Archive
final exams done!
Medieval Philosophy final exam
full Mass
Final exams begin. Exam schedule. Casual neat. All seminary priests are celebrating Mass.
Pre-T backyard Mass
The adoration chapels in the Pre-Theology houses are ready for the Blessed Sacrament. Today, we had a morning Mass in our backyard with ALL seminarians for a beautiful celebration surrounded by all God’s creation. — awesome
SJV faculty dinner
Tonight we got fancy for an evening dinner party for the faculty staff of St John Vianney College Seminary.
First with drinks & ordoirves.
Then with dinner & flaming deserts.
Then with retirement and anniversary awards.
Senior projects — day 1
Today was day 1 of 2 of the presentation of Senior Philosophy Projects. 15 minutes each. 9 seminarians. [Worklist & Holy Hour cancelled today]. Topics included (if I wrote them down right?):
- (George) Play on Words
- (Jose) The character “Hector” in the Illiad & Odyssey
- (Krem) Just War Theory
(Carlos) Virtue of Justice- (Sergio) Dialogue with Cultures by Pope Pius XI
- (Eddy) Happiness
- (Elvis) Dialogue of Catholic Church with Liberalism
- (Dom) Nietchze
- (Robinson) Charity in St John Vianney
Étienne Gilson + Honest to God + simplex priest + Cylon
AQUINAS – (Fr Vallee) — mainly discussed Étienne Gilson (of 20th century) converted to Neo-Thomism … concluded that the metaphysical conclusion of Descartes only make sense in light of Thomas Aquinas. (#2) Also proved there is no single common philosophy inherent in medieval theologies … hence, debunks the pure crystal stream theory and opens the way for pluralism of Vatican II and Fides et Ratio. (#3) He reads Thomism as an authentic existentialism … opposed essentialism of Maritain. (#4) He strongly opposes the separation of theology and philosophy, as practiced by moderns, hence Fides et Ratio.
Philosophy can be authentically Christian and still be philosophy, an idea which perhaps even Heidegger does not accept. Theology is not irrelevant to the work of philosophy … it is relevant to knowledge of God and Man.
[extras: Gospel of Oprah + J’s Pulp FIction + project purgatory]
CONTEMPORARY PHIL – (Fr Santos) — continuing John A. T. Robinson’s Honest to God. God as “ground” … “religionless” Christianity … “demythologization” of Scripture.
MEDIEVAL – (Fr Vallee) — final essay questions on Augustine & Aquinas (aporia, metaphysics, ethics, epistemology) + manualism + simplex (Mass) priest + book of conclusions + William of Ockham + a reverse mermaid
EVENING TV — some classic Battlestar Galactica on NBC.com (new episode every Wednesday). A quote from episode 11, The Young Lords (1978) … Cylon Centurion: “These Humanoids are not well constructed. They damage easily.” Starbuck’s response, “At least we don’t rust.” — a Cylon after Nietzsche own heart(less)
next year’s schedule
Today, I registered for classes next semester, starting August 25th (if I pass my end-of-semester evaluation next week, God willing). Other guys say it’s a pretty hard schedule next semester …
On Mon/Wed/Fri, I’ll have Fundamental Ethics (Fr Vallee), Social Ethics (Dr Santos), and Metaphysics (Dr Solis).
On Tues/Thurs, I’ll have Pre-Theology Seminary (Fr Santos) and World Religion & Literature (Fr Joseph).
Here is the TENTATIVE SJV COLLEGE SCHEDULE for next year:
August 07 — New Men Arrive
August 21 — Returning Students Arrive (–that’s me)
August 24 — 11am Mass of the Holy Spirit / Dean’s Award Dinner
August 25 — Classes Begin
September 19-20 — Day of Recollection
September 27 — Parent Day
October 06-10 — Mid-Semester Exams
October 07 — Solemn Mass, Archdiocesen Golden Jubilee (Bank Atlantic Center)
October 10-17 — Mid-Semester Break
October 18-19 — Day of Recollection
October 20 — Classes Resume
November 07-09 — Vocation Awareness Weekend
November 10 — No Class
November 26-30 — Thanksgiving Break
December 01 — Classes Resume
December 05 — Pre-Christmas Mass & Dinner
December 08-12 — Final Exam Week
December 12 — Gaudeamus (of new guys)
December 13 to January 4 — Christmas Break
January 05 — Spring Classes Begin
January 19 — Martin Luther King Day / No Class
February 16 — Mid-Semester Exams
February 20-26 — Mid-Semester Break
February 26 to March 01 — Retreat
March 02 — Classes Resume
March 13-15 — Vocation Awareness Weekend
March 16 — No Class
March 20 — Fides et Ratio Conference
April 03-13 — Holy Week Break
April 14 — Classes Resume
April 16 — Humanities Projects Presentations
April 17 — Senior Interviews @ St Vincent DePaul Major Seminary (–that me)
April 23-24 — Senior Projects Presentations
April 25 — Diaconate Ordination @ St Vincent DePaul Major Seminary
April 27 to May 01 — Final Exam Week
May 05 — Gaudeamus (on graduates)
May 06 — Graduation
Serra Club + alter server Mass
MASS – (Fr Manny Alvarez) — today, I was lector for a special morning Mass honoring the best alter servers in the Archdiocese of Miami by the Serra Club (a great supporter of vocations).
Deacon ordination @ SVdP
Today, we drove up to St Vincent DePaul Major Seminary in Boyton Beach, FL (about an hour+) for the ordination of several Transitional Deacons (Priests next year, God willing) in a beautiful Mass with Orlando Bishop Wenski. They also hosted us for lunch and fellowship.
SJV St Raphael Chapel mural
As I start feeling the end of the year coming (2 more weeks), I realized how attached I’ve become to the beautiful mural in our main St Raphael Chapel here at St John Vianney College Seminary. The mural is done by Gabriel Loire.
I asked a brother seminarian to take a picture and had it blown up to fit in a 16″ x 20″ silver frame so I have it during our summer break. We had to add a top & bottom border to fit the frame size. A link to the bigger picture is below if you’d like to make one too.
Enlarge picture of Gabriel Liore mural (Sam’s Club): $7
16″ x 20″ silver frame (Target): $15
Prayerful meditation on Chapel mural during breaktime: PRICELESS
POLISH food night
CULTURAL FOOD NIGHT — finally! Tonight was POLISH food night! Thanks especially to my Mother for her recipes and advice to START MONDAY (yesterday) … we barely finished by dinner time … the blessing of my wise Mother (and Mary, too).
Yesterday, we made the potato and cheese fillings, but spent most of the time working on the gołąbki (stuffed cabbage rolls). Gołąbki is a hearty traditional Polish dish consisting of boiled cabbage leaves stuffed with ground beef, chopped onions, and rice or barley, baked in a spicy tomato sauce; similar to a Cabbage roll. By the time we stopped on Monday, we only had 1.3 pans full of them (we needed 3).
Today, in the morning, we started the desert with Ramon, our Dominican cook. The desert was makowiec, a poppy seed roll, with a glaze or powdered sugar. By lunch time, we had 3 pans of golabki ready to bake (at least 2 hours needed). After lunch, we got more help from Puerto Rico, Vietnam, Panama, Austria & more to stuff and pinch hundreds of pierogi (stuffed dumplings) with potato and cheese (seperate).
Final phase was the delicate rolling of the poppy seed roll desert, makowiec. We made 5 rolls with some experience from Randy & Ramon (I looked very administrative = more watch, less work). With an extra special Vodka topping, it came out AWESOME (in every aspect of its “being”, including ontologically). We also served some hot kielbasa (sausage).
Thank you to all who helped, especially my brothers in Christ (and Mom)!
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic giftshop in Hollywood, FL
I went to 6pm Mass at my parish of St Bernadette Catholic Church in Hollywood, FL. While I was there, I browsed around our giftshop called “Our Lady of Lourdes Giftshop.” It keeps getting better and better. Here are some pictures, but they don’t do it justice. They’re open after all Masses (Sat 4pm, Sunday 7:30am, 9am, 10:45am, 6pm) and located at 7450 Stirling Road in Hollywood, FL 33024. — if you go, tell Michelle you saw it here!
RCIT + Christian IPhone
Since we were so close to my home parish of St Bernadette in Hollywood, FL, I stopped in to see the high school RCIT class preparing for Confirmation this year @ 4pm. I saw this cool poster that one of the catechists made and had to take some pictures. It’s a poster of an Apple IPhone, but with Christian buttons. — Some great details
Little Flower Catholic Church in Hollywood, FL
About 1 Sunday each month, all of us seminarians here at St John Vianney College Seminary visit a different parish of the Archdiocese of Miami. Our Rector started the tradition last year and I thinks it’s a great idea. It exposes us to different parish life as well as makes us visible to the community as a living vocation poster.
Today, we all drove up to my ‘hood to Little Flower Parish in Hollywood, FL. (My parish of St Bernadette is also in Hollywood.) The pastor Fr O’Dwyer was one of the priest how interviewed me during my seminarian application last year. The parish was very inviting and provided great food after Mass with lots of conversation with parishoners. I even found a family to practice my Polish with. — Definitely, a great tradition I hope we continue.
CCD @ St Catherine of Siena
Since we’ll be assigned “apostalic work” next year, we’re observing other fellow seminarians in different current assignments for the last few Mondays of the semester. Today, I observed an 8th grade CCD Confirmation class at St Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Miami, not too far from the seminary.
We were greeted by Pastor Fr Sosa and served an awesome dinner. (Patricio’s Monday meatloaf will have to wait.) His dog was also very friendly. — the class went great!
A week before Easter, the parish church building was set on fire by a couple local teenagers. About one million dollars in damage. While repairs are being done, Mass is done outside under the overhang area of the church entrance. — We’ll definitely keep them all in our prayers.
Miami vocation monstrance pilgrimage begins
Today begins a 2 week pilgrimage in the Archdiocese of Miami of a monstrance blessed by Pope John Paul II to encourage vocations, especially in this Golden Jubilee year. It starts today at the Cathedral and travels to a different parish each day, ending on Sunday April 20 here at St John Vianney College Seminary. (flyer with all location here — pdf Acrobat file)
Today at 4pm, we were at St Mary’s Cathedral for Vespers (Night Prayer) with benediction & adoration with the visiting vocation monstrance. A great sermon by Archbishop Favalora with a memorable exit (wave).
Divine Mercy Sunday
MASS – (Fr Rios) — homeless couselor … as seminarians, we shouldn’t get too “sophisticated” in our spiritual lives (by forgetting traditions & devotions) … Sacred Heart of Jesus … honesty in spiritual direction helps you and the Church.
Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. I found some great YouTube videos that trump anything I could write about Divine Mercy & Sr Faustina (POLISH nun).
http://thedivinemercy.org/
http://www.marian.org/divinemercy/
http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy
http://www.our.homewithgod.com/divinemercy
Below are some YouTube links with the prayer of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with lot so pictures to reflect on. Same prayer, but different compilations. Lots more available … these are my favorites.
Background on Sr Faustina & Divine Mercy
Chaplet of Divine Mercy in Song (version #2)
Chaplet of Divine Mercy in Song (version #1)
Chaplet of Divine Mercy in Song (long version)
Chaplet of Divine Mercy (part 1 of 2)
Chaplet of Divine Mercy (part 2 of 2)
Chaplet of Divine Mercy (3pm daily prayer)
Ultra Music Festival (day 2)
I didn’t go to Ultra Fest today because our Spanish class had a dinner & study session at our professor’s home from 4-8pm, but here are some YouTube clips from what I missed (I saved $90, but I still would have liked to be here). See yesterday’s post for day 1 line-up and Ultra Fest info.
SATURDAY – PHASE TWO: Paul van Dyk, Underworld, Carl Cox, Armin Van Buuren, Sasha and John Digweed, David Guetta, Benny Benassi, DJ Dan and Donald Glaude, Layo & Bushwacka!, Fedde Le Grand, Andy C + MC GQ, Planet of the Drums (AK1200, Dieselboy and MC Messinian, Goldie, Dillinja and Lemon D, Fabio , Shy FX, Ed Rush + Optical, DJ Fresh and MC Ivory, Photek, Adam F and Francisco Rossi.
Ultra Music Festival 2008 Commercial
Ultra Fest 2008 Tribute
Underworld – Born Slippy @ Ultra Fest 2008
Paul van Dyk @ Ultra Fest 2008
Carl Cox @ Ultra Fest 2008
Armin van Buuren @ Ultra Fest 2008
More clips here.
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.
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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