This has been an extraordinary week so far. For one, classes started on Tuesday. I'm taking four this semester as a non-degree seeking student in the Notre Dame graduate school of theology: two philosophy and two theology. One might think that the first week would be relatively light, being more an opportunity see the syllabus and ease back into the rigors of academic life. Not so. A lot of reading. A lot of writing. And one very famous professor who has no problem telling you exactly how wrong you are when you say something even a little bit incorrect in class. I relish the challenge!
That's not the biggest news of the week, though. Today, two of our temporarily professed seminarians made their profession of final vows into the Congregation of Holy Cross. Family started pouring into the seminary yesterday as we celebrated the eve of the profession with a special dinner, a sung candlelight prayer service (a Holy Cross speciality, which we go every Thursday evening), and a catered social. Today, there was one of the most gorgeous Masses that I have ever seen at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus with about sixty concelebrating priests in attendance. Gerry and Kevin (the two professants, if you want to call them that) made their lifelong promises of chastity, poverty, and obedience before our Provincial, who received them on behalf of the Congregation, and we spent the rest of the day celebrating with them. Receptions, dinners, parties, socials, food, drink, music...it's a 72 hour festival out here with another 24 to go, as tomorrow morning, Bishop D'Arcy is coming out to ordain Kevin and Gerry to the diaconate. This year, they will each serve a pastoral assignment somewhere in the United States, and they will return to Notre Dame in April to be ordained to the priesthood, again in theBasilica of the Sacred Heart. I tell you, every time I walk away from one of these worship services or Masses with the priests, brothers, and professed of Holy Cross, I say the same thing, "I want to be Holy Cross." I am very happy to be here.
The seminarian maps are out, too! I'm not sure if there's a way to view them online. I'll have to mail out some hard copies to anyone who wants one. You'll have to let me know if you do, and I'll put one out in the mail to you as soon as I can.
Word on the street says that one of Holy Cross' two blesseds may be getting a little canonical boost sometime VERY soon! We'll talk soon.
~SCP
What's a "seminarian map"? (I know, signing as Mrs. Pepper is weird, but I'm posting from my school blog site ... which is the only way I know to post at the moment.)
ReplyDeleteChase! I would love 2 seminarian maps if you can send them: 1 for the NC bulletin board and 1 for me, katie, and cathy's apt! we're in 6 so send it if you can! miss you!
ReplyDeletetheresa