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Navy SEALs retreat
Today’s silent retreat was led by Fr Peter, a Dominican priest from the New England area. Using the analogy that seminary training is like Navy SEAL training, we had 5 sessions, each highlighting essential aspects of the priesthood.
1. Holy Eucharist is the center of our lives.
2. Virtues of “generosity & self-sacrifice” are essential for true “fatherhood.”
3. Virtue of “truthfulness” must be lived and preached.
4. “The sanctity & dignity of human life” must be preached, especially now.
5. Our prayer life should include (1) the Blessed Sacrament and (2) a devotion to Mary.
break over + retreat begins
Tonight, I’m back in seminary … mid-semester break is over. Tonight, we also begin a 3-day silent retreat until Sunday morning Mass. Compline (night prayer) @ 10pm … got to go! — Be holy!
wineskins + Homer’s crayon
MASS – (Fr Joseph) — homily began and ended with 2 great stories: the “Amazon Explorer” (who can’t fully explain his experience, but encourages others to experience the journey themselves) and the “outstreached arms of Alexander the Great vs Jesus” (Alex conquered all, but died with nothing — while Jesus began with nothing and died to complete everything). Today’s gospel reading was the parable of the “Old & New Wineskins” where Jesus is the wine and we need to become “new” skins to accept him fully — experience him for ourselves “personally.”
MODERN PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — today surveyed the concepts of the universe from “geocentric” to “heliocentric” challenging in many ways to faith and the Church. Included was another Simpsons illustration using the episode where Homer has a crayon removed from his brain, becomes smart and Flanders surpress Homer’s ideas because they are too challenging to his belief system. — Ignorance is bliss. We also have to learn the Greek alphabet for next Friday.
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — more Sophists, their subjectiveness and birth of self-awareness. Also used “Homer’s crayon” and Greek alphabet. — I never really cared for the “Simpsons,” but now I feel like I’m missing out.
ARTS & IDEAS – (Fr Vallee) — continue with the Greeks. We need to watch the movie 300 be next Friday. — cool … I get to post more stills from the movie in this week’s posts.
EVENING — had a “Spiritual Direction” session, watched “Pursuit of Happyness” & did some studying.
Y.E.S. Retreat video
I can’t seem to install my Pinnacle video editing software on my laptop to finish editing the Y.E.S. Retreat video. I’ll have to finish it on break in October. Sorry for the delay, everyone!
For status of the Y.E.S. Retreat video, the MASTER LIST of YES event links is HERE.
Catholic military chaplains
I finally received a packet from the Vocation’s Director of the Archdiocese for Military Services (AMS). It contained a couple brochures specific to Catholic chaplains, but mostly brochures from the Army, Air Force & Navy. I asked for the Marines, but I guess they’re considered part of the Navy. Anyways, there’s some interesting figures:
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The AMS serves 375,000 Catholic soldiers — 520,000 family members — 204,000 in Reserves & National Guard — 29,000 Catholic patients in 172 Medical Centers — & 66,000 Catholics in government service overseas (in 134 countries).
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Geographically, the AMS is the largest in the Church, trans-national without borders at 220 installations in 29 countries.
- To meet all those needs, they have fewer than 350 full-time Catholic military chaplains with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines & Coast Guard.
- They have 480 priests serving part-time with Reserve forces & National Guard.
- The priests serving full-time are on loan from 142 dioceses and 44 religious communities.
As excited I am about the military, I also realize the needs and dynamics of serving soldiers can be extremely diferent from Miami pastoral ministry. I’d like to stay open to the possibility of a summer internship (in a theology year), but I don’t currently feel drawn into any permanent call. — I need to slow down and focus on the now.
Covenant House
I finally filled out the volunteer application for Covenant House, a Catholic shelter for homeless teens (under age 21) on Ft. Lauderdale beach. They’ve been looking to fill a “Pastoral Minister” position for years, but only recently found someone for the last couple of months. They organize spiritual activities like prayer services, council, Bible study, and take kids to church (of various faiths). It sounds like a difficult, but very necessary service for these teens.
After last months YES Retreat, which had a speaker from Covenant House, I decided to see if I could volunteer some time on the weekends, especially since our youth group is no longer active. While trying to get to the place today, the police had 2 blocks around the building blocked off — I thought it was a hostage standoff. Apparently, a dump truck driver knocked over some electrical poles and cause a major power outage. Of all days that I pick to go!
Just to top things off, I found out the new “Pastoral Minister” is leaving in a couple of weeks. — These kids just can’t get a break!
Harry Potter is harmless?
I’m not a big book reader, but I’ve always had reservations about the Harry Potter series. With the last Harry Potter book coming out today, I found an article that would be interesting to debate, especially against a recent Florida Catholic article about the good in Harry Potter.
Vatican’s Chief Exorcist Repeats Condemnation of Harry Potter Novels
By John-Henry Westen
ROME, March 1, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Vatican’s chief exorcist, Rev. Gabriele Amorth, is reported to have repeated his condemnations of the Harry Potter novels yesterday. According to press reports, Fr. Amorth, said of the books, “You start off with Harry Potter, who comes across as a likeable wizard, but you end up with the Devil. There is no doubt that the signature of the Prince of Darkness is clearly within these books.”
“By reading Harry Potter a young child will be drawn into magic and from there it is a simple step to Satanism and the Devil,” he said.
The news will come as no surprise to LifeSiteNews.com readers who recall that Fr. Amorth made very similar remarks in 2002 which went misreported in the North American media, until LifeSiteNews.com clarified the matter.
In a 2002 interview with the Italian ANSA news agency, Rev. Amorth said “Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil.” The exorcist, with his decades of experience in directly combating evil, explained that J.K. Rowling’s books contain innumerable positive references to magic, “the satanic art”. He noted that the books attempt to make a false distinction between black and white magic, when in fact, the distinction “does not exist, because magic is always a turn to the devil.” (coverage: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2002/jan/02010202.html )
At the time, however, North American coverage of Rev. Amorth’s warnings about Potter significantly downplayed the warnings. The New York Times coverage by Melinda Henneberger, which was carried in Canada’s National Post, the San Francisco Chronicle and on Yahoo Daily News left out most of the information in the European coverage, only quoting Rev. Amorth as saying that “If children can see the movie with their parents, it’s not all bad.”
North America’s most prominent Harry Potter critic, Michael O’Brien, has told LifeSiteNews.com that the movie version has significantly cleaned up Harry’s image, making it far less troublesome than the books.
Another condemnation of Harry Potter coming from Rome was not widely reported until LifeSiteNews.com’s intervention. When in 2003, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger allowed his comments against the novels to be aired publicly, the news was reported in Europe, but not in America. However, when in 2005 LifeSiteNews.com published Ratzinger’s letter concerning Potter online, the international media exploded with the news that the new Pope opposed Harry Potter. (coverage: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jul/05071301.html )
Writing to Germany’s best known Potter critic Gabriele Kuby, the man who was to become Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “It is good that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly.”
The original article can be found at http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/mar/06030104.html while a great forum discussion is at PhatMass at http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=70460
Y.E.S. Retreat video
I just finished editing DAY #2 and added 42 more pictures!
For status of the Y.E.S. Retreat video, the MASTER LIST of YES event links is HERE.
Miami seminary
I was looking on the Archdiocese of Miami website for a video of catholic military chaplains that is no longer on their video page (–I downloaded it last year). There is, however, a great little video about St. John Vianney Seminary in Miami (which I’m starting next month) called “A Call to Faith” (DSL or dialup).
While I continued searching the website, I found a great article from last year called, “The people of God deserve the best.” It’s an interview with Father Michael Carruthers, the new rector of St. John Vianney Seminary. He spoke about the quality and “wholesomeness” of the young men who are entering the seminary today. I found a profile on him as well as 24 other priests on another page called “Building the City of God.” Besides hearing some great homilies last November @ the “Seminary Vocation Weekend,” I personally met with Father Carruthers (as part of the application process) and was very impressed by his sincerity, encouragement and attentive ear. — he’s definitely someone I look forward to grow with.
military priests
Reading and writing about military chaplains over the past couple of days awoke my passion for the military. I wrote an email to the Archdiocese of Military Services, and got a response from Auxiliary Bishop Estabrook.
The Archdiocese of Military Services doesn’t take priests directly but rather accepts priests “on loan” from individual dioceses for a period of three years and up. They don’t have a seminary or incardinate priests. All their priests must have been priests and had a pastoral assignment for at least three years before coming on active duty.Each Service has a seminary program. When accepted by that Service and with permission of your diocese, you could be commissioned a reserve officer while in theology and have a chance to serve at an installation sometime during your studies just to see what the chaplaincy is like.
Father Chandler, the Vocations Director, will be sending me materials and be in touch. — I’ll see what happens.
military Catholics
In the July edition of the Knights of Columbus monthy Columbia magazine, I found an article profiling Catholic American soldiers. There are an estimated 300,000 Catholic in the U.S. armed forces, most of them age 18-29. While the number of baptized Catholics in the military (28%) reflects the general population — only about 5% of them are regular churchgoers.
Military life entails peculiar demands. Many are away from home for the first time — preparing for action or stationed in a war zone. They face increased responsibilities and family pressures unlike any in civilian life. Changes in deployment happen at a moment’s notice. Young married couples often face the strain of long-term separations. They often have little contact with chaplains, whose small numbers (only 8% of all chaplains) cannot meet ministerial demands.
In ALL of the U.S., Catholic young adults ages 18-30 attend Mass more — 21% every week, 35% at least once a month, 28% a few times a year, and 15% rarely or never. At first, I thought that during wartime, a soldier seeking a refuge from battle would pursue a hunger for faith & spirituality even more than a civilian. But after considering all the pressures they face, I can understand the difference in the numbers.
In response to these number, the Military Archdiocese of the U.S., led by Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, initiated a program called Catholics Seeking Christ (CSC). The 1 year old program, funded by the Knights of Columbus, uses small groups and peer ministers to strengthen the Catholic identity of military personnel. They use extensive resources, including DVDs and CDs. I pray for the success of their efforts and for ALL our troops. — it sounds like a program I’d like to be part of.
military prayers
In the July edition of the Knights of Columbus monthy Columbia magazine, I found a 64-page Catholic prayer booklet called, “Armed with the Faith: A Catholic Handbook for Military Personnel.” It features traditional prayers, devotions, hymns, catechism and more. The military version is a 5×7-inch waterproof and tearproof booklet. The civilian version is on paper and can be downloaded here in Acrobat pdf format (333 KB). It’s available directly from the Knights. I also found it available for only $1 at an online Catholic store called GodSpace.biz. I might just have to get these for our Confirmation kids next year. — but I want one first!
Happy is God’s Will?
Continuing the discussion on “following God & seeking His Will” from last Sunday’s readings, I recall an experience. — Last year I was at a men’s study group where everyone was asked “How do you know you are following God’s will in your life?” After we spend some time getting everyone’s opinion (I forgot what I said), the facilitator (a priest) answered simply “When you’re happy.”
WHAT?!?! I hate that answer! (In his defense, we were running out of time and I think he was moving the meeting along) Happiness is relative and can be found in anything. Even doing something bad or sinful can have temporary (or fake longterm) happiness … that’s WHY we do bad things … it fills the “God-size” void we have.
Happiness is a feeling we get … and you can’t always trust feelings. “Joy,” on the other hand, is different. We get “joy” by knowing we have salvation through an active relationship with God. You can always be joyful even though circumstances may make us miserable and very UNhappy.
If a believer is being persecuted for their faith, are they following God’s will? Even though they’re not “happy” at the moment? Do we fast to be “happy”? I hope I misunderstood the answer, because I need some clarification. — Anyone else? Kermit?
Church history, #2 Paul the Troubleshooter
As I revist the book, The Story of the Church: Peak Moments from Pentecost to the Year 2000, chapter 2 is “First-Century Adjustments,” focusing on Paul the Apostle. It has always confused me how Paul was the “go-to-guy” to answer any questions of theology & the Christian life. He wasn’t even one of the original 12 apostles, but spoke with such authority, even declaring himself an apostle. His conversion story (Acts 9) is amazing enough. But even more unbelievable is how fast the Christian community embraced him and bestowed authority to dictate Christian “policy,” an even greater testament to grace and the submission to the Holy Spirit.
Paul is a master cameleon of evangelization, able to adapt the gospel message to any culture. He was well-versed in the Hebrew Scriptures (OT), had a heart for his audience, walked in their shoes, and presented the challenge of the Gospel in their “language.” — everything a Christian is called to do. A great example is Paul’s sermon to the Athenians in Acts 17:16-34. It seems so supernatural … because it is … it’s only possible through the Holy Spirit.
That reminds me of a line from the “Fishers of Men” priesthood video when it’s said, “It’s not natural to be a priest … it’s a supernatural calling.” — You can’t disagree with that.
Exorcism outs the Devil
One of the greatest “gifts” God gave to the Church was the power of exorcism. What most people think about when you say exorcism is actually a “major exorcism” where the Church determines a demon has possessed someone’s body (but not taking their free will) and a priest (approved by the bishop) does the rite of exorcism (usually done in 5 minutes, but may take several months). I didn’t explore my ignorance about exorcism (because I thought it may invite bad stuff) until I saw a DVD available called “Interview with an Exorcist”.
Here’s a few facts that clarified my misconceptions. Although a demon may possess a body, it does not control a person’s free will. All priest are taught the rite, but the bishop must approve doing one. A priest prepares more for the the sacrament of reconciliation than the rite of exorcism. Priests have been known to successfully perform exorcisms in the state of mortal sin (it’s not a battle between the priest & a demon, it’s between GOD & the demon). Any prayer denouncing the power of Satan is a prayer of exorcism. Although a majority of possessions includes some occult practices, even a Christian believer can be possessed (although less likely).
I think I was more afraid of exorcism due to my own ignorance than I am today. I would recommend more knowledge & understanding to those who may empathize. A new book supplements the DVD just came out. More Catholic resources on exorcism are HERE. The movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose is also pretty good.
I saw an episode of Showtime’s Penn & Teller’s Bullsh*t about exorcism (season 5#5). They had some ridiculous (non-Catholic) “exorcists” that made the whole rite into a joke, concluding there is no such thing as demonic possession. They just affirm Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.”
This is WHY exorcism is a “gift.” In an exorcism, Satan is manifested (revealing his existence) and the supreme power of God over evil glorifies our Lord. — but I don’t want to be the person in the middle (possessee).
strength = weakness
In order to call yourself a true Christian, I think you need to honestly answer the question, “Do I trust God?” Many answer “NO” or avoid the question by hiding behind personal strengths or weaknesses. For example, if someone has great knowledge & intelect to debate various sides of an issue, the “strength” may become a substitute for faith, ultimately becoming a “weakness”. On the other side, the “weakness” of having limited knowledge may encourage more trust in God, resulting in a “strength.”
What brought this on? A teen on the YES Retreat challenged and humbled my lack of knowledge in the area of philosophy. His private school education and “independent” readings of Thomas Aquinas, Neitche and other philosophers got me lost in conversations at times. He even asked, “Can God create a rock that is so heavy that God could not move it?” Uhhhh … yes … no … yes? I don’t know. (if you’re reading this, I’d like an answer) My humility turned into a concern for his young (and growing) dependence on knowledge, that may cripple a faith in God if not balanced right. I know we each have a “void” we fill with our own comfortable “strength,” but some things make us “too smart for our own good” which pridefully answer the ultimate question with “NO.” — This is why I’m afraid of taking 2 years of philosophy.
Wachovia is a thief
I finally closed an old youth group bank account with Wachovia. There were actually 2 mergers over the past few years and Wachovia had it currently. Inactivity and “service charges” depleted an account that I wasn’t able to close (because of the way the original account was set up). The little that was left was reimbursement for expenses I prepaid. In the end, Wachovia created rules and charges that ensured they made money at the expense of the weakest (a Christian youth group with little funds). A credit of 3 months of service charges with a negative account status resulting in an insulting $10 back — they can keep it. I won’t forgive them because they weren’t sorry at all. And I will definitely not forget. I’ll never work with them again.
YES video – “rip”
Today I started making room on a hard-drive for 80 GIG of space that I need to transfer (“rip”) from the camera to the computer. Each of the 4 tapes is 1.5 hours and take 20 GIG each. I ripped tape 2 & 4. The little that I watched looked good, not too shakey or dark. I did, however, forget to turn the camera off and times and recorded the floor (and my shoes) as I was walking (I hope there won’t be too much of that). The wheelchair races, Bishop Estevez, football and bingo looked good. — This should be fun.
Review YES Retreat 2007
The Youth Enjoying Service (Y.E.S.) Retreat is a 5 day (June 6-10th) service project experience for high school teens from all over the archdiocese of Miami. It’s is held at the Madonna Retreat House in Hallendale. This year had a small (but very lively) group of 12 teens.
This blog post will be the master directory of all the events & pictures from the video in case the locations change. You can find most of the events on PAGE 3 & PAGE 4 of my archives, but the link to each event is below:
——————– Day #1 / June 6 / Wednesday ——————–
(evening) Welcome + “Human BINGO” + “4 Winds Blow” + Dinner (11 pics)
(talk) “Catholic Social Teaching” (4 pics) — by Gloria Luna
——————– Day #2 / June 7 / Thursday ——————–
(morning) Breakfast + Prayer + Leaving by Bus (3 pics)
(project) St Elizabeth Gardens arrival + games + lunch + BINGO (27 pics)
(dinner) “Class” Dinner (5 pics)
(talk) “Immigration” (2 pics) — by Sr. Ondina Cortes
(evening) End of day sharing + making lunch (6 pics)
——————– Day #3 / June 8 / Friday ——————–
(morning) Breakfast + Prayer (? pics)
(project) Providence Place (? pics) — women’s shelter
(free time) S.W.A.T. training (? pics)
(talk) Monica Santos (? pics)
——————– Day #4 / June 9 / Saturday ——————–
(morning) Breakfast + Prayer (? pics)
(project) Daily Bread Food Bank (? pics) — food pantry
(free time) Football (? pics)
(talk) Convenant House (? pics) — shelter for runaway teens
(talk) “Eucharist” by Bishop Estevez (? pics) — a great surprise visit
(dinner) Dinner (? pics)
(service) Commissioning (? pics)
(nightime) Dancing? + “Mission Impossible” (? pics & 1 video)
——————– Day #5 / June 10 / Sunday ——————–
(morning) Breakfast + Prayer (? pics)
(closing) Closing Mass (? pics)
——————— STATUS of VIDEO EDITING ———————-
July 18 — finished day #2 (35 minutes) – “Class” dinner, immigration,
sharing, & making lunch
July 17 — working on day #2 – finished aerobics & BINGO (10 minutes)
July 03 — working on day #2 – finished wheelchair races (14 minutes)
June 29 — finished editing day #1 (7 minutes). See pics on PAGE 4 (middle).
June 28 — I found a 2 minute video clip on my memorystick. See it here.
June 27 — added blog posts of retreat events (without pictures, yet)
Francis also posted pictures of the retreat on the Office of Youth website.
no NEW car for me
A friends just got a new car, a Mitsubishi Lancer (my ’97 van is behind it). As happy as I was for him, I started realizing how 7 years of seminary will be a financial sacrifice for me. I’m grateful for the Archdiocese for paying my tuition, room, board & insurance (mostly from the A.B.C.D. collections), but living expenses outside of that will be rough; car insurance, cell phone, travel, savings, etc. My minivan, with 140,000 miles) is reaching the age of more maintenance, with engine & transmission cries. It wouldn’t be so bad if I’d have time to make spending money, but 7 days at the seminary with some of Saturday & Sunday for myself, doesn’t look promising. I know I SHOULD trust God to provide for my needs (as the Archbishop said at Convocation), but there are things that I would still WANT to have. A wise man said, “caviar dreams with sardine pockets.” — Kermit? Anyone?
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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