Upcoming Events

Well things have been going well over here in Rome.  As always, life is just crazy, but it has truly been a blessed time.  One thing that is becoming more and more apparent is that living in a completely different culture is a really good thing.  Because when you are outside of your comfort zone, you are forced to face the reality of who you are and you have to find your identity and your joy in the Lord.  The things that I typically use for my immediate gratification are just not here in Italy, so the Lord is showing me that I have to find my joy in Him.  And what a gift that is.  Looking ahead, we are coming to a crazy time, especially considering the fact that the conclave will be quickly approaching.  As I write this, the time of the conclave has yet to be announced, because all of the cardinals must be there to decide when to begin.  But that will be such a hectic, yet exciting time.  Please remember to pray for the cardinals, that they will be guided by the Holy Spirit as they discern who the Lord wants to serve Him as the next Pope.  Here is a great prayer for the election of a new Pope.

Lord Jesus Christ, you who have established your Church on the solid foundation of the Apostle Peter and have promised to remain with us until the end of time, grant we beseech you, that we may remain steadfast in faith and filled with zeal for the glory of your Name.  We humbly ask that you grant to the College of Cardinals the Spirit of Truth that they may know your will, and, acting in courage and faith, may elect as Supreme Pontiff him who you have chosen to be Chief Shepherd of your flock, Successor of Peter, Bishop of Rome, and Servant of the Servants of God.  Grant to us a Pope who will teach and guide by word and example so that together with the flock entrusted to his care, he may arrive at eternal life in your Kingdom where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.  Mary, Mother of the Church, Ora Pro Nobis!  

On a more personal note, this weekend, our whole house will be going on retreat, which I am very much looking forward to.  It will be a silent retreat, so don't be expecting anything from me over the weekend, because I will be silent.  But Jim you ask, can't you type in silence? And the answer is yes, I can be silent and type.  But the exterior silence is meant to help build interior silence, so that we may listen to the voice of the Lord.  While the retreat is a short one, only Friday through Sunday, it will be very nice to relax and have a lot of time for prayer.  Life is so crazy here, it will be great just to slow down and be with the Lord.   We will be at a retreat center right on a lake in the mountains oustside of Rome.  And the coolest part is that the retreat center has a new neighbor, His Holiness, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.  That's right, just across the lake is where Benedict is currently living.  Will we see him?  Probably not.  But will we be able to unite ourselves to him in prayer and continue to pray for the Church in this time of sede vacante?  Absolutely.  Please pray for the whole community, especially those who have not been on a silent retreat before, that we may all be open to the many graces that the Lord has in store for us.  While silent retreats can be tough, there is a lot of goodness there, so hopefully it will be a grace filled time for all.

Lastly, I want to leave you with a picture of Ryan Adorjan with Rockford seminarian, SJV grad, 3-time Totus Tuus teacher, and thoroughly awesome guy, Sean Grismer!  They are hanging out at the Angelicum with St. Joseph and Jesus, so it looks like quite a party.