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Giving Thanks

Give thanks,

for every good deed and blessing,

regardless of size or value;

from the gift of life from Our Creator,

to the redeeming sacrifice of His Son, Our Lord,

or the sweetest fruits of the Holy Ghost,

that we may know, love and serve,

with all due charity toward our neighbors.

Give thanks for every gift,

and be thankful to be able to give.

In all things give thanks;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.

- - - 

In this time of Thanksgiving, let us remember to give thanks to God for all He has given us, and give thanks to all those who have done good things for us. It is our Catholic duty to give thanks for all we have received. 

In this spirit, I want to thank all those who have donated much to the seminary in Boston, for the honor and glory of God, and for the benefit of the seminarians, so they may continue to discern the will of God. 

There have been many who have given to this most sacred cause, and they deserve our thanks for their work and dedication. To the family that donated a whole cow's worth of beef to feed the seminarians, we give thanks. To those who donated money for the freezer for the beef, we give thanks. For those who continually give funds to keep the seminary running, we give thanks. For those who pray unceasingly for the seminarians, priests and lay workers in the fields of Our Lord, we give thanks.

Thank you, O Lord, for the gift of the good and generous souls, who make this world a better place by seeking to do Thy will. May we never lose our gratitude. May we never fail to express our gratitude, to Thee and to our neighbors. 

Let us give thanks, for the greater honor and glory of God. 

Epilogue

My thirty days are over, but the work is still underway.

I must consider my next steps, and what must happen in the coming months. I learned much from my time in Boston, and I had the blessed opportunity to get acquainted with a fine group of seminarians. These seminarians require much in order for them to continue their studies; food, supplies, support and spiritual instruction. While all the pieces are present for the year to succeed, I have a few, important recommendations to seal that deal, and make the seminary in Boston an unquestionable success.

The first two years in Boston were too often insufficient for the positive instruction of the seminarians. Fathers Pfeiffer and Hewko traveled to the many mission sites, leaving the seminary under the care of a layman for as much as 20% of the school year, or one out of every five days. This year has seen improvement in this area. The seminary has gone without either priest for only three days in the last 30. That is one for every ten days.

The schedule for the mission runs has improved, which means that there will be a priest onsite for at least nine out of every ten days, and perhaps for even more than that. This will improve the spiritual core of the seminary, and add to the level of consistency which has been improved greatly this year.

The head seminarian has taken many responsibilities that were left previously to Pablo, who will be answering to the head seminarian on seminary matters, rather than the reverse. This head seminarian is a most welcome addition to Boston, and a great assistant to the priests. He can also help fill in the gaps, in case the seminary is left without a priest onsite for a day or two. He can round up the seminarians, and help keep them on task, as given by the Fathers.

There is more work to do, and more changes to make. By the grace of God, this seminary will survive, and will produce more priests and religious.

Thank you all for your efforts, your comments and questions and for your time. God bless you all, and please pray for our seminarians.

Above all, charity.

Day Thirty-One: Confutatis

Although I had only a few, morning hours in Boston, these hours were significant enough to count them as the thirty-first day of my thirty day venture.

I said my goodbyes to the seminarians, wished them well, made their lunch (hamburger gravy over rice) and left for the airport.

These few hours have given me the opportunity to clearly identify what I have accomplished and where I have failed. I believe there are more successes than failures from this trip, and that the seminarians have been given a chance to start their year off well.

There are certain areas that require improvement, and for these, I will send my own recommendations to Fathers Pfeiffer and Hewko.

It is my hope that the seminary continue to function, and that the seminarians receive what they must to discern the will of God for each of them. I pray that all obstacles to their discernment be removed from the seminary, so they may be free from the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil.

This may be the end of my thirty days in Boston, but this is not the end of the story. My time with Boston is not yet over. There is more work to be done. I will return someday, and I hope to continue this most important work, to restore all things in Christ.

God bless.

Day Thirty: The Divine Comedy

This is my last, full day in the seminary at Boston, Kentucky.

I leave tomorrow, before noon. I have enough time to start one more meal before I leave for the airport, and say my farewells to the seminarians. They are a good group, and I pray that they continue to do well.

There was no Mass today. Father Hewko planned to say Mass at 1830, but a flight problem put an end to those plans. God willing, Father will return tomorrow, safe and sound.

I was hoping to speak with Father before my departure. It seems that this will not happen.

As I wrap up my thirty days, I must analyze my time, and from this analysis, determine the effectiveness of my extended stay. I have heard from a few people that my writings have been used to attack both Fathers Pfeiffer and Hewko. Although I have not seen any evidence to this effect, I hope that this is not the case.

I am not here to demean or attack anyone, nor do I wish to assist in any type of character assassination.

I hope my blog has been in some way edifying, enlightening and entertaining. I hope that I have been able to answer some questions, and that I have been able to disprove certain rumors and speculation regarding the seminary.

I will continue to pray for all those who strive to make OLMC the best possible seminary, and that the seminary may always do the will of God in all things.

Above all, charity.

Day Twenty-Nine: Penultimate Post

The weather turned again, and the cold rains returned to Boston. The frigid wind reminded us that winter is well on its way.

 
The bleak and cold of winter recall the cycle of life, that death comes upon us all, in the words of one seminarian.

It is of endings that this post speaks. My time here is nearly over. I hope I have been able to help these seminarians in some way, and I hope that my writing has shed some light on the activities and actual events in Boston.

It is my hope that Bishops Williamson and/or Faure may accept the invitation to OLMC seminary. It was good to see Bishop Williamson when he visited in November 2013. It would be great to see him return.

It is clear that the Church requires more priests. Without priests, there can be no Masses. That would be an intolerable situation, putting it mildly.

The seminary has been ridiculed for many reasons, a few of which are understandable, but others which are entirely fabricated and are therefore unjust. The aim of the just criticisms include the strengthening of the seminary, so that it may produce good fruits, and give honor and glory to God. This is an admirable effort to follow the will of God.

One important aim of the unjust criticisms is the termination of the seminary. It is important to understand that not all those who criticize or accuse the seminary do so with the best intentions. Their words are the smoke that conceals the truth under a hotbed of lies. Caution is advised.

I hope the seminary will continue long beyond my thirty days. I pray that the seminary may produce nothing but good fruit. I do not worry about the future of the seminarians, for God will guide them through to whatever end He desires. Pray, hope and do not worry.

God willing, this will not be the end.

Day Twenty-Eight: Al Dente

Each of the thirty days has brought new challenges, and have been rewarding in their own ways. Though most of my time has been either in the kitchen or at the supermarket, I have spent some time with the seminarians. That always seems to be a rewarding experience.

I listened to their Latin class, and heard a few of them practice the prayers of the rosary, said in the language of the Church. It is good for all Catholics to be able to accurately pronounce and understand some amount of Latin.

I watched as some of the seminarians completed their homework assignments, to write about a particular Saint and a miracle attributed to that Saint. I thought of a few saints and their miracles, and helped find some books on the library shelves, which are located just off the kitchen.

I found a replacement suit top for a first year seminarian, whose previous suit ripped in a few spots. The new top was only five dollars at Goodwill, and it was in good condition, too. God willing, he will wear it until the reception of the cassocks on February 2nd.

I hope to be here for that most solemn occasion. It will be an honor to see these new seminarians receive their cassocks.

My time is nearly over. One more weekend to go. I challenge myself to make the most out of the remaining time.

God willing, it will be a rewarding weekend for all.