occasion. We were also able to get great seats, close to the front so we could see all the action up close. It was very cool to see the hundreds of priests, the 18 Bishops from both our Archdiocese and neighboring diocese, and the seminarians and seminary summer campers all present.

One of the things that really stood out for me on that great day was Bishop Hying's personality and attitude. Having a special celebration in your honor can be overwhelming. You can be sucked into pride; feeling like your on top of the world! I for one would probably feel this way. Bishop Hying was the complete opposite however. Throughout that entire day, and the days leading up to his ordination, Bishop Hying remained humbled, full of humility. He often stated to Archbishop Listecki, in a joking manner of course that "he was probably the most unqualified person to ever be ordained a Bishop." This is one of the special traits and characteristics that he possesses; total self-abandonment to God and perfect submission to His will.

To be an Auxiliary Bishop means to serve the Archbishop, priests, and the whole church community to the best of his ability. Bishop Hying will indeed have his work cut out for him as he will travel across the Archdiocese ministering to each and every person he meets.

To me, Bishop Hying is a role model for me during my own discernment. If I do indeed become a priest I should look to him as a mentor as to how I should serve others with the same love, care, and humility that he does each and every day. Bishop Hying truly inspires me and reminds me through his episcopal motto, that even throughout hardships and trials during my life, "Love Never Fails."

Thank you Bishop Hying, for teaching me how to love and care for the church through simple acts of kindness and compassion, which you demonstrate day in and day out. I want to thank you for everything that you have done for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee both now and in the future.

May God bless you always!

A Weekend at the Seminary

Its hard to believe that two weeks have come and gone already. Time sure flies when you're having fun! A couple of weeks ago my brothers, Justin, Joe and I went to the Remnant Basketball camp at the Cousin's Center in St. Francis, WI. The Cousin's Center is a former minor seminary that was once filled with high school students working their way up to St. Francis De Sales Major Seminary next door. A lot of time has passed since then and the Cousin's Center now stands nearly vacant with the exception of a few Archdiocesan offices; so it was great that our camp was held there, bringing some life to the building.

The Remnant Basketball camp was created and led by several seminarians with whom I have become good friends. The weekend involved: staying overnight Friday and Saturday, going on morning runs, lots of opportunities for pick-up games of basketball, working on skills, listening to spirituality talks by guest speakers and also included time for Adoration and Benediction. For me, the highlights of the weekend had to be the talks on spirituality by seminarians Ryan Pruess, Kurt Krause and Archbishop Listecki. They have so much wisdom and knowledge that I really took to heart.

In one of the talks, Kurt Krause talked about how,"people always tell us that we are the future of the church. We are called to be active members in the church. What we fail to realize, though, is that we are no longer the church of tomorrow, but the church of NOW! We are called to be active in the church NOW! The church doesn't needs wishy-washy Catholics, but instead strong active members, fighting for the faith." This talk really struck me, and invited me to continue being an active participant in my church and in the various groups that stand up for the faith.

Archbishop Listecki's talk also inspired me both as a ballplayer and as one who is discerning a vocation to be a priest when he said, "The same skills that you use in basketball, the team building and motivating your teammates; use those skills in your day to day life." In the different aspects of life, we need these skills in all that we do, whether it be as a student in the classroom, an accountant in a business office or a priest in a parish. This talk with the Archbishop was a great way for me to look at life and how we all should live it.

After camp my family and I attended the St. Francis De Sales Seminary Open House. It was beautiful to see so many youth in attendance! The seminary itself was bursting with excitement. That weekend was truly an awesome experience. I loved every minute of it. I would like to offer an word of thanks to everyone at St. Francis De Sales Seminary for inspiring me and other teens, inviting us to deepen our relationship in God. I would like to thank seminarians Ryan Pruess, Kurt Krause and the Vocations Office at St. Francis for creating a wonderful camp that not only helped my basketball skills, but also taught me that these same skills can be used to help others and build the kingdom of heaven. Thank you for all the wonderful things that you do!

Chicago, Chicago, that toddling town!

This past weekend I took a trip along with two of my friends from the summer seminary camps to go to visit St. Joseph's Seminary College on the Loyola University campus. The idea was for high school students to take a trip down to see how college seminary life is down in Chicago, staying over night, shadowing students in their Theology, History and Psychology classes and just generally getting to know other men who are discerning God's call and have made the decision to go from high school to a seminary college preparing students for the diocesan priesthood. Some of the men were from our Archdiocese of Milwaukee. It was fun getting to know them and spend time with them.

What me and friends realized was that these men were very normal, typical college students only a few years older then myself! It was fun playing games with them, going out to dinner at Giordano's restaurant (which I must say has the best "Chicago style" deep-dish pizza ever!) and seeing them goofing off together and enjoying themselves.

After spending two and a half days there touring Chicago, visiting the beautiful Madonna Della Strada Chapel(see above picture) and going to classes to get a taste of college life, it was time to say goodbye. Our departure started off by taking the Chicago metro, which is basically a subway above the ground that runs back and forth from various parts of Chicago to downtown. We had to take the metro downtown and then walk 6 blocks to the Union Station in order to board the Amtrak Hiawatha #333 train headed to Milwaukee. After purchasing our tickets, our train left at 10:20 AM. Prior to this trip, I had never been on a train except for the kiddie train at the Milwaukee County Zoo, so this was a fantastic new experience for me and my friends.

The train ride was super fast. It only took us an hour and fifteen minutes! It literally felt like we were floating on air, it was so fast and yet so quiet. The vocation director at St. Francis De Sales Seminary Father Peter Berger, who had arranged this trip for us, was there at the train stop to pick us up. Father Peter then took us back to the seminary where our parents were there to pick us up.

The trip to Chicago was one the most exciting experiences I have ever had. It has really helped me to get a feel for how college life is and the many responsibilities that come with it. As this year goes by and as the next quickly comes I will be looking at a number of colleges and see which one would really benefit me and my education. Visiting St. Josephs has really giving me a new aspect on college life is. I would like to thank Father Peter Berger for inviting me to checkout St. Josephs to see how life in the college seminary is down in Chicago. I would also like to thank all of the young men and staff for their warm hospitality and welcome towards us. These young men may someday God willing, become the world's next generation of priests and I will keep them close to my heart in prayer. Thanks again for everything. It was a blast!

Movie Night with Father Matthew Widder

This past Friday, my good friend and Confirmation sponsor Father Matthew Widder asked to me to come with a youth group from his church to go and see a movie entitled "The Human Experience". The movie was made by Grassroots Films, the same company that made "Fishers of Men" and "Finding Jesus in the Streets of New York City". Since the movie was being shown in Whitewater, we did have a long drive to go. So with Father Matthew's trusty GPS, good friends and food, the ride seemed to pass by fast.

In a flash we were there at the University of Whitewater Wisconsin ready to see a great movie about what life is all about and how we should live it daily. I give it two thumbs up and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good movie to watch on a Friday night.

It was a great night out but the thing that stuck out to me was not the movie, but the time spent with Father Matthew, getting a chance to talk about things going on in my life. Father Matthew is a very good listener and gives the best advice. Before I left his car to go inside my house, Father asked me to pray with him. This was one of the most memorable moments I have ever experienced, just being able to talk and pray with a priest, it was just exciting.

Overall it was a great night! I am so grateful to be able to meet new people and continue to spend time with Father Matthew. It was a night I will never forget.

Happy Birthday!

Well this past Sunday was my birthday! I just turned 17. This means that I am now one year away from adulthood. When we are younger, it seems like the only thing we want is to grow up. It seems to us that when we get older there are more privileges for us to take part in. However as the years go by, we sometimes wish we were still little children again, without a care in the world, playing, laughing, just generally enjoying the gift of life from God. Sometimes life has its up and downs, times when we wish we were still little kids, with no worries, but these ups and downs make us who we are and help us gain a more clear knowledge of God's presence and love in our lives.

I have a friend at school who told me that she doesn't celebrate her birthday. When I asked her why, she began to tell me the story of how when she and her friend were eight years old, they went to the store to get some candy. As they were crossing the street, a truck was coming down the road. My friend was about to be hit by the truck when her friend saved her life by pushing her out of the way only to be hit instead and died. Because she felt that her friend died because of her, my friend hasn't celebrated her birthday in over 8 years. She feels that she doesn't deserve to live.

Even though this happened so many years ago, it has totally changed her life and made it more difficult to spend time with her loved ones to celebrate her birthday Trying to comfort her, I told her how sorry I was that that had happened. I know what it is like to lose someone, but never like that. Still I told my friend that even though she doesn't celebrate her birthday anymore, she should still try to celebrate it because it is a celebration that she is alive. I told her that her friend saved her life and she would probably want her to continue to live her life.
Jesus died for our lives, but he doesn't want us to mourn his death, but celebrate his triumph over death and the new life he gave us.

My friend was comforted by my words and because she shared this difficult memory with me, we are now closer friends than ever before. I am grateful that she was willing to open up to me, and I am grateful that I was able to offer her some solace. Friendships that offer us opportunities to share our sorrows and joys are truly a gift from God.