Ad Multos Annos!
Here at the NAC, the academic year is starting to wind down. Today the Angelicum University finished classes (the school is being renovated over the summer so they needed to get out a week earlier), and next week the Gregorian and Santa Croce end our classes.
This time next week the entire house will have entered finals mode, and I will be eagerly anticipating my June 14th flight back to Boston for the summer.
But tonight...Tonight was a great night reminding me how blessed I am to have been sent to the North American College to be formed into a priest of Jesus Christ.
Tonight we had our closing Mass and banquet, when we first gather around the Table of the Lord's supper to break the Eucharistic bread together, and then we gather in the refectory to share a meal. As is NAC tradition, at the banquet we honor our departing faculty members (this year we said "Arriverdverci" to 3 priests on the formation staff and 1 Dominican sister who works tirelessly in the College's library). We honor our departing "5th year priests" who will be returning to their home dioceses for their first (long-term) parish assignments, and we honor our departing deacons who will either remain at home after priestly ordination, or return for a 5th year in Rome, but will live at the Casa Santa Maria across town.
One of my favorite and most touching traditions at NAC is what I've deemed the "Other Greatest Commissioning". It is when the Vice-Rector will call each departing priest/deacon by name and "send" them to preach the Gospel in their respective dioceses. For example, my Diocesan Brother Kevin Staley-Joyce, who will be ordained a priest of Jesus Christ TOMORROW!!!!, will be living at the Casa next year. So the V-R said "Reverend Mr. Kevin Robert Staley-Joyce, sent to preach the Gospel in the Archdiocese of Boston."
One of the departing faculty members, who happens to have been my formation advisor these past 3 years, gave a wonderful toast to the College. Though our time here is but a small part of the College's history (157 years compared to the 4-5 you would do as a student and possibly 3+ as a grad student or faculty member...he's done 12!), we will always in some sense belong to the NAC. The men we are formed with, the colleagues worked with, the interactions among brothers are a bond that will last a lifetime.
It made me reflect a bit on the end of my third year in Rome. I have been extremely blessed in my time here. Regardless of the men I am friends with, God has given me a brotherhood here at NAC. There are men I know I don't particularly get along with, men that I've tried to be friends with and it just "didn't work", and men who I barely see because of going to different universities, living in different parts of the building, and having different interests. And that's ok. BUT, every man in this house is my brother. One major thing brought us to Rome, our love for Jesus Christ and our desire to be formed into one of His priest's.
As I rapidly approach the end of third year, my last summer before my, God willing, diaconate ordination, I am so grateful to my God for giving me this undeserved blessing in my life. In a particular way, I am very blessed to be a member of the Class of 2017.
When we entered the halls of the North American College in July 2013 as a band of 64 men, no one knew quite what to expect, who to talk to, or what would become of our years in Rome, however many that would be. Over the past 3 years, some men have discerned that Rome is not for them, and have returned to seminary in the US, and some men have discerned that the Lord isn't calling them to ordained ministry, and they have returned home to live out their lives as faithful sons of the Church.
There will be, God willing, 30 men ordained to the transitional diaconate this coming fall before the AA 2016-2017 begins in early October. Some men in our class have already been ordained in their respective dioceses (our earliest ordination was in March, we've had 4 more since then, and will have 6 more over the summer. So in total 11 members of our class will be ordained before the 9/29 ordination).
My God is so good to me. Thank You for another year of seminary formation!
Praised be Jesus Christ...
kpl
This time next week the entire house will have entered finals mode, and I will be eagerly anticipating my June 14th flight back to Boston for the summer.
But tonight...Tonight was a great night reminding me how blessed I am to have been sent to the North American College to be formed into a priest of Jesus Christ.
Tonight we had our closing Mass and banquet, when we first gather around the Table of the Lord's supper to break the Eucharistic bread together, and then we gather in the refectory to share a meal. As is NAC tradition, at the banquet we honor our departing faculty members (this year we said "Arriverdverci" to 3 priests on the formation staff and 1 Dominican sister who works tirelessly in the College's library). We honor our departing "5th year priests" who will be returning to their home dioceses for their first (long-term) parish assignments, and we honor our departing deacons who will either remain at home after priestly ordination, or return for a 5th year in Rome, but will live at the Casa Santa Maria across town.
One of my favorite and most touching traditions at NAC is what I've deemed the "Other Greatest Commissioning". It is when the Vice-Rector will call each departing priest/deacon by name and "send" them to preach the Gospel in their respective dioceses. For example, my Diocesan Brother Kevin Staley-Joyce, who will be ordained a priest of Jesus Christ TOMORROW!!!!, will be living at the Casa next year. So the V-R said "Reverend Mr. Kevin Robert Staley-Joyce, sent to preach the Gospel in the Archdiocese of Boston."
One of the departing faculty members, who happens to have been my formation advisor these past 3 years, gave a wonderful toast to the College. Though our time here is but a small part of the College's history (157 years compared to the 4-5 you would do as a student and possibly 3+ as a grad student or faculty member...he's done 12!), we will always in some sense belong to the NAC. The men we are formed with, the colleagues worked with, the interactions among brothers are a bond that will last a lifetime.
It made me reflect a bit on the end of my third year in Rome. I have been extremely blessed in my time here. Regardless of the men I am friends with, God has given me a brotherhood here at NAC. There are men I know I don't particularly get along with, men that I've tried to be friends with and it just "didn't work", and men who I barely see because of going to different universities, living in different parts of the building, and having different interests. And that's ok. BUT, every man in this house is my brother. One major thing brought us to Rome, our love for Jesus Christ and our desire to be formed into one of His priest's.
As I rapidly approach the end of third year, my last summer before my, God willing, diaconate ordination, I am so grateful to my God for giving me this undeserved blessing in my life. In a particular way, I am very blessed to be a member of the Class of 2017.
When we entered the halls of the North American College in July 2013 as a band of 64 men, no one knew quite what to expect, who to talk to, or what would become of our years in Rome, however many that would be. Over the past 3 years, some men have discerned that Rome is not for them, and have returned to seminary in the US, and some men have discerned that the Lord isn't calling them to ordained ministry, and they have returned home to live out their lives as faithful sons of the Church.
There will be, God willing, 30 men ordained to the transitional diaconate this coming fall before the AA 2016-2017 begins in early October. Some men in our class have already been ordained in their respective dioceses (our earliest ordination was in March, we've had 4 more since then, and will have 6 more over the summer. So in total 11 members of our class will be ordained before the 9/29 ordination).
My God is so good to me. Thank You for another year of seminary formation!
 |
| The 30 men to be ordained at St. Peter's Basilica on September 29, 2016 by His Eminence Seán Patrick Cardinal O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston |
Praised be Jesus Christ...
kpl
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