The following reflection was written by seminarian Mike Roemmele who is in his second year of Theology at Mount St. Mary Seminary in Cincinnati.

Happy Easter! Today we continue to celebrate Our Lord's Resurrection during the octave of Easter. For many of us seminarians we are returning to our studies after a busy Holy Week of not only spiritually preparing for Easter, but also physically preparing vis-à-vis helping out in our parishes. Throughout the week the Church's liturgies allowed me to enter more deeply into the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ.

            Holy Week began with Palm Sunday Mass. I assisted with the Palm Sunday Masses at my home parish of St. Rose of Lima in Perrysburg, Ohio. It was wonderful to see my fellow parishioners begin their Holy Week with the reading of the Passion and the commemoration of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

            On Tuesday, I joined my fellow seminarians in serving the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary. It was truly a blessing to serve at the altar as our bishop, Bishop Blair, along with his brother priests renewed their priestly promises and offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Cathedral was filled with the faithful from all over the diocese as the Holy oils were blessed and consecrated, and sent with the faithful to the parishes all over northwest Ohio. Afterwards, the priests, deacons, and seminarians were treated to a luncheon which gave us the opportunity for fraternity.

            The Holy Triduum began on Holy Thursday with the Mass of the Lord's Supper. During this most solemn Mass we celebrated institution of the Priesthood and the Most Holy Eucharist. I was truly humbled to watch my pastor wash the feet of twelve parishioners, modeling the life of service which was perfectly expressed by Jesus Christ. The Mass concluded with adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament by the faithful. I was awestruck by the people's reverence for the Eucharist as we processed through the Church to the Altar of Repose.

            Good Friday's somber mood allowed me to enter more deeply into the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. The Good Friday service, which included the passion, veneration of the Cross, and reception of Holy Communion, stirred strong feelings among the people of God. Immediately after the service I returned to the seminary in preparation for the Easter Vigil.

            On Holy Saturday I joined my RCIA team members for a retreat. This retreat was for those individuals who were preparing to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil. The retreat allowed us to reflect on what would happen that night-the most glorious night of the Church year. That night we welcomed two newly baptized, 2 converts, and celebrated ten confirmations. The joy of those who received the sacraments was felt by all.

            Easter day was somewhat different this year since I was not at home to celebrate the usual Easter feast. This year I was fortunate to sit in choir dress at the magnificent Basilica Cathedral in Covington, Kentucky for the morning Mass. The powerful music, the prayerfulness of the congregation, and the beauty of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass truly allowed me to celebrate the joy of Our Lord's Resurrection. This ended the penitential season of Lent and began the Holy Octave of Easter. I hope everyone had a fruitful Holy Week and Blessed Easter!