Pax Christi vobiscum!
Well, I went to the store today to buy a scale, not because I needed one but because my other scale broke already. That's right, I've been eating like an Italian over here...and apparently not walking like one. I don't know how they eat this much! Or at least eat this much pasta. It's served as a first course (or primo piatto) with both lunch and dinner. I mean, I'm grateful, but my belts are not.
On another note: Io parlo italiano, e io ascolto italiano anche!
Translation: I speak Italian, and I listen Italian too! Okay, so maybe I don't quite get it yet. Maybe I could just blame it on something being lost in translation....
Well, things have been going really well. I've been getting to know the guys here better, and these are some amazing guys. The future of the Church is in good hands. Just wait, in 10, maybe 15 years, you will see the bomb of vision and passion that's going to explode back in the U.S, and people will definitely get hit with holy shrapnel. In all seriousness, there are some great things going on here, and God is behind it. Praise Him!
The reason I say that is that Jim and Bill and I all sat around in a cafe after morning Mass and Holy Hour. We talked about the Church and vision for the future of the Church. Truly inspiring! These guys want our parishes to be true centers of a culture of faith, where people can come to be nourished in the Lord in the Sacraments and then share that faith with others. There's more than that, but then, I'll let you see it for yourself in about 15 years.
Just a quick update for now. But I'll publish something more soon. God bless!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Don't get any Verbania on ya.
Pax Christi Vobiscum!
Ciao! Adesso, io sono in Verbania! Which, for most of you, means something about being "in Verbania." Which is great! Because you're now undertanding Italiano! Well, just a quick update for you, since it's late, and I have to learn more Italian tomorrow.
The basic breakdown of our time here thus far:
We arrived here on Sunday in the late evening, ready to eat. Conveniently enough, because, being in Italia, they are always ready to feed us. It's a cultural thing...and I don't mind. We are staying in a hotel named Il Chiostro. It's a nice little Catholic hotel, with crucifixes on the walls in some spots (or at least crosses), and there is a Chapel where we have Mass or La Santa Messa. It is celebrated in Italiano.
The next day we began Italiano in earnest. I began instruction in Italian at 9:00 a.m., but we met up at 8:45 to introduce ourselves, which consisted of the ensegnante or teacher making a bunch of noise. I later realized that she was saying real words, at which point I discovered that the lessons (le lezione) had already begun. And of course, la mia ensegnante (my instructor) e una donna bella (is a lovely young woman); I guess they want to make sure we're always discerning.
It was great though. We walked around the town and went to various shops. My teacher and I, along with another student-teacher pair (it's one-to-one tutoring for two sessions of 1.5 hours each, a different tutor for each session) walked around the town together. Our teachers decided to gossip about other students of theirs, and then to legitimize their conversation, they tested Adam and I over what they had been saying. It was a lot of fun though, and we got gelato (Italian for "cup of goodness") out of the deal.
And then today, Don Mario, or Fr. Mario, who is here from Poland studying Italiano, took a few of us to the "beach," or at least it will be a beach someday, when time, friction, and erosion have turned the many large rocks into much smaller rocks, or sand. The view was okay, I guess. You can see what I'm having to put up with below (il panorama, dalla sinistra alla destra...the view, from left to right):
That's supposed to be a smile...not a yawn.
So that's kind of it for now. I have a lot to learn in a short time, but I am honestly very happy to have such a wonderful opportunity. I thank God for the chance to learn from another people and to learn how to communicate with them. There is nothing better than learning how to reach people where they are, and I pray that through this opportunity, I can share my experiences and my faith with others from different countries. Praise God! Thank you again for stopping in to "see me." I hope you will email me every once and again. Know that I miss you all, and David, if you start a blog, I will check in on you as well. God bless, and may the Peace of Christ be with you all!!!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Overfed in Orvieto
Pax Christi Vobiscum!
Ciao! I just want to say first off that I am so thankful to all of you for your support and comments. I'm glad to know people enjoy reading what I write...oh, wait, you just enjoy the pictures? Oh...I see....
Well, I'll keep writing anyways.
I have a lot to be thankful for in these past couple of days! Praise God! Yesterday, we were able to visit Le Catacombe di Priscilla, which in Italian means, "The Catacombe di Priscilla." (I haven't been to language school yet....) So we went to the Catacombs, and these particular catacombs, you will be interested to know contain the remains of the early Church martyrs, those who died rather than renounce their faith. That means it dates back to the 2nd or 3rd Century. That's not all, however, as these particular catacombs have about 8 miles of tunnels underground, holding the remains of nearly 40,000 people. We of course only got a peek at it, but what we saw was amazing.
Though I was concerned about what I was breathing in a place housing so many dead people, I did not let that stop me from exploring this place of new birth, as the early Church saw it. They did not count the death as the end of life but rather the beginning of new life, a new birth in Christ. The paintings there reflect these themes: the raising of Lazarus from the dead, Noah coming out of the Ark, and the three wise men coming to see the baby Jesus. This brings up two very important points: first, these paintings are at least 1700 years old, preserved over these many centuries; second, two of the ones I mentioned (there are many others, though) are from the New Testament, which at that time, was not yet compiled by the Church into the Bible. This means the oral tradition of the Church was alive and well, preserving these accounts through artworks such as these. Amazing!!!
We also saw the oldest known depiction of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is 1800 years old. You can find a copy of this picture in the newly published Catechism of the Catholic Church. I had seen it in there before, so I was not so impressed...just kidding. ...Please do not tell on me to the Pope.
We then celebrated Mass on top of the catacombs, in a chapel built by Saint Silvester. The chapel originally had no external door. Those seeking to come to celebrate the Mass would have to descend into the upper levels of the catacombs and pass through the dead to the new life of the Mass!!! Saint Silvester knew how important our experience can be in helping us come to believe the truths of the faith. It is such a blessing to be formed into the faith in the place where the faith first formed.
That was Friday. As for today, we visited Orvieto, where a Eucharistic miracle occurred. During consecration, the bread actually bled onto the corporal, and you can still see the blood stains on the corporal preserved in a side chapel. We also had an amazing lunch or pranzo in Orvieto, which I will draw nutrients from over the next 3 days. The pictures speak for themselves.
It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, which means that I just wrote 5,000 words! And you just read 5,000 words! I love literacy! And exclamations!
Well, thank you again for tuning in. I will be off to my next assignment, Verbania, tomorrow morning where I will learn Italiano. The classes consist mostly of sign language. It is only by week 3 that we learn how to add real Italian words to the hand motions (yelling comes in at week 4).
I am not sure whether internet will be readily available, so it may be a while till my next post. Rest assured, though: it will be filled with info and pictures. Like this one.
Oh, that's good.
May God bless you now and always! Thank you for your support and prayers, and I pray for you too!
Pax!
Ciao! I just want to say first off that I am so thankful to all of you for your support and comments. I'm glad to know people enjoy reading what I write...oh, wait, you just enjoy the pictures? Oh...I see....
Well, I'll keep writing anyways.
I have a lot to be thankful for in these past couple of days! Praise God! Yesterday, we were able to visit Le Catacombe di Priscilla, which in Italian means, "The Catacombe di Priscilla." (I haven't been to language school yet....) So we went to the Catacombs, and these particular catacombs, you will be interested to know contain the remains of the early Church martyrs, those who died rather than renounce their faith. That means it dates back to the 2nd or 3rd Century. That's not all, however, as these particular catacombs have about 8 miles of tunnels underground, holding the remains of nearly 40,000 people. We of course only got a peek at it, but what we saw was amazing.
Though I was concerned about what I was breathing in a place housing so many dead people, I did not let that stop me from exploring this place of new birth, as the early Church saw it. They did not count the death as the end of life but rather the beginning of new life, a new birth in Christ. The paintings there reflect these themes: the raising of Lazarus from the dead, Noah coming out of the Ark, and the three wise men coming to see the baby Jesus. This brings up two very important points: first, these paintings are at least 1700 years old, preserved over these many centuries; second, two of the ones I mentioned (there are many others, though) are from the New Testament, which at that time, was not yet compiled by the Church into the Bible. This means the oral tradition of the Church was alive and well, preserving these accounts through artworks such as these. Amazing!!!
We also saw the oldest known depiction of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is 1800 years old. You can find a copy of this picture in the newly published Catechism of the Catholic Church. I had seen it in there before, so I was not so impressed...just kidding. ...Please do not tell on me to the Pope.
We then celebrated Mass on top of the catacombs, in a chapel built by Saint Silvester. The chapel originally had no external door. Those seeking to come to celebrate the Mass would have to descend into the upper levels of the catacombs and pass through the dead to the new life of the Mass!!! Saint Silvester knew how important our experience can be in helping us come to believe the truths of the faith. It is such a blessing to be formed into the faith in the place where the faith first formed.
That was Friday. As for today, we visited Orvieto, where a Eucharistic miracle occurred. During consecration, the bread actually bled onto the corporal, and you can still see the blood stains on the corporal preserved in a side chapel. We also had an amazing lunch or pranzo in Orvieto, which I will draw nutrients from over the next 3 days. The pictures speak for themselves.
It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, which means that I just wrote 5,000 words! And you just read 5,000 words! I love literacy! And exclamations!
Well, thank you again for tuning in. I will be off to my next assignment, Verbania, tomorrow morning where I will learn Italiano. The classes consist mostly of sign language. It is only by week 3 that we learn how to add real Italian words to the hand motions (yelling comes in at week 4).
I am not sure whether internet will be readily available, so it may be a while till my next post. Rest assured, though: it will be filled with info and pictures. Like this one.
Oh, that's good.May God bless you now and always! Thank you for your support and prayers, and I pray for you too!
Pax!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Rome Sweet Home
Pax Christi Vobiscum!
Ciao, fratelli e surelli. I write to you from Rome, the Eternal City, almost at the end of the week here before departing for Verbania, Italy, up near the Alps. There I will begin my 4 week immersion in Italiano so that I can parla la lengua (which will be good because I think I just mixed Spanish with Italian there). I will have to know the language for my studies at the Gregorian University--where I will not only be learning new and difficult theological terms but will also be learning them in Italian.
So in a few weeks I hope to post an update in Italian...that way I can force you all to learn Italian with me, and we can all suffer together!!! In truth, I am looking forward to learning a new language and being able to relate to a people different than my own. What a blessing!
As a quick note: I will probably only be posting every week or so, unless something really big happens. That way, I will always have a lot to tell without wearing myself out on the computadora.
Now for the update:
I am becoming more and more accustomed to the fact that I wake up in Rome each day. I practically have to convince myself that this is happening...I mean, has happened. See what I mean? I am in Rome...weird. But as I realize it more and more, I thank God for the opportunity, and I try to keep Him at the forefront of my mind, because one can easily get lost in the wonders of Rome without directing thanks to the Lord.
Tuesday morning we began work on our Sojourno papers, which make us legal residents of Italia for a time. The paper work apparently changes every year, not because it has to but because some Italian bureaucrat thinks it would be fun to watch the confusion that ensues. After finishing the papers, we then had to take sesanta euro (60 euro) to the poste office to finish the deal...but that didn't happen until Wednesday.
In the mean time, I managed to get volunteered to sing and play guitar for Mass on Tuesday. So thank you, Mom, for insisting that I take my guitar right away. We had Mass in the American Martyrs Chapel of the Seminary, which is more intimate than the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, or of the Assumption, but not more than our Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. Yes, we do have 6 Chapels here on our 7 floors of space (I still haven't found the other 2). I will post pictures of the Seminary at some point.
Later that night, I decided to get out of the Seminary and head down to the Trastevere, the river near the Vatican. You can see all the traffic at the intersection and the river...behind my big ol' head.
So that's what I did that afternoon. And the next day, Mike, Jim, and I all walked around St. Peter's and some of the shops there to see some religious goods. And whoever is the nicest to me may receive a post card...fight for my love! I mean...uh....
Ciao, fratelli e surelli. I write to you from Rome, the Eternal City, almost at the end of the week here before departing for Verbania, Italy, up near the Alps. There I will begin my 4 week immersion in Italiano so that I can parla la lengua (which will be good because I think I just mixed Spanish with Italian there). I will have to know the language for my studies at the Gregorian University--where I will not only be learning new and difficult theological terms but will also be learning them in Italian.
So in a few weeks I hope to post an update in Italian...that way I can force you all to learn Italian with me, and we can all suffer together!!! In truth, I am looking forward to learning a new language and being able to relate to a people different than my own. What a blessing!
As a quick note: I will probably only be posting every week or so, unless something really big happens. That way, I will always have a lot to tell without wearing myself out on the computadora.
Now for the update:
I am becoming more and more accustomed to the fact that I wake up in Rome each day. I practically have to convince myself that this is happening...I mean, has happened. See what I mean? I am in Rome...weird. But as I realize it more and more, I thank God for the opportunity, and I try to keep Him at the forefront of my mind, because one can easily get lost in the wonders of Rome without directing thanks to the Lord.
Tuesday morning we began work on our Sojourno papers, which make us legal residents of Italia for a time. The paper work apparently changes every year, not because it has to but because some Italian bureaucrat thinks it would be fun to watch the confusion that ensues. After finishing the papers, we then had to take sesanta euro (60 euro) to the poste office to finish the deal...but that didn't happen until Wednesday.
In the mean time, I managed to get volunteered to sing and play guitar for Mass on Tuesday. So thank you, Mom, for insisting that I take my guitar right away. We had Mass in the American Martyrs Chapel of the Seminary, which is more intimate than the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, or of the Assumption, but not more than our Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. Yes, we do have 6 Chapels here on our 7 floors of space (I still haven't found the other 2). I will post pictures of the Seminary at some point.
Later that night, I decided to get out of the Seminary and head down to the Trastevere, the river near the Vatican. You can see all the traffic at the intersection and the river...behind my big ol' head.
So that's what I did that afternoon. And the next day, Mike, Jim, and I all walked around St. Peter's and some of the shops there to see some religious goods. And whoever is the nicest to me may receive a post card...fight for my love! I mean...uh....
Oh, and today was no big deal. We went to the beach. So that's about it...oh, wait, you want to know more about the beach? Okay, I guess I could tell you about that. Basically, we hopped on a train an hour north to Santa Severe (S-on-taw Say-vair-ray), jumped off, walked over, and plopped down in the sand. It was pretty nice, and the water was crystal clear. Personally I wanted to stay inside all day and kneel, but, under obedience, I went to the beach.
Well, that's it for now. Time to apply some Aloe Vera and then go pray in Adoration. I hope that I get a Son burn there too.
God bless, and you are in my prayers!!!
(And sorry Scott Hahn for stealing your title...)
Monday, July 16, 2007
Planes, Pains, and Un'automobile
I awoke this morning with my head in the clouds. Was I dreaming? No. I was at the tail end of a trans-Atlantic flight to Rome. I had been sleeping upright in the oh-so-luxurious coach chairs for about 2 hours of an 8 hour flight when I awoke. I caught a brief view of the clouds. It was quite brief, however, for the sharp pain in my neck (and the gradual deceleration of the plane) brought me back to earth.
After a frenzy at the airport, I found that I was blessed enough to receive all of my luggage at the baggage claim (usually, at least one piece of luggage takes a siesta). The bleary-eyed group of seminarians all ambled out of the airport and onto an autobus, which is Italian for bus. We arrived at the seminary, and then the fun began.
Here is a quick look at my room and the view from my room (Praise the Lord!):
We went to the Chapel of the Assumption for a Rosary at 12:50. The Chapel is gorgeous and is one of about 6 Chapels (that I know of) in the seminary itself. It was amazing to get to consecrate my time here at the seminary to Mary, our Mother, from the beginning of my journey here.
After feeding our souls, we promptly moved to the refectory (the dining hall), where we fed our stomachs. The meal was filled with pasta, vino, and mystery meat. A delightful combination, to be sure. But honestly, the meal was fantastic. In Italy, lunch, or pranzo, is the biggest meal of the day. I enjoyed it immensely.
Then, we began our tour, which took us all around the seminary, and served primarily to keep us standing upright. But the seminary is fantastic. I don't know when we're suppposed to study with the many opportunities to pray, workout, socialize, and travel that are available to us. What a blessing! Praise God.
The day ended with a gelato run and hamburgers on the roof. You can see some of the activity here.
All in all, I'd say it's going to be a great time here. Praise the Lord for the chance to learn and grow here in the Eternal City, to study the Church at her heart. And I don't think we could get into too much trouble here. I mean if we do, the Pope might see us.
After a frenzy at the airport, I found that I was blessed enough to receive all of my luggage at the baggage claim (usually, at least one piece of luggage takes a siesta). The bleary-eyed group of seminarians all ambled out of the airport and onto an autobus, which is Italian for bus. We arrived at the seminary, and then the fun began.
Here is a quick look at my room and the view from my room (Praise the Lord!):
We went to the Chapel of the Assumption for a Rosary at 12:50. The Chapel is gorgeous and is one of about 6 Chapels (that I know of) in the seminary itself. It was amazing to get to consecrate my time here at the seminary to Mary, our Mother, from the beginning of my journey here.
After feeding our souls, we promptly moved to the refectory (the dining hall), where we fed our stomachs. The meal was filled with pasta, vino, and mystery meat. A delightful combination, to be sure. But honestly, the meal was fantastic. In Italy, lunch, or pranzo, is the biggest meal of the day. I enjoyed it immensely.
Then, we began our tour, which took us all around the seminary, and served primarily to keep us standing upright. But the seminary is fantastic. I don't know when we're suppposed to study with the many opportunities to pray, workout, socialize, and travel that are available to us. What a blessing! Praise God.
The day ended with a gelato run and hamburgers on the roof. You can see some of the activity here.
All in all, I'd say it's going to be a great time here. Praise the Lord for the chance to learn and grow here in the Eternal City, to study the Church at her heart. And I don't think we could get into too much trouble here. I mean if we do, the Pope might see us.
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