The Final Post

Well first off, begin I get to my final remarks, I thought that I should update you on Ryan.  Ryan is doing very well, and he is safely back in America.  He even went to Chili's, his favorite place in the whole world (aside from a chapel of course).  And look who he found inside Chili's?!  I just can't believe it.  It has been a lot of fun bringing Ryan around Europe, and I am only slightly concerned for what is coming next semester when Ryan is in Rome.  But alas, here is to Ryan Adorjan!

One of the most difficult things about being back home is trying to describe to people my experience in Rome. And I think there are a couple of reasons for that.  The first is that there was just so much that happened that I could easily talk to them for hours about it and not even come close to summarizing everything.  Secondly, I know for a fact that I am not even close to understanding all that happened in Rome and the way that it affected me.  Many of the things I learned and received won't really be put into use until I'm back at seminary, I'm in theology, or I'm a priest.  So I won't see all of those fruits for a while.  And lastly, it has been hard because a lot of people ask about experiences, like what it was like when Pope Francis was elected, what my different travels were like, and some of my favorite places in Rome.  And while those are all great questions, and I enjoy talking about them, they are not what I am really thinking about as I reflect on the semester.  And let me explain what I mean by that.  

When I think of my time in Rome, I would say the word that comes to mind most is "Encounter."  And there are three different encounters I want to focus on.  The first encounter is with the people I met in Rome.  I met quite a few people while in Rome, from an awesome seminarian from Germany to families from New York, from a Bolivian sister to multiple Cardinals.  Most notably, however, I encountered 33 other people, namely my fellow Bernardians (the people from my house).  And to put it simply, living in that community was probably one of the best parts of my time in Rome.  Living with so many incredible men and women was such a gift, and I could not imagine the semester without any single person not being there.  Living in community brought so many graces and new friendships, and through the witness of every other person in the Bernardi house, I was able to grow in holiness and knowledge of my own vocation.  While the semester was great, if I was by myself, it would not have been nearly as good as it was.  Whether it was walking an hour to station churches in the morning, going out for a meal, waiting in ridiculous Italian lines for Papal Masses, or just hanging out at Bernardi, it was so great to be able to spend quality time with the holy men and women that I lived with.  They are all incredible people and I cannot wait to see where the Lord leads each of them in their lives.  But encountering them, each of them individually, was such a gift.  It was so cool to see how the Lord worked in their lives during the semester and to learn how to pour myself out for them.  Living in the community has been one of the best examples for me of true Christian love, and I can truly say that I am a better man because of the people that I lived with during the semester. 

Bernardi Spring 2013

Secondly, I encountered the Church.  Living in Rome, the heart of the Catholic Church, it is hard not to come away with a deeper appreciation for the Church.  But I did not leave with just a deeper appreciation.  It is not like I just think "Man, while I thought the Catholic Church was cool, now I think it is super cool."  It is not like that at all.  What I mean when I say I encountered the Church is that I encountered the most beautiful thing on this Earth.  I encountered what I will give my life to as a priest.  I encountered the Catholic Church, with all of Her wisdom, tradition, history, and goodness.  And I just love Her.  She is the home of the saints.  She is the refuge of sinners here on this Earth, fighting for their salvation.  She is the hope of all persecuted.  She is the font of grace for the world.  She is my home, and most importantly, She is my Bride.  Words cannot describe the excitement and joy within my heart as I think about giving my life to the Catholic Church as a priest.  So encountering the Church, both the Church Militant, those on this Earth, like you and me, fighting for their salvation every day, and the Church Triumphant, the saints who have won the race and rejoice in Heaven eternally, was just amazing.  The Catholic Church is so beautiful, and it is truly a grace to have encountered Her in such a profound way in Rome.

Lastly, but most importantly, I encountered the person of Jesus Christ.  Before the semester, one of the seminarians said that the only reason that we should be excited about going to Rome was because Jesus was there.  We weren't going for the beautiful art, the tasty wine and pasta, or just to travel Europe.  We were going to encounter the person of Christ, and that is what I did in Rome.  Through prayer, the sacraments, the people around me, and through the Church, I encountered Christ.  And He continued to work so as to conform my heart to His.  Because that is what a priest is called to be.  A priest is a man who is conformed to Christ Crucified, so that he can pour himself out completely and be a vessel of Christ's love for the world.  And to act in the person of Christ, you have to know Him first.  So by encountering the Lord, He will further mold me into His image, so that I can be an effective minister of the mysteries of salvation for the people of God.  

So my Rome experience was all about Encounters.  Encountering people, encountering the Church, and encountering the Lord.  God truly blessed me with an amazing semester abroad and I am excited to be able to share these graces, these encounters with all of the people here back home.  God has been so good, and I cannot even begin to express to Him the gratitude for the many graces He has bestowed upon me.  So it is here that I will begin conclude my blog.  While some people have requested that I continue posting, I do not think that it would be appropriate, or very prudent, for me to maintain something like this during this stage in my formation.  So that means that I only have a captive audience for a few more sentences, so I better make this good.  First off, thank you for reading and following this.  A blog wouldn't really be much if it wasn't for the readers.  Whether you followed from the beginning, or you hopped on somewhere during the ride, it has been a joy sharing my experiences from Rome with all of you.  Thank you for putting up with some of my riduclousness, and hopefully nothing I said offended anybody too much.  I hope that I was able to provide some sort of entertainment, joy, and brightness to your life through my writings.  But more importantly, I hope that the Lord was able use some of my simple reflections and thoughts on life to move some hearts closer to His.  So again, thank you so much for all of your support, especially in the form of prayer.  Please continue to pray for me as I pursue the priesthood (I need all the help I can get!) and know of my continued prayers for all of you.  May God Bless all of you, and it has been a joy sharing this experience with all of you.  Thanks. 

In Christ, 

Jim Olofson 

Sts. Peter and Paul - Pray for Us! 

Our Lady of Guadalupe - Pray for Us!                

Sweet Home Chicago

Well after about 10 hours on a plane, I finally got home today.  We were delayed for 3.5 hours, sitting on the tarmac in Milwaukee after being diverted due to the storms.  So while it wasn't ideal, I am still home, and that is all that I really care about.  It is great to be back and I will post more later, but after a very long day of traveling, it is great to be back home in Sweet Home Chicago.  Thanks for all of the prayers!  

Soon and Very Soon

I think I may have titled one of my very first posts about leaving for Europe the same way, but alas, this is what I am going with.  Tomorrow, June 12, I will be flying back to the United States of America with Max Behna and Mike McMahon.  Ireland has been wonderful and it is kind of mind-blowing that my Rome semester is coming to an end.  The time has just flown by, but as I think back about everything that I've done, it feels like I have been here forever.  There is definitely a bit of inner tension, with the excitement of going home paired with the realization that all of this is coming to an end.  It will be so good to eat some Portillo's, be back in the Diocese of Joliet, and see my family and friends.  But at the same time, this semester has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, so seeing it end is a bit saddening.  But as usual, life must go on.  I have a lot to pray about regarding the graces of the semester and I am looking forward to unpacking my experiences throughout the course of the summer.    

So as I write this, with about 14 hours left in Europe, I just want to ask you to pray for safe travels for the 3 of us.  Also, because it is June 11, I have to send a special Birthday Shout-Out to my little sister Maggie. She's 17 today.  Kind of ridiculous, but it's true.  She's getting so old.  I hope she sees this before the end of the day, but we shall see.  So happy birthday to Maggie!  

St. Christopher - Pray for Us!        

Ireland

Well here I am in Ireland.  What a great place to be.  As I was flying here from France, my heart was filled with joy to hear English spoken.  After being in Italy where I could get by, and in France, where they don't have a real language, the awesome Irish accent just warms my heart.  Anyways, on to my adventures.  My first full day, I hopped on a bus to go up to Knock.  Knock is a shrine near Galway where Mary appeared to about 20 individuals in 1879.  Compared to Lourdes, it was so much more peaceful.  There were just a lot less people there and it was easy to get around the shrine.  I met Emma, from Bernardi, and one of her friends who came to Rome during the semester, Angie, there, and we had a great time.  Seeing the site where Mary appeared was beautiful and going to Mass in English was a joy.  Though I will say that there was one major disappointment at the Shrine.  Going there, I was very much hoping to sing one of my favorite Marian hymns, Lady of Knock.  Obviously, being at her shrine, I kind of expected it.  But alas, not once did I sing it there.  Very unfortunate.  I will admit singing it to myself many times walking around the shrine.  But here is a YouTube version of it, if you are interested.        

The next day, which happened to be my birthday, was marvelous.  And if you are reading this now and realizing that you had no idea that it was my birthday and feel even a little bit bad, please don't.  I'm quite alright with you forgetting.  And even though I was on a bus for the majority of the time, I had a great time.  I stopped in Galway for a couple of hours between buses and was able to celebrate with Emma and Angie.  They were just great, buying me lunch, a Psych pineapple, a Guinness and some candy for the rest of the ride.  Here is a compilation of pictures Emma sent me.  I really appreciated all of it.  And it was exactly what I would choose to do on my birthday: go out with some good friends and just hang out.  So that was just a great time.     

After a couple more buses, I arrived in Clonmel, the home of Eddie Cummins. Eddie is one of my cousins and it has been a joy staying with him the past 2 days.  He just turned 80 recently, but we have been having a great time together.  He is just a great man and it is good to be with him.  He has been so generous showing me around and hosting me this weekend.  Last night, we went over to Carmel's house, and Carmel is one of the coolest Irishwomen I've ever met.  Last time I was here (4th grade), she played tons of games with my sisters and I and we had a blast.  And since the day she found out that I entered the seminary, she has been praying fervently for me, which of course, I highly appreciate.  She is one of the fastest talkers I know, but will take care of anyone who comes to the door of her tiny home.  So it was just a wonderful time going over to see her.  So seeing her was probably one of the highlights of my time here in Clonmel.  Tomorrow, I will be heading off to County Kerry to hang out with Mike McMahon, Colin Jones, and Emma.  It really should be a great time.  So ya, things are great, but needless to say, I am very excited to go home Wednesday.  It will be great to see everyone again.  Thanks for your continued prayers and I will see all of you soon. 

Eddie, Carmel, and myself

St. Patrick - Pray for us!      

 

Ars and Lourdes

Well I am now writing from Ireland, and I could not be more excited to be here.  It is just so nice to be in a place where I know how to talk to people.  But because I just got here last night, I will fill you in about my other 2 stops in France before coming here.  After Paris, Max and I hopped on a train down to Ars, the home of St. John Vianney.  St. John Vianney, the patron saint of diocesan priests, is one of my favorite saints and it was such a joy to be able to spend some time in the town where he was the pastor for 41 years.  We stayed in the seminary there, which was very nice.  The town itself is very small and rural, but I really enjoyed my time there.  Max and I made our day like a retreat there, so we didn't necessarily have to hang out or do things together.  We could just go explore, relax, and pray as we wanted.  It was marvelous.  And being able to stay in the town that Vianney personally transformed was just incredible.  Going through seminary, John Vianney struggled quite a bit with academics.  Was he intelligent?  Absolutely.  Did he understand Latin?  Not so much.  But anyways, with the help of his parish priest, he finally made it to ordination.  After being ordained for a few years, he was sent to Ars, which was basically "that parish" in the diocese.  When priests were sent there, it usually wasn't a good sign.  But the bishop said to Vianney "There is not much love for God in the parish; you will bring some into it."  And as he was moving to Ars, he got lost along the way and asked a boy from the village to lead him to the city.  And then he said one of my favorite quotes of his.  "You have shown me the way to Ars.  Now I will show you the way to Heaven."  How awesome is that?  Upon arrival, he slowly started to transform the town.  The town was full of bars and nobody really cared about God at all, but slowly, the bars would close and more and more people would be coming to Mass.  Through his intense love of God, which overflowed into a great love for his people, the people came back to the Church and the sacraments.  He is renowned for his amazing gifts in the confessional, where he would often be for up to 18 hours a day.  A Day.  My parish has confession for 45 minutes a week.  Vianney heard confessions for over 100 hours a week.  That's incredible.  He was a man of intense fasting and prayer, often only eating a potato a day and only getting 2 hours of sleep.  And really, the stories only go on.  But spending time with this incredibly holy priest was such a gift.  It really inspired me to continue to pursue the priesthood and work so that when I am ordained, I can bring many souls to Jesus Christ.  John Vianney transformed his town by giving himself to Christ as a priest, and I hope to be used to by Christ to transform many parishes as well.

You have shown me the way to Ars, now I will show you the way to Heaven,

The tomb of Vianney

He is incorrupt (He hasn't really decayed since dying)

His confessional

The step going to his confessional.  Look at how worn out that is.

After a day in Ars, we hopped on a train to go down to Lourdes.  And to put it simply, Lourdes was incredible.  It is truly a grace-filled place.  Looking back on when we planned it, I have no idea how we really happened to end up in Lourdes, but I am so happy that we were there.  While we were only there for a night, it was such an incredible experience.  The basic story is that Mary appeared in a cave to a young girl named Bernadette, and said "I am the Immaculate Conception."  She also asked her to dig a bit and there was a natural source of water which Mary had Bernadette to wash herself in and and drink.  So since then, it has become a major pilgrimage site.  And easily the coolest part of my time there was the Rosary Procession Tuesday night.  Because of the power of the natural waters, thousands of people come to wash themselves in the water in hopes of healing.  So seeing literally thousands of people in wheelchairs, with someone pushing them around the procession following a beautiful statue of Mary, was just so cool to see.  To see the great faith of people there was so humbling and beautiful.  People come from all over the world just to pray in Lourdes for healing and grace.  It was so neat to see.  I wish I could put into words the feeling of that place, but I absolutely loved it.  The next day, I was able to go through the baths myself, which was a great experience.  It was cold, like really cold, but it was a neat experience, being able to pray for people in such a unique way.  Even though I was only in Lourdes for a day, it was amazing, and I know that I want to go back, and even possibly spend some time volunteering there.  I just loved Lourdes and felt a great sense of peace there.

The Grotto, where Mary appeared to Bernadette

The Basilica 

River running through the sanctuary

Well here I am in Ireland, looking forward to another great week of travels.  I head home on the 12th, but I have a lot of great things in store for me.  I am heading to Knock this afternoon, another Marian apparition site.  So please continue to pray for safe travels and I will see you back at home soon.

Sts. John Vianney and Bernadette - Pray for Us!
Our Lady of Lourdes - Pray for Us!              

Bonjour from Paris!

Well after spending a couple of days in Rome with the Joliet guys at the NAC and Bishop R. Daniel Conlon of the great Diocese of Joliet, Max and I boarded a plane Friday morning headed to France.  Our first stop was Paris and almost immediately, we realized we weren't in Rome any more.  First off, Paris is just so much more diverse than Rome.  So seeing people of different ethnic groups that you usually didn't run into in Rome kind of threw me for a loop.  Also, I am pretty sure that French isn't even a real language.  It's just a bunch of mumbles and stuff and people somehow manage to communicate with it.  While my Italian was remedial at best, being able to know what a menu says or how to ask for directions would have come in handy many times here.  Anyways, on to what we did.

Our first stop was Notre Dame.  The great Gothic Cathedral of Paris and home to the famous hunchback.  It was an incredible church and its architecture is stunning.  I think that Gothic is probably my favorite church style, so being able to be in the "proto-Gothic" church was pretty awesome.  One thing that hit me there that surprisingly didn't hit me yet this semester was how disappointing it was that so many people were there for the building itself, and did not care at all that it was a Church.  This is super prevalent in Rome, but it never really occurred to me there.  But here, that is all I could think about in that church.  Because if we believe that a Church is God's dwelling place, His house, which we do believe, then I feel like it would be good to say Hi to the homeowner sometime during the tour.  It is like being let into one of the greatest houses of all time, and even seeing the owner, but only taking a picture of him, not even thinking about going over or even just waving hello.  So while it was a cool church, I just wish that it was more of a church than a big tourist trap.  Anyways, after Notre Dame, we headed over to Sainte Chappelle.  now if you have seen the Catholicism Series by Fr. Robert Barron, you have seen Sainte Chappelle.  Sainte Chappelle is the church with the magnificent stained glass windows featured in the opening sequence.  Again, absolutely gorgeous, but now the chapel is owned by the government.  That means that it won't ever function as a church ever again and it is there purely for artistic worth.  So this art, which was originally meant to draw people's minds and hearts to God during prayer, is now used to make some cash for the French government.  Lame.  Alas, that is the way it is.

Notre Dame

Inside Notre Dame

Sainte Chappelle (Don't mind the window restoration stuff)

Our only full day in Paris was packed.  We started off with some fresh fruit and croissants for breakfast.  Super tasty.  Then we headed to the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal, the church that St. Catherine Laboure received the visions the Miraculous Medal from Mary.  I have a big devotion to the Miraculous Medal and have been wearing one everyday for about 3 years now, so it was cool to be able to visit the church where it all started.  Within the church, there was a large statue of Mary as she appeared on the medal and also the tombs of St. Catherine Laboure and St. Louise de Merillac.  I was baptized at St. Louise de Merillac Parish in Brookfield, so it was cool to see her as well.  After that church, we went around the corner to see St. Vincent De Paul, who is one of my favorite saints.  We prayed there for a while and then went over to the Eiffel Tower.  Seeing that was nice I guess, but again, it is kind of like "Well. there it is.  Let's take a picture and move along."  And then we walked over to the Arc di Triumph and down the Champs Ulysses.  We waved to the Louvre, after seeing way too much art this past semester in art class, continued on our way.  That night, we went to a Mozart and Bach concert in Sainte Chappelle, which was incredible.  Awesome music in an awesome setting.  Gotta love it.

St. Louise de Marillac

Miraculous Medal Sanctuary

St. Catherine Laboure (Yes, she is wearing the flying nun habit, it is a real thing)

Church of St. Vincent De Paul.  Tomb is above the altar

Eiffel Tower!  Yeahhhhhh 

Ryan came with too!  

Arc di Triumph

Tomorrow, we head to Sacre Coeur, the church in Paris dedicated to the Sacred Heart.  They have had perpetual adoration there in that church continuously for over 131 years, including when Paris was getting bombed during the World Wars.  Pretty awesome.  And then tomorrow afternoon, we are heading down to Ars, the home of one of my patrons, St. John Vianney.  He is an incredible priest so I will have to fill you in after my time there.  Please continue pray for us as we travel Europe!

St. Vincent De Paul and St. John Vianney - Pray for Us!                  

Good Bye Bernardi

This morning, I leave the gates of the Bernardi House for the last time.  After four months of amazing adventures, incredible experiences, and many new friendships, it is time to leave this house for good.  And it is a very bittersweet parting.  These past couple of weeks have been challenging for a number of different reasons, so it is definitely nice to be getting out of community life and have a bit more relaxed of a pace.  But at the same time, it is very sad to be leaving the people who have become some of my best friends over these past 4 months.  The Lord has really blessed all of us during our time in Rome and He has changed our hearts during this powerful encounter with His Church in Rome.  Fr. Justin, one of the house chaplains, preached at Mass on Monday that we have changed because of this semester.  Do we recognize a lot of the changes?  Not at all.  But the way we pray, the way we look at the Church, the way we talk about the saints, the way we love those around us, has all been formed by this experience in Rome and we cannot let the graces we received here die.  Because so often during the semester, the question ran through my head, Why me?  Why do I get to experience all of this?  I mean, when you think about it objectively, I have had some of the greatest experiences of my life during the past 4 months, with the Resignation of Pope Benedict and the Election of Pope Francis easily at the forefront.  And so the question is Why?  And to be honest, I wish that I could give you a quick and easy answer right now.  But the reality is that I have no idea.  I just have to trust that the Lord wants to use these experiences to both form me into a better man and to reach souls one day as I minister to the good people of God in the Diocese of Joliet.  I am being called to share what I have received with whomever can benefit from it, both in the stories I recount from my semester here and the witness I hope to share by the life I live.  So as I move across Rome for a couple of days with Bishop Conlon at the NAC, it is definitely a sad day, but also a day of great excitement.   And that is because this is where the real adventure begins.  Was this semester incredible?  Absolutely.  But the best part will be coming back to share everything I have received and to fulfill Christ's desire to "set the world ablaze."  So please pray for safe travels for everyone and in two short weeks, I will be returning to the great state of Illinois!

Sts. Peter and Paul - Pray for Us!    

Time is Winding Down

Well as the title says, my time in Rome is quickly coming to an end.  Every day, there seems to be a new "last thing" that we do, whether it is our last seminarian formation night with Fr. Carola, our last community night at Bernardi, or my last visit to some churches, it is slowly becoming very real that I will be leaving Rome soon.  And I definitely have mixed feelings about all of it. Am I looking forward to traveling after the semester and getting back home?  Absolutely.  But at the same time, it will be sad to leave both the city of Rome and the community here at Bernardi.  And even though I could complain for hours about the "Roman way of life," I feel like part of my heart will always be here in Rome.  So it will be sad leaving, but I know that part of my heart will always remain in the heart of the Church, so I know that it will be OK.  And what is so awesome about this semester is that it has been an intense encounter with Jesus Christ and His Church.  But when you stop and think about it, we still have Christ back home in the Eucharist and we are still part of the Universal Church when I walk 2 blocks to Mass at St. Walter's.  So while I am leaving a very concrete experience of the Church, nothing is really changing.  I still encounter the same person of Christ in prayer and I still love the same Church.  I am just doing it in a different place, and in that different place, they speak a language that I speak, so I can't be too disappointed.  But after living here in Rome for 4 months, I know that I will be back.  When exactly, I have no idea, but I know that I will be back in this marvelous city to walk the streets the saints walked and encounter the Universal Church in an incredible way.

One part of leaving that will be difficult will be leaving the community.  After living in a community of 34 awesome people for 4 months, it will be strange going back and not being with them much anymore, especially during the summer.  But I am very grateful for all of the friendships I have formed and for all of the ways that the people in the house have called me to be a better man this semester.  I want to say something specifically about the women in the house, because sometimes when people here that I am living in a foreign city in the same house as 14 beautiful Catholic women, they wonder if a seminarian can actually be formed for the priesthood in that environment.  But living with the women has been an incredible gift because they have really taught me what it means to love.  And really, a priests job, aside from administering the sacraments, is to love anyone who is in front of him.  In our moral theology class, our professor, who happens to be the Papal Theologian, talked about a woman's capacity to love and how she teaches others around her to love as well.  And that is something that I have really appreciated this semester, learning to love freely and selflessly.  The women are all incredible and very holy and have only helped me grow in my desire for the priesthood.  Their constant witness of prayer and service have really called me on to holiness this semester and I am very grateful for the opportunity to grow in my friendship with all of them.

So as the semester comes to a close, I cannot really say how much I will be posting the next few weeks.  I think that most of the places we will be staying will have WiFi, so hopefully, I will keep all of you updated.  Please continue to pray for all of us as we finish up here in Rome and know of my prayers for all of you.

Bernardi Spring 2013!

Ordinations

Yesterday, Bishop R. Daniel Conlon ordained 5 priests at St. Raymond Nonnatus Cathedral in Joliet.  While I wish that I was there, I was definitely thinking about the ordination and praying for them all day yesterday. An ordination Mass is an absolutely beautiful liturgy, where the men being ordained priests physically lay down their lives for the Church.  The Joliet Ordinations are easily my favorite Mass of the whole year and I really wish that I could have been there to see these great men get ordained.  The Mass itself is very moving and it is just incredible to see the joy in the men being ordained as they finally are becoming the priests that the Lord has called them to be.  When these men were baptized, God placed the desire for the priesthood in their hearts, and after years of prayer, studies, and formation, they can finally fulfill that desire, acting in the Person of Christ as they administer the sacraments and bring people to the Holy Catholic Church.  It is an incredible gift and I am so happy for the five men ordained yesterday.  Please remember to pray for all of them: Fr. Michael Pawlowicz, Fr. John Lovitsch, Fr. David Mowry, Fr. Marcin Michalak, and Fr. Marek Herbut.  These men will serve as priests for the Diocese of Joliet for many years to come and it has been a great joy of mine to call these men my seminarian brothers for the past three years and I look forward to the day that I can be counted as one of their priestly brothers.  

In other related news, today marks a very special day in my own pursuit of the priesthood.  That is right, 5 years from today, if everything goes according to plan, I will be getting ordained as a priest.  And while you may be thinking to yourself, Really Jim?  Five Years?  You're excited that something is five years away?  And the answer to that question is absolutely yes.  And there are quite a few reasons for that.  First, five years is a lot better than the eight years that I had at the beginning of seminary formation.  Second, I can now count the number of years left in formation on one hand.  And lastly, the number just keeps on getting lower.   While I still have tons to learn, knowing that I am doing what the Lord has created me to do brings me great joy and fulfillment.

And the last piece of exciting news is that today is Ryan Adorjan's Birthday!  So I would just like to take this opportunity to wish Ryan a very happy 21st birthday.  He has been a great travel buddy this semester and I look forward to seeing him in a few weeks while we enjoy a cold one at his favorite place in the world, Chili's!  So Happy Birthday Ryan and here he is with our good Totus Tuus friend, Miss Anna Dlesk!

   

Guests at Bernardi

This week, we were privileged to host two very important guests at the Bernardi house for our Community Nights.  Wednesday night, His Eminence Cardinal Burke celebrated Mass and has dinner with us.  Cardinal Burke, originally from a dairy farm in Wisconsin, was previously the Bishop of LaCrosse, Wisconsin and the Archbishop of St. Louis.  Now he serves as the Prefect to the Apostolic Signatura, which means that he is basically the Chief Justice of the Catholic Supreme Court.  This means that the only way that this man could possibly be promoted is to be elevated to Pope.  So the moral of the story is that Cardinal Burke is a pretty big deal.  One of Cardinal Burke's biggest passions is good liturgy, so it was great to have him celebrate Mass for us.  He realizes that the Mass isn't about the people, it is about giving praise to God.  Because God has given us the Mass so that we can worship Him, so we have to take the Mass seriously.  It isn't something that we just have to go to or go to because we see our friends, we go to Mass to give praise and honor to God and so that He can feed us with His Son in the Eucharist.  So having a man so dedicated to liturgy made the experience of Mass much more reverent and prayerful.  It was great to have him prayer with us and I was very impressed with his dedication to his role as a Cardinal in the Church.  It was very inspiring to see this man and know that the Church is in good hands for years to come.   Here is a picture of His Eminence.          

On Tuesday though, we had an amazing time with our guest.  I even got to eat dinner at his table.  But before I tell you who it is, I will give you a clue.  It was one of the two men in the picture below.......  

Although it would have been absolutely surreal to have Pope Emeritus Benedict here, we were still very privileged to welcome to our house Monsignor Guido Marini, the Papal Master of Ceremonies, for Mass and dinner Tuesday night.  Monsignor Marini is the Pope's MC, which basically means that he is the greatest altar server of all time.  Originally from Genoa in northern Italy, he has served as MC to the Pope sine 2007.  So anytime you would watch a Papal Litrugy on EWTN (wait, am I the only one who does that?) he is the one who is always next to the Pope.  Being able to talk to him (through the translation of our chaplain Fr. Carola), we were able to hear some awesome stories about his unique relationship with the Pope.  From what he told us, he actually knew that Pope Benedict was resigning a couple of weeks before the announcement.  But my favorite story from Monsignor was about Pope Francis.  Two days after his election, while Monsignor was back at his apartment resting in the afternoon (they do that here in Italy), his phone rang.  He answered it casually, saying "Pronto."  The voice on the other end mumbled "Monsignore Marini" and then he realized.  Pope Francis had just called him.  2 days after the election.  And Monsignor told Pope Francis that the Holy Father had never called him directly before.  And what did Pope Francis say in response?   "Well this must be a pretty special day.  You should write that down in your spiritual journal."  And after chatting a bit, the conversation ended.  And what happened the next day?  The Pope called him again.  And he told him to write it down in the spiritual journal again.  How cool is that?  Being with a man who knows the Holy Father in such an intimate way.  He traveled all around the world with Pope Benedict and was on the balcony when Pope Francis was introduced to the world.  That night still gives me goosebumps just thinking about it, but to be up on the balcony with the Pope as he is presented to the world for the first time would just be incredible.  And not only was Monsignor Marini cool, he is a holy man.  He knows Jesus Christ.  He has a deep relationship with Him.  And when someone asked him what advice he had for seminarians, he said "Time is short.  Grow in friendship with the Lord, fall in love with the Church, dedicate yourself to formation.  But to reiterate, time is short." Talk about motivation.  So having Monsignor Marini here was a true gift and it was so cool to be able to pray with him and listen to just a few of his many incredible stories about his service to the Church and specifically, his service to the Holy Father. 

As our semester winds down, I ask that you pray that we may finish strongly, especially when it comes to academics.  It will be tough because while we want to savor these last 2 weeks in Rome, we still have to study for finals.  So even though the end is in sight, it will be a challenging couple of weeks ahead.  So some prayers for the house would be greatly appreciated by all.    

Sts. Peter and Paul - Pray for Us!  

The Amazing Gift of the Priesthood

So I saw this article on New Advent (my favorite Catholic News source) today, and I thought that I would share it with all of you.  While it is a sad story, it is incredibly beautiful.  Talk about the amazing gift of the priesthood and the need for good priests in the world.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/ohio-priest-dies-of-cancer-two-days-after-ordination/

How cool is is that he was able to receive this gift and end his life as a priest of Jesus Christ.   Please pray for the repose of the soul of Father Carroll and for more good and holy priests to serve the Catholic Church.

"How can I repay the Lord for His goodness to me?  The cup of salvation I will raise and call upon the Lord's name." Psalm 116

Home Sweet Home

While I still have just over a month left in Europe, I do admit that I am looking forward to getting back home.    Living in Rome has been an incredible experience and I am very grateful for the time I have had over here, but it is getting to that time that I am really missing some of the things of America.  I even know that I still have a lot more to see, both in Rome and during my two weeks here after the semester (I'll be headed to France and Ireland).  But I have been thinking about these things a lot, so I thought that I would come up with a list of the things from home that I miss the most over here.

5- White Sox Baseball While I do know that they have been playing rather poorly as of late, I cannot wait to get down to the Cell for a couple of games this summer.  Nothing says America like a couple hot dogs and watching baseball at the park.  Here in Rome, it is very hard to find places that show the games and with the time difference, you have to find afternoon games if you even want a shot of the pubs having it.  (That is, of course, assuming that they will show baseball over the beloved soccer match).  But I definitely miss White Sox baseball over here, not even considering how bad they are this season.  And even if the team is playing as bad as the Cubs, this only means that ticket prices will be lower on StubHub.

4 - Chicago Food I love Italian food.  Pizza and pasta.  I could eat it all day.  But the thing is that nothing compares to some good Chicago food.  Getting some Portillo's Hot Dogs, a nice and juicy cheeseburger, Lou Malnati's Deep Dish, or even a big American Breakfast are some of the things that I dream about over here.  I cannot wait to get back to America to get some of the tasty goodness that is Chicago food.  Am I denying the awesomeness of Italian food here?  Absolutely not.  It's spectacular.  But I just cannot wait to get back to America for some good American food.

3 - St. John Vianney Seminary/Diocese of Joliet - Being away from SJV for a whole semester has been rather challenging.  While I do live with 11 other SJV guys over here, it is sad knowing that I may not see some of the guys from back at the seminary ever again.  They are my brothers and it is strange knowing that they could be moving on to different things after this semester.  And I definitely miss being in the Diocese of Joliet.  I love the parishes, the priests, and the people, and I wish that I could be back with all of them.  Also, as I am sure I will mention in a couple weeks, I will thoroughly miss not being at the Joliet Ordinations this year.  It is my favorite Mass of the whole year, and I wish I could be there to see 5 awesome guys be ordained priests.  And most notably, I miss my Joliet brothers at SJV.  They are some of my best friends and it has been tough not being around them for this long.

2 - The languages of English and Spanish While I have picked up some very basic Italian, I am looking forward to the day that I can converse with strangers with ease and not have to think intensely just to order some food at a restaurant.  So while I speak English everyday and all my classes are in English, it will be nice to just walk around and here English spoken.  And in regards to Spanish, as you may or may not know, I am almost fluent in Spanish.  At least, I was, before coming to Italy.  My Spanish has nosedived and it really saddens me that I am not as good as I was when I left.  Now, when I try to think in Spanish, random Italian phrases come to mind and it is just killing me.  And any time I do hear Spanish here, it is Spanish Spanish, not Mexican Spanish.  And while it may be more beautiful, Mexican Spanish is what is in my heart.  And my skill with the language is a pure gift from God, especially considering the number of Hispanics that need priests in Joliet, so I will thoroughly enjoy getting to Spanish Mass back in Joliet this summer.

1 - Family and Friends - Of course, this has to be number 1.  And am I doing this just because I know that the people reading this probably fall into this category?  Absolutely not.  Not having a Facebook, I have no idea what they have been up to and it has been challenging.  So I am really looking forward to just spending some solid time with all of them when I get back.  While I love all the people here at Bernardi with me, I cannot wait to hang out with a lot of my friends and my family and catch up when we get back.

So this is my list of things I miss.  And I definitely miss these things.  But at the same time, I know that it is the Lord's will for me to be here for this long, so I know that He still has more in store for me.  This means that while it may be fun to sit around and day dream about home, I need to be present and open to the people around me and the movements of the Lord.  So please continue to pray for me and all of my hosuemates as we finish off our semester well.

Sts. Peter and Paul - Pray for us! 

House Trip to Capri and Friends in Rome

This weekend, our house was privileged to take a trip to the beautiful island of Capri.  Thanos, the program manager, takes the group every semester on a trip that suits the personality of the group as a whole.  And because we have such an awesome house, he went all out, taking us on "the biggest trip he has ever planned."  Friday morning, we were on the bus at 5:50, heading south to Naples so that we could catch the ferry to Capri.  Arriving in Naples, we made it on board moments before we pushed off heading towards Capri.  The island itself is absolutely gorgeous.  Full of beautiful cliffs and surrounded by incredibly blue water, the setting was marvelous.  The island, though, would not necessarily be my first vacation destination.  There were a ton of Americans there and it was rather tourist-y.  Also, it was strange not having anything of religious significance in a place that I was traveling to.  Being the seminarian I am, I tend to go to places that, while they may be beautiful, also have some religious significance.  Capri was a bit lacking in that regard.  Despite the fact that I probably would not have chosen to go there, we still had a great time.  When we first go to the island, we took a boat tour around the island.  The boat tour, which was the equivalent of a "Hollywood stars" tour in LA, was neat, but I lost interest with it like halfway around the island.  I just don't really care about which famous Italian designer lives where or where the most romantic spot on the island is.  After the tour, we ate lunch in town and had quite a bit of free time.  So during the free time, a large group of us took a ski-lift up to the top of the mountain and see the views, and let me tell you, it was amazing.  Riding up the mountain was very peaceful and I even saw some mountain goats.  While my battery died on the way up, the views were spectacular.  The day ended with a super tasty limoncello smoothie (Capri is famous for their limoncello), which I thoroughly enjoyed.  I had a very fun time in Capri and was glad I was able to head down there for the day.        

Capri

Ryan and Max on the ski-lift to the top of the mountain!

Now, I have here another typical Ryan picture, but I think that this one will require a bit more explanation.  Ryan is here on the boat ride with Dr. Rota, the St. Thomas professor that came over with us from Minnesota.  And let me tell you about Dr. Rota.  The first thing that needs to be said is that Dr. Rota is the man.  He is super smart, an awesome teacher, and is a great man to have in the house.  He also, is the proud new father of Elizabeth Irene Rota, who was born here in Rome like 8 days ago.  Ya, we have a baby in the house.  (The girls are super excited.)  But anyways, it is a blessing to have such a solid man both teaching us about the faith and just living an authentically joyful Christian life.  Having his whole family here has been a ton of fun and he has really helped make the semester as great as it has been.  And as I was pulling Ryan out of my backpack (he wasn't behaving, so I stuck him in there...), Dr. Rota asked me about Ryan and immediately volunteered to take the picture.  I was so excited.  So here is Ryan with the one and only, Dr. Rota.      

On Saturday and Sunday, two of my good friends from St. Francis, Steph Sheehan and Katie Slavin, were in Rome and I was able to spend quite a bit of time with them.  While it was a fiasco trying to find them at first without cell phones or a reliable internet connection, we eventually met up and I had a really good time.  Being able to share all of the things I have learned with them was just great.  Because it is one thing to tell someone a story about what it was like when Pope Francis was elected.  But it is another thing to stand in St. Peter's Square and be like "Ya, that's where the smoke came out and that's where I was when Francis was introduced to the world."  And too, with this blog, I feel like a lot of people know what I have been up to, but I have no idea what they have been doing.  So it was great to just be able to talk to them about their semesters and what they have been up to.  I think I showed them a good Roman time, seeing a good number of the big sights.  One of the highlights was going to my favorite gelato shop, The Old Bridge.  Located right across the street from the Vatican, it was here that I celebrated the Lord's Resurrection after the Easter Vigil, and this is where they hung out with Ryan.  Overall, I had a very good weekend with them and being able to share what I have been up was very cool.  It made me realize what an incredible gift it is to live in Rome and the the fact that I have been able to call it home for the past 3 months is just mind-blowing.  The Lord continues to be very good to me and I cannot thank Him enough.  

Sts. Peter and Paul - Pray for us!

What Up Ryan?

So I know that a lot of you have been wondering how our good friend Ryan has been doing.  And for those of you who may not know, I think I should probably re-explain what I am exactly doing with Mr. Adorjan here in Rome.  Last semester, Ryan brought one of my freshman year seminarian baseball cards to Charlotte  NC for a weekend so that I could "see" everything that he got to see.  And while I appreciated the trip, I thought that it would be so much better to bring an enlarged version of his baseball card to Rome and have him travel around with me this semester.  And it has been quite a bit of fun to have Ryan here for all of the excitement of Rome.  So I have some good pictures of what we have been doing here in the Italy to share with all of you.

In our first Ryan sighting, it looks like he has taken on the ancient Greek practice of wearing a toga.  Why he chose to do something Greek in Rome is really quite concerning, but alas, he seems to be enjoying himself.  Also, it appears that he has been working on one of his formation goals, and that is exercise.  I mean, look at  his "rock hard" abs.  (I apologize for all terrible puns).

Ryan also came along on our road trip, and here he is chilling with a gold statue of Padre Pio.  (Not to mention Max Behna, Viunce Fernandez, Justin Wiltse, and myself).  While he did scare off some of the locals, I think that he really enjoyed his time in San Giovanni Rotunda.  Rumor is that he even levitated, following the example of Pio, but we have no visual proof to back any of this up.       

Here is Ryan at the beach in Mattinata.  While he did appear terrified to enter the chilly water, his laminated head did a few drops of water on him.  Also, there was a sign warning of danger, showing a rather graphic image of a man falling on his head.  The area around it was rather rocky and one could possibly fall in, but the severity of the fall would be very hard to replicate.  Now Ryan, lacking most athletic capacities, did end up falling and was upside down for a while.  Too bad he didn't see the sign.  Mike did help him get right side up again.  

Lastly, we have a very shocking picture to show you.  Below, you will find Ryan and Justin in the middle of a cactus-like bush.  There were these cacti things growing all over, but they didn't really have thorns/pricks/whatever they are.  Lacking much knowledge in the field of botany, we just called them cacti for the entire trip.  And what is so shocking about this picture is that both Justin and Ryan are outside.  I just cannot believe that this historic event, where both of them were breathing the open air, was captured by my camera.  

So as the semester winds down, I am sure that Ryan will still have a few more adventures over here. 

ROAD TRIP!!!

This past weekend, we had a four day weekend because Thursday was the Italian equivalent of 4th of July so I took advantage of the 4 days and got out of Rome.  I ended up renting a car with 4 other guys and having an absolutely awesome weekend.  While everybody and their mother was terrified at the thought of driving through Italy, there were no issues at all and it was smooth sailing the whole time.  Being one of the tallest and probably the best at Italian in the group, I ended up as the navigator for the whole trip, which was fun.  When we made our way to the airport to pick up our car and they showed us which car was ours, we were pretty psyched.  That was because we had BRAND NEW Volkswagen Golf, which was just great.  It had 12 kilometers on the odometer and we were the first people to actually drive it.  So after leaving the airport, our first stop was Lanciano, home of the biggest Eucharistic miracle of all time, so let me tell you the story.  A priest from the 700s was having a very hard time believing that the Eucharist was actually the body and blood of Jesus Christ.  As Catholics, we believe that Jesus is there.  Like really there.  While it may look like bread, after the priest says "This is my body... This is my blood," it is Jesus Christ.  The very substance of the bread and wine, while looking like bread and wine, is changed into Jesus.  And the priest, doubting this, received an incredible grace that day some 1300 years ago.  When he said "This is my body," the host literally turned into human heart tissue.  Let me say that again.  The bread became a piece of heart tissue.  And the wine turned into human blood.  Like actual blood.  It was bread and wine.  Then it became heart tissue and blood.  There is no way to possibly scientifically explain that.  But it happened.  Oh, and you can still see it.  So that is what we did.  Being able to pray with the physical body of Christ was incredible.  It made me realize that I need to continue to grow in my own belief in the True Presence of Christ.  So being able to sit and pray there was just amazing.  Here is a picture of the flesh and blood that is over 1300 years old.  Lanciano was just incredible, but we couldn't stay long because we had to get to our hotel in Mattinata.

Heart Tissue on Top
Droplets of blood in bottom glass

Our drive to Mattinata was incredibly beautiful and when we finally got to our hotel, we could not believe our eyes.  Beautifully situated in a valley surrounded by mountains an overlooking the sea, it was probably the most beautiful view I have ever had from a room I stayed in.  It was just an incredible place and it was super cheap, so really, you could not get any better than where we stayed.  It was just marvelous.

View from my room 

Max Behna, Mike Steffes, Vince Fernandez, Justin Wiltse, and I

The next day, we went and visited 2 great pilgrimage sites, San Giovanni Rotunda and Monte San'Angelo.  San Giovanni Rotunda is the home of Padre Pio, the great 20th century saint who is one of the biggest miracle workers the Church has ever known.  While I wish I had time to share more about him, I think the 2 things I want to mention are Padre Pio's ability to bilocate and the gift of the stigmata.  First, bilocation.  Becasue of his sanctity, Padre Pio was known to appear in two places at once.  That's pretty incredible if I don't say so myself.  There are multiple stories of him appearing to people and then when they met him later, they realize that the little Italian Capuchin friar that they saw was actually him.  He used this gift to protect his town from US bombings in WWII and to visit priests in concentration camps during the war.  So while still being in this little Italian town, he would appear to pilots in planes or to priests in Nazi Germany.  The second gift, the stigmata, is just incredible.  Padre Pio, on his body, visibly bore the 5 wounds of Christ for over 50 years.  So his hands, feet and side were almost always bleeding because he was so conformed to Christ crucified, He gave Pio the grace to suffer with him.  So while this is a rare gift, it shows Pio's amazing sanctity and union with Christ.  In San Giovanni Rotunda, we were able to pray at his tomb, see a lot of his "stuff" and just experience the city that he made into the place it is today.  The area is absolutely amazing and I really enjoyed it there.  Going into the trip, I didn't know a whole lot about Padre Pio, but now he definitely has a special place in my heart.  I think that we are going to be good friends.  I have a lot to learn from him about how to be a good and holy priest.

Padre Pio's confessional!

Padre Pio's Mass supplies

After San Giovanni Rotunda, we went to Monte San'Angelo, home of the Cave of St. Michael.  St. Michael the Archangel appeared in this cave during the 400s, and ever since then, it has been a place of devotion for thousands of pilgrims.  So being there was very cool because St. Michael is an awesome saint.  He WANTS to help you defeat evil in life.  Every single image of him has him crushing Satan, and if you ask him, he will help protect you and your family.  Spiritual warfare is a real thing, but we know that as long as we stay close to God and ask for the intercession of the saints and angels, we have nothing to fear.  So it was cool being able to pray in a cave and ask for his intercession.

A Church!  In a cave!  With St. Michael!  

The last thing I want to say about the tip was how incredibly beautiful the land was.  The mountains, the valleys, the sea.  It was just amazing.  As we were driving on the narrow mountain roads with lots of curves and switchbacks, we were stopping to get out and take pictures all of the time.  And we were only able to experience such beauty because we had the car and could drive through the mountains on our own.  It was so cool.  Most people in Rome tend to stick with the West Coast of Italy, but going to the East Coast was such a treat and it was a really great break from the city.  Now, it is back to the grind of school, but we have some exciting things ahead, so I will keep you posted.  Again, thanks for reading and your support in prayer.  Know that I am praying for all of you.

Our car for the weekend with some of the beauty behind us!

Sts. Padre Pio and Michael - Pray for us!