Strange coincidence?

Here at the seminary, we are assigned roles as acolyte, leader, reader and antiphonarian.  The last two are for morning and evening prayer so those names may be unfamiliar.  As reader, we serve as the "lector" for a Mass reading one or more readings and sometimes the psalm if there is no cantor.

The people who assign these roles do not know our schedules or the important days in our lives. In fact, the man assigning roles this semester is not the same man as was assigning roles last semester.

The last time I was reader was 12/6, the three year anniversary of my wife Carmen's death.  The new schedule shows me as reader on 2/10, her birthday.  At the same time, I've had a song stuck in my head.  It is from Phantom of the Opera, "Think of Me"

Think of me, think of me fondly  

When we've said goodbye 

Remember me once in a while  

Please promise me, you'll try
Then you'll find that once again you long  

To take your heart back and be free 

If you'll ever find a moment 

Spare a thought for me

 
We never said our love was evergreen 

Or as unchanging as the sea 

But if you can still remember 

Stop and think of me

I think somebody is trying to send me a message... 


 

An unusual week at the Seminary

At 7:30 this morning, I was at the local hospital for a scheduled test.  Preliminary results say it was all normal, so nothing for anyone to worry about there. 

When I got back it was to our Martin Luther King, Jr. day events.  We have no classes today, but did have a 2 hour presentation by a local priest and former military chaplain.  Mass was before lunch today rather than the usual before supper.  Other than Spiritual Direction this afternoon, I have no other commitments today.  A rare day "off".

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is my usual pastoral assignment in Franklin.

Wednesday kicks off an unusual three days.  We have a 7:00 A.M. Mass instead of the usual 11:45 followed by our normal class load because 1/2 of the brothers here are getting on a bus for the drive to Washington D.C.  A word of thanks to the Knights of Columbus for sponsoring us and taking care of the cost of that bus rental.  We will be getting into Washington late on Wednesday evening. 

Thursday, our usual day off, has a trip scheduled for a tour of the Library of Congress and that evening we will be attending a vigil Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. We also have some free time for visiting that day.  I think the National Gallery or the Smithsonian are on my short list.

Friday morning we will be attending Mass at the Verizon Center followed by the March for Life.  This March is usually held on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, but the inauguration festivities hit at the same time, so the March was postponed this year to make it easier to get hotel rooms.  You probably will see no mainstream press coverage about the March (EWTN is carrying it), even though the organizers are expecting about 1/2 million people, but it is going to take place on Friday afternoon.  After the March, it is back on the bus and back to the seminary around midnight.

Saturday, we have classes as usual.  I'll need more coffee than usual.

Classes this semester

We have 4 Classes plus our all day Tuesday Pastoral Assignment

Catholic Spiritual Traditions
Liturgy
Prophets and Writings
Christology/Trinity

$213 in books this semester.  Almost caught up from all my missed classes due to my sickness.  Hope to make a full day of it today. 

We have a special event today, one of our 4th year men is getting ordained as a Deacon here at the seminary.  Special Ordination Mass this evening and a great feeling in the seminary as another man makes a big step forward.

Spring Semester Begins

...and we received this email...

Subject: Health concerns
Welcome back, Brothers.
Some of the seminarians have returned with colds or outright flu or flu-like illnesses.  Therefore common sense measures should be observed to prevent a full-scale epidemic here.  See the attachment to this message.
Wishing you well on this new semester.
God bless you.

Alas, I am one of those with a 102 degree fever depending on my seminary brothers to bring me my meals while I rest and recover from whatever it is I have going on.

Where am I in the process?

(As I re-read this entry, it could come across as depressing and a downer.  It is not intended as such, but there are a bit of those emotions present.  I have a long way to go.)

As I reflect on today, January 1st, 2013;  I see all of 2013 and all of 2014 in front of me without a milestone.  Since I entered the Seminary in September of 2011, I have been instituted as an Acolyte and a Reader. The next step is Ordination as a Deacon.  In Boston this will happen in January of 2015.  I have two years to wait before the next big milestone.  So without a big milestone, maybe there are some smaller milestones.

Completed:
Fall 2011 - Entered Seminary - Instituted as Acolyte
Spring 2012 - Completed First Year
Summer 2012 - Milton Assignment
Fall 2012 - Instituted as Reader - Franklin Assignment

Coming up:
Spring 2013 - Continue Franklin Assignment - Complete Second Year
Summer 2013 - Summer Assignment TBD
Fall 2013 - Begin Third Year - Pastoral Assignment TBD

Spring 2014 - Continue Pastoral Assignment - Complete Third Year
Summer 2014 - Summer Assignment TBD
Fall 2014 - Begin Fourth Year - Pastoral Assignment TBD

January 2015 - Deacon Ordination in Boston
Spring 2015 - Continue Pastoral Assignment - Complete Fourth Year
May 2015 - Ordination as Priest

If the seminary is a flight of stairs with eight steps on it, I am on the third step. I have 5 steps to go. It feels like a lot left.  Fortunately, I feel like I have a lot to learn still, so I guess that is a good match.