Joy of Christ

With the first week of classes under my new college belt, it was nice to sit back, relax and have some fun. Together with some of my fellow seminarians, we threw a frisbee in the front courtyard of St. Joseph's, played basketball over at Loyola's student gym, jumped in Lake Michigan and buried one of our brothers in the sand. It was a lot of fun! Because our building is right across the street from one of the freshman dorms called Mertz Hall, we do get a lot of people passing by looking at us. Sometimes its fun to wave at them as they stare, occasionally inviting them to come over and play some frisbee and get to know us.

 Last night as we were leaving the gym, we decided to go and sing Salve Regina in front of a statue of Mary on campus, and asked a couple of girls who were walking behind us if they wanted to join. We told them that we were seminarians. The girls obviously didn't know what a seminarian was because one of them said, "Oh cool, my dad is one of the those." Needless to say, they didn't join us.

 

After praying, we all walked over to the lake and we plunged in together with our clothes still on. Some of the people on the beach probably thought we were crazy! I hope they do. I hope that they saw we are filled with the joy of Christ. I hope that they see that we are regular guys, that happen to be studying for one of the most extraordinary vocations  in the world. I pray that people will remain curious as to what St. Joseph's College Seminary is and will want to talk with us, come over for Mass and have dinner with us. We're not crazy, we just love God and want to glorify him by our lives.

10 Days into Seminary Life

When I first decided to apply to St. Joseph College Seminary in Chicago, the essence of community and brotherhood played a huge factor. I wanted to be around other guys headed toward the same goal. Now ten days into my seminary career, I have already begun to see it more clearly. On Move-In Day, returning seminarians helped move myself and other new seminarians into our rooms and introduced themselves. They were very glad that we were here. I'm glad I am too!

If it were not for my brother seminarians helping me and guiding me in the right direction, I would never have learned the things that I now know. Before coming to St. Joseph's, I knew that good liturgy was always important, but I never had been to a place where everyone is passionate about liturgy, liturgy that is flowing but yet has structure and body. Good timing and reverent movement is very essential when serving, lectoring and even while being an Extraordinary Minister of the Holy Eucharist.

If it were not for my brother seminarians, I would not have been able to tie my own cincture and wear a collar with my cassock. I would not have know how to decorate an altar after it had been anointed during the Dedication of the Altar Mass that we just had the previous evening in our brand new chapel. So far, seminary has taught me how important it is to work with one another. Cooperation is very important.

In a way, my brother seminarians are my new family. We live, eat, pray, study, and play together. It really is what I needed. I needed to be around other guys who are determined to meet one goal, growing together in love and service, and God-willing,one day as priests! I have learned that nobody is ever alone. Everyone is here to help everyone else succeed. If there was such a thing, this would be the objective of the "No Seminarian Left Behind Act." Nobody should ever feel like they are alone in their discernment or their studies. We are here to encourage one another and grow ever more in love with Christ and His Church each day.

Supporting Vocations to the Priesthood

It feels so strange to say I will be moving out of my house and moving in to St. Joseph College Seminary in Chicago in less than a week. I have been so blessed to meet so many great people over this summer and I am so grateful for their love, prayers and support. To know that I have the backing of my home parish, family, friends and complete strangers is an amazing feeling.

When I first started this blog, I had just got home from attending my second Seminary Summer Camp hosted by St. Francis De Sales Seminary in St. Francis, Wisconsin. I was on fire for the faith and wanted to share my experience with anyone who would listen. I was feeling confident that God was calling me to become a priest as I was entering into my sophomore year of high school. I began recording my thoughts, my prayers, my writings and the many events that I participated in. I became a team member of a major vocations website that had begun in England run by teens specifically for men thinking about the possibility of priesthood, writing prayers and reflections for the site. Because of the site, I had the opportunity to be interviewed on Relevant Radio about how I came into contact with the creator and founder of the website, John Howard who is now a seminarian in England.  It was a very exciting time in my life!

The biggest thing that I learned this summer is how important it really is to be involved in as many events as you can. Everything that you are able to participate in, gives you an opportunity to share your faith with others, network and meet new people as well as make great new friends. This summer I frequently visited a discernment house in Shorewood, WI which housed five young men who were discerning the priesthood. One of these men will be entering college seminary with me this Tuesday as a Junior. I got to know each of these men, prayed with them, shared my discernment story with them and let them know of my support. I felt it was only fair to offer not only my time, but also my prayers and support that I was so fortunate to receive as I was applying for seminary.

The point that I am trying to make in all of this is not to make myself look high and mighty, but to share with fellow seminarians and discerners that even after getting accepted to seminary our work is not done, but is only beginning. Besides going to classes and formation lessons, I feel it is so important to take the time to show discerning men how much you are praying for them and how much you support them as they continue discerning God's will for them. Having the support of seminarians and priests while I was discerning and even during applying to seminary gave me confidence and helped me to know that I had good friends that had confidence in me that I seemed capable of being a good priest. It is so important to pray for the future of our church and support them with our company and kindness.

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.

A Prayer-filled Weekend

As temperatures continue to rise during this summer, its always great when you are able to escape the heat and head up north for cooler weather. This past weekend I was invited to head up to Catholic Youth Expeditions at the Formation Center in Door County, Wisconsin which is headed up by Fr. Quinn Mann of the Diocese of Green Bay. I traveled with Fr. Luke Strand, the Archdiocesan Vocations Director, and a young man who is discerning a call to the priesthood. It was a wonderful weekend on Kangaroo Lake, filled with swimming and playing Ultimate Frisbee, as well as prayer, adoration and benediction, and time for confessions, too.

One particularly exciting thing that I did witih  the 15 other expeditioners and staff was getting to travel across the road to bless a family's farm and their animals. Due to the fact that the family was not Catholic, the priests and the rest of us jokingly referred to the event as, " going to bless a pagan farm and pagan animals." After all, the blessing really didn't mean that they were invoking the help of God and entrusting their farm to Him, but it was seen as a good luck charm to them; something you do just a precaution.We proceeded to do a Eucharistic Procession from the Chapel of the Formation Center, across the street to the farm where we definitely got our fair share of jaw drops and long gazing stares. It turns out though that the family, which had invited the rest of their family and friends, were very grateful to us for coming over and blessing their farm and animals in the way that we did. Adoration and Benediction in the middle of a field with cows mooing around you was a cool feeling. In some ways, I could picture this being like the Nativity of our Lord in a stable with farm animals around him. I wonder if he ever got annoyed of them mooing.

After the blessing and the Eucharistic Holy Hour, Fr. Quinn drove myself and the other 6 servers and the two other priests back to the formation center on a tiny golf cart. Just imagine Fr. Quinn driving a golf cart, sitting next to Fr. Luke, while six of us are hanging onto the ends of the cart with cassocks and surpluses, while were bouncing over grass and bumps in the road, carrying thuribles, big bowls of holy water and huge Eucharistic torches. Let's just say that one of these servers ended up being baptized with the entire bowl of holy water as he left the golf cart totally soaked from head to toe.

A great part of being a brand new college seminarian is being able to travel to different places and meet new people.  It's always an amazing feeling to know that so many people are praying for you and love you. I feel like because I get support from so many people, that I should atleast pay it forward. Whenever I go anywhere, I pray that I may be like Christ for others who have never seen Christ or experienced his love. Whenever I go places and meet people who are discerning a call to priesthood, I feel like it is important for me to show support to them, let them know I'm praying for them and trying to stay in contact with them. No one should ever feel like their alone in their discernment process, so it is always good to show your support for discerners.

 I was so fortunate to have met many seminarians this past weekend too. Most of them were from Mundelein Major Seminary in Chicago, a few from the Diocese of Green Bay and of course, 5 of us from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. It was awesome for us to meet with one another, to play sports and goof around with one another, and pray with and for one another. I truly had a blast this weekend!

Family Instills and Promotes Faith in Us

Today my family and I had the opportunity to go to Nazareth Day for Families held at the Basilica of St. Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill. The whole day was filled with Mass, hot dogs, brats and burgers fresh off the grill, as well as face painting, bounce houses for the little ones and games of volleyball and soccer.

All in all, the entire day was celebration of families. Families show us what it means to belong, grow and develop, and most importantly, families show us what it means to love. I think Bishop Donald Hying said it perfectly in his homily today, " Marriage is a vocation that many are called to, and having a family is a vocation as well. It is not easy to have a family. It is not always easy to bring your children up in the world that we have today especially with secularism on the rise. This is why we applaud these families for doing their best to bring their children up in the faith of the Catholic Church and most importantly, to know and love God. Without good and holy families instilling the great faith that we believe in by attending Sunday Mass as well as other church related activities, vocations to priesthood and religious life would never be what they are today." 


So in conclusion, I just want to say a big thank you to all those families and in particular my own family, for bringing your children up with great morals, for being great examples of how we should live, giving up our lives in order to bring us to God through the sacraments that we have received, all so we can grow closer to our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Summer Continues to Teach The Importance of Hard Work

This summer I have the opportunity to work at St. Francis De Sales Seminary here in Milwaukee, as a part of a groundscrew team. The previous two summers I had spent work at my parish. Being able to work on various things to keep the grounds and the building working and looking good is a really great feeling. To know that I am working at a place that not only fosters my vocation, but also has fostered countless others over the 157 years of its existence is amazing.

While working there I have had the opportunity to learn different skills and work tatics that I not only need in order to keep the building running, but will also need them for the rest of my life such as the importance of hard work, determination and patience. As I start college seminary this coming August, I know that I will need all of these same characteristics. I realize that I will need to learn all that I can, in order to help as many as I can. This means that in order to properly educate people in the faith and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I need to immerse myself in every area of study that I can. Just as a maintenance man who does not know how to use tools will have a hard time improving and taking care of the buildings he is entrusted to, so a priest who has no knowledge of the faith really have a hard time educating others in the ways of the church.

With that in mind, I have given myself a few goals this summer as I move closer toward beginning seminary life.

1. Increase or find consistency in my prayer life.
2. Read as many philosophy and theology books as I can.
3. Write emails or letters to those discerning a call to priesthood or has expressed an interest in applying to seminary, but need a little encouragement.

All in all, this summer I feel like it is time for me to start living the life that I will, while I am in seminary. This is my time to continue to grow in my faith and bring others to it as well. I only pray to God that I can.