Some of you may have noticed that my countdown to diaconate ordination decreased by about 50 days since yesterday.  It is the preference of my bishop, Bishop Doran, that seminarians be ordained deacons at their seminaries, and there has been a big push the past couple of years.  Today I received word that Archbishop Carlson, the archbishop of St Louis, has no problems with my Rockford classmate and myself being ordained deacons along with the St Louis seminarians this next spring.  St Louis ordains its transitional deacons on the Saturday before Palm Sunday, so my scheduled ordination date to the diaconate is now 27 March 2010.

It has been about a month since I last posted, so I thought it would be time for an update.  Things are going well for me at the cathedral.  My assignment this summer is certainly more low-key than last summer.  I have been doing various tasks around the parish, such as organizing the diocesan vestments and updating the alumni directory from our parish school with the past ten years worth of graduates.  Today was a bit of a crazy day since there was a special Mass at the cathedral for the vicar of clergy’s 25th anniversary of ordination.  Both Bishop Doran and our former bishop, Bishop O’Neal, were in attendance, which is what really made things more complicated (I was the assistant MC).

My thesis work has been progressing nicely.  I have not started doing research in full, but I have spent my time relearning Latin.  Since it is a Canon Law thesis, I need to be able to read the canons in Latin.  I had taken Latin for two semesters in grad school, but that was over three years ago now, and I had forgotten most of it.  I try to do a chapter in Wheelock’s a day, excepting Thursdays (my day off) and Sundays.  I should be finished with Wheelock’s before the summer is over, at which point I can start reading over the sources I have already found for my thesis.

The summer is really going by quickly.  It is hard to believe that July begins this week.  Before I know it, the summer will be over and I will be back at Kenrick for my Theology III year.

It has been a while since I have posted any updates about seminary, so I thought now would be a good time.

I am now finished with my Theology II year at Kenrick.  The year went very well, and it went very fast.  It was also a bittersweet ending to the school year since two of the priests at the seminary will be moving on to other assignments.  One had been at the seminary for 3 years, and the other had been there for 22 years.  They will be missed very much.

I have had a couple of relaxing weeks off at home between then end of the school year and the beginning of my summer assignment.  This summer I am once again in Rockford, but this time I am at the cathedral.  I moved in last Thursday, and thus far it has been a good experience.  There are three priests living here at the rectory, two are assigned to the cathedral and the other is in residence for he works at the chancery.  Some of my duties include: opening the cathedral in the mornings (5:45 am on weekdays), helping setup for and serve the Masses, and various larger projects (I was organizing vestments yesterday).

One of my personal summer projects is to work on my thesis.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have chosen to write on a Canon Law topic, specifically the concept of formally leaving the Catholic Church.  This summer I need to work on refreshing myself with Latin since I will need to be able to read the Code of Canon Law in its official language.  I also want to work on reading some of the articles and other documents I have gathered in doing research.  If I have time, I would also like to do some more research, especially into the ecclesiastical aspects of my thesis topic.

As usual, I will also be helping with the Rockford vocations camps this summer.  Jeremiah Days, which is for guys grades 7-9, will be July 12-15, and First Call (grades 10+) will be August 2-5.  For both camps I am in charge of the initial setup as well as being the sacristan for the camp.  Offically my assignment at the cathedral ends on July 31, but that following week I will still be in Rockford working at First Call and then attending the seminarian retreat.  I will then have about 1 to 1.5 weeks off before returning to Kenrick to begin my Theology III year.

While I am still over a year away from my scheduled ordination date to the diaconate (May, 2010), I remembered today that I am now within a year* of taking my oath of fidelity and making my promise of celibacy.  This is because the St Louis guys are ordained deacons the Saturday before Palm Sunday, and the Theology III guys being ordained deacons take this oath and make this promise together the Thursday before the St Louis diaconate ordinations.  Based upon next year’s date for Easter, this would mean this oath/promise would take place on 25 March 2010.

* Assuming the still-to-be-determined archbishop of St Louis does not change the current practices here.

Kenrick School of Theology awards its graduates with two master’s degrees: an M.Div. and an M.A. in theology. Part of the process in earning these degrees involves doing either a master’s thesis or a comprehensive exam. Each option requires about the same amount of writing: 50-80 pages. The difference is that in the thesis all those pages are focussed on a single topic while with the comprehensive exam those pages are distributed accross five different questions (so there are more questions but less writing for each than in the thesis). After the written portion is completed, there is an oral defense of the writing regardless of the option taken.

I am planning to opt for writing the thesis, and now I have a topic. One of my interests is Canon Law (Church law). I have decided to focus on Canon Law, specifically the issues regarding formally leaving the Catholic Church. The current Code of Canon Law (the 1983 Code) references this topic in three canons: 1086, 1117, and 1124. All of these canons deal with the Sacrament of Matrimony. Certain marriage laws do not affect those who have formally left the Church. While my thesis is still in its preliminary stages, I am planning to focus on the history behind dispensing from particular marriage laws, the history of the idea of formally leaving the Church, the ecclesiological aspects of formally leaving the Church, and the practical issues regarding it.

One of the priests here at the seminary who teaches moral theology has started a blog: Catholic Morality. I highly suggest adding this blog to those you check regularly.

Today at Kenrick the seminarians of First, Second, and Third Theology had a workshop on the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. The workshop started with a Solemn High Mass at “Old Kenrick”, now the Rigali Center. After Mass we returned to the seminary for some conferences in the afternoon. It was very informative. Here are some picture from Mass:

The rest of the pictures can be found here.

[Biretta tip to Jeff]

For those who do not already know, at 5 am CDT today (noon in Rome), Archbishop Burke ceased to be the archbishop of Saint Louis and became the prefect of the Apostolic Signatura at the Vatican. I ask for your prayers for:

1. Archbishop Burke as he makes the transition into his new appointment.
2. That a good bishop will be appointed to the Archdiocese of Saint Louis.
3. The seminarians at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary as we find out over the next few months how this will affect life at the seminary.

Thank you.

I started my summer assignment at St Edward’s Parish in Rockford about two weeks ago. Things have been pretty busy. I help out at the Masses, help in the office, work on computers, etc. Things have been interesting. I never know what any particular day will be like. For example, one day we had an insane person (who I think escaped from a mental ward) in the church. He put medical forms on the altar and refused to take them back. He was pretty much unresponsive when one of the priests asked him questions such as who he was and if he was alright. We ended up calling the police to have him removed because we were worried that he would go completely crazy and hurt someone. However, between the time we left the guy in the church and the time we ended the phone call to the police he had left, taking his medical forms with him. The police searched the building with us, but the guy was not there. I do not know what happened to him. That’s but one example of what can happen in a parish on any particular day.

A little over a week ago my first year of theological studies in seminary came to an end. I thought I’d give this update about how this year went and what I will be doing over the summer.

This past semester my class load was a bit lighter than in the first semester. I took six classes: Synoptic Gospels & Acts; Ecclesiology, Ecumenism, and MIssiology; Pastoral Counseling; Liturgical Formation II; Christology & Soteriology; and Medieval & Reformation Church History. It was nice having more free time available with the lighter class load. I enjoyed all my classes. One thing I liked about Pastoral Counseling was the practical nature of it was immediately apparent. It is good to know some technical point about Christology, but chances are it will not come up on a regular basis in the parish.

I am now the director of Kenrick Light & Magic. This organization started out as the group that would be in charge of the technical aspects of various shows that were put on in the seminary’s auditorium years ago. These days we focus more on setting up and operating audio/visual equipment in the seminary. The way the technology office is organized, KLM is in charge of recording audio (such as from a conference) but not putting the audio on a computer (the Office of Broadcast Media is in charge of that), we setup projectors but I think another group does TVs (it might be Student Computing Services), and we setup audio broadcasting equipment. I believe video recording is also handled by the Office of Broadcast Media. Our largest responsibility during the year is running all the technology (in conjunction with the Office of Broadcast Media) for the annual Kenrick Lecture in the spring. This past year’s Kenrick Lecture was given by Dr Thomas Hilgers, the founder and director of the Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction in Omaha.
On April 26 I was installed as a lector by Bishop George Lucas of Springfield, IL. Now I can finally read at Mass . The letter I received from Bishop Doran granting permission for me to be instituted as a lector was written entirely in Latin.

I might have mentioned this in a previous post, but Archbishop Burke announced before Christmas break that the seminary would be undergoing renovations in the near future. The influx of new seminarians (about 40 new guys this past year) means we need more space. More rooms are being added, a new wing will eventually be built to house a new library and faculty offices, the existing faculty offices will be converted back to student housing (which they once were), the current library will become classrooms and offices, and the heating, plumbing, and electrical systems. Independent from all these renovations is the renovation of the chapel. Duncan Stroik from Notre Dame is the architect that the Archbishop is using for the chapel. From the picture I have seen the chapel will be stupendous! I do not know exactly when it will be finished (I am hoping for sooner rather than later so I have more time to enjoy it), but I am told that it should definitely be finished by my diaconate year.
I had my walk with Archbishop Burke on April 10. It lasted about an hour, and we walked around St Louis. It is really great that the Archbishop takes the time to go on these walks with the seminarians.

I came home from St Louis on May 10, and I am in the midst of my 2.5 weeks off before I start my summer assignment on May 27. Before the assignment begins, I will be serving at the ordination Mass in Rockford on April 24. This year everyone — those getting ordained priests, those getting ordained transitional deacons, and those getting ordained permanent deacons — is getting ordained on the same day. There will be 7 priests ordained, 2 transitional deacons, and 8 permanent deacons. I’m expecting the Mass to be fairly long. I will then be helping out at three first Masses. I am MCing one vigil Mass Saturday evening, serving another Mass Sunday morning, and MCing the final Mass Sunday afternoon.
My summer assignment this year is to live full-time at St Edward’s parish in Rockford. I will be helping out at the Masses, teaching a weekly class, accompanying the priests as they do hospital visits, etc. The associate pastor at my assigned parish is a graduate from Kenrick and a big Notre Dame fan; we are planning a trip to ND sometime over the summer. This summer I will also be assisting at two of the vocations camps the diocese has. My assignment ends on August 11, which will give me about a week of time off before returning to St Louis to begin my Theology II year.