High School Seminary {Christ the King Admits Peter}

Peter hauls his gear to his new room at school.

Peter's big day finally arrived on September 4th, after months of discerning, wondering, praying and waiting ~ the day he officially entered grade 8 at the Benedictine High School Seminary in BC.  A packed schedule on move-in day included time for hauling and unpacking gear, community Midday Prayer in the Westminster Abbey Church, a shared potluck lunch in the dining hall, parent orientation sessions, book store stop, and many opportunities to visit with the parents of Peter's fellow seminarians and with the holy monks who will be Peter's teachers.

Peter unpacks his belongings while Tim and Joseph visit with a brother.

Consistent with every other visit to the Benedictine Monastery, our family was warmly greeted by the monks and shown outstanding, genuine Christian hospitality throughout the day.  Peter set right to work unloading his crates and settling into his new space, quite independently and without need of suggestions or assistance.  Gathered together in the foyer, a group of new 'monastery moms' like me shared the bittersweet experience of move-in day with long time monastery moms and dads.  One couple, parents to four sons currently living under St. Benedict's roof (one a professed Benedictine Monk and teacher), and the dad a graduate of the seminary himself, offered abundant insight, wisdom and love for the rest of us in our various stages of coming to terms with the impending good-byes.

The high school seminarians, together at midday prayer

Peter enjoys the company of his new friends at the family potluck luncheon on orientation day.

Father Abbot demonstrates true Benedictine hospitality, greeting parents and students, leading prayer and sharing a meal.

Abundant insight and loving direction for parents flowed freely in the orientation session following lunch.  Father Peter, Seminary Rector, gave an inspired talk on the mission of the school, beginning with a focus on the Benedictine charism of unity and community modeled after the Holy Trinity.  Father Peter brilliantly witnessed to the core teaching within the seminary, the central themes underlying all aspects of the formation offered there:  that each one is a beloved son of God, a loving Father who delights in each one; that becoming a good son/brother/student is to become a fit dwelling place for God; that the beginning and end of all male development is rooted in learning to be ever more like Jesus, life giver and lover. 

Father Abbot addresses the families before leading prayer prior to lunch, with Father Peter, Rector.

Father Abbot's words for the parents advanced the concepts touched upon by Father Peter, highlighting the areas of liturgical formation, prayer, and spiritual direction as keys to aiding the boys in their search for Truth, for an ever deepening relationship with Jesus Christ.

Sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth. - John 17:17

Peter shows Tim his desk in the study hall classroom.

The hour of our departure coincided with Peter's transition from his first game of roller hockey to Evening Prayer and supper.  Time for our blessings, hugs, and a few parting words passed in a flash, and Peter set out for the locker room, hockey stick in hand, with a glance over his shoulder to call out cheerfully, "See you in October!"

 

One last photo together before leaving Peter in the care of St. Benedict and heading back home to the US.

Life Rank + New Life {Peter Steps Up}

Peter awaits his Board of Review following his successful Scoutmaster Conference for LIFE Rank.

For our third son, Peter, the question wasn't IF he would earn his Life Rank in BSA, but rather, when.  As he recently stated, "I've wanted to be an Eagle Scout since I was three years old."

Senior Patrol Leader and Scoutmaster, father and son combination

Another goal reached: Peter passed the formal conferences, and having successfully completed every requirement, including a stack of merit badges, he earned the second highest rank in Boy Scouts: Life.  His dedication, spunk and Scout spirit are a delight to behold, and we are delighted to celebrate this milestone his his life; one of a few major milestones for Peter (and our family) this week.

Senior Patrol Leader and older brother, Joseph awards Peter his LIFE badge of rank as Scoutmaster/dad looks on.

Judah and Peter, celebrating LIFE Rank

Before his mission trip to Zambia, Judah B. also passed from Star to Life Rank, but the badge award awaited his return and so coincided with Peter's.  Judah has also set his sights on earning the highest rank in BSA, and will endeavor to complete the requirements and persevere.

Troop 3 leaders at the Patrol Leaders' Council meeting; over half of these are Life Scouts, reaching for Eagle.

Our boys are blessed by the support of such a fantastic troop, and the leadership training and experience inherent in the good 'old' BSA.  Peter's years in Troop 3 will be remembered with fondness and great joy...

...and now he's prepared for his next grand adventure: entering grade 8 studies at Christ the King Seminary in British Colombia, Canada.

God Speed, son, we love you dearly, and you will be dearly missed by many!

Reluctant Christians

Pope Francis releases a reluctant dove in St. Peter's Square (Photo: ucanews.com)

I found this photo floating around the Internet today, and it caught my eye as the mother and personal photographer of a few budding pigeon trainers.  A little research revealed that this image was captured on May 15, 2013, in St. Peter's Square, after a pilgrim in the crowd asked Pope Francis to release two doves from a cage.  Turns out Pope Francis brings bird handling experience to the job, having owned parrots in his younger years.

Will you take a moment to open your heart to the words and deeds of Pope Francis, a holy Christian pastor?  His clear, challenging, and extremely Biblical messages are spoken for our spiritual benefit and sanctification.  May I present exhibit A (below) given to all of us on the very day of the famous dove release.  Reader, be warned ~ he poses a handful of very challenging questions:

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!

Today I would like to reflect on the Holy Spirit’s action in guiding the Church and each one of us to the Truth. Jesus himself told his disciples: the Holy Spirit “will guide you into all the truth” (Jn 16:13), since he himself is “the Spirit of Truth” (cf. Jn 14:17; 15:26; 16:13).

We are living in an age in which people are rather sceptical of truth. Benedict xvi has frequently spoken of relativism, that is, of the tendency to consider nothing definitive and to think that truth comes from consensus or from something we like. The question arises: does “the” truth really exist? What is “the” truth? Can we know it? Can we find it? Here springs to my mind the question of Pontius Pilate, the Roman Procurator, when Jesus reveals to him the deep meaning of his mission: “What is truth?” (Jn 18:37, 38). Pilate cannot understand that “the” Truth is standing in front of him, he cannot see in Jesus the face of the truth that is the face of God. And yet Jesus is exactly this: the Truth that, in the fullness of time, “became flesh” (cf. Jn 1:1, 14), and came to dwell among us so that we might know it. The truth is not grasped as a thing, the truth is encountered. It is not a possession, it is an encounter with a Person.

But who can enable us to recognize that Jesus is “the” Word of truth, the Only-Begotten Son of God the Father? St Paul teaches that “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3). It is the Holy Spirit himself, the gift of the Risen Christ, who makes us recognize the Truth. Jesus describes him as the “Paraclete”, namely, “the one who comes to our aid”, who is beside us to sustain us on this journey of knowledge; and, at the Last Supper, Jesus assures the disciples that the Holy Spirit will teach them all things and remind them of all he has said to them (cf. Jn 14:26).

So how does the Holy Spirit act in our life and in the life of the Church in order to guide us to the truth? First of all he recalls and impresses in the heart of believers the words Jesus spoke and, through these very words, the law of God — as the Prophets of the Old Testament had foretold — is engraved in our heart and becomes within us a criterion for evaluation in decisions and for guidance in our daily actions; it becomes a principle to live by. Ezekiel’s great prophesy is brought about: “You shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you.... And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances” (36:25-27). Indeed, it is in our inmost depths that our actions come into being: it is the heart itself that must be converted to God and the Holy Spirit transforms it when we open ourselves to him.

Then, as Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit guides us “into all the truth” (Jn 16:13); not only does he guide us to the encounter with Jesus, the fullness of the Truth, but he also guides us “into” the Truth, that is, he makes us enter into an ever deeper communion with Jesus, giving us knowledge of all the things of God. And we cannot achieve this by our own efforts. Unless God enlightens us from within, our Christian existence will be superficial. The Church’s Tradition asserts that the Spirit of truth acts in our heart, inspiring that “sense of the faith” (sensus fidei) through which, as the Second Vatican Council states, the People of God, under the guidance of the Magisterium, adheres unfailingly to the faith transmitted, penetrates it more deeply with the right judgement, and applies it more fully in life (cf. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, n. 12). Let us try asking ourselves: am I open to the action of the Holy Spirit? Do I pray him to give me illumination, to make me more sensitive to God’s things?

This is a prayer we must pray every day: “Holy Spirit, make my heart open to the word of God, make my heart open to goodness, make my heart open to the beauty of God every day”. I would like to ask everyone a question: how many of you pray every day to the Holy Spirit? There will not be many but we must fulfil Jesus’ wish and pray every day to the Holy Spirit that he open our heart to Jesus.

Let us think of Mary who “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19, 51). Acceptance of the words and truth of faith so that they may become life is brought about and increases under the action of the Holy Spirit. In this regard we must learn from Mary, we must relive her “yes”, her unreserved readiness to receive the Son of God in her life, which was transformed from that moment. Through the Holy Spirit, the Father and the Son take up their abode with us: we live in God and of God. Yet is our life truly inspired by God? How many things do I put before God?

Dear brothers and sisters, we need to let ourselves be bathed in the light of the Holy Spirit so that he may lead us into the Truth of God, who is the one Lord of our life. In this Year of Faith let us ask ourselves whether we really have taken some steps to know Christ and the truth of faith better by reading and meditating on Sacred Scripture, by studying the Catechism and by receiving the sacraments regularly. However, let us ask ourselves at the same time what steps we are taking to ensure that faith governs the whole of our existence. We are not Christian “part-time”, only at certain moments, in certain circumstances, in certain decisions; no one can be Christian in this way, we are Christian all the time! Totally! May Christ’s truth, which the Holy Spirit teaches us and gives to us, always and totally affect our daily life. Let us call on him more often so that he may guide us on the path of disciples of Christ. Let us call on him every day. I am making this suggestion to you: let us invoke the Holy Spirit every day, in this way the Holy Spirit will bring us close to Jesus Christ.

~POPE FRANCIS' GENERAL AUDIENCE, Saint Peter's Square, Wednesday, 15 May 2013

Be Not Afraid {Sending Zachary to Notre Dame}

 Tim and me with our oldest son, Zachary (17) on the occasion of our 21st wedding anniversary; snapped after daily Mass by our groomsman, Mike, on leave from his job in Afghanistan.

It has been interesting to filter through all the responses (comments online and in person, text messages, phone calls) to our recent announcement that Zachary will be accepting an academic scholarship and attending the University of Notre Dame in the fall.  For those who bleed blue and gold~Notre Dame alums like Zac's Grandpa Pete~the reactions have been predictably ecstatic.  For many who know Zachary's academic gifts and love of learning, Notre Dame seems a perfect fit.  But from others comes a steady undercurrent of concern for Zachary's spiritual well being, considering the ways Notre Dame (and many other Catholic universities) have grievously failed to maintain and uphold an authentically Catholic campus from the top down.  However, we are not afraid to send our son to Notre Dame.  We are at peace with his decision, more so than when we allowed him to transition from our home school to begin attending classes at the local community college for running start/associate in arts degree at age 16.

Notre Dame is a Catholic university, as a visit to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart's page or to the campus ministry site reveals: daily Mass; Masses offered in the dorms; devotions; retreats; daily confession schedule; Sunday evening Vespers.  In any Catholic university, parish, or family each person can either choose to fully and actively participate or not, and we trust that Zachary will continue to place a high priority on living out his faith within the one+holy+catholic+apostolic Church.  Will he encounter Catholics who are unable or unwilling to fully give themselves over to ALL that our Church holds, teaches and professes to be true?  Yes.  Will he be exposed to the errors of moral relativism? Yes.   Will this be a new experience for him?  No.

We place our trust in God's divine providence, and in our son, whom we have raised to the best of our ability, and who continually astounds us with his intellect and his virtue.  We will joyfully help him make his way to South Bend, Indiana, in 108 days for the beginning of his new life at the University of Notre Dame.  In all fairness, I should mention that we also have a secret weapon, a personal security guard and a delightful advocate into whose loving care we continually place Zachary, our children, Godchildren, foster children, confirmation sponsees, and ourselves: Our Blessed Mother Mary, after whom the University of Notre Dame is named.

No·tre Dame [noh-truh deym, dahm, noh-ter] (noun) the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus.  Origin: French: our lady

Holy Mary, Mother of God, 

Pray for us!

My dear Protestant brothers and sisters in Christ please note~

I am not advocating praying to the dead!

• Jesus promised eternal LIFE to all who follow Him.
• Certainly Mary followed her Divine Son.
• Mary LIVES with Jesus in heaven.
• From the cross, Jesus offered Mary to us, saying, "Behold your mother."
• We ask Mary to pray FOR us to her Son; she's an advocate within the communion of saints.
• We do not pray TO Mary, we pray THROUGH Mary (this is an optional, though very popular Catholic devotion).