What a life! And it is mine, as a Priest of Jesus Christ!

A random post indeed, but it's something that's been on my mind since late August when I got back from my summer apostolate in Kolkata, India. Over my first school year in Rome, there were lots of Bengali immigrants who make a living selling things around the city. If it's raining, they're there with umbrellas and ponchos (even right outside the University!). If it's hot--they've got cold water! Windy--scarfs to prevent cervicale  ( Happens when one gets "hit by the wind" on the back of their neck )--whatever the occasion, they are there trying to sell their product. In late summer though, I noticed that they were now pushing a new product. The brought to the streets of Rome: The Selfie-Stick! Most people might think this is a "wonderful product", "a genus idea!" or "a brilliant invention"...and maybe they are right, I mean, after all, the product allows one to be in a picture they take, or take a picture with anot...

Before I get called out, I know...I'm due for an update!! Happy belated Thanksgiving! Hard to believe that today is the 1st of December, (Happy 30th birthday to my cousin Joe!)and in a few short weeks we will celebrate Christmas! Thanksgiving here at the College was very nice. There have been many traditions that developed at the NAC that make for a great Thanksgiving weekend. The College understands that this time of the year is hard to be away from family and friends in the States, so they host a whole slew of activities to try to keep us busy and not thinking about not being away. The first "traditional" is that the Rector of the NAC permits us to miss classes that day (Thanksgiving isn't an Italian holiday, as you probably know) On Thanksgiving day itself, a group of 100+ seminarians, faculty, classmates from the universities and college students from apostolate groups begin Thanksgiving at 6 am with this years 5th annual (optional) 5K Turkey Trot a...

...that's not necessarily true...it's been a while since my last post because of hectic-ness... As I stated last time, I cannot believe that I am in Second Theology. At the time of my previous post we were about to finish the first week of classes. We've now completed 4 and we're almost mid-way through the 5th. Second Theology is a lot busier than first was. Some of my classmates and I have said to each other a few times already "we really didn't appreciate how much free time we had last year..." Not only did this semester bring a heavier course load, but it also brought a house job and (similar to last semester) a pastoral assignment. Although all of seminary formation is geared toward making the man more Christ-like, Second Theology, at least at the NAC, has as its main focus area "Forming a priestly identity." On our retreat in September, the retreat director prayed one day that we use that particular day wisely, because it will be a da...

Well----September just FLEW by. It's already 9 days into October!! The formation program in Rome is unique because unlike most US Seminaries, the NAC is able to dedicate an entire month to formation events because university classes don't begin until the first week of October. As you remember from my last update, my parents came to Rome!!!!!!!!!! I still can't believe they were here and I was able to show them a lot of my daily walking routes and the city and building that will be my "home" for the next few years. Though September 1 was Labor Day in the US, it was the start of workshops for the Second Theologians at the North American College. The first week we had a series of morning workshops (8:30-1 with a 30 minute coffee break) on priestly identity, and then a 1 day workshop on leadership styles based on a profile that we filled out in the spring. During the week on priestly identity, we discussed many aspects of the priest: beloved son, chaste spouse...

I know, I know...it's been a while. I apologize. Before the summer started, I thought I would have some extra time to blog every couple weeks or so, but in the blink of an eye it's August 31st (Happy 29th birthday Chrissy Hren...Vanston!!!) and the book " Summer 2014 " is written! I probably won't get to post this blog tonight since the Class of 2017 (2nd theology) is due back, and tomorrow we begin our September workshops/conferences. Before that picks up I wanted to blog about the summer and what a blessed, grace-filled time it was. Ergo, the blog will be somewhat long... The Prologue: Most people know that until late January/early February I was doing everything I could to convince my Vocation Director to let me return to Boston this summer; to be in a parish in the diocese, see family and friends, etc. "You can't come home..." Then I tried to convince him to let me go to D.C. and study sign language for the deaf apostolate of the Archdiocese,...

Given the fact that it has been SO long since my last post, I figured this entry HAS to be a good, reflective one to "make up" for my lack of posts! It's not that I didn't want to post--or that I was too busy--it was that I promised I wouldn't blog about daily life/classes unless something was SO striking to me that I felt I needed to share it. I've also resolved to journal my personal thoughts and insights instead of blogging about them... However, the reason I chose to blog today is because I wanted to reflect on what happened to me one year ago today... On June 24, 2013 (the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist), Cardinal Seán admitted Mike Zimmerman and me as a Candidates for Holy Orders before we left for NAC in mid-July. During Evening Prayer in the St. Charles Oratory at SJS, Cardinal Seán gave a brief homily on the milestone step Mike and I made in our priestly formation. Then we moved to the formal ceremony itself, which was qui...

Have you ever gotten that feeling of overwhelming pride because of something so exciting that happened, either to you personally, or to a family member or friend? I’ve experienced it when I received my diplomas, when I accepted my first job offer, when I heard my brother and sister give speeches at their graduations, when I watched a video of my niece take her first steps, and countless other times. It is an emotion I am sure that we’ve all felt, and we love when it when it happens to us. Today, April 27, 2014 my entire family and I are bursting with pride… All 1.2 billion of us ! There are smiles, cheers, tears of joy, and hugs on this Divine Mercy Sunday because today from St. Peter’s Square here in Vatican City, Pope Francis declared that since two of our brothers lived such exemplary lives of Christian heroic virtue, and since people today continue to be inspired by them even years after their deaths, they are to be venerated as members of the Communion of Saints. The Church t...