Saint Paul Seminary in Urbe 2012

Signing off

2012-01-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

Tonight brings our pilgrimage to an end. Early tomorrow the class will disperse - some back to the Twin Cities, some to other parts of Europe for a little more touring before school starts again, and a few will linger a few more days in Rome. So, to our dear family, friends, and all who have followed us during our time in Rome and Assisi - THANK YOU for your interest, enthusiasm, and prayers. We have prayed for you at all our liturgies and have carried many personal intentions in our hearts as we have visited all the holy places to be found in this city - where the Apostles brought the Good News and offered themselves for its spread in glorious martyrdom. We thank Monsignor Callaghan, Fr. Pish, and most especially Fr. Juan Miguel Betancourt, for making this time possible. We acknowledge and are grateful for the generosity of the St. Paul Seminary's benefactors whose giving has been instrumental in our formation for priestly service. We remember too the generosity and spiritual guidance of Fr. Joseph Carola, S.J., during our retreat, as well as all those who arranged for and hosted our visits in Rome.

Solemn Blessing for Feasts of Ss. Peter and Paul
Roman Missal, 3rd Edition

May almighty God bless you,
for he has made you steadfast in Saint Peter’s saving confession
and through it has set you on the solid rock of the Church’s faith.
R. Amen.

And having instructed you
by the tireless preaching of Saint Paul,
may God teach you constantly by his example
to win brothers and sisters for Christ.
R. Amen.

So that by the keys of St Peter and the words of St Paul,
and by the support of their intercession,
God may bring us happily to that homeland
that Peter attained on a cross
and Paul by the blade of a sword.
R. Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain with you for ever.
R. Amen.

Vespers with the Holy Father

2012-01-25T13:33:00.000-08:00

On the eve of our last full day in Rome, we had the joy of celebrating Second Vespers for the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul with Pope Benedict at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. We arrived early and had good seats right on the rail to see the procession. Even though we were mere feet from the Pope, it was a challenge to get good photos. The liturgy was beautiful, with Latin chant and a homily from the Holy Father. The Pope also acknowledged several guests from other ecclesial communities as today marked the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Waiting outside the Basilica - we were among the first in line, two hours early

Staking out a good spot "on the rail"

The "Worship Aid"

Deacons Ben Hadrich Robert Abotzabire enjoy a brief word with the Papal Master of Ceremonies, Msgr. Guido Marini. Msgr. Marini is almost always seen next to the Pope at all liturgies at which the Holy Father presides.

Deacons Brandon Moravitz and Evan Koop waiting for Vespers to begin

Secretary of State Cardinal Bertone (L) and another Prince of the Church process ahead of the Pope

Swiss Guards man the aisle during Vespers

The Servant of the Servants of God

More of the Roman Curia

2012-01-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

The last two days have brought a few more visits to the Roman Congregations. Last night we visited the Congregation for Divine Worship, where we were hosted by Monsignor Thomas Fucinaro, priest of the Diocese of Lincoln, NE. Msgr. Fucinaro disussed the work of his Congregation, answered our questions, and passed along greetings to us from the Prefect, Cardinal Canizares-Llovera.

Msgr. Fucinaro answers our questions at the Congregation for Divine Worship

This morning, we visited the offices of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which is the arm of the Roman Curia that is responsible for promoting human rights and the development of peoples throughout the world. We were hosted by the Undersecretary of the Council, Dr. Flaminia Giovanelli, who is the highest-ranking laywoman in the Roman Curia.

Secretariat of State and Emmanuel Community

2012-01-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

Later this afternoon, we were taken on a very exclusive tour of the Apostolic Palace (where the Papal Apartment is located - no photos allowed!) to see the offices and library of the Vatican Secretary of State. We were shown around by an American priest of the Diocese of Scranton, Fr. Washington, who works in the English-speaking office (and, incidentally, was the priest who introduced us to the Holy Father at the Audience two weeks ago). We were taken to what is surely one of the best photo-ops in Rome, the balcony of the Secretary of State, only about a hundred yards from the Papal window, and overlooking the front of St. Peter's Basilica.

Following the visit to the Vatican, we spent the rest of the evening with the Emmanuel Community's School of Mission in Rome. The Emmanuel Community, founded by layman Pierre Goursat in France forty years ago, is dedicated to Eucharistic adoration, works of compassion, and evangelization. We enjoyed conversation and dinner with young students from around the world participating in the nine month-long School of Mission, in which they live a structured life of prayer, study, and service.

St. Mary Major & St. Prassede, and Congregation of Bishops

2012-01-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

Please excuse the lack of updates over the weekend - though there be no shortage of activity. Members of the class made a few trips to greater Italy - most notably Venice and Milan, and Florence. We will gather some pictures of these expeditions to post soon. Here in Rome, the internet connection was unavailable until today, so were going to catch up now. Thank you for your patience and continued interest!

Our first stop on this, the last Monday of our time in Rome, completed our circuit of the four Papal Basilicas: this time we visited Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major), originally constructed to commemorate the Council of Ephesus in 431 and the approval of the title "Mother of God" (Theotokos) for the Blessed Mother. The Basilica's main treasures are the Holy Manger, the main altar containing the body of St. Matthew, and the Borghese chapel, home of the Salus Populi Romani icon, traditionally held to have been painted by St. Luke. This is where Pope Pius XII celebrated his first Mass. The main celebrant of our Mass today was none other than our Rector, Msgr. Aloysius Callaghan, lately arrived from St. Paul!

Class entering the grand Basilica of Our Lady

Praying at the reliquary containing the Holy Manger

Beginning of Mass

Deacon John Rutten proclaiming the Gospel

Msgr. Callaghan preaching

Consecration

Deacon Evan Koop distributing the Precious Blood

Burial place of the great Baroque master Bernini at St. Mary Major

After St. Mary Major, we took a short walk down a side street to the Basilica of Santa Prassede, a minor basilica which has special significance for us as seminarians. Santa Prassede was the titular church of the great St. Charles Borromeo, who, before becoming the Cardinal Archbishop of Milan, served as Secretary of State for his uncle, Pope Pius IV. St. Charles used to feed the poor from a table in the church, which is now housed in a special reliquary. There is also a chair used by the Saint, as well as a piece of the pillar of the Scourging (not pictured)

Chair of St. Charles Borromeo

Closeup of the table from which St. Charles regularly fed the poor of Rome

After lunch, we were visited at the Domus by an American priest who is an official in the Congregation for Bishops, the Curial office responsible for the naming and vetting of bishops throughout the world. He explained the interesting process of how bishops are named and proposed to the Holy Father.

Meeting with the official from the Congregation of Bishops

Vir Ecclesiae

2012-01-21T09:29:00.000-08:00

"Man of the Church"

Catacombs of St. Sebastian

2012-01-21T09:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, on the Feast of St. Sebastian, Deacons Ben Hadrich and Ben Kociemba made a special visit to the Catacombs of St. Sebastian, just outside the city of Rome, near the Catacombs of St. Callistus which the class visited last week. The Deacons were able to attend a special procession with the relics of St. Sebastian, which are only brought out for public veneration once everyyear, on the feast day of the Saint.

Deacon Ben Hadrich at the Church at the Catacombs of St. Sebastian. Deacon Hadrich has a special devotion to St. Sebastian, whom he chose as his Confirmation saint.

Altar with Statue of St. Sebastian

Close up of the statue

Polish chapel and Congregation for the Clergy

2012-01-20T06:39:00.000-08:00

This morning we returned to the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica for Mass, which was celebrated in the Polish chapel, in which many Polish saints are commemorated - Maximilian Kolbe, John Cantius, and Faustina Kowalska, to name a few. Of course, the most famous son of Poland in recent memory, Bl. Pope John Paul II, was on our minds and hearts as we celebrated the Mass. We asked his intercession for us and for all those who have asked our prayers on this pilgrimage to the heart of the Church.

Deacon Brandon Moravitz preaches on the call of the Apostles in the Gospel of Mark - how Christians are invited to share in the suffering of Christ, but also in the joy of the Christian life.


The Holy Eucharist and a beautiful image of Our Lady of Czestochowa

After Mass and breakfast back at the Domus, we walked up the Via della Conciliazione to the Offices of the Congregation for the Clergy. There we were welcomed by three priests from the United States who work in the Congregation, which deals with administrative aspects of priestly life throughout the world. The Congregation is also responsible for promoting the fruitful life and ministry of priests and deacons. They were instrumental in much of the activity surrounding the Year for Priests in 2009-2010. The Congregation has a very useful website which can tell one more about their work, as well as being a rich resource for priestly ministry. Quite unexpectedly, we were each given as gifts several DVDs produced by the Congregation, about priestly life, as well as a beautiful stole for our use upon priestly ordination. The stoles had been commissioned for the Year for Priests and are blessed by the Pope. They are even decorated with his Coat of Arms. What a treasure!

Deacon Evan Koop in front of a large portrait of the patron of parish priests, St. John Vianney, in the offices of the Congregation for the Clergy

Priest in the center, Msgr. McDaid, Irish-born priest of the Archdiocese of Denver, CO, and classmate of our Rector Msgr. Callaghan, talks about the work of the Congregation for the Clergy. Monsignor had some very inspiring words about priestly life and ministry for us.

Nice view of St. Peter's Square from the Congregation's offices that most tourists don't get to see

Our gift from the Congregation. Notice the Coat of Arms of Pope Benedict XVI adorning the ends of the stole.

Scavi tour

2012-01-20T05:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon we experienced what many of us will likely consider the signature event of our time in Rome: the Scavi (Italian for "excavations") tour beneath St. Peter's Basilica. For those unfamiliar, only 250 visitors/day are allowed to go on this tour, which takes a group through the underground necropolis where St. Peter was buried after his crucifixion at the hands of the Romans during the persecution of the Emperor Nero. Tradition had always held that the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles was to be found directly beneath the High Altar of the Basilica, but only in the 20th century did archaeologists begin to unearth and study, and ultimately locate, the relics of St. Peter. After rigorous scientific study, the relics found were conclusively determined to be those of the first Pope. This experience really defies explanation on a blog; suffice it to say that this writer was moved to tears when he saw the mortal remains of the man who walked on water with the Lord, confessed him to be the Son of God, denied him in his Passion, and ultimately pledged his love to the Lord again and would "feed his sheep". As men who are soon to be ordained priests, and completely give ourselves to the service of the Church and the Gospel of Christ, I cannot think of a better thing to do than to see the Rock upon which that Church is built. Indeed, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Ubi Petrus, ibi Ecclesia!

The class in the Clementine Chapel, immediately after seeing the bones of St. Peter, which are located just on the other side of the wall seen through the grille above the altar in this picture. No photography is allowed during the actual tour, which is just as well, since the experience defies description.

Opus Dei in Rome

2012-01-20T04:56:00.000-08:00

On Thursday morning, we visited the headquarters of Opus Dei in Rome and were told about the organization's spirituality and apostolate throughout the world. Opus Dei (Work of God), founded in 1928 by St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, is primarily a lay movement, established as a "personal prelature" - meaning that it is constituted as a diocese without territorial boundaries. Its members - lay supernumeraries, celibate numeraries, and clergy, strive to live a contemplative life in the midst of the world, and pursue sanctity in and through the circumstances of everyday life: work, family life, etc. We had the privilege of celebrating Mass in the beautiful chapel, at the altar which holds the body of St. Josemaria.

Hearing about Opus Dei

Deacon Nick VanDenBroeke preaches on the importance of intercessory prayer

The Doxology, with St. Josemaria's tomb

The altar containing St. Josemaria's body. The body of the Servant of God Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, St. Josemaria's first successor, is also housed at the Opus Dei residence in Rome.

The Roman Rota and the Casa Santa Maria

2012-01-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

This morning we visited the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, which is the court of third instance, primarily for marriage cases from dioceses around the world. This means that they hear cases on appeal from lower courts. The judges of the Rota are given ordinary power from the Holy Father to judge cases according to Church law, usually relating to marriages and annulments. Msgr. Kenneth Boccafola, an American member of the Rota, showed us around the offices and courtrooms of one of the Church's highest Tribunals.

One of the courtrooms at the Sacred Roman Rota

Msgr. Boccafola explains the Rota's work to the class

Another impressive room at the Rota

After our visit to the Rota, we stopped by the Casa Santa Maria, the previous location of the Pontifical North American College. After the PNAC moved to its current location on the Janiculum Hill in the early 1950s, the Casa Santa Maria became the official residence for American priests pursuing post-graduate studies in the Roman universities. The Casa hosted us for lunch, and some of us were able to visit with priests from our own dioceses living at the Casa during their studies. Our own Fr. Juan Miguel Betancourt lived at the Casa for four years while he studied at the nearby Pontifical Biblical Institute (Biblicum), so he was able to give us a nice tour. Several other current members of the priest faculty at the Saint Paul Seminary lived at the Casa during their years in Rome. The Casa Santa Maria also houses the U.S. Bishops' office for Visitors to the Vatican, a very helpful resource for anyone planning a pilgrimage to Rome.

Msgr. Francis Kelly, a priest of the Diocese of Worcester, MA, and Superior of the Casa Santa Maria, gives us the history of the Casa

Praying in the beautiful chapel of the Casa (formerly a Dominican convent, built in the 17th century)

Mass at St. Peter's

2012-01-18T07:47:00.000-08:00

Early this morning, we made our first official visit to St. Peter's Basilica as a class (living close by, many of us have already made frequent visits to pray). We had the privilege of celebrating Mass in the crypt of the Basilica near the tomb of St. Peter, which we will see even more closely when we go on the famous scavi tour. Fittingly, Deacon Peter Akudugu preached the homily:

Community of Sant'Egidio

2012-01-18T07:23:00.000-08:00

Last evening we visited the Community of Sant'Egidio (St. Giles) at their official headquarters in Rome, the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. The Community began in the 1970s as young people anxious for social change got together and started reading the Gospels. They began to see their vocation as consisting in contemplation and action - praying together and helping the poor in concrete ways. Sant'Egidio is one of the lay movements of the Church, although it has generated many priestly and religious vocations and is under ecclesiastical oversight. Membership in the Community, which has spread to some 70 countries, does not include any official vows or promises - only that a member will attend regular community prayer and do some practical work for the poor in the course of a week. A Roman member of Sant'Egidio, Paolo, welcomed us and gave us an explanation of the community, then accompanied us to the nightly prayer gathering of the Community in the Basilica.

Paolo explains the Community's spirituality and apostolate

In order to participate in the communal prayer service, we were outfitted with translator devices!

Sant'Egidio members congregating in the beautiful Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere

An example of Sant'Egidio's apostolate: On Christmas Day, the poor of Rome are fed a meal in the Basilica.

After the visit to Sant'Egidio, the class enjoyed dinner out in Trastevere