BACK IN THE SEMINARY
One of the highlights of my recent time abroad in Italy was staying a few nights at my Alma Mater, the Pontifical North American College where I lived from 2009-2014. I cherished those years of prayer, priestly formation, brotherhood, study and ‘learning Rome.’ It was good to be back on the familiar Gianicolo hill overlooking St. Peter’s Basilica which I could see dominating the skyline outside my guest room!
For me, the experience of going back to the seminary for a few days provided a great opportunity to reflect on the many graces of priestly life that I have experienced in the nearly twelve years since I was ordained a priest. It was a delight to converse with the seminarians, visit the library, pray in the chapel and join the strong prayers of the seminary community for Benediction and Vespers and of course to take in the astounding view of the Eternal City from the terrace!
I find that seminaries are places of such incredible anticipation and yearning to serve. I was blessed after my first taste of parish life as a priest in the summer of 2013, to return to Rome for a final year of studies in what is called the “Fifth Year” at the North American College. It was during that year that my eagerness to serve as a parish priest deepened.
One of the special graces was that the pilgrimage to Rome lined up with our new Auxiliary Bishop Kevin Kenney’s Episcopal Ordination here in St. Paul. It was a delight to be with our local seminarians and student priests (Fr. Joseph Wappes and Fr. Michael Maloney, both from neighboring St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony!) to live-stream the liturgy from our Cathedral, uniting our prayers with the clergy and faithful of our Archdiocese while we were half a world away. Congratulations to Bishop Kenney and a promise of prayers!
I recently learned that Br. Jonathan Hank of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary was ordained a priest this past July and as is now serving a Parochial Vicar in Denver, CO. Prior to his entry into religious life, we were blessed to have Fr. Hank with us in the parish as a summer intern along with Fr. Kyle Etzel (ordained for our Archdiocese a year and a half ago) who was with us for an informal summer during his seminary formation. This past year Fr. Etzel preached the Solemn Closing of our Forty Hours Devotions and Fr. William Kratt, who spent his deacon summer in our parish, preached the opening Mass.
Speaking of seminarians, we are delighted to welcome a group of seminarians from St. John Vianney College Seminary for our 9:30am Mass at Holy Cross next Sunday on the Solemnity of Christ the King! One of my seminary classmates from Grand Rapids, MI, Fr. Scott Nolan is now serving on the formation staff of the seminary and is organizing the parish outing for the men on his hall. Let’s keep our seminarians in prayer and encourage young men we know to consider the beautiful possibility of serving Christ’s Church as a priest!
-Fr. Howe