Christmas

Merry Christmas! i just got back from midnight Mass with the Pope, the best part was the focus on slowing down and stopping ourselves to meditate on the silence in the heart of the night where Christ is born. we waited in the piazza from about 8pm to get in, it was a calm and very still night, cool but not cold. a slight haze hung in the air until the moon peeked out over the center of the square and cleared the clouds and mists away. it was a beautiful Mass, i wish i could enter into it more deeply again.

tomorrow is the Pope's address "to the city and to the world" (Urbi et Orbi) at noon. i'll go to that, then on the 26th to Krakow. i will pray for you all there, keep the 7 of us in your prayers. i'll be back after the new year to post again and share any insights the Lord offers to me. Merry Christmas!

rome notes:

if you want to come to Christmas Mass with the Pope, thats great, just make sure you get a ticket, no one gets in without a ticket.

pictures:

1- the nativity scene in St. Peter's Square (most nativity scenes are based off of Luke's Gospel, but this year the Pope specifically asked to go off the Matthew account to focus on St. Joseph, so the scene is of St. Joseph's workshop)

2- the nativity scene

3- a picture from my seat before Mass

4- a littl nac holiday cheer

St. Paul's Outside the Walls

today i went with my Jesu Caritas fraternity group to St. Paul's Outside the Walls. its one of my favorite Churches in Rome. we went to Mass, prayed before the tomb of St. Paul and spent some time talking and reflecting on Scripture. it was freezing.

this is the time of year where we are all tired and unmotivated. i can't complain that its too much when i watch how much effort it takes and challenges one faces everywhere else. whether single or married, old or young, rich or poor, i can see that most everyone has to work harder and deal with more real stresses and worries than we do. in one sense, it is puzzling how a seminarian in Rome could find any possible reason to feel bad or overworked, or overwhelmed--we all go through our ups and downs no matter what our vocation in life is.

we have 1 week left of classes, then we get two weeks of vacation for Christmas, then its back to school for 3 weeks, then 3 weeks of finals. i hope to keep up throughout this week. i will stay in Rome for midnight Mass on Christmas eve with the Pope, then on the 26th a few friends and i will go to Krakow, Poland until the 2nd of Jan. we will go to Auschwitz, the Divine Mercy shrine, JP2's hometown, and to Our Lady of Chestahova as well as a salt mine. this time of pilgrimage is much needed and i hope to better know our Lord's coming to us, to know that "God is with us" in all these various ways. when finals come, if things work out right, i will take 2 finals a day and be done by feb 4th, then i'll get 2 more weeks off. i'm thinking of going to Medjugorje with another friend, but we'll see. may God bless you with an extra pause this week so that you can have a chance to see how He is coming to you with joy and expectation. please pray for me, my family, and my classmates; pray for our conversion.

rome notes:

St. Paul's Outside the walls - from the nac take the 23 bus right to St. Paul's (20min ride, buses come once every 30min). its free and you can rest and pray there. they have frescoes of the life of St. Paul up high and a gift shop with good magazines to explain it all. there is a giant crucifix that once spoke to St. Brigid of Sweden and an icon of Mary before which St. Ignatius took his solemn vows and started the Jesuit order. definately a must visit place.

pictures:

1- the entrance courtyard to St. Paul's

2- the original doors to St. Paul's built at the time of Constantine (4th century)

3- a picture of the memorial cover over the tomb and altar and one of the mosaics

4- the tomb of St. Paul, under the main altar

5- the little courtyard of many types of pillars next to the monk's monastary

6- an icon of St. Joseph by Br. Claude OSB at Mt. Angel, OR. maybe it can aide your prayer too this advent.

Immaculate Conception

happy feast of the Immaculate Conception! today 2 cardinals celbrated Mass with us on this special feast as the Immaculate Conception is the patron of our college. we had a huge pranzo (lunch) for which i was a server; i dropped the plate of ravioli and splattered it all over. being only 10 ft. from the head table, i was a little embarrassed, but then again, it reminded me that i have much to learn about serving well. it has been a busy week, so i'll hit the highlights for you.

-our NAC soccer team is now 2-0 in the "clericus cup" tournament with the other religious schools here in rome. at the last game Jeff tied the game with a header and in the last 2 min we scored again to win the game.

-new updated blog which has my address and phone number for your quick access if you ever want it, hope you like it.

-went to the Papal "Wednesday Audience" with the soccer team. the Pope gave us a blessing for us and all our family and friends back home, so you all are sharing in his Apostolic Blessing.

-the Popes new encyclical came out: "Spe Salvi" (by hope we are saved). you can wait to buy it, or download it for free from the vatican [http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html]. its around 30 pages in ms word. i am 1/3 of the way through and it is good so far. if you make the investment of 5 pages per night you'll finish in a week and you'll give your faith a good chance to grow. its time for evening prayer with the community so i got to run, but i did want to share one more thing...

-insight of the week: God gives Himself fully, He doesn't take back His gifts depending on our behavior.
He wanted even to give His own Self to us, He became incarnate, to show Himself to us. i was amazed at this total commitment, that He would give, even when He would "loose out" on us. He gave Himself to be with me so fully that He gave Himself up to death so that i might be with Him. the cross and the Eucharist came quickly to mind, i hope i can be quiet now and listen. please pray for me, my family, and the other guys here, pray that we might encounter Jesus ever fuller. happy Advent, may the joy of Jesus touch your hearts as you wait for Him with anticipation.

more pictures from Siena:
1 - a lighter moment at the town square
2 - the "duomo" cathedral at night
3 - the duomo during the day

Thanksgiving

i hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week. Thanksgiving is "new man" weekend here at the nac. that means "spaghetti bowl" where the old men play the new men (we got whooped 40 something to 20 something with at least 4 ints and 4 safetys), "new man dinner" where all the new men make and eat a nice meal together (we did mexican food -which is just about impossible to find in Rome- and yours truely put the enchiladas together. we even had pinatas), and capping the weekend with the "new man show" a variety show that the new men put on for the school (we had the final practice today and it is so hilarious, if i can i'll send home a copy. i play a cheezy announcer for a cd infomercial). as you may know there was a consistory (the Pope made some US bishops into cardinals) here that weekend and so we hosted over 1000 people for that. things got spread out a bit, but it all still happened.

here is a great quote for you from the Christ the King homily for the Papal household and some pictures from Siena. i hope you are all well. please keep praying for me.

"Let us consider again theinscription placed above Christ: "This is the King of the Jews." The onlookers challenged him to manifest his royalty openly and many, even among his friends, expected a spectacular demonstration of his kingship. But he chose only to show his kingship in his solicitousness for one man, who was, in fact, a criminal: "'Jesus, remember me when you comeinto your kingdom.' He replied to him, 'Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.'"From this point of view, the most important question to ask on the feast of Christ the King is not whether he reigns in the world but whether he reigns in me; it is not whether his kingship is recognized by states and governments, but whether it is recognized and lived in me." - Fr. Cantalamessa

pictures:

1. big pizza that we ate ($3euro/slice)

2. the piazza at Siena (they have an event every summer where they put 90,000 people in the middle and race horses around them)

3. my Jesu group with Siena in the background (me, Aaron from MN, James, Keith from IL, Jeff)

4. the courtyard of the place we stayed

5. hanging out in Siena with James (oddly enough, he's from Middlebury, VT) and some locals [please ignore the clerics]

Siena

trying to learn italian, i've been reading the Pope's Angelus message that he gives every Sunday at noon (www.vatican.va --> papal archives --> Benedict XVI --> Angelus). he always seems to realize the Scripture in such a deep way so as to communicate to me a message that hits me right where i need it, and one that i would have missed without him pointing it out to me. it has been a good habit, and i am thankful that he only likes to give 2 or 3 paragraphs.


this weekend i went to Siena with a small group of guys. we got to pray, speak of the the things God is doing in our lives and take time to reflect. we also had no schedule which was good for me. it is a small town, quieter and cleaner than Rome, and it was cold. there is a Eucharistic Miracle there and we just happened to go on the day that they have adoration with these miraculous hosts. it is also the home of St. Catherine, one of the 3 female doctors of the Church. i will go there again if i get the chance, and i recommend visiting it if you get the chance. please pray for me.


rome notes:
trip to Siena is definately worth it: round trip bus tickets for $24 (www.sena.it) a 3 hr trip each way from Tibutina bus station. lodging at St. Cristofero Church for a donation. lots of holy sites, food is a lot cheaper than Rome. try the Pici (pronounced: peachy) pasta, its only in Siena, but be sure to make reservations or you may not get in to any restaurant.


pictures: haven't aquired them yet, will post them next week

catacombs

today we went to the catacombs of St. Sebastian for the first time. two newly ordained priests took Jeff and i there, celebrated Mass with us in the cathedral of St. Sebastian, we walked through part of the 7 mile long catecombs where some 150,000 people were buried (it really is like a maze down there, you have to have a guide), then capped off the morning with lunch at Burger King. they don't allow pictures there so i can't show you what it looked like, but i can say a little about St. Sebastian.

Sebastian was a Roman in the early centuries after Christ, and when Christians started to be persecuted under emperor Diocletian he joined the Roman army to protect his Christian brothers and sisters secretly. Diocletian didn't know he was a Christian and made him head of the Praetorium. when the kingdom was divided into seperate governances, the emperor Maximian also appointed him to head of the Praetorium. the persecution of Christian under these two emperors was severe, and when Maximian found out he ordered Sebastian to be executed, despite the high esteem he had for him and his loyal years of service protecting the emperor. they tied him to a post, shot him full of arrows and left him for dead, but he didn't die. tradition holds that a holy woman nursed him back to health after this event. then, instead of fleeing, he sought out Diocletian and chided him for persecuting Christians so. for this act he was clubbed to death. among other things St. Sebastian is a patron for all soldiers for his bravery and faithfulness. as veterans day is so close, please offer a little prayer for all of those who have loved their neighbor so nobly in military service, ask that St. Sebastian pray for their souls. thank you to all you who have served.

rome info:

the catacombs of St. Sebastian are right near the catacombs of St. Callistus on the old Appian way outside the walls of Rome. you go past the Circus Maximus on the Appian way, past the church of Quo Vadis. from the nac it takes a little over 20 minutes in taxi (15 euro) or bus-hop and take a little longer. to enter the church there it is free, tours last about 30 min, but you may have to wait a while for a guide to come who can speak your language (5 euro/person). definately worth going, but take it slower than they make you go. try to take in where you are and the faith that those people had to openly declare their belief in Christ, loving Him above any particular thing or consequence, knowing that the penalty would be death if they maintained their conviction.

pictures:

1 - aarows and crossbows of the swiss guard

2 - a view of the stairs i get to walk up and down every day to get to my room.

3 - a reminiscent view of the vatican gardens at Castel Gondolfo with a glimpse of the landscape

visiting info

its been one of those weeks where it seems like no matter what you do you can't get anything done. reading has taken a major hit and i need to get on that today. we are gearing up for "new man weekend" where the "new men" put on a variety show for the rest of the college, prepare a dinner, and the highlight of it all the "spaghetti bowl." this Thanksgiving weekend program is a football game with "new men" vs "old men" where it is set up for the "new men" to lose, but we've got other plans. i think i'm playing a receiver in the game, i'm a writer for the show, and hopefully i can just be a set up/clean up guy for the dinner. i'm looking forward to it. sorry no pictures this week, but here is some information if you ever want to come visit:

things to do:
St. Peter's Basilica - tomb of St. Peter
St. Paul's Outside the Walls - tomb of St. Paul
scavi tour - going underneath the crypt of St. Peter's (must be 15 or older, $10/person)
send an email to scavi@fsp.va with the following info:
1. I want to visit the excavations underneath St. Peter's Basilica
2. language you want (=english)
3. total number of visitors NAMES IN BLOCK LETTERS
4. dates available to visit the scavi (from.... to...)
5. contact person
6. address in Rome (also hotel room number if necessary) with telephone number and email
7. home address
8. date and "signature"
Sistine Chapel
Pantheon
Coliseum
San Clemente - 3 cathedrals built on top of eachother
visit Assisi - 3hrs or so on train from termini for less than $10 euro
the best advice i have is pick a couple of things you want to see and really experience them, don't worry about seeing everything.

places to stay:
there are many hotels, apartments, and religious places to stay, but if you want to stay near the NAC (10-15 min walk to St. Peter's) the best place is right across the street for $50 euro/night:
Suore di S. Dorotea
via del Gianicolo 4/a
00165 Roma
tel: [011-39 from US] 6880-3349
if you have more people coming, its probably better to get an apartment set up.

other info:
average meals can cost from $10-$30 euro if you eat out
bus/metro tickets cost $1 euro
only go to taxi's at a "taxi stand"
Fumincino (FCO) seems to be the preferred airport
there are discount airlines in Europe that can get you cheap flights to certain places ($20 from Rome to Ireland for example, i've heard as low as $1), but they have strict baggage requirements, also be mindful of the airports they use (ryanair.com)
the dollar here is like it used to be for us to go into Canada ($1 euro = $1.45 as of today)
prepare to walk a lot
knowing italian helps, but you can survive without it in Rome
also, know that i would like to help you as much as possible, but don't any really good deals (cardinals get discounts not seminarians), and remember i'm still learning my way around so i don't know as much as you might like

Sunday in ordinary time

it was an ordianry Sunday, not much unlike any other Sunday, but just a little different from other Sundays. it is a free weekend and i decided not to go anywhere, but to stay put and enjoy a low key weekend and maybe get some reading done. after getting a good nights sleep after the beloved "fall-back" time change, i woke up, got ready, and went for a cornetto in the refectory. i wanted to take my prayer time at St. Peter's this morning so i brought my stuff to break my fast. one of the guys suggested going to Mass with him at St. Peter's at 10am, and since i wanted to go anyway i said sure- and thus we went.

leaving at 30 tics after the stroke of 7 we strode toward the collonade. there was a line. we waited in that line. the line began to slowly sway and eventually started trickling forward, we entered through the collonades and made our way through the square and found us some seats in prime position. my friends, we attended the beatification Mass of 498 martyrs from the Spanish civil war last century. these priests, bishops, nuns, mothers, fathers, and children were all sought out and killed not because of a partisan or organizational affiliation, but solely because they were Catholic. they did not recant their faith. they died. now they receive their reward. after the Mass with the cardinal, the Pope blessed us all at the angelus. its now 1pm. it is a good day. for just and Sunday in ordinary time, there sure are lots of special graces that i get to share in. one of these days i hope to be able to realize what is going on around me, rather than live life as though it were only ordinary.

pictures:

1 - some of the people at the Mass

2 - a beautiful sky i saw the other morning (the pic does not do justice to the colors there were)

3 - part of the choir at the deacon ordination Mass at the beginning of the month

generalities

for those of you who like to know more of the facts of the environment here, here are a few of the general specifics of my days here.

weather - it is starting to get cooler. in the morning it is good to have on more than a fleece, but after walking to school i am usually sufficiently warm. i suppose its in the low 60's/high 50's right now, they use centigrade so i am not sure. it rains about once a week. this isn't so bad (thanks to the handy umbrella i bought in Norcia!) but the streets get flooded with water and also really slippery, walking in dress shoes is asking for it.

classes - from anywhere from 2-4 hrs a week i study 1) introduction to Theology and Theological method 2) pentateuch and historical books 3) church history 4) patristics (the early church fathers) 5) fundamental Theology 6) introduction to Scripture and 7) mystery of the Living God (a class on the Trinity). its pretty much all lecture, not many "assigned" readings, and no papers so far. they "recommend" certain readings which are enough to keep my hands from being idle. in all, i spend about 40hrs/week attending classes and studying. at the end of the semester there will be a 10 minute oral exam covering all the material of the whole semester which is the sole measure of my grade. they give you a number from 1-10 for your grade, if you get below 6.0 you fail, if higher, you pass. no pressure. my teachers are mostly Dominican priests from all over the world, they have funny mannerisms

house life - as you might guess, living with 170 some other seminarians there are a fair amount of jokes and puns on the idiosyncracies of liturgical matters. as you also might guess, i don't get most of them. we had our "safe environment training" the last two days by a organization called VIRTUS. now we all know the regulations and how to spot and prevent sexual predators in the Church. it is difficult sometimes to hear the stories (of the victims and the perpatrators) but hopefully it will help us to better serve and protect our children. we get "free weekends" once a month where we can travel if we want to. guys go all over. this time, i think i will go to Assisi. i like it there.

question - "faith" has been the word for reflection as of late. if you get a minute, would you send me a short reflection on what faith means to you? especially if you have children, i am interested to hear what they have to say. well, its feeding time and i don't want to get left out-as if there wasn't going to be enough. take care for another week

pictures:

1) a model of what the NAC campus looks like

2) our little courtyard with orange grove (50, one for each state)

3) the chapel

4) the doors to the chapel - inscribed: "enter into the temple of God lovingly, devotedly, and with attention"

first week of classes

i have just finished my first week of classes. i have waited 9 years to study theology, and now i am immersed in it with 7 different classes a week for 20hrs. what is it like you may wonder? well, it is like going to 4 spiritual conferences a day, then going back home to engage in spiritual reading, to be crowned with a holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament. plus you are surrounded by 170 some other guys who are all better than you at what they do but desire to run with you in this race. God is overwhelmingly Good and i am thankful for this time.

our schedule looks like this: 6:15am morning prayer and Mass followed by breakfast. its about a 40min walk to school which starts at 8:30am. classes go until 12:15 (we stay in the same classroom and the teachers come to us) and then we walk home at a brisk pace to pray the rosary at 12:55. pranzo (lunch) is at 1:15 and then our afternoon is free for appointments, study, errands, and Lord willing a little riposa (nap). at 5:45 our holy hour commences and ends with benediction and evening prayer starting at 6:45. cena (dinner) is at 7pm, then we ususally have formation meetings at 8pm for an hour. depending on the night we might hit the lounge for a magnum bar (icecream) and relaxing conversation. by that point i am crying for my bed and some sleep to be well enough to start again the next day. this week i also got my first run in with italian dental work. lets just say my mouth hurts right now.

thank you for your prayers, know that you are in mine. here are some pictures from my little pilgrimage to Norcia.

pictures:

1) St. Benedict (this is his brithplace)

2) Norcia at dusk (this is pretty much the whole town)

3) the monks' church (built over the place where Benedict and Scholastica were born)

4) the crew (us guys that went, Jeff took the pic)

quick update

today the 4th year men were ordained as deacons in St. Peter's Basilica at the altar of the chair of St. Peter. i was in the choir, and yes there was lots of very hard music (most of it 4 part harmonies), and yes i was off key probably more often than not. it was a grand occasion. tomorrow i go to the little town of Norcia-birthplace of St. Benedict-for the weekend with a few friends. school starts on monday. i have no idea what my classes are (everyone assures me that is the mode of operations here in the italian way of doing things). after 1 week of class i will start seeing a private tutor for italian (thank goodness i don't have to take greek and latin at the same time like some of the other guys).

everything is going so fast, not that i've done that much yet, but it is just so easy forget who i am with, where i am at, and all the blessings that i have. instead, i often find myself sitting at the table thinking, "man, this guy is gonna eat all the pasta and i'm gonna have to take only a moderate size serving or have to take the bowl back to get more, what a jerk"-i am so petty. no, there is quite a bit to be thankful for, there is always enough time to spend time with Jesus and recognize Him in those around me if i'd just stop for a second and take a look around.

pictures:

1) my family at Jill's wedding (mom, kate, Jill & Bryan & Katura, Lindsey & Kyle, dad)

2) looking down Concilation ave. from St. Peter's

fruits

the silent retreat was very challenging. i liked it, but the fruits of my reflections are difficult to just "do." i realized a little more clearly that the Lord wants me to focus totally on Him and more specifically, His Heart, His Love. fair enough, that makes sense, will do. yet, how does one go about more wholly receiving the Love of God for me? it is not something that i can "do" at all. it is in receiving His love that i can "see" Him more clearly and choose to love Him and from there each one whom i meet. its clear to me even if i can't explain it to you very well, but its not something to "do" and that is a wrench in my normal mode of operation (as i am sure many of you know and are now thinking "i could have told you that!").

this week is deacon ordinations. "the event" of the year for us here. after that my diocesan brother, deacon to be Theodore Lange, will serve his first Mass in St. Peter's with our Archbishop and i will get to go to that and maybe serve. for the weekend i will go to Norcia Itlay, the birthplace of St. Benedict, on my first mini pilgrimage- you will have my prayers there. then next monday classes begin and i will do my best to honor the Lord in so doing. Benedict XVI defines our role as novice theologians: "scholars of the face of God." its things like that that make me pause and say, "how did i get here?" i think my name accidentally got put into the "people who have the capacity to understand this stuff" hat. please pray for all souls who need healing, especially those who fear to receive reconciliation with our Lord because of their sins.

picures:

1) the view we endured at the silent retreat house: Palazolla (they host weddings)

2) the volleyball court that we for obvious reason (besides silence) did not use

3) St. Peter's from my roof at night (pray for Theodore, he will be ordained there Oct 4)

silent retreat

well, we have finished the 4 week italian course and now my class is headed for a week long silent retreat near Castel Gondolfo. this is a welcome event. i officially ranked at b1 level of italian, which means i should feel comfortable in normal everyday conversation and be able to follow a discourse in my area of study. i'm not sure thats the truth, but the test said so, so it must be true. on this retreat there will be no talking from Sunday to Saturday-longer than i've had to do before. i am excited and anxious to see what the Lord will do, please pray for me and my class while we are there.

today i went to St. Mary Major (one of the 4 major basilica's of the Church--the others being St. Peter's, St. Paul outside the Walls, and St. John Latern). i got to make this small pilgrimage to pray for a good man who asked for prayers there and be near the crib of the newborn Jesus. as i sat to pray so many people flocked past the crib, snapped a picture, gawked at the exquisite art/marblework and left. i was thankful i left my camera at home. its so easy to get caught up in "seeing" everything that you don't "see" anything. it has been a gift to be present to the moment through a prayer, a moment of pause and then receiving what the Lord has for me there. all around the city and churches there are beautiful and extravagant works and when i take them as another "site" to see they don't mean much, but when i just sit a minute the faith that inspired the work and offerings (at least in the churches) begins to set the tone and i am drawn to an encounter of faith myself.

pictures:

1) where i will be going on retreat

2) the colessieum

3) one of the triumphal arches

swiss guard

yesterday, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, i got to take some time to pray in front of the Pieta, the tomb of St. Peter, and the tomb of St. Paul-it was a blessed morning. what struck me was how surrendered to God all the Saints were. although they were definately imperfect and made mistakes all along the way, when it came down to it there whole heart was for God. they would not choose anything over Him, not their preferences, not the approval of others, not even their own life, it was all for Him. i felt a little of my smallness as i prayed near St. Paul's tomb.

2 weeks ago we got to visit the swiss guard barracks- a rarity. my friend Jeff gave me his pictures so i can share them with you. the reason that the swiss hold this post is

because back in the day the pope had no protection as the barbarians were invading

Rome, so he hired some mercinaries from switzerland. in the attack, around 147 of the around 200 swiss soldiers gave their lives to protect the pope as he fled from the Vatican to the Castel Sant' Angelo. from that time on they have been the pope's faithful defenders.

pictures:

1 - the pope's bedroom window (top floor, second from right)

the rest - past pope defending supplies and courtyard of the barracks

there's just something about Assisi

thurs - sat, the college took us to Assisi. my conclusion: Assisi is good for the heart. it is good just to be in a calm place, clean and fresh. there is not so much hustle and hubbub all over (but there are Churches everywhere. if you go to Assisi, it is much better to be a pilgrim than a tourist (and Assisi helps you with that).

orientation is officially ending today. we will have 2 more weeks of italian classes, then we go on a week long retreat in Castel Gondolfo. i am extremely spoiled. i haven't had a bad meal yet (except for the time the college tried to make hamburgers and fries), and we are constantly getting to go to privelaged places, holy places, and are welcomed with fine banquets. that ends with orientation (i hope).



i learned my address and phone number in case you want to write or call (we are 9 hours ahead of pacific time).

address for letters:

Pontifical North American College

Matt Libra

00120 Vatican City State

Europe

phone number for my room:

[from the US: 011-39] then 06-68493-325

pictures:

1,2) Assisi at sunrise from the roof of my hotel

3) the view on the 1 hour uphill hike to the hermitage of St. Francis

4) the hermitage of St. Francis

5) the church of St. Clare

ps - one of my next installments will be italian signs, and another will be a tour of the NAC, then i will have to do places you can stay.