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McCarthy House + new worklist
NEW WORKLIST JOB — we got new semester “Worklist Jobs” (on Wed afternoons) and “House Jobs” (daily) today. For worklist, I am “Head of McCarthy House.” There are 4 of us seminarians that clean the priest residence & faculty offices. Garbage, sweep, mop, dust, vacuum, & stock fridge drinks. For house job, 2 of us have McCarthy House … basically we check on the house daily for minor clean-up and maintenance. — my favorite part is the beautiful McCarthy House Chapel
DOTS — “PB” left — Holy Hour incense — keep the Church in my discernment — MP3 curse
Family Day + StB
MIAMI FAMILY DAY — today, Archbishop Favalora hosts all the Miami seminarian & their families for a Mass & luncheon. We started the morning with a seminarian group picture in our black suits (for a vocation poster) at ~9:45am. I served as “cross bearer” for the 11am Mass —by the grace of God, I didn’t fall over with that heavy 2-piece cross. The Archbishop have a great sermon including family support and after Mass gave all the servers a “ring blessing.” After Mass, we had a great lunch.
HOME PARISH — later in the afternoon, at my home parish St Bernadette (in Hollywood, FL), I joined the RCIT class for their Christmas party and served with incense with Mgsr Strano.
MOVIE — The Nanny Diaries with Wendy’s & canolli.
Neoplatonism + worklist
MODERN PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — Hegel’s Absolute Idealism. Also got back our last quiz (22/30).
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — Neoplatonism. Philosophical “GOD” eminates.
ARTS & IDEAS – (Fr Vallee) — sick — no class.
WORKLIST — today I had McCarthy Chapel … easy … so I also did trash & floors. I took a picture of the grounds worklisters.
pre-T BBQ
WASHING DISHES — I cleaned some more.
FOOTBALL — finally some “American football.”
EVENING BBQ — we had a community BBQ at our Pre-Theology homes for dinner. Squired chicken & shrimp, cornbread, corn, baked po-ta-toe, ice cream, brownies … awesome food & fellowship!
ice skating + dish washing + cleaning
FIELD TRIP — today, 25+ guys went ice skating as one of the Rector’s optional field trips.
CLEANING — Since the Pre-T houses are hosting the Sunday night BBQ, we spend much of the day cleaning for all our “visitors.” B & I tried to find a Wal-Mart (which didn’t happen), but we found a (Spanish) Catholic Bookstore & a Paintball shop. We eventually got to Target to get cleaning supplies. We both got Swiffer Wetjets, but forgot batteries.
DISHES — This weekend, I have dish washing duty after meals. It’s dirty, wet & hot. I still like it. After dinner, we wached Mr Bean’s Holiday … funny.
nominalism + Mandylion + sin catcher
ARTS & IDEAS – (Fr Vallee) — turned in my reflection paper on the Christian religious icon “Mandylion.” In class we discussed nominalism … “Can God make a square circle? or a rock too heavy for God to lift?” … Aquinas says NO (can’t contradict himself) and William of Ockham says YES (can’t limit divine freedom).
LAUNDRY — Wednesday is my new laundry day and today was my first time at the new Pre-T house. Even with a busy day [3 morning classes, worklist, holy hour & finsh a reflection paper], I fit in my laundry time. As I was doing my drying, cleaning the “lint catcher” made me reflect on venial sins offered up at Mass — it could make for a good homily illustration. I took the “sin catcher” thought to “holy hour” and, since I remembered I left the dryer on, I also prayed I don’t burn the house down.
DOTS — lint catcher — house still standing — shrimp — no volleyball — online The Unit & Cane
OLD crib
This morning, on the way to breakfast, we saw a FULL RAINBOW over the main Chapel. What’s at the end? Probably the new Pre-Theology “off-campus” housing that we’re moving into TOMORROW, weather permitting. I took some pictures of my current shared quarters.
Bishop Estevez – name graces – volleyball fix
MODERN PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — started John Locke’s “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding.” Empiricism vs rationalism.
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — continued Plato’s Phaedo with “knowledge as recollection” and “the indestructibility of the soul.”
ARTS & IDEAS – (Fr Vallee) — finished the Greek handout for our test on Friday.
WORKLIST — in “Sacristy,” I had bathrooms, so I finished pretty quick with time enough to help mop. The tapistry of St Lawrence (hurricane damaged) was also being put up, so I took some pictures up close.
HOLY HOUR — with a small delegation of visitors from a Cuban priest and religious conference in Miami, we were blessed to have Bishop Estevez presiding over Benediction & Vespers. He mentioned some words of wisdom from a formator in seminary that stood out for him. He said we should NAME the graces we receive throughout the day in order to trace our journey with the Lord. — that’s a great idea … like “Connect-the-dots” of grace … I should do that, but I probably won’t stick to it
VOLLEYBALL TONIGHT — I finally got my fix tonight from 9-10pm in the gym. I hope we can have it more regularly (weekly at least).
CONNECT-the-DOTS — (since holy hour🙂 rain … benediction … air conditioning … Bishop’s blessing … good food … table fellowship … quiet study … volleyball … health & safety … refreshing shower … did I mention volleyball? 🙂
John De Rosen – polish artist
ARTS & IDEAS – (Fr Vallee) — at the end of class, we went to the St Raphael Chapel to view the outdoor mosaic mural by John De Rosen, a polish artist. His most famous works are at Grace Cathedral (with 8 murals) and the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC (with 12 murals).
Our mosaic is themed after the Second Vatican Council in the spirit of ecumenism with Peter (the first pope), surrounded by the 4 churches and includes the bishop coat of arms for Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, and Archbishop Coleman Carroll (who built St John Vinney College Seminary here in Miami, FL, USA). — beautiful!
In froht of the mosaic are three porcelains by Rafael Consuegra that represent the 3 Archangels Gabriel, Michael and Raphael here @ St John Vianney College Seminary, Miami, FL
TV — watched the season opener of “Heroes.”
silent retreat – fall in love
Today finished our 24 hour “Day of Reflection” with a Vigil Mass at 4:30pm. It was a “silent retreat” that helped us to “retreat” from our busy-ness and be “silent” to listen to what the Lord has to say. Of all the 4 conferences, the line that stood out for me was a quote from the late Jesuit Superior General Fr Pedro Arrupe:
Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love and it will decide everything.
We must fall in love with Jesus Christ first … and that will decide everything else.
Last night’s rain storm filled our “Reflection Pond” enough for a beautiful picture of the entrance grounds. I also spent some time reflecting in some beautiful outdoor areas around the main St Raphael Chapel. (the pictures don’t do them justice)
Buddah + Big Dog + sacristy
MASS – (Fr Vallee) — Today’s Gospel shows how critics saw John the Baptist as crazy and Jesus as a “glutton and a drunkard.” You can’t please everyone all the time. It’s what God thinks of you that matters … not anyone else. Some key phrases … “It’s easier to wear slippers than to carpet the whole world.” & “If you meet Buddah in the road, kill him.”
MODERN PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — continued Descartes. I think [of other] therefore I am.
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — watched a story video on Socrates. Finished “Crito”
ARTS & IDEAS – (Fr Vallee) — pgs 17-23. “Forms.” Icons (windows) vs Idols (the end).
WORKLIST & HOLY HOUR — for worklist, I cleaned the sanctuary & mopped the sacristy & some pews in the Chapel. For Holy Hour, Fr Alvarez told a story of “the Big Dog.” (Chris-notes🙂 Big dog was in control of everything except his wagging tail — tried to catch it & control it — little dog gave advice from experience — if you stay focused forward, everything else will follow. — so it is if we focus on Christ.
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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