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rapping priest, Fr Stan Fortuna
Here in South Florida, down the street from my home parish, was a concert featuring Fr Stan Fortuna C.F.R., the “rapping priest.” The evening concert was today @ St. Boniface Catholic Church (8330 Johnson Street, Pembroke Pines, FL 33024) from 8pm until 11pm. Tickets were $10.00 per ticket. — I didn’t get a chance to go, but I’m sure he was great … I’ve seen him a couple of times already … blessing all he encounters.
Here are some You Tube video with him, if you don’t know him. Lost of video on You Tube … just search “Fr Stan Fortuna.” They don’t really do him justice … you need to see him live.
Spanish class dinner
In order to catch-up on some missing Spanish, our professor invited us to his home this evening for dinner and a study session. Our hosts were generous beyond words with a delicious steak dinner. We also brought some desert (very rich). Discussions were about everything … pet dogs … pink glass cleaner … our Easter break … Narnia (movie & book) … conditional tenses … past perfect subjunctives … que haria Jesus (WWJD) … million dollar dreams … dwarfs … poetry … and more. — a great evening.
Ultra Music Festival (day 1)
I drove over to Bicentennial Park (next to Bayside) for day 1 of the electronic Ultra Music Festival after dinner about 6:30pm, but the highway exit was backup up and parking was crazy, so I drove around South Beach instead. Some other guys were interested, but it is expensive tonight ($70) and a seminarian budget is pretty sensitive. The main DJs I’d like to see are spinnin’ tommorow anyway. It’s been a couple years since I’ve been and I need to take advantage of living in Miami while here at SJVCS. I’ll post some descent YouTube video as they get posted over the next few days.
[wiki info:] Ultra Music Festival is an outdoor electronic music event held annually in Miami, Florida during the Winter Music Conference which occurs annually during the month of March. It is a 2-day event that takes place across 12 different stages featuring over 200 artists, DJs, producers and promoters. This year, it’ll celebrate it’s 10th anniversary taking place on Friday, March 28th and Saturday March 29th, 2008 in downtown Miami. The artist line up for the event is as follows:
FRIDAY (today) – PHASE ONE: Tiesto, Carl Cox, Justice, Rabbit in the Moon, Danny Tenaglia, Richie Hawtin, Steve Lawler, BT, Josh Wink, James Zabiela, M.A.N.D.Y., Erol Alkan, Boys Noize, Dirty South, Deadmau5, Jackal & Hyde, Monk, Kevens and Audiofly.
Ultra Music Festival 2008 Commercial
Day #1 compilation @ Ultra Music Festival 2008
Break Dancers @ Ultra Fest 2008
Danny Tenaglia @ Ultra Fest 2008
More clips coming.
Latin choir + volleyball + Fr Rios
At MASS, the choir sang some awesome Latin hymns, but couldn’t pull off the English ones. 🙂
Afternoon VOLLEYBALL outside with our new (fragile) net in the grass field was great. 3 fun games.
Dinner announcements were done by Fr Rios (very lively and apparently historical/rare).
care packages from IL kids + LOST 9 ball
SEMINARIAN CARE PACKAGES — After dinner, the Rector randomly gave out a dozen Easter cards written by some elementary school kids from Illinois. They also contained gift certificate cards in them, for gas and more. — WOW … blessings all the way from Illinois … thank you (even though I wasn’t a lottery winner). 🙂
DOTS — worklist (McCarthy House) — worklist 2 (clean our Pre-The house) — Holy Hour (Fr Michael) — brother seminarian’s father dies (CL) — 9 Ball (3 losses) — LOST S2.7n8
Cuban food night
Tonight’s CULTURAL FOOD NIGHT featured Cuban food, which I helped (un pocito) with after classes. Chicken & rice (secret ingredient = Corona), plantains (chips & cooked). — Great eatin’ / delicioso!
Prayer for the Grace of Letting Go
At Mass today, Fr Santos reflected on a great prayer:
Loving God, I give you thanks for having called me to this great and wonderful adventure called seminary life.
While my heart is filled with joy and my spirit with great excitement, I am slowly discovering that this path I have chosen asks that I give up many things which have already become part of my life.
And let me be honest with you, I’m not finding it easy at all.
It is not always easy to let go of what I’ve gotten used to, Lord.
It’s difficult to let go of late night outings with my friends instead of studying.
It’s difficult to let go of mornings when I can stay in bed instead of going to prayer.
It’s difficult to let go of the good food I enjoy at home.
It’s difficult to let go of the freedom to go wherever and do whatever I please.
It’s difficult to let go of my friends, especially that girl whom I like so much.
It’s difficult to let go of those moments when I choose to be by myself instead of having to deal with others in community.
It’s difficult to let go of my biases, prejudices, and ideas that give me comfort and security.
It’s difficult to let go of many more things, old habits really die hard.
This new life scares me at times too.
How do I know all this letting-go will bear fruit?
How do I know that giving up all these things will result in my becoming happy with the path I have chosen?
How do I know that letting go of my former ambitions and dreams will really allow me to give my life entirely to you?
How do I know that all this sacrifice will make a good priest out of me?
How do I know that I will not fall later on and cause pain and sorrow to your church?
How do I know that this is your will for me and not something I merely imagine?
Speak, Lord, your servant listens.
Let me put my trust completely in you.
Allow me to see that though the initial stage of my journey
may be dark, difficult, and uncertain,
your presence is more that enough to calm my fears,
to lighten my burden, and to give me the strength and courage
to stick to this path that I have chosen,
in the firm conviction that you who have called me asked me
to let go of many things that have given comfort and security to my life
will give me in their stead, the greatest consolation there can be:
the knowledge that wherever I go, whatever happens, whomever I become,
you will always be there to love, guide, and protect me.
— Amen.
back from Easter BREAK
I took last week’s Holy Week BREAK a bit too literally, so I’ll be back-dating some posts, especially pictures from services at St Mary’s Cathedral that all of us Miami seminarians served at. — a blessed experience indeed.
We were due in today by 9pm. 10pm NIGHT PRAYER was very reflective on the last 3 (busy) weeks by (rector) Fr Michael. [3 tracks, 1h]
+ JP’s back!
Easter Sunday @ my parish
(video) “When God Ran” by Phillips Craig & Dean
On our first day of Holy Week break, our rector, Fr Michael, sent an email with a You Tube video link. It features clips from The Passion of the Christ movie to the Phillips Craig & Dean song “When God Ran.” — a powerfully good focus for reflection for entering Holy Week.
“Though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not deem equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave, being born of human estate, and it was thus that he humbled himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a cross!
“Because of this, God highly exalted him and bestowed upon him the name above every other name, so that at Jesus’ name every knee must bend in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth, and every tongue proclaim to the glory of God the Father: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!” — Philippians2:6-11
posting delay
Sorry for the silence for the last couple weeks. I was having trouble getting my pictures off my cell phone. Problem solved … so I’ll be backdating my post with my reflections for the last few weeks as I upload everything.
I’m still here … 🙂 This is the last week of classes before Holy Week break.
Today was a day off from classes due to our hectic weekend of Vocation Awareness Weekend where 70 guys from all over Florida came to see what seminary life is like and possibly discern if the priesthood is for them. Great weekend. Great guests. (I was Janet Jackson in the Saturday night skit … but I’ll explain later when I post some pics)
Patience … 🙂 … Be holy … Good night!
blackout + Bohemian food night
CULTURAL FOOD NIGHT — tonight was Bohemian Food Night. Good eatin’ and a sweet desert.
DOTS — power blackout — Jericho
Polish food night @ home
While on mid-term break, tonight was a great Polish dinner with golombki (stuffed cabbage).
carnival clean-up
I helped with clean-up efforts to “take down” my parish carnival booths at St Bernadette Catholic Church in Hollywood, FL. With only about a dozen people, it took all day and there’s still more to do. The occassional rain didn’t help either. Anyway, great work … I’ll feel it all week … came home a lobster. — It’s nice to be working with the same workers that I did back in 8th grade (for service hours), but that was 15 years ago … where’s some fresh blood.
Parish Carnival
On my first real day of mid-term break, I spent some time at my parish of St Bernadette Catholic Church in Hollywood, FL. This weekend we’re having our annual Mardi-Gras themed Carnival (our biggest fundraiser). These pictures were actually taken Sunday night (when it rained), but most of the weekend had good weather and a good turn out.
ping pong champ + Snickers
Ping Pong Tournament Finals tonight. A great match-up that brought the whole house to watch a 5 game rally that keep everyone on the edge of their seats. We even had a break-time show. 🙂
DOTS — Trustee Meetings — Bishop Lunch — washed dishes — Snickers Ice Cream — worked on Contemporary Philosophy take home mid term exam
prayer Litany of the Blessed Sacrament
Today, at Holy Hour (before the Blessed Sacrament with benediction & adoration), I was praying the Litany of the Blessed Sacrament and meditated on some descriptions of the Blessed Sacrament that stood out (and haven’t heard much of). [full litany at catholicdoors.com]
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Corn of the elect,
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Wine whose fruits are virgins,
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Memorial of the wonders of God,
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Super-substantial Bread,
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Heavenly Antidote against the poison of sin,
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Medicine of immortality,
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Bread made flesh by the omnipotence of the Word,
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Sacrament of piety,
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Priest and Victim,
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Spiritual Sweetness tasted in its proper source,
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Pledge of future glory
Also, a petition in the litany … “That You would preserve and increase our faith, reverence, and devotion toward this admirable Sacrament” … we beseech You, hear us.
ping pong + Jericho back
MINISTERIAL PRACTICUM — (yesterday) Multiple choice mid-term. [aces]
NEW TESTAMENT — mid-term exam. Multiple choice.
DOTS — dinner canolli — Medieval Philosophy study group — Jericho returns (finally!)
PING PONG — tonight was the last semi-final round for our Ping-Pong Olympic Tournament. Great match-up and awesome game, even with the “unruly crowd.” 🙂
Virgin of hope
Today is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Rector posted the following on his bulletin board. The prayer below was offered by Pope John Paul II at the conclusion of the rosary, during his final pilgrimage to Lourdes in August, 2004:
Hail Mary, poor and humble Woman,
Blessed by the Most High!
Virgin of hope, dawn of a new era,
We join in your song of praise,
to celebrate the Lord’s mercy,
to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom
and the full liberation of humanity.
Hail Mary, lowly handmaid of the Lord,
Glorious Mother of Christ!
Faithful Virgin, holy dwelling-place of the Word,
Teach us to persevere in listening to the Word,
and to be docile to the voice of the Spirit,
attentive to his promptings in the depths of our conscience
and to his manifestations in the events of history.
Hail Mary, Woman of sorrows,
Mother of the living!
Virgin spouse beneath the Cross, the new Eve,
Be our guide along the paths of the world.
Teach us to experience and to spread the love of Christ,
to stand with you before the innumerable crosses
on which your Son is still crucified.
Hail Mary, woman of faith,
First of the disciples!
Virgin Mother of the Church, help us always
to account for the hope that is in us,
with trust in human goodness and the Father’s love.
Teach us to build up the world beginning from within:
in the depths of silence and prayer,
in the joy of fraternal love,
in the unique fruitfulness of the Cross.
Holy Mary, Mother of believers,
Our Lady of Lourdes,
pray for us.
Amen.
Pope + Lourdes + grotto = plenary indulgence
Since my home parish of St Bernadette Catholic Church has a grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, visiting and praying at the grotto between Feb 2-11, 2008 qualifies for a special Papal plenary indulgence to encourage renewed holiness, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the appearance of Mary to St Bernadette Soubirous near Lourdes, France.
An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment (in this world and in purgatory) due for sins committed. A plenary indulgence is the remission of all punishment. This is a tremendous gift from the Pope. To receive the indulgence, one should say the Our Father, Apostle’s Creed and the Hail Mary at the grotto along with a prayer for our Pope’s intentions and go to confession before Easter Sunday.
For more info & details, see article at Catholic News Service (CNS).
Thank you Jesus for your mercy and the Holy Catholic Church you have left us … with the treasury of your merits. May Our Lady continue to lead us to her Son, Jesus! Amen.
SJVCS Seminary Life Album
July '09 -- hospital chaplains @ IPF
Easter '09 -- Miami SJVCS friends
the Son always finds a break in let the clouds
Feb '09 -- school vocation talks @ AMHS
Feb '09 -- cold breakfast with brothers (Matias, Fenly & Randy), now at SVDP and Imad (at SJVCS)
Superbowl '09 -- eating great @ SJVCS
Sept '08 -- Worklist Coordinators?
St Raphael Chapel mural @ SJVCS
Sept '08 -- retreats @ SJVCS
"It's not easy being green"
Catholic Kermit 
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