The following reflection is offered by Deacon Chris Bohnsack, seminarian at Mount St. Mary Seminary in Cincinnati:
It was on April 26th 2008 that I was ordained a transitional deacon with nine other men. It was truly a wonderful day made even more special being surrounded by family and friends. That moment made me realize that I only have one more year of seminarylife. I have just completed my fifth year as a seminarian and while some individual years may have seemed long, when I look back on the whole experience I can't help but say- Where has the time gone?
I remember when I first became a seminarian for the Diocese of Toledo and I told everybody that it would take six years to finish the seminary and be ordained a priest. Some people joked "Are you becoming a priest or a doctor?" I replied, "Believe me, I'll need every year." I have needed every year and have really enjoyed being a seminarian. The seminary is where you discern if God is calling you to be a priest. I have seen several men leave the seminary because they realized God was not calling them to the priesthood. There is no shame in that. They realized that God was calling them to something else other than the priesthood.
After each year I completed at the seminary I always ask the same question- "God - are you still calling me to be a priest?" If I sensed God saying yes then I came back ready to draw closer to God. Well, one more year of the seminary left- and I still feel God saying "Yes, Chris become a priest!" Now I want to make my last year at the seminary a joyous and memorable experience. I will truly enjoy being able to preach at Sunday Mass and to stand at the altar beside the priest-lifting the chalice of the Precious Blood! I must always remember that all that I am able to do as an ordained minister is for the salvation of souls and to glorify God. "He must increase; I must decrease (Jn 3: 30)."
by Deacon Jason Kahle, IV Theologian at Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the Wes
Last summer of 2007, I had the privilege of traveling to the Holy Land in Israel as well as South Africa and Mozambique in Africa. Both were great experiences for me that I will never forget. One allowed me to walk and pray in the very footsteps of Christ while the other provided me with an opportunityto work with Habitat for Humanity in a culture that was completely new and exotic to me, but one that I had dreamed about for many years, namely Africa. Both experiences will not only stick with my whole life, but hopefully will also influence and improve how I minister and preach the Gospel message to those I am called to serve in the Church as a transitional deacon.
Now, as I look back on April of 2008, I once again have experienced two wonderful and powerful events that I'm definite will be with me my entire life. On April 19, I had the great opportunity to travel to Yonkers, NY - as did some other Toledo seminarians - with 25 other seminarians and 2
priests from Mount St. Mary's Seminary. Once there, I was privileged to see in person the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI! What a great feeling and experience that was! Just 15 feet away from the stage (and the Holy Father) and after waiting 7 hours on my feet in the hot sun, I was so excited when the Holy Father finally appeared on the stage. Amid all the other seminarians as well as priests, religious, and youth, it was a surreal experience. And if that wasn't enough, hearing the Pope speak about perseverance, courage, and prayer - things that promote holiness in today's day and age - was like "icing on the cake" and made me forget all about my tired and sore feet. It truly was a great experience meant to instill hope in the Church of America, which I believe was accomplished.
Following that experience, just one week later, on April 26, I was ordained to the Transitional Diaconate with 9 other seminarians (2 from the Toledo Diocese and 7 from the Cincinnati Archdiocese). What a humbling, powerful, and awesome experience! I was so happy afterwards that I think I was smiling the whole day. As I was going into the Cathedral that morning at 11:00am, I was a little more nervous than usual. All I could think of was what was I supposed to do and when I was supposed to do it.
However, during the Litany of the Saints, when the whole Church invokes the saints for us those to be ordained, something powerful came over me. And when I stood up after lying down during the Litany, I was no longer nervous. Rather, I was calm, ready, and alert. I was fully prepared to receive Holy Orders and all that goes along with it. In fact, I couldn't imagine not being ordained a deacon that day. I had truly felt, and still do, that this is indeed where God is calling me and that He has given me the graces needed to following this calling. Therefore, there was no other option that day - I was to be ordained a Transitional Deacon in front of many of my family and friends who traveled a long distance to be present for my ordination that day. Realizing all this, I feel extremely blessed and continue to thank God every day for my vocation as well as ask for the graces and strength to perform my ministry as best I can so as to spread the Good News and lead people to the kingdom of God.
Now, I am just days away from the end of my academic year. With just one more year to go of seminary and before priesthood ordination, I am filled with excitement and a new burst of energy to minister to the People of God. This summer, I have been blessed to do exactly this at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish in Upper Sandusky. I am looking forward to this experience and hope it will provide me with yet more opportunities to grow and deepen in my loving relationship with Jesus Christ. I ask for your continual prayers for me, all seminarians, and all those discerning their vocation to the priesthood and religious life. May God bless you and your families.
I had the privilege on Saturday of being present at the Cathedral in Cincinnati for the ordination of three of our seminarians to the diaconate. They, along with seven seminarians from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati took this next step toward priesthood ordination as they promised celibacy, prayer and obedience.
After several years of formation, these men believe God is gracing them with a call to diocesan priesthood and they are responding with a full and generous "yes." It was certainly evident in their joy and enthusiasm that this is not about what they are giving up, but rather embracing a gift of incredible magnitude and grace.
Judging by the many guests present, these seminarians have already touched many lives and will influence many more in the years to come as they serve the People of God in Jesus' name. We promise our prayerful support to Deacon Chris Bohnsack, Deacon Jason Kahle and Deacon Tony Recker as they continue to discern and respond to God's call in their lives.
Jerry Schetter, a seminarian of the Diocese of Toledo, shares his experience of seeing Pope Benedict...
Wow!!!
I thought I would write you a few notes on my experience at meeting the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI duringhis visit to America and, in particular, New York.
I awoke early Saturday morning to the birds chirping loudly outside my window. As I was walking down the hill to morning Mass I was contemplating what would be in store for me and my brother seminarians. It was of a major concern too me as I'm the president of their student government and had been working closely with the administration on coordinating this excursion to be with the Holy Father.
Having coordinated the last two World Youth Days I had a pretty good idea what was involved with this opportunity to work on this one. This time I had the task of helping 80 seminarians have maybe a once in a lifetime experience of being up close to Pope Benedict. In any event you have a chance to work on... it's a totally different experience in it's own, this was no exception. Security! That was the number one hurdle to get over on this one. It started back in February with having to fill out very strict paperwork, which involved getting background information on everybody. The security didn't end there as it followed us throughout the day. With special routes to travel, police escorted shuttle transportation to the grounds and literally thousands were involved in it. When we finally arrived at the gate it was very similar to post 9/11 as we went through different checkpoints.
While we were entering the grounds you immediately got the feeling of a festive atmosphere. We made our way up front as we were placed in the red section, which was set aside for seminarians. We found ourselves literary eight feet in front the stage. The stage was set up beautifully with a giant replica of a cutout risen Christ. Christ is truly risen! I took a walk around the grounds and the experience of watching how others were spending their time in waiting. Some were sitting on the grass playing cards, you'd see a couple here and there praying, some would be playing catch, while others were sitting in groups singing. You would see cameras everywhere as young and old alike were making lasting moments. One of the things I also remember about an event like this is the expression on the youth gathered. I mean that's what it's all about anyways.
The day was full of music, dancing and all sorts of entertainment ranging from rap, to Christian rock. We had a chance to witness Kelly Clarkson sing as well as Toby Mac, and the Three Graces. We even found time to do a little singing together of the Regina Coeli and Salve Regina as the seminarians broke out in chant.
As the sun was setting behind the stage... time was drawing close for the Holy Father's arrival. When he finally entered the grounds the capacity crowd drew into a rage of excitement. The cheers were going out "Benedicto" "Papa Benedicto."
This was a special day also as we were helping the Holy Father celebrate his third anniversary of the election from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to Pope Benedict XVI.
The Holy Father's opening remarks centered on "Proclaiming the Lord Christ" and he greeted all 26,000 gathered with love and heartfelt affection. You could see a genuine love in his eyes. Because of this most obvious sign of affection - each of the 26,000 chanted back - "We love you Papa Benedicto." He said to us as he started his address "Young friends, I am very happy to have the opportunity to speak with you." With that there was a roar from the crowd. He also added. "I wish to acknowledge your singing to me Happy Birthday! Thank you for this moving gesture; I give you all an "A plus" for your German pronunciation!" We had just finished singing to him in German "Happy Birthday." He shared with us that we are disciples of Jesus Christ. Walking in the Lord's footsteps, our own lives become a journey of hope. "Saved By Hope" "Christ is our Hope."
The Pope's message during his pastoral visit here has centered on the need for Americans, especially young American Catholics, to reconnect faith and life. Benedict sees secularism, materialism and individualism as leading to an erosion of the connection between belief and morality, truth and goodness. He told us to bear witness to the Good News of Christ wherever we are and to follow the path that He has laid in front of us. God is our origin and our destination. Christ is our Hope! He encouraged us to develop a special relationship with Our Lord and that relationship is nurtured by prayer. The air was quiet... you could hear a pin drop as all eyes and ears were glued to his very words as he finished his talk to the youth, the youth of all ages. He asked what we were seeking and to take time and be quiet in prayer and listen to God's message. The Pope finished his time with us with his Papal Blessing and wishing the best for us all. Kelly Clarkson then sang the "Ave Maria" to him. As he listened, you could see that very special smile he had bring hope to all.
In the midst of 26,000 I did have the opportunity to be with one of my brother seminarians, Alan Rooney. Unfortunately with the size of the crowd I didn't see anyone else from the Diocese. I know there were many present from throughout the Diocese and I'm sure they have many special memories to share that will be lasting in their hearts and minds.
I was asked how this compares to World Youth Days? Similar of course, as anytime you have the opportunity to be in his Holiness' presence is an electrifying experience.
In today's Scripture from the Gospel of John, Jesus promises:
"I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be" (Jn 14: 2-3).
Of course, I realize that the richness of this promise is found in being with Jesus for all eternity. It did cause me to wonder, however, just how Jesus is going to prepare my place. I'm thinking daffodils and other spring flowers, sunshine and a country setting.....
Following Pope Benedict's address to the Bishops of the United States yesterday, one of the Bishops asked a question about the current number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. I appreciated the Holy Father's response, especially his emphasis on the need for prayer.
"The discernment of a vocation is above all the fruit of an intimate dialogue betweenthe Lord and his disciples."
Time and again, I am reminded that a life of prayer and communion with Jesus is foundational to all discernment. All the research, experiences and marketing one can access is insufficient in the end. It is when one comes to a deep and intimate experience of Jesus that one is able to know His will and plan. I'm reminded of a quote of Pedro Arrupe, SJ:
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 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.
During this particular segment of the Easter season, the Church places before us some wonderful readings from the Gospel of John that focus on the image of the shepherd. The complete gift of life and love given by the shepherd for his sheep is a mere fraction of Jesus' gift of self for us.
I find it striking that during these days when we reflect on the care of the shepherd, we have the privilege to welcome Pope Benedict to the United States. As chief shepherd of the Catholic Church, he comes to offer care and guidance, to lead and guide as well as to walk alongside us. I suspect his message will be one of hope and encouragement but also a challenge to live our faith faithfully.Will we hear and follow his voice?
We also celebrate today the 98th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Toledo. We are blessed indeed to share in the life of the local Church as a more intimate expression of the universal faith we hold.
Jesus knows our need for the support of community and, in giving us the gift of Church, invites us to participate fully in this outward expression of our faith. Let us pray for each member and leader of our Church that we may follow the voice of our Good Shepherd.
Today's reading from the Gospel of John could serve as the perfect cure for anxiety. Jesus says:
"Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that i should not lose anythingof what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day" (Jn 6: 37-39).
What a blessing it is to know that the Father in His infinite love and mercy has given us to His Son and that the mission of Jesus, to do His Father's will, includes protecting us from all evil and leading us to eternal life. While All State Insurance may use the motto "You're in good hands with All State", we're in infinitely better hands with Jesus!
Today is the anniversary of the death of St. Julie Billiart, foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. While this is not the community to which I belong, we do claim St. Julie as our spiritual mother and so consider ourselves "cousins." Our own foundress was deeply influenced by the spirituality of St. Julie and so I am most grateful for the spiritual patrimony she has shared with the Church.
While much can certainly be said about St. Julie, the characteristic of her life by which she is most commonly known is her recognition of the goodness of God. Amidst the great sufferings and trials of her life, she was consistently able to exclaim "How good is the good God!" The deep joy that grows out of this sense of gratitude for God's goodness has earned her the title "The Smiling Saint."
As I consider this spiritual heritageI've received from St. Julie, I'm encouraged and challenged to be more firmly rooted in my awareness of God's goodness. This good God will never fail me and desires only my best as He accompanies me through each and every day. Indeed, how good is the good God!
The following reflection is offered by Chris Mileski, a seminarian for the Diocese of Toledo who celebrated Holy Week with the monks at St. Meinrad Monastery.
The Octave of Easter may be over, but the Easter season has just begun! Last week, my brother seminarian Michael gave a wonderful account of what Holy Week was like in the Diocese of Toledo, but my experience was a little different. Scott and I spent the time preparing for the Pasch on retreat with the monastic community at Saint Meinrad.
This once in a lifetime experience began with first vespers of Palm Sunday on Saturday evening. We gathered together and recited the antiphon, which proclaimed to us to "go even unto the altar, processing with branches." We did just that, in a simple procession of Hosannas into the Archabbey church, carrying our palms and in a way entering Jerusalem with Our Lord. Evening came and morning continued as usual, including the Mass on Palm Sunday. Like every parish around the world, the Gospel was the passion account from Mathew. Unlike every parish around the globe, the Benedictine monks chanted the eight-page account in both beautifully simple tones and breathtakingly complex polyphonies that emphasized the simplicity of what our Lord set out to do for us, and the complexity of emotions that accompany that time changing event.
The retreat continued in a very Benedictine fashion from Monday through Thursday morning. Following the Benedictine motto of Ora et Labora (work and prayer), we prayed all of the Liturgy of the Hours communally, and in the time in-between practiced the study of scripture and did physical work for the benefit of the community. For example, we cleaned top to bottom both our chapel and campus pub, so the community could return from our break to a clean home.
Holy Thursday at the Mass of the Lord's Supper, the ordinary of work and prayer became extraordinary with the beginning of the Triduum. For me, the most moving part of the liturgy was seeing the Abbot in his full dress, remove his miter and chasuble, set aside his crosier (shepherd's staff) and serve his sheep by washing their feet. What was more, after he retuned to his pontifical dress, he presented each of the twelve people with a wrapped gift; thus not only serving them, but also, like Jesus, giving them a gift at the supper they would only later understand and appreciate. We left the banquet of the Eucharist and continued to a dinner of lamb and potatoes, traditional to the monastery for the evening. After this meal, no one on the retreat spoke. In doing so we remembered that it was after the meal that Christ was betrayed, and we became recognizant that the joy of palms quickly became the agony in the garden and the passion.
On Good Friday, we broke our silence only to pray the office. Like many parishes on that day we attended the Stations of the Cross and attended the Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday. After three in the afternoon, we converted, in silence, our chapel into a Byzantine chapel for the Mystical Burial of Our Lord, including the building of the Tomb of Jesus. When we were nearly finished, we began an Assembly of Charity, or what is often called in monasticism a chapter of faults. We stood in front of the tomb of Christ and the community and publicly confessed sins that directly harmed the community, such as rudeness and distracting others from prayer. As each person accused himself, he would take a stone and place it with the others, completing the tomb that would later that evening hold the icon of Christ, the Christ who died that very day for our sins.
Holy Saturday was quiet and very much an in-between time. We had participated in Christ's death, but he had yet to rise from the dead. It was an experience I still, after many days, find hard to describe.
At 8:30 P.M. the Easter Vigil began. In the darkness of night, we gathered around a new fire, made from the wood of the cross, which brought forth Christ our Light in the lighting of the Easter candle and we processed into the church. As usual, we began the liturgy of the word, reading from the scriptures our story from Genesis through the Old Testament. After five readings, the Deacon stood and proclaimed, "Let us keep vigil for Our Lord." The Abbot stood and left and his party followed him. In the church the seminarians and the junior monks began to keep vigil through the night. We began with psalm 1 and did not stop until psalm 149 was proclaimed. Most of us seminarians had only a few psalms each, and we proclaimed them between 2:00 AM and 3:30 AM. The monks began returning around 4:30 AM and the Easter Vigil resumed at 5:00AM with psalm 150 and the other two readings.
From this point the liturgy continued as it would in the parish, except for the blessing of a live lamb which made young and old alike smile, from both the adorably cute new born lamb and the seeming ridiculousness that was only intensified by a lack of sleep. The Mass was finished around 7:10 AM, Making the Easter Vigil last 10 hours and 40 minutes. We went quickly to breakfast and enjoyed our first Easter meal blessed by our rector with the water just blessed at the vigil. Then, at 8:30 AM, twelve hours after we began, we finally went to bed, singing the many alleluias that Christ our Lord was risen.
Looking back on my week, I was glad to share in that unique experience of monasticism, waking early to pray, adding hard work to balance the self, keeping a general silence, but I really came away with a greater joy that I am called to the diocesan priesthood! Happy Easter!
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