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UNDER MARY’S
M A G A Z I N E
Patronage
“BEHOLD, YOUR MOTHER”
EDITORIAL STAFF
The Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
Editorial Director Matthew Wiering ‘10 Diocese of New Ulm
CONTENTS
Editorial Assistants Stephen Vrazel ‘11 Archdiocese of Mobile & Peter Finney ‘10 Archdiocese of New Orleans Layout and Design David Carrano ‘10 Diocese of Madison Design Assistants Jeffrey Eirvin ‘11 Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon & H. Ray Cho ‘11 Archdiocese of Newark Photographers Daniel O’Mullane ‘10 Diocese of Paterson & Brian Soliven ‘10 Diocese of Sacramento & Mark Payton ‘11 Archdiocese of Perth
RECTOR’S CORNER Rev. Msgr. James Checchio
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REV. AUGUSTINE DI NOIA GIVES CARL J. PETER LECTURE
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FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
OUR LADY AND THE COLLEGE Philip Smith ‘11
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PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND Anthony Lickteig ‘10
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VOLUNTEERING AT LOURDES Matthew Libra ‘11
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YEAR OF SAINT PAUL Cory Stanley ‘11 LIFE AT THE COLLEGE
SPAGHETTI BOWL Rev. Mr. Joseph Previtali ‘09
CASA SANTA MARIA Rev. James Rafferty ‘94, C‘10 UMILTÀ AWARDS
ECONOMO’S CORNER Rev. Msgr. Daniel Mueggenborg SAVE THE DATE: RECTOR’S DINNER 2009
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BACK COVER
For more information about the North American College, or to learn about opportunities for memorial gifts, contact Mary DiDonato at our Washington, D.C. Office of Institutional Advancement: Tel: (202) 541-5411 Fax: (202) 722-8804 Email: nac@usccb.org or visit our website at www.pnac.org
FRONT COVER Image of Our Lady of Humility from the Janiculum campus
ABOVE Masters of Ceremony Gregory Ihm ‘10 (Madison) and Anthony Lickteig ‘10 (Washington, D.C.) kneel at prayer in the sacristy during the Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
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INSIDE
Holy Land Pilgrimage
Life at the North American College
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Basilica of St. Paul
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Sharing the Gospel at Lourdes
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Feast of the Immaculate Conception
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
OF THE PONTIFICAL NORTH AMERICAN COLLEGE
CHAIRMAN Most Rev. John J. Myers ‘67 Archbishop of Newark
VICE CHAIRMAN Most Rev. Henry J. Mansell ‘63 Archbishop of Hartford
TREASURER Most Rev. Frank J. Dewane ‘88, C‘89 Bishop of Venice
Painting of the Annunciation in the Immaculate Conception Chapel at the North American College
Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila C‘90 Bishop of Fargo
Most Rev. Thomas G. Doran ‘62, C‘78 Bishop of Rockford
RECTOR Rev. Msgr. James Checchio ‘92, C‘97
Most Rev. William F. Murphy ‘65, C‘74
VICE RECTOR FOR ADMINISTRATION Rev. Msgr. Daniel Mueggenborg ‘89
Bishop of Sioux City
VICE RECTOR FOR SEMINARY LIFE Rev. Msgr. Robert Gruss ‘94 SUPERIOR, CASA SANTA MARIA Rev. Msgr. Francis Kelly ‘64 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Mrs. Mary DiDonato
Bishop of Rockville Centre
Most Rev. R. Walker Nickless ‘73 Most Rev. Glen J. Provost ‘75 Bishop of Lake Charles
Most Rev. Francis R. Reiss C‘84 Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit
Most Rev. Michael J. Sheehan ‘65, C‘71 Archbishop of Santa Fe
Most Rev. William C. Skurla
Bishop of the Eparchy of Passaic of the Ruthenians
Most Rev. Michael Warfel Bishop of Great Falls-Billings
Most Rev. Donald W. Wuerl ‘67 Archbishop of Washington
Most Rev. Patrick J. Zurek ‘75 Bishop of Amarillo
Rev. Msgr. James Checchio ‘92, C‘97 Diocese of Camden Rector
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RECTOR’S CORNER ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’
enerally, this article touches on some aspect of all the major programs of the College including the seminary, the Casa Santa Maria, and our sabbatical program for priests, the Institute for Continuing Theological Education (ICTE). We currently have a major project going on which will significantly improve our sabbatical program, so I want to share this good news with you.
About a year from now, the ICTE will have its own self-contained facility on the Janiculum campus. Through the generosity of the O’Toole Foundation, represented on a recent visit by Bert and Patti Degheri, the College received a $2,000,000 grant specifically to restore the Casa San Giovanni. The Casa San Giovanni is the last remaining building on the campus from when the property was purchased by the American Bishops in 1924. At our last Board of Governors Meeting in November 2008, it was decided that this newly-renovated building would be used primarily for the twice-yearly ICTE sessions. The facility will have its own chapel, classroom, lounge, offices, laundry facilities, and dining area, though the resident priests will continue to enjoy lunch and dinner in the refectory of the main building. Additionally, the restoration will include the exterior of the whole building, a new roof, and the installation of a new heating, air conditioning, and electrical system. The newly renovated facility will have thirty-five bedrooms all with private bath, room temperature control capabilities, and Internet access. A lightning prevention system will also be put in place. In order to make space for all this in the building, the present roof will be raised a few feet to allow us to create a third residence floor.
This Villa, built in 1734, was originally used by the College as the graduate house for American priests in Rome. After the construction of the new seminary on the Janiculum and the renovation of the Casa Santa Maria after World War II, the priests and seminarians exchanged locations. In the past few years, it has been used to house the five Carmelite and two Benedictine Sisters who graciously serve in this community. The Benedictine Sisters have been relocated to a recently-renovated space on campus wherein employees formerly lived, and we are finalizing plans to construct a new convent for the Carmelite Sisters.
Since its founding in 1970, the ICTE has had over 2,300 priests enrolled. The Institute was originally founded in response to the call of the Second Vatican Council for the renewal of priests. Our program has sought to keep pace with developments in the ongoing formation of priests which are found in the documents of the Magisterium, most notably "I Will Give You Shepherds" of Pope John Paul II and "The Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests" of the Congregation for the Clergy. The Bishops of our country have also contributed to this development through the "Program of Priestly Formation" and the "Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests."
I’ve been told over the years that our sabbatical program has proven effective as one of the best means of renewing priests, revitalizing them for more effective pastoral ministry. Living in Rome close to our Holy Father gives priests a deeper appreciation for the communion and unity of the Church. The College happily makes this commitment to the ongoing formation of priests to further fulfill our 150-year-old mission of providing effective and zealous shepherds for priestly ministry. We are grateful for and count on your continued prayerful and financial support to assist us in this important and noble ministry. May the Lord bless you and our common efforts in forming ardent, prayerful, faithful, and loyal priests of Jesus Christ. - Rev. Msgr. James Checchio
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ANNIVERSARY FEATURE
Feast of the Immaculate Conception T
he North American College began its 150th anniversary year celebration on December 7, 2008 with the annual Carl J. Peter Lecture delivered by Father J. Augustine Di Noia, O.P. An excerpt of his talk can be found on the following page. Father Di Noia belongs to the Eastern Dominican Province of St. Joseph and is currently Undersecretary for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Liturgically, the College ushered in the anniversary year the next day, on the feast of its patroness, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. John Cardinal Foley, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, served as the principal celebrant of the Mass. Also joining the College for the day’s events were many guests, including the Honorable Mary Ann Glendon, United States Ambassador to the Holy See. With the chapel’s dramatic mosaic of Mary Immaculate as a fitting backdrop, Cardinal Foley reflected during his homily on the Blessed Virgin’s significant role in his own vocation. As a young man he had been a member of the Sodality of Our Lady. One of the requirements of this organization was to engage in apostolic work each week, and one of Cardinal Foley’s assignments was to teach catechism lessons to six mentally handicapped children. The encounter with their zealous young teacher led one of the boys to exclaim, “We love Mr. Foley because he teaches us about Jesus.” This innocent exclamation was one of the signs leading Cardinal Foley to discern a priestly vocation, because he understood even then that there was “nothing more important than teaching people about Jesus.” Following the Eucharistic celebration, residents and special guests of the College enjoyed a banquet in the O’Toole Refectory, culminating with toasts in honor of Pope Benedict XVI, the United States, and the Pontifical North American College.
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A b o v e : Cardinal Foley greets friend of the College Marc Spiegel during the Immaculate Conception celebration. B o t t o m : Fernando Saenz ‘10 (Santa Fe), Adam Young ‘10 (Providence), and Philip Smith ‘11 (Toledo) prepare to assist in the liturgy.
The Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
DECEMBER 8TH, 2008 - DECEMBER 8TH, 2009
CARL J. PETER LECTURE
CLEARING AWAY THE BARRIERS Preaching to Young Adults Today Rev. J. Augustine Di Noia, O.P. the nature of some of the barriers that today seem to stand in the way of a young person’s encounter with the living God. I shall focus on three barriers or misunderstandings that need to be cleared away in order to help young people encounter the living God. I believe that they constitute the three biggest barriers to be overcome in preaching, catechesis, and evangelization directed to young people today. They are powerful and well-entrenched, and it will not be easy to dispel them. They concern what it means to call Christ the Savior, what it means to be authentically human, and what it means to be moral. I want to offer you some understanding of the nature of these barriers and some ideas on how to approach the task of clearing them away.
Why we need the Savior who is not just any savior
“Clearing away the barriers”—Pope Benedict used this expression in his address to the bishops during his apostolic visit to the United States. He asked, “How, in the twenty-first century, can a bishop best fulfill the call to ‘make all things new in Christ?’ How can he lead his people to ‘an encounter with the living God’…?” “Perhaps,” the Holy Father continued, “he needs to begin by clearing away some of the barriers to such an encounter.” While my audience this evening is broader (the pope was speaking to bishops) and my focus in this presentation narrower (the pope wasn’t thinking chiefly of young adults), I have made his expression my own here. Specifically, I want to take up the Holy Father’s challenge by reflecting on
The first barrier concerns Jesus Christ himself. The most fundamental and prevalent misunderstanding of the Catholic faith that we face, whether in young adults or in their elders, is the notion that it is arrogant to claim that Jesus Christ is the unique mediator of salvation. To ascribe a uniquely salvific role to Jesus Christ seems to constitute a denial of the salvific role of other religious founders and thus could be an affront to their communities. According to this mentality, all religions express some experience of the absolute or ultimate or transcendent reality— however it is named and described—that encompasses worldly existence. We might call this mentality and the religious outlook it fosters the culture of pluralism. It surrounds us on every side and helps to shore up a barrier that stands in the path of many Catholics today, young and old.
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ANNIVERSARY FEATURE In order to clear away this barrier, we need in the first place to make clear that our faith in Christ’s uniqueness does not entail a devaluation of the world’s religions. The religions of the world are monuments to the human search for God. As such, they are worthy of respect and study because of the immense cultural richness of their witness to the desire for God planted in every human heart. The Christian faith attests not only to the human search for God, but principally to God’s search for us. And what God wants to share with us is nothing less than a communion of life, a share or participation in the divine Trinitarian life. This is the basic starting point for understanding the unique role of Jesus Christ in the salvation of the human race. The initiative here comes from God, both to reconcile us because of sin and to make possible a kind of life that would not only be impossible for us but unthinkable as well. Salvation in this comprehensive sense is not something that can be arranged or organized by human beings. It cannot come from the created order, for the created order has neither the resources to achieve nor the imagination to conceive such a destiny for human persons. It has never been claimed of anyone Rev. James Quigley, O.P. (left), the Carl J. but Jesus Christ Peter Chair of Homiletics, listens while Rev. Di Noia takes questions from the students. that he could and did overcome these obstacles, and that he could and did make us sharers in his divine life. Through him we are both healed of sin and raised to an adoptive participation in the life of the Blessed Trinity—and nothing less. How persons who are not now explicit believers in Christ can actually come to share in the salvation that God desires for
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the human race and that Christ alone makes possible is too large a topic for this paper. But if Christians—in the wholly admirable desire to be respectful of non-believers—no longer confess Christ’s unique mediatorship in making ultimate communion with the Blessed Trinity a real possibility for created persons, then the problem of how non-Christians can share in it is not resolved: it simply evaporates. For Christians to have a truly universal hope and confidence in the salvation of persons who are not Christians, they have to affirm the unique role of Christ in bringing this salvation about, not just for Christians but for others as well.
W hy w e ne ed C hri st to b ecom e au the nti ca ll y hu ma n A second barrier concerns what it means to be human. Here the fundamental misunderstanding that blocks the path of many young people is shaped by what has been called the culture of authenticity. This is the idea that somehow being a Christian involves giving up or suppressing what is uniquely human in each one of us and accepting an external criterion or measure which is alien to one’s true self. [This poses] a considerable barrier to a true understanding of what Christian discipleship really entails for every human being. In response, [we must affirm that] conformation to Christ is not a slavish conformity to a model but the realization of our distinctive and unique personal identity. In the Christian understanding, authentic interpersonal communion presupposes the full realization, not the absorption or suppression, of the individual persons who enter into it. If Christ is to be the pattern for the transformation accomplished in us by the Holy Spirit, it can only mean that in being conformed to him we each discover and realize our unique identities as persons. “If a man wants to be my disciple, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt. 16:24-25). Here Christ asserts, in effect, that each person will find his or her true self only by being conformed to Christ. In ordinary experience, this would be an outrageous thing to say. None of us, whether as teachers or parents or pastors—no matter how inflated our conceptions of ourselves or how confident our sense of our abilities— would ever dare to say to anyone in our charge that they will
The Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
DECEMBER 8TH, 2008 - DECEMBER 8TH, 2009 find their true selves only by imitating us. Yet this is precisely what Christ asserts. In effect this means that an indefinite number of persons will realize their distinctive identities by being conformed to Christ. Only the Son of God could make such a claim on us. Only the perfect image of God who is the Person of the Son could constitute the principle and pattern for the transformation and fulfilment of every human person who has ever lived. The more we are conformed to his image, the more authentically do we become our true selves. Pope Benedict made this point at the inauguration of his pontificate: “If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation. And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything.”
Why the moral law is good for us The third barrier I want to consider concerns the moral life. It is the idea that the moral law is a more or less arbitrary constraint in which certain things are permitted and certain things are forbidden, irrespective of the bearing of these injunctions on human goodness and flourishing. This idea has a very long history stretching back to the nominalist moral theology that took hold in the fourteenth century and has remained influential ever since. It served to foster what came to be regarded and experienced as a culture of legalism in Catholic moral theology that was decisively rejected by the Magisterium in the encyclical Veritatis Splendor. Whereas legalistic moral systems insist or at least imply that actions are good (and thus right) because permitted, and bad (and thus wrong) because forbidden, authentic Catholic moral teaching maintains that a certain course of action is forbidden and wrong because it is bad for the agent, while another course of action is permitted and right because it is good for the agent. The commandments do not simply lay down requirements that are indifferent vis-a-vis their impact on human goodness and happiness.
In classic Catholic moral theology, the observance of the commandments is meant to foster the specific virtues with which they are concerned and thus the overall good of the human moral agent. In other words, the commandments of the moral law treat primarily of good and evil rather than of the permitted and the forbidden. To use an analogy of which St. Paul might approve, the commandments are more like an athlete’s daily exercise and diet regimen than they are like traffic laws. Traffic regulations require that we stop on red and go on green, but it could just as well be the other way around. But the athlete follows the daily regime enjoined by his or her coach in order to achieve and maintain a certain level of performance otherwise unattainable. There is a fit between the regime and the results. The moral law is like that. It contains non-arbitrary injunctions that guide us steadily toward the good in every action and thus toward our ultimate Good.
In the spirit of the Carl J. Peter Lectures, we have considered how to clear away some of the intellectual barriers that may block young people’s encounter with the living God. If you conclude that I have merely scratched the surface, you will be right. But I at least hope to have inspired you to go into these questions more deeply yourselves and, perhaps, to have pointed you in the right direction. You can read the full text of Rev. Di Noia’s lecture on the North American College website: www.pnac.org.
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ANNIVERSARY FEATURE
Our Lady by Philip Smith ‘11 Diocese of Toledo
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and the College
or 150 years the North American College has entrusted itself to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin Mary, devoting itself to Our Lady under the titles of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Humility, and Our Lady of Guadalupe. In this anniversary year, it is opportune to reflect on this relationship, one that has been present since the College’s inception 150 years ago. Devotion to Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception has been present from the first day of the College. Pope Pius IX first mentioned his idea of founding an American Seminary in Rome during his conversation with three American archbishops who were in Rome in December 1854 for the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The College was officially opened on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and it was under her patronage that the College was solemnly dedicated. On the afternoon of the solemn inauguration ceremony, Pope Pius IX welcomed the new seminarians and their first rector to the Vatican for a private audience. At its conclusion Pius IX recalled an event in which he experienced the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin in his own life: On April 12, 1855, the Holy Father was greeting assembled guests in a convent adjacent to the Basilica of St. Agnes on the Via Nomentana, when the main beam supporting the floor gave way. With a
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loud crash the floor caved in, and the Holy Father and several guests fell twenty feet into the cellar below. Despite the dangerous fall, Pope Pius IX and the majority of those present were miraculously unharmed by the catastrophe. The Holy Father attributed their safety from harm to the Immaculate Virgin, as he had prayed during the traumatic event, “Vergine Immacolata, aiutateci!” (Immaculate Virgin, help us!). The faculty and students of the College began to call upon the help of Mary by praying the same words, a tradition which continues today, as the invocation “Vergine Immacolata, aiutateci” can be heard every day in the College’s refectory before the midday meal. The North American College community has also maintained a devotion to Our Lady of Humility throughout its 150 year history. The original site of the College was a former convent dedicated to Our Lady of Humility on Via dell’Umiltà, or Humility Street. On the day of the College’s founding, Pope Pius IX said to those first seminarians, “Your College will ever produce good missionaries, if it only preserves a spirit of humility.” Today the image of Our Lady of Humility can be found over the altar of the main chapel of the Casa Santa Maria, while on the Janiculum campus an image is found in the portico outside the main chapel. Each year during orientation new seminarians are given a framed image of Our Lady of Humility to place in their own rooms as a reminder of our call to be humble servants like Mary.
The Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
DECEMBER 8TH, 2008 - DECEMBER 8TH, 2009
Even though devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe has grown in the United States with the increasing presence of Spanishspeaking immigrants, it may be surprising that devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe has been a part of life at the North American College from the earliest times. In fact, it has been part of the life of the College from the very first day. At the end of that historic day, the entire College community gathered before an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe for a special prayer service, which was then repeated each subsequent day leading up to the solemn liturgy for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. Today the College continues to show its affection for Our Lady of Guadalupe by the singing of the mañanitas, the traditional morning songs in praise of Mary, on the morning of the same feast. As the North American College celebrates its 150th anniversary, the College gives thanks to God for the blessings He has poured out on the College through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and entrusts itself to her continued guidance and protection—just as it did 150 years ago.
This article is the second in a series highlighting the unique history of the College that will appear throughout this anniversary year.
O p p o s i t e P a g e : Detail from the newly-restored fireplace in the Red Room of the Casa Santa Maria. A b o v e : Venerated by the College’s original community 150 years ago, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe continues to adorn the main chapel of the Casa Santa Maria. B e l o w : Statue of Our Lady of Lourdes at the Marian grotto on the Janiculum Campus
“Surely we may see a Providential design in the fact that [the College’s] path has been lighted, and its history bound up with the progressive glorification of the Blessed Virgin, Mary Immaculate. The benign image of the Mother of God, pictured smiling down upon her students in the Chapel apse, remains a perpetual reminder that Pope Pius IX of imperishable memory made public his decision to found the College only a few days after he had himself defined the dogma of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception ....” – Pope John XXIII - Address at the North American College, October 11, 1959, during celebrations of its 100th Anniversary
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T O W ALK W HERE H E W ALKED by Anthony Lickteig ‘10
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Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.
Jesus said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
e had finally arrived. After a day of traveling, our pilgrimage group of thirty seminarians and five priests had finally arrived in the Holy Land. Under the direction of Father Brendan Lally, S.J., we had weathered the early departure, extensive airport security, and the two-hour bus ride from Tel Aviv to the Sea of Galilee. And there we were, gathered in the chapel of the pilgrimage house at Tagbha, near where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes, listening to Father Lally read this passage from the Gospel of John. Part of me still couldn’t believe we were there. We had all eagerly signed up months earlier for the opportunity to visit the Holy Land over Christmas. Over the next eleven days, both L e f t : (left to right) David Nerbun ‘11 (Charleston), Jeb Donelan ‘11(Arlington), James Dodson ‘11 (Burlington), and Luke Dundon ‘11 (Arlington) on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. B e l o w : The view across the Sea of Galilee to the region where Jesus healed the Gerasene demoniac.
in Galilee and Jerusalem, we would visit the places whose names we had heard since childhood: Nazareth, Bethlehem, Galilee, Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, Mount Zion, the Upper Room, the Way of the Cross, Calvary, the Empty Tomb. This was Jesus’ home. What a profoundly meaningful place! For each of us, the experience of actually being there was a chance to respond to the Lord’s personal invitation to a deeper relationship with Him. We were able to spend hours alone with Him at the places He knew and loved. For some, this personal relationship would grow simply by passing time with Jesus in His homeland. For others, the most important aspect was seeing with their eyes and touching with their hands the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Some were profoundly touched by
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being on the same shore where the resurrected Jesus sent Peter on mission even after he had denied Him three times. Still others could not forget celebrating Mass at the altar on Calvary, hearing the Gospel of Jesus’s death proclaimed at the place where it happened, and experiencing in a profound way the connection between sacrifice and love, between Calvary and the Mass, between Jesus Christ and his priests. For me, though, sitting there that first night listening to Father Lally, Seminarians walking down from the Mount of Beatitudes toward the Sea of Galilee. one question stuck in my mind: heard. Looking back at that experience in Capernaum, it What was I looking for on this trip? Who was I looking for? seems that the Lord was asking me “Will you give your life to “Come and you will see” the Lord seemed to be saying. So, Me? Will you witness to My resurrection, to Life eternal, so over the next eleven days, I accompanied him to the towns that others may truly live?” And my only answer is the one where he was conceived, where he was born, and where he Peter gave so long ago: Master, to whom shall we go? You have grew up. I prayed in the places where he preached the the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced Gospel, called the disciples, worked miracles, suffered, died, that you are the Holy One of God. was buried, rose from the dead, commissioned the Apostles, and ascended into heaven. I had deep experiences of Jesus’s presence at many of these places, but looking back, one of the places our Lord definitely wanted me to “come and see” was the synagogue in Capernaum. It was here that Jesus gave the Bread of Life discourse, and as we sat there and heard those profound verses from the Gospel of John proclaimed again in the very place where Jesus first said them, I was overwhelmed by this invitation to know Jesus in a deeper way. I realized that it was Life that I was seeking, that in Jesus Christ this eternal Life was made visible, and that this Life became a man so that His flesh could be given for the life of the world. In the first chapter of Acts, the Apostles choose a replacement for Judas from among those who had accompanied the Lord throughout His entire ministry. Through this trip, Jesus was having me accompany Him through His ministry by giving me a personal tour of his whole earthly life. Now I, too, am being asked to be a witness to what I have seen and
Seminarians meditate as the walk down the Holy Steps in Jerusalem at the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu. They are among the oldest known ruins in Jerusalem; it is probable that Jesus would have walked these steps.
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Pauline Year 2 0 0 8
A TESTAMENT TO FAITH
by Cory Stanley ‘11
Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
U
The Basilica of St. Paul
pon arrival at the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul today, most people have no idea of the dramatic story the church tells in its history and art. In truth, the basilica is a living witness of how God loves, strengthens, and cares for His people through the ages.
times of trial and were able to stand strong in the faith. This quality of endurance is reflected in the nearly 1,700 year history of the Basilica of Saint Paul, which has weathered many storms right alongside the Catholic Church.
Saint Paul told the Corinthians that for the sake of Christ, he was “content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities” (2 Cor. 12:10). Encouraged by Paul’s example, the people of God were prepared for
Saints Peter and Paul were the men to whom the early Christian community in Rome looked for direction and guidance. Even though in those years they were physically far away from Calvary, they were intimately linked to the pre-
cious blood of Christ through the persecutions, tortures, and deaths they suffered for His name. The Romans executed many Christians, blaming them for the great, first-century fire in Rome which had destroyed over half the city. Among those martyred were Peter and Paul. After their deaths, the Apostles were buried quickly, possibly in the secret of the night, and were laid to rest near their respective places of execution: Peter on the Vatican Hill and Paul along the road to Ostia. Christians often visited their gravesides, drawing near to Christ by drawing near to the Apostles who knew Him. Desiring to offer thanks to God for military victories granted, Emperor Constantine built the first monuments to enclose the simple tombs of Peter and Paul in the fourth century. The Constantinian shrine over St. Paul’s tomb stood only for a few years before it was replaced by a much larger basilica, completed in the early fifth century. Through the centuries, the popes saw to it that the structure was both propThe mosaic-covered façade and the 19th century poritico of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outsidethe-Walls welcomes pilgrims to the site of Saint Paul’s tomb along the ancient Via Ostiense.
12 The Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
“In Christ the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.” - St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians Father. This artistic feature reveals in a stunning way the preservation of the Church over the centuries through the apostolic succession begun with Peter.
The basilica form clearly visible in the central nave of the Basilica of St. Paul
erly maintained and ornately decorated. This has continued even through the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI with the recent cleaning and restoration of the 14th century canopy over the main altar, completed in honor of the Pauline Year. A series of large mosaic medallions on the upper walls of the basilica makes visible the connection between the Apostle to the Gentiles and the Successors of Saint Peter. Each pope is represented there, from Peter, who along with Paul is called a “Prince of the Apostles,” to our current Holy
The history of the basilica itself gives a similar testimony. The church structure has been shaken by earthquakes, attacked by the warring Saracens, and most recently nearly destroyed in the fire of 1823. But each time, the Basilica of Saint Paul has been raised back up to its former glory, not only through the care of the shepherds of the Church, but also through the generous donations of the flock. Heeding the appeal of Pope Leo XII just after the great fire, Christians throughout the world offered gifts of both precious materials and money. The basilica was rebuilt and rededicated within a span of thirty years. The barbarous attacks and the natural calamities that the church has survived throughout the years are reminders to us of the sufferings of Paul. Paul himself was no stranger to suffering, having been both persecutor and persecuted. His witness to Jesus Christ was not one of mere words, but of loving action, devotion, and at times, harsh affliction suffered for those he served. “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake” (Col. 1:24). In the end, his self-
A b o v e : The apse mosaic of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls
denial for the kingdom was complete, in death as in life. The Basilica of Saint Paul reminds us that even when the earth is shaken and mountains quake to the depths of the sea, God is the refuge and stronghold of His people, who stand ready to face whatever the future has in store (Psalm 46). The basilica stands as a true testament to God’s eternal love and care for the Universal Church as it endures joyfully and willingly whatever trials come its way.
A grand statue of Saint Paul looks out into the central nave of his patronal basilica.
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LOURDES by Matt Libra ‘11
Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
O
With Bernadette and the
Blessed Virgin Mary
n February 11, 1858, fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous went to collect firewood with her little sister and a friend but found something more. A “beautiful lady” appeared on that day and returned there eighteen times, until July 16 of the same year. She asked Bernadette to dig a spring, to wash in and drink of its water, to practice penance for sinners, and to deliver messages to the local priests to build a chapel. Today the appearances continue to draw pilgrims to Lourdes, France, an area made holy by that beautiful lady who identified herself with the words, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”
Pope Benedict XVI was one of the millions of pilgrims who came to Lourdes this year to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Marian apparitions to St. Bernadette. Pilgrims all come seeking the encounter that the Pope speaks about, and they are not disappointed. The tangible nearness of Our Lady to that spring in the Grotto where healing waters still flow leads pilgrims to an awareness of the nearness of Jesus. To assist pilgrims in this encounter with Bernadette and the Virgin Mary, Lourdes has invited seminarians to come and serve in the sanctuary. Along with two other seminarians from the College, I lived for two weeks this past summer
14 The Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
“A quiet encounter with Bernadette and the Virgin Mary can change a person’s life, for they are here…to lead us to Christ who is our life, our strength and our light.” – Pope Benedict XVI at Lourdes, September 13, 2008
with other seminarians from France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and Lebanon. Every morning and evening we would pray the Liturgy of the Hours together, in each of our six languages, which made for quite an international experience of prayer. After that we would split up to serve the pilgrims of our own particular language group. In the mornings we would invite English speaking pilgrims to Mass in their own language, so that they could worship and receive the Lord in the Eucharist. Later, we would lead groups praying the Stations of the Cross on the hill next to the Grotto, where life-size figures vividly depict Jesus’s Passion. After lunch in the multi-national cafeteria, we would set off into town to follow the “Footsteps of Bernadette.” Beginning at the parish church, we would be reminded that it was not the apparitions Bernadette experienced that made her a saint, but the fully living out of her baptismal call to holiness. Next we would go to the room where Bernadette, her two siblings, and her parents lived at the time when the apparitions began. Living in utter poverty, they would gather together each night to thank God and to pray the rosary. The next site we would visit is the parish house where the priests lived. When Our Lady asked Bernadette to tell the
Philip Zubrod ‘11 (Fargo) shares his faith with pilgrims in Lourdes.
priests to build a chapel at the Grotto she ran straight to this house and relayed the message to Father Peyramale. Skeptical and gruff, he asked why he should believe a fourteen-year-old girl who could not read or write and who had not even received her First Communion. Bernadette simply yet humbly responded, “I wasn’t told to make you believe. I was only told to tell you”.
The statue of the Virgin Mary marks the entrance to the grotto in Lourdes.
The final stop is the Grotto itself, the site of the apparitions, where Bernadette dug up the previously hidden spring at Our Lady’s request. It is a place of palpable holiness and peace, and its flowing waters soothe both spirit and body. When the afternoons drew to a close, we would assist at the Eucharistic Procession and finally at the candlelight rosary procession. To be in Lourdes and to join so many other people in praying wholeheartedly to our Lord through our Lady was an exhilarating experience and a humbling one. The elderly, infirm, and all the other pilgrims came and drew us into their own journeys of faith as we went to the Grotto. In many ways it was they who were ministering to us. Together with the other seminarians and pilgrims, along with Mary and Bernadette, my experience at Lourdes was a beautiful and quiet encounter with Christ, my “life, strength, and light.”
WINTER 2 0 0 9 15
T o p l e f t : Peter Finney ‘10 (New Orleans) serves at the annual Immaculate Conception banquet. T o p r i g h t : Paul Carlson ‘10 (Peoria) and Rev. Mr. James DeViese ‘09 (Wheeling-Charleston) enjoy the Immaculate Conception meal. M i d d l e l e f t : Chris Donley ‘11 (Pittsburgh) goes up for a shot while Victor Ingalls ‘12 (Mobile) waits for the rebound. M i d d l e : Michael Bruno ‘10 (Brooklyn) plays umpire at one of the many pickup softball games on the new and improved Kardos Family Athletic Field. M i d d l e r i g h t : Jeremy Trowbridge ‘10 (Rockford) and Mark Payton ‘11 (Perth) enjoy a Fall barbeque. B o t t o m l e f t : (from left to right) Fifth-year priests, Rev. Steven Titus ‘08 (Cheyenne), Rev. Kevin Regan ‘08 (Washington, D.C.), Rev. Shane Deman ‘08 (Sioux City), and Rev. Sam Kachuba ‘08 (Bridgeport) sing for the introduction of the pumpkin pies at the annual Thanksgiving Day feast. B o t t o m r i g h t : The New Men deliberate strategies for a Spaghetti Bowl upset against the Old Men.
L IFE AT THE C OLLEGE
T o p l e f t : Rev. Kevin Regan ‘08 (Washington, D.C.) performs for the “Old Man Show.” T o p m i d d l e : James Dodson ‘11 (Burlington) and Tony Kruse ‘11 (Dubuque) get ready to work the sideline at the Spaghetti Bowl. T o p r i g h t : New Man Offense goes into its goal-line formation against the Old Men. B o t t o m l e f t : Adjunct Spiritual Director Rev. Tom Powers enjoys the Spaghetti Bowl. B o t t o m m i d d l e : Rev. John Costello (from left), Rev. Gregory Fairbanks, and Rev. Mike Wensing sign their Oath of Fidelity as new faculty members of the College. B o t t o m r i g h t : The Old Men huddle as they battle the New Men.
The Pontifical Nor th American College
is pleased to announce its new Chair man of the Board of Gover nors
The M os t Reve rend J ohn J. M yers 67 A rchb ish op of Newark
P h o t o : Archbishop Myers celebrates the annual Thanksgiving Day Mass for the College.
‘ 08 S pagh et ti B ow l by Rev. Mr. Joe Previtali ‘09 Archdiocese of San Francisco
I
nstitutional tradition, lively athletic competition, and Christian fraternity are important features of life in the North American College. These values are realized in a unique way in the College’s annual “Spaghetti Bowl” football game, which pits the “New Men” against the “Old Men” in a vigorous gridiron contest. The building of fraternity around the Spaghetti Bowl begins some weeks before the game is even played as the teams practice two or three days per week throughout the month of November. The New Men particularly benefit from this time of fraternity and class unity as the football game provides a capstone for the annual “New Man Weekend,” which also features the New Man Dinner and the New Man Show. The 2008 version of this decades-long Thanksgiving tradition took place on the new artificial turf of the Kardos Family Athletic Field with a talented and experienced Old Man squad facing the College’s largest New Man class in over forty years. Phillip Halladay ‘12 (Mobile), who had coached previously at the high school level, preFootball and hamburgers help give the annual Spaghetti Bowl its distinctly pared his New Man team to the American flavor. B e l o w : Josh Stengel ‘10 (Little Rock) mans the grill. utmost of their capabilities with L o w e r l e f t : Craig Vasek ‘10 (Crookston) goes for a pass. a vast array of plays and formations. But the Old Men once again fielded a deep squad, led for a final time by quarterback Father Joe Freedy ‘08 (Pittsburgh), a three-year starter for the University of Buffalo. The Old Men moved the ball well in the first half, scoring on four touchdown passes, including one with just seconds remaining in the half. But the New Men responded with two quick-strike touchdowns of over 60 yards – one on the ground and one in the air. To begin the second half, the Old Man defense forced the New Men into an impressively suffocating turnover-on-downs, a defensive stand that was parlayed into points on a fourth-and-goal touchdown pass. The score extended the Old Man squad’s lead to 3513 and proved crucial when the New Men scored nine more points on a touchdown and a safety late in the game. The New Men’s late-game surge, however, proved too late, and the Old Men emerged with a 35-22 victory.
18 The Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
AM Spirituality of a Student Priest
CASA SANT I
ARIA
by Rev. James Rafferty ‘94, C‘10 Diocese of Scranton
had never imagined myself a monk, always a parish priest. Now, in the second year of doctoral studies in moral theology in Rome, I wonder if this is what monastic life is like. Writing a dissertation has enveloped me in a daily routine that interweaves prayer, study, and fraternity. In this phase of my priestly ministry, I have had to learn how to be alone and still at my desk for hours at Rev. Jim Rafferty pauses in prayer. a time—a very different lifestyle than being a college chaplain! The closest comparison I find is making the thirty-day Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius Loyola. Immersed in silence and solitude, the prayer of the Exercises unfolds in a daily rhythm marked by an intense communion with Jesus. Naively, I did not anticipate that doctoral work would involve such spiritual intensity. The Lord invites me to enter more deeply into his life. A lot happens in the monastic setting. Most prominent in this routine are not the hours of silence or solitude or academic work but the interior movements that emerge. It’s both humbling and exciting. Amid my writing, a whole drama unfolds at the level of the heart where various movements spontaneously arise—fear, self-doubt, pride, gratitude, anticipation, wonder. I am privileged to read beautiful theology and reflect on the extraordinary mystery of the Trinity’s love, but I also confront daily my own limitations and the persistent taunts of the tempter. In prayer I remembered how as a boy working on plastic model airplanes I grew very impatient assembling the pieces. In this memory, the Father shared with me how much he wants to do this dissertation work with me and that our working together brings him joy,
a comforting and healing grace for me. Jesus leads me into new faith, the “always more” of the Father’s intimate love.
Three specific areas of deepening interior conversion stand out during these past months. First, the Spirit has led me to new awareness of my interior poverty. I discovered during Mass one morning that I was much more anxious over my dissertation progress than I had ever been about my holiness of life. I was much more attached to completing the thesis than moving closer to Christ. Related to this inner poverty is the second aspect of conversion. While studying theology, I am also learning how to receive from the Lord in an increasing dependence on him, a lesson I must repeat many times. The study of our faith challenges me to live more out of that faith each day in childlike trust in the Father’s providence. Finally, Mary gently prods me to greater consent of the Spirit’s purification of my heart. The Spirit invites me to let go of the attachments that interfere with the Father’s desires, attachments only now coming to light. Overall, my heart returns often to humble gratitude at the Trinity’s generosity and faithfulness in my priesthood. I receive more than I deserve.
Stained glass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus from the Sacred Heart Chapel at the Casa Santa Maria
WINTER 2 0 0 9 19
Umiltà Awards O
n November 7, 2008, nearly 250 friends, alumni, benefactors, and members of the Board of Governors packed the ballroom of the historic Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 7th annual Umiltà Awards and to thank God for the many blessings received during the 150-year history of the Pontifical North American College.
During the cocktail reception preceding the dinner, guests enjoyed the musical repertoire of a traditional string quartet, composed of musical performance majors from the Catholic University of America. Monsignor Peter J. Vaghi ‘85, C‘88 of the Archdiocese of Washington served as Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, Archbishop of Baltimore, then-Chairman of the Board of Governors, and Monsignor James F. Checchio, Rector, proudly presented the 2008 Umiltà Awards to our distinguished honorees, the Most Reverend Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to the United States, and Annette and George Strake of Houston, Texas. As the honorees were thanked for their leadership and commitment to priestly formation, a grand spirit of camaraderie permeated the room. This prevailing sentiment led the alumni to burst into a spontaneous and rousing rendition of Ad Multos Annos to end the evening. T o p R i g h t : Msgr. James Checchio and Archbishop Edwin O’Brien present one of the 2008 Umiltà Awards to Archbishop Pietro Sambi (center), Apostolic Nuncio to the United States. M i d d l e R i g h t : (standing from left) Louise Parsley, Paul and Melissa Griffith, Annette and George Strake, Msgr. James Checchio; (seated from left) Robert Parsley, Msgr. Peter Vaghi, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, Archbishop Pietro Sambi. B o t t o m R i g h t : Msgr. James Checchio presents a 2008 Umiltà Award to George and Annette Strake.
20 The Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
ECONOMO’S CORNER
“My sacrifice, a contrite spirit” -Psalm 51
T
Rev. Msgr. Daniel Mueggenborg ‘89 Diocese of Tulsa Vice Rector for Administration
he season of Lent is traditionally experienced as a time of sacrifice. It is not uncommon to hear Catholics speak about what they are “giving up” as part of their Lenten observance. The real meaning of sacrifice, however, is not found in what we “give up” for ourselves, but rather in what we “give to” God. The very word sacrificium means to “make holy”. Thus, in our Christian lives, those things are “made holy” which we give over to the service of God. For priests and seminarians, the experience of sacrifice is essential to our vocation and identity. One cannot follow Jesus without surrendering to the Father’s will, even as our Lord surrendered to His Father’s will. Sacrifice is an essential act for every Christian but especially so for priests. The promises of ordination – prayer, obedience, and celibacy – are practical ways in which we sacrifice so that God’s will can be accomplished in and through us.
We pray in thanksgiving for the many ways in which you, the benefactors and friends of the North American College, sacrifice so that the mission and ministry of priestly formation can be carried out in the heart of Rome. We know that the sacrifice of your time, talent, and treasure is an act of faith in which you, too, give to God a part of your lives so that He can use it to accomplish His work in the world.
An important part of that work of God is the formation of good, holy, and dedicated priests. This formation takes place both at the seminary where students are prepared for ordination and at the Casa Santa Maria where priests experience the ongoing formation of deepened theological education in post-ordination studies. It also occurs through the Institute for Continuing Theological Education, where priests are renewed and strengthened for continued ministry to the People of God. Thank you for your support, your sacrifice, which makes these ministries possible.
Wooden crucifix from the Sacred Heart Chapel at the Casa Santa Maria
I ask you in a particular way to renew your decision to sacrificially support the work of the North American College in this new year 2009. Your continued assistance is particularly important despite this time of economic turmoil. We will continue our ministries to ensure that the Church receives the quality parish priests we need. Please make your decision to remain a part of this strong ministry and help us in our work of priestly formation.
As you enter the season of Lent, I ask you to prayerfully consider the sacrifice of Jesus, the sacrifice of the priests and seminarians of the North American College, and the sacrifice which you, as a member of the Body of Christ, can offer to God as a sign of your faith and hope for the future of the Church. - Rev. Msgr. Daniel Mueggenborg
WINTER 2 0 0 9 21
SAVE THE DATE:
The 2009 Rector’s Dinner Thursday, 30 April 2009
CONTACT THE OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT FOR MORE INFORMATION.
The Pontifical
North American College
3211 Fourth Street, NE Washington, D.C. 20017-1194 For more information about the North American College, or to learn about opportunities for memorial gifts, contact Mary DiDonato at our Washington, DC, Office of Institutional Advancement: Tel: (202) 541-5411 / Fax: (202) 722-8804 Email: nac@usccb.org or visit our website at www.pnac.org
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