Rite of Election

I suppose that I have always liked processions. I remember attending an ordination when I was in middle school and being astounded to see every priest in the diocese process into the sanctuary of the Cathedral. Even now, when I attend a Mass with more that one priest present, I try to sit near the aisle so that I get a good view of the procession. My efforts to that effect were richly rewarded on Sunday, when I attended the Rite of Election at the Cathedral.

I don't know how many catechumens and candidates were present, but they filled almost one half of the pews in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Bishop Blase Cupich preached eloquently, reminding all present of the need to hear and hear again the story of our salvation.

I was most moved, however, to see so many people present who desired full initiation into the Church, and the equally impressive number of those there to support them in that decision. It is not often that one sees the Cathedral full. It was for this Mass. There is much to be grateful for this Lent.

SPS Closed for Prayer

In a bold move, the Saint Paul Seminary will be "Closed for Prayer" on Saturday, March 10th @ 7pm. Msgr. Callaghan, Rector of the Saint Paul Seminary, is inviting all the faithful to 'join us at our place' for an evening of Lenten Scripture readings, prayer, and music as we continue our preparations for Easter.

Music will be provided by SONAR, a contemporary Catholic group. A reception will follow.

St. Mary's Chapel

2260 Summit Ave

Free. no charge.

7:00 pm to 8:45 pm, doors open at 6:15 pm. Light refreshments to follow ......

Please spread the word! We'd love to see everyone at the seminary!

A Busy Morning

We have a permanent deacon in the parish whom several of our parishioners jokingly call "Deacon Lazarus." Apparently a little over a year ago he was preaching at a penance service, and in the middle of his homily, he had a heart attack. He collapsed, he was taken by airplane to a distant hospital, and eventually recovered. After the initial shock and terror wore off, people got quite a kick out of the fact that the deacon had died (his heart stopped after all ) right in the middle of a ceremony.

Well, he did it again. It wasn't his heart this time. He is diabetic, and when he took his medication before the 7 am Mass, he failed to eat anything. His blood sugar began to drop, and just as he was finishing distributing the Eucharist, he collapsed. He couldn't have done it in a better place - there were two cardiologists and a handful of nurses present. They were feeding him sugar him while the pastor, the servers, and I processed out of the Church.

The ambulance came, tested his heart rate and those things that they do, and then sent him home to rest. I did his visits to the nursing homes for the day.

I suppose there is some deep lesson about the ephemeral nature of life, or the value of contemplating our own deaths to be found in this episode. However, when the deacon came to the sacristy before going home the only thing I could think to say was, "You've got to quit trying to die in the middle of communal celebrations."

Bonds of Brotherhood

There is something to be said about the bond between men who spent time at the seminary together. Because of daily grind of seminary life -- classes, group projects, parties, liturgies, retreats, etc -- there is a beautiful connection in Christ that develops between men. There is something more than merely a "human" connection, though lifelong friendships do often form between men at the seminary. But rather, when the the document from Vatican 2 that talked about the 'supernatural bond among the presbyterate,' there is a keen insight to a reality that happens, though not always with perfection, when men pursue a particular vocation together towards Jesus Christ.

The only thing that I can liken it to is the bond formed between men who served in the military together. Though very different lifestyles in terms of occupational hazards, formation practices, etc, there is something to be said about military men who pursue a common ideal, understand a common way of life, and who practice discipline and obedience. The recent HBO series, Band of Brothers, offers a keen insight into the life of military men; the personal interviews with the actual men upon whom the series is based gave new meaning for me as to necessity of kinship in military service.

Military kinship begins, oftentimes, during camp. Likewise, fraternity among priests oftentimes begins at the seminary. When men leave the seminary, the whole house feels a loss. But when we see them again, there is great joy at being reunited with those with whom we lived for a time. Hence, when I was browsing the Pontifical North American College website, I stumbled across the pictures of two men who spent time at SPS. They were asked by their bishop to study in Rome for Theology. Off they went, perhaps with excitement at having been given the opportunity to study in the heart of Catholicism, perhaps with heavy hearts having to leave the men with whom deep bonds of brotherhood were formed. I look back fondly -- as well as many other men at SPS -- on the memories I have with these men during their days of Pre-Theology. Though our paths to the priesthood have taken different courses, the bonds of fraternity still exist. We continue to wish them well in the preparation for priestly ministry and eagerly look forward to the day when we begin our days no longer as brother seminarians but as brother priests in service of the Lord and of His People. Currahee!

PS ... Our long lost brother was lost and now is found! Not that I forgot about the 'golden baritone' of the Saint Paul Seminary, but I couldn't find his picture on the NAC website. With what wonderful memories do we have of him playing in the pep band, singing the hit single from the seminary, Our Lady of Knock, and general merriment with him.

Images of the Borromeo Weekend 2006

To refresh your memories!

Our Lady of Guadalupe images

These pictures are from the beautiful celebration of the mass on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We were joined by a young mariachi group from OL Guadalupe parish in St. Paul; even Juan Diego himself came (no, he didn't rise from the dead. Jorge portrayed St. Juan Diego during the Offertory of the mass). It was a wonderful way to honor our Blessed Mother.

YouTube and the seminary?

So I was browsing around YouTube recently, curious to see what sorts of 'Catholic' clips I could find there. Lo and behold, I found something posted last semester from our minor seminary, St. Joyn Vianney. I was quite surprised to find this, and curious to see what they would put on it. It is an impressive video, especially seeing that it was 'home-grown' ... I think that one of SJV's own men put the 10 minute video together. I know the men there well; they are indeed my younger brothers. Even though I'm at the major seminary in graduate level studies, I try hard to get to know the men at the minor seminary. Some of them are my dearest brothers in Christ. The are a great example of young men who are trying to pursue the Lord in their lives .... and they are quite joyful about it. It is a beautiful witness of manly men pursuing a call to follow Christ with every ounce of their being. They are a constant inspiration to me.

Hebrews

The Letter to the Hebrews, in all of its eloquence and beauty gets a little old after four weeks. We are now only in week two, with two remaining and I find myself thinking at Mass, “When are we going to hear from a different book?” While I have had this experience several times since becoming a daily communicant, it has become all the more clear to me this week. Occasionally at the parish there arise situations where the pastor has to be gone and is unable to celebrate Mass at the regularly scheduled time. Usually this means that the permanent deacon or I is asked to lead a Communion Service. Though I am opposed to this practice in principle, I do relish the events inasmuch as they allow me to practice preaching in front of a real congregation (This is a legal and licit practice.) So, this week I have led two communion services and each time I looked at the readings from Hebrews I asked, “What on earth am I going to say about this?” Thank goodness for the Gospel. As I said, Hebrews is a beautiful letter, and I have found it to be a fruitful piece of Scripture with which to pray. But it’s awfully hard to preach on it.

Don't bother reading this, I'm just venting

Allow me to vent a moment:

I am reaching my threshold for the music of Bernadette Farrell, David Haas, Bob Hurd, Marty Haugen, and their ilk. They have a stranglehold on the music that is used in parishes around this nation, and as a result, on any given Sunday, one can expect to hear “Christ be our Light,” “Gather Us In,” “We are Called,” or some other banal melody with saccharine lyrics. I am perfectly aware that I have my own tastes and preferences, and that some people do, indeed, like these hymns. In fact, there was a time when I liked them. There are moments when I still like them. However, these hymns utterly fail to capture even a tiny portion of the majesty of God or the great mystery that shrouds all that we do. And, because everyone in the pews knows these songs, we settle for them. It is more important to use music that we know (mediocre though it may be) than to sing inspiring or transcendent songs. I understand the argument. I follow the logic. But how are we ever going to learn anything new? This is not a criticism of the people who play this music. I think that they do a fine job of it. I also think they would do a fine job with some other music too.

"Golden" Brotherhood

When the fall semester was coming to a close, I thought to myself, "What am I going to do over Christmas break?" Many of us were asking this question and asking it of others. As it would turn out, 3 brothers from the seminary would join the two southern California transplants in the Golden State for a few days of sightseeing, warm weather, and brotherhood.

Our first highlight was attending mass at the newly built Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral of Los Angeles. Much discussion is had by many people regarding the choice of architectural style. The general consensus of the group was that the cathedral has truly beautiful elements to it. As with most things in life, there are elements which caught our attention, and other which caught our attention for a different reason. After mass, there was an opportunity to meet Cardinal Mahony, who is coming to our archdiocese in January for conference on immigration.



How could we not pay a visit to Dodger Stadium on a beautiful and warm morning? There wasn't a game that day, but from there, one can have a good look at the city around it. Frank was busy pointing out to us which scene in which famous movie was filmed here and there throughout Los Angeles. For this, Frank got the new nickname "Frankie-pedia," (a word play on the Wikipedia website).


Of all the things that Minnesotans have, but which is not quite like the real deal, is a beach. Sure there are only 10,000 lakes in the state, whereas California has only 1 ocean.
Sure, there are beaches in MN, but none of the beaches are like they are in California! We rolled up our jeans and stood in the Pacific Ocean, watching a truly golden sunset. We even prayed Evening Prayer on the shore to wrap up the day.



Lest the brothers think that California has completely lost its Catholic heritage which is so much a part of its history, we had the chance to visit Mission San Gabriel, one of the 21 Spanish missions established all along the coast of California by Blessed Junipero Serra, most of which are still operational today. Father Junípero Serra was considered by his contemporaries to be an exceptionally devout missionary with great courage, remarkable intelligence and persistence. On the birthday of Mary, September 8, 1771, under Fr. Serra's direction, Fathers Pedro Cambón and Joseph de la Somera founded the San Gabriel Mission.

There was also the opportunity for them to meet the some of the Sisters of the Society Devoted to the Sacred Heart, whose sisters, as an Apostolic Religious Institute, areprimarily involved with teaching the truths of our faith and in making the Father and His love known. Their "Joyful Apostolate" flows from their daily and personal union with Christ.

All along the way, there was good food, good laughter, a few episodes of a favorite TV-medical drama House, good prayer time (much needed after the long semester). Isn't this what brotherhood is all about?

A Punk Rock Band

Perhaps it is that I have spent too much time trying to teach teenagers recently, but I have experienced an unprecedented desire to form a punk rock band that I would call "Righteous Indignation." We would spend most of our time with our arms crossed over our chests staring broodingly at people trying to talk to us. When we weren't doing that, we would probably be making snotty comments about the person talking to us or panicking in our minds over some relatively inconsequential piece of teen angst. My punk rock band probably won't really do much music. We'll just mostly sit around and be surly.


At least that's the impression of what teens do. On two separate occasions and with two separate groups of teens I tried to teach about the incarnation, the real meaning of Christmas, and its connection to the Resurrection. I may as well have been beating my head against a brick wall. Not a smile, not a response, not any indication that they had learned anything or had even heard a word of what I had just said.

I'm all for intergenerational catechesis and the like, but God help me, there are days when I would like to say, "I will be lecturing for ninety minutes, after which you will take a fifty question exam. You must answer 95% of the questions correctly or you will not be confirmed. Let's begin."

Between teen angst, the God of the Public School, and the rites for worshipping that God (otherwise known as varsity sports), I am sometimes convinced that its all hopeless. How am I supposed to compete with coaches and Pastor Feelgood up the street who can teach kids their faith (Are you saved? Do you want to be? Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? Good! Now, let's sing a song.) in about four minutes?

But then again, it is the Christmas season, and I suppose that like most people, they were probably somewhat preoccupied. So, I'll try again next month. And so it goes . . .

Anyone for a little chocolate?

I was given this recently from someone who pulled it from a parish bulletin.

If anyone has seen it before or knows where it came from, do let us know.

Your Age by Chocolate Math:

(Don't cheat by scrolling down first!)

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate (more than once, but less than 10).

2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold).

3. Add 5.

4. Multiply it by 50--I'll wait while you get the calculator.

5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1756; if you havn't add 1755.

6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

Finish: You should have a three digit number. The first digit of this was your original number (i.e. how many times you want to have chocolate each week). The next two numbers are: your age!! (Oh yes, it is!!)

This is the only year (2006) that it will ever work, so tell your friends!

bty, it worked for me!

Don't you just love bulletin humor?

What priests do in their spare time . . .

I am often asked, "What do priests do in their spare time?" My typical response to this is, "What spare time?" It is true that priests are busy people. Father and I, for instance, go to the office around 10:00 AM. We usually return to the rectory for the evening at 10:00 PM. There are short breaks in the day, and it is not the exhausting kind of redundant work that would drive some people to burnout, so it is pleasant work. Nevertheless, one does go to bed knowing that they have done a decent day's work. There are other days that are emotionally exhausting. People worry about asking to see the priest because he might be too busy. In fact, priests are around in order to be bothered by other people's problems. However, some days there are a lot of problems.

But, all of that having been said, there are still down times every so often, and these do get filled in recreational ways. I, for one, need a little time to unwind before going to bed at night. So, Father and I typically drink a cup of tea and watch Law and Order. However, it seems that we have now seen every episode and as a result, have had to find new outlets. So, a couple of nights ago, Father purchased our newest diversion - a Play Station II. With three games and neither of us being particularly adept at these sorts of activities, it should keep us occupied for a while. Fancy that - priests play video games.

We don't spend all of our time in front of the TV. I blog quite a bit, and father like to restore religious art. I also read a lot (usually right before bed). Sometimes we take a stroll around town to see what is happening, and we frequently just sit and tell stories (as Father is especially good a storytelling).

All in all, priests spend their free time the same way that everybody does. They are really not as mysterious as Hollywood might lead us to believe.

Dedication of the Churches of Sts. Peter and Paul

One great thing about "Ordinary Time" on the liturgical calandar is that it is anything but "ordinary" as we might think of "things ordinary". Yes, it is ordinary in the sense that during its days the life of the Church is not focused on any particular aspect of the mysteries of salvation (such as the resurrection during the Easter Season, or the Incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ during the Octave of Christmas), but rather we are focusing any number of other wonderful parts of Catholic faith and life.

Today is one of those days. It is the Memorial of the Dedication of the Churches of Peter and Paul. In Rome (or its vicinities) there are these two churches, or basilicas, which are dedicated to the princes of the Apostles. St. Peter's is at the Vatican. St. Paul's, referred to as "St. Paul's Outside the Walls" (that is, outside of the old city walls of Rome) is a short distance from the ancient city. These are two of the four "Patriarchal or Major Basilicas of Rome" (St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran are the others).

Of course we are recalling the Apostles themselves, but since there are these two magnificent churches built under their patronage and given their right and dignified place among the Apostles, it seems intuitive for such a celebration to be concieved in the Catholic imagination. After all, their mortal remains are reposed in their resepective basilica and countless pilgrims come to them annually for just that reason. These basilicas make the pilgrimages possible, or at least alot easier, so why not recall something unique about them while honoring the apostles?

Here's today's entry in the Liturgy of the Hours:

Anniversaries of dedication were celebrated in the Vatican Basilica of Saint Peter and in the Basilica of Saint Paul on the Ostian Way as early as the twelfth century. The two basilicas had been completed under Pope Sylvester and Siricius in the fourth century. More recently this commemoration was extended to the entire Latin Rite. Just as the Maternity of the Virgin Mother of God is celebrated on the anniversary of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (August 5), so on this day we honor the two princes of Christ's apostles.

June 29 is the day when the whole Church celebrates the "Solemnity" of these two princes of the Church. So much for "ordinariness" in Ordinary Time!

Reflections on Abortion

South Dakota’s effort to ban abortions failed on Election Day, but the effort to stop this plague moves forward. Last weekend, I became all the more convinced of the damage that abortion does when I participated in a Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat (RVR). Four women attended. One had waited eighteen years to tell about her abortion, another had waited only four months. They had little in common except for a deep shame, a self-loathing, and a desire to be healed. The retreat helped them to begin that process. In a few short hours, they were able to admit what they had done and to begin mourning their lost child. God was truly present for these women.

Many have argued that it is sexist to claim that a woman is incapable of making a mature decision about abortion. Only a misogynist would suggest that a woman who chooses abortion is ignorant of the hardships it could cause her. To these people I respond, “Get a clue.” I have never met people who hurt so badly as the women at this retreat. I didn’t know the human soul could bear such pain. Abortion crippled these women, and the ways that they allowed themselves to be punished and used would curl your toenails.

The weekend was excruciating, but fruitful. By the end, I couldn’t take anymore tears, anymore hugs, anymore scented candles, fresh cut flowers, aroma therapy, or talking about my feelings. But, I did see Christ at work in a very real way. I hope that I can minister to post abortive women one day. I want to stand in the place of Christ for them. I want to stand up with them in place of the men in their lives who had failed them. I want to help them become whole.

St. Charles Borromeo comes to St. Paul (part 1)

You might be asking yourself, "How did St. Charles Borromeo come to the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity" such that the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity and the Saint John Vianney Seminary would embark on a weekend dedicated to his patronage?

Under the inspiration of our rector, Msgr. Callaghan, and with the cooperation of Fr. Bill Baer, rector of SJV, the Borromeo Weekend was developed as a way to foster greater fraternity between the major seminary and the minor seminary though fellowship and various forms of prayer throughout the weekend. But how does St. Charles get involved?


Perhaps a look into the life of St. Charles is in order before we see how St. Charles came to the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity.

St. Charles Borromeo -- Archbishop of Milan and Cardinal-priest of the Title of St. Prassede, Papal Secretary of State under Pius IV, and one of the chief factors in the Catholic Counter-Reformation -- was born in the Castle of Arona, a town on the southern shore of the Lago Maggiore in Italy on 2 October, 1538; he died in Milan 3 November, 1584. His rise to the cardinalate was swift. The father of Charles, Count Gilberto Borromeo, married Margherita de Medici about 1530. Charles uncle, Margherita's younger brother named Giovanni Angelo, Cardial of Medici, was elected pope in 1559 and took the name Pius IV. Upon receiving the news of his uncle's election, Charles (who at this time was not more than 20 years old) hastened to Rome, whereupon he received the news that his uncle-pope had given him the charge of the adminstration of the Papal States. Along with this responsibility came Charles' elevation as a cardinal-deacon on January 31, 1560. In his role at the Secretary of State, Charles was influential in reconvening the Council of Trent, which had been suspended since 1552.

Charles worked dillegently throughout the remaining sessions of the Council. It was the death of his brother, Federigo, in 1562 that moved him towards greater spiritual discipline and towards priestly ordination, which was held in secret, by the hands of Cardinal Federigo Cesa, in Santa Maria Maggiore, on the 4th of September, 1563. He writes that he celebrated his first Mass on the Assumption, in St. Peter's, at the altar of the Confession. He said his second Mass at his house, attached to the Gesu, in an oratory where St. Ignatius had been accustomed to celebrate. Charles at this time had as his confessor Father Giovanni Battista Ribera, S.J. On the 7th of December, 1563, the feast of St. Ambrose, he was consecrated bishop in the Sistine Chapel; on the 23rd of March, 1564, he received the pallium, and was preconized on the 12th of May.

After the Council, Charles continued his diligent work, focusing his energy on clergy reform and formation of future clergy. As a well-seasoned bishop in Europe, his travels took him on a pastoral visit to a town in the Valtelline valley in the Grisons. Charles was met by the Marquis Gonzaga, whose twelve year old son, Aloysius (or Luigi), had reached great sanctity. This soon-to-be saint would receive his First Holy Communion by this other soon-to-be saint.

Borromeo Weekend

This year's Borromeo Weekend was incredible! The weekend is structured as a traditional 40 hours of devotion in honor of St. Charles Borromeo, the patron saint of seminarians. The purpose of the weekend is, first of all, to give praise to God through a whole weekend of perpetual adoration of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, and also to foster unity between our seminary and the college seminary, St. John Vianney Seminary. The weekend also provides us with an opportunity to open the doors of our seminary to and pray with our brothers and sisters of the greater university community and even some beyond this community.

The weekend was powerful. It kicked off with Mass at 7:30pm in the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas of the University of St. Thomas Friday evening. At the end of Mass, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and placed in the monstrance, and then a Eucharistic procession commenced from this chapel, across the St. Thomas campus, with a crossing at the busy intersection of Cretin and Summit Aves., to the St. Mary's Chapel of the St. Paul Seminary. After the Blessed Sacrament had been placed on the altar in our chapel and all of the processors were settled, we prayed Compline (Night Prayer) together and had a fabulous reception, with terrific hors d'oeuvres prepared by one of the SJV seminarians (who apparently spent some time studying culinary arts before entering seminary).

Adoration continued perpetually from Friday evening with various devotions and recitation of the various Hours of the Liturgy of the Hours interspersed throughout the weekend. It was such a moving experience for me to go into the chapel and find not only brother seminarians from both seminaries spending time before the Lord, but also undergraduate students, seminary faculty and staff, priests from some of the local parishes, and many other faithful from around the area. One friend of mine from the college was nearly in tears when I thanked him for coming. He was so grateful for the opportunity.

My personal favorite reaction to the weekend was during the procession across the campus. I was running ahead of the procession to make sure we had a clear path and to get a good view of the whole thing, when suddenly an undergrad student came up a staircase, noticed the procession, and exclaimed, "Whoa!" Whoa, indeed! 300 people following the Blessed Sacrament across campus is quite a sight! It is beautiful to behold! (To view a slide show of Friday evening's Mass and procession, click here, or if that doesn't work, try here.)

Saturday evening was a beautiful marathon of prayer. The evening began with Vespers (Evening Prayer) at 5:00. Then at 7:00 began the Sacred Music Hour, followed by the "Festival of Praise" at 8:30, which provided a powerful opportunity to praise the Lord in song along with the priests and seminarians of the seminary who are members of the Companions of Christ, as well as with those involved in the evangelization organization, St. Paul's Outreach. Then at 10:00 was the Vigil for the Office of Readings (of the Liturgy of the Hours), followed by Compline at 11:00. It seems like a lot, but as a participant in each of these times of prayer, it is amazing how quickly the hours passed by!

Sunday morning began with Lauds (Morning Prayer) at 9:15 and then before Mass began at 10:00, we had Benediction. With the end of Mass came the end of our 40-hour celebration! Until next year...


Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar!!

Altar Servers

One of my responsibilities on pastoral year is training new servers and monitoring the servers we already have. I recently sent a postcard to my current servers, thanking them for their ministry, reminding them that they were responsible for finding their won substitutes, and listing the dates that they had been absent. I spent a good deal of time on the wording of that postcard; I wanted to be sure no one would be offended. I sent the postcards away in the mail, and was certain that the servers would read the postcard and say, “Oh, I’ll have to be better about that.” In my mind, I saw them all going to check the ministry schedule and then throwing the postcard in the garbage. No such luck.

Within a couple of days, I had several angry parents calling to tell me that I had “made them feel like irresponsible parents.” From the tenor of the conversations, I get the impression that it is somehow my fault that the servers don’t show up when they are scheduled, and that it is OK to miss your own day if you were called upon to substitute for someone else who failed to find their own replacement. So, a few of my servers have simply asked to be removed from the pool. So be it. Others have mentioned that they are just “too old” to be servers anymore. I respond, “I don’t agree, but if you insist . . .”

These conversations were the impetus for me to invite children in younger grades. They want to serve, they are willing to learn how to do it well, and they do not suffer from the all too common adolescent time poverty of many of my other servers.

Ask and you shall receive. I put out my invitation and I now have twenty-three boys and girls in grades three and up who want to be servers. Some are very small, and it will look funny to have me process in with them and direct them around the sanctuary, but I am looking forward to the challenge of becoming a model, teacher and shepherd for my new little flock.

St. Luke, Evangelist

For this Feast of the Evangelist St. Luke we were privileged to have at the seminary Mass Bishop Richard E. Pates as celebrant and homilist. I think that the presence of a successor of the apostles at one of our liturgies is a very special way to celebrate such a feast. In his homily today, the bishop emphasized the personal and compassionate characteristics of Luke that were crucial for the success of his ministry. St. Luke was "present, open and in touch with human nature" Bishop Pates said. These traits enabled Luke to reach many people in a profound yet caring way. St. Luke was a wonderful example of someone who "preached the truth in love."

Today's entry in the Liturgy of the Hours gives us these words about the Evangelist: "Saint Luke was born of a pagan family. Converted to the faith, he became a fellow-worker of the apostle Paul. From Saint Paul's preaching he compiled one of the gospels. He handed down an account of the beginnings of the Church in another work, the Acts of the Apostles, which tells of events up to the time of Saint Paul's first sojourn in Rome."

St. Jerome has similar remarks: "Luke, a physician of Antioch as his writings indicate, was not unskilled in the Greek language. An adherent of the apostle Paul, and companion of all his journeying, he wrote a Gospel" (On Illustrious Men, Ch. 7, Taken from newadvent.org: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2708.htm). Being born a pagan, he was at home in the Greek culture, which no doubt made him a valuabe asset as a companion of St. Paul, the "Apostle to the Gentiles." Being a physician one would seem assured that he had an extensive education. If so, Luke would also be an early example of a person who took advanced scientific knowledge and wedded it to the truths of the Gospel in an harmonious way. Granted his science would not be advanced at all given our standards today, but perhaps they were in the first century. With the significant advances in science we have today we can see questions arising in this area. Nonetheless, surely his knowledge as a physician was very helpful on the missionary path.

As St. Paul, St. Luke was not an eyewitness of our Lord during his earthly ministry. But he sought out those who were eyewitnesses, i.e. the Apostles. A couple of his emphases in the gospel are the universality of salvation brought by Jesus Christ and the need to live an authentically Christian life. Luke's gospel also contains the Canticle (Benedictus) of Zechariah (1:68-79), the Magnificat of Mary (1:46-55) and the Prophecy of Simeon (2:29-32)--each of which make up a part of Morning (Benedictus), Evening (Magnificat)and Night (Prophecy of Simeon) Prayers in the daily Liturgy of the Hours. He is depicted as a calf or ox in images and, although we don't know for sure, he is traditionally thought to be a martyr.

The Rectors' Bowl

In response to a comment left by cathy_of_alex to my post dated 9/28/06, yes the Rectors' Bowl, the football game between our own St. Paul Seminary Sons of Thunder and the St. John Vianney Seminary Men of the Church, is open to the public. As a matter of fact, we would love to have some public there to watch! Here is the relevant information...

7^th Annual Rectors’ Bowl—St. Paul Seminary Sons of Thunder vs. St. John Vianney Men of the Church

When: 7pm Saturday, October 21

Where: O’Shaughnessy Stadium at the University of St. Thomas (located on the corner of Cretin and Summit Aves. in St. Paul)

Not even the Tommie/Johnnie game compares to this! Come and see some great football action as the undefeated St. Paul Seminary Sons of Thunder take on the St. John Vianney Men of the Church. Head Coach Monsignor Aloysius Callaghan has every confidence that the Sons will hold onto the trophy and the well-deserved title of prevailing football champions. Coach Father William Baer and the youthful Men anticipate plenty of exciting action as they expect to upset this long-standing tradition and bring the trophy home! There will event be concessions and a pep band!

Sorry for the late response, cathy! God bless you!