A Resonating Quote...

Ocassionally, when I feel my head is about to explode from studying Italiano, I pick up Nikos Kazantzakis' Saint Francis, which is both inspiring and easy to read. I resonate with this quote of the character Brother Leo to his companion St. Francis:

"Alas! God had made me neither a hero nor a coward, and my soul flitted constantly between the two."

Ever have that feeling?

A Good Reminder...

Papa Benedict XVI on June 15, 2008:

"...in order to ensure 'your faith is always strong and vigorous, it is important, as you well know, to nourish it with assiduous prayer. Be, then, models of prayer, become masters of prayer. The moment of prayer is the most important moment in a priest's life, the moment in which divine grace acts most effectively, making his ministry fruitful. Prayer is the first service to be offered to the community.'"

That final line strikes me as quite important for us American priests. While we share in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly ministry and character of Christ, the kingly is only appropriately utilized if the priestly role is first understood. In other words, bingo fundraisers and attention to legal briefs are important and necessary but are all done in vain if the priest is not first a man of prayer.

Life on the Beach...

Well, after an 11 year hiatus the Wurtz clan revisited what is fondly coined the "Redneck Riviera" down at Gulf Shores, AL. Though I had to leave early to make it to Middlebury on time, we all had a blast lounging at the beach and taking in local food specialties, i.e., fried seafood. It was great to see my brother, Phillip, who became engaged to Vanessa over the weekend. And nice as well to see my sister who is expecting her third child on September 8th. Oh, and we were all glad mom and dad were there since they footed the bill. Thanks, mom and dad!

Middlebury College, VT

After spending a week with my family at Gulf Shores, AL I returned to ND for one day so I could pack and ship some belongings to Rome. I then quickly sped off on I-80/90 heading to Vermont. After 13 hours of driving I arrived in the small but lovely town of Middlebury, VT.

From June 27 to August 15 I am studying Italian, night and day, at Middlebury College. This 7-week intensive program is supposedly the gem of language studies on this side of the Atlantic. Fr. Greg Haake, CSC studied French here one summer and will return next week to continue his French studies in the graduate level. It will be good to have him around, though as an Italian speaker I'm not allowed to use any language but Italiano, and he is allowed to use only French. So, our meetings may be relegated to a wave.

I'll give updates as the seven weeks continue. In the meantime, prayers please, as the classes are quite intense and demanding. Ciao.

You Are a Priest Forever....

Today, June 27th, the Diocese of Cheyenne, WY celebrated the ordination of Steven Titus to the order of presbyter. Steve studied in Rome where I was able to meet up with him one Sunday when he was kind enough to host my parents and me for Mass and the noon meal of pronzo. Steve will return to Rome for the 2008 - 09 academic year to finish his Licentiate in Dogmatic Theology.

Congratulations to Steve, his family, and the diocese of Cheyenne on this glorious occasion!

Papal thoughts on priesthood...

Given to seminarians of Rome, February 1, 2008:
Because the gift of being adoptive children of God has illuminated your lives you have felt the desire to share this with others. That is why you are here, to develop your filial vocation and prepare yourselves for your future mission as apostles of Christ. ... Savouring the joy of life with God the Father means that you feel the ever more urgent need to become messengers of the Gospel of His Son, Jesus.

All this cannot but induce great trust, because the gift received is amazing, it fills us with wonder and sates us with intimate joy. And thus you are able to understand the role Mary has in your lives. ... Just as 'the Son was born of woman', of Mary Mother of God, the fact that you are children of God means you have her as mother.

You [parents] are probably the most surprised of all about what has happened and is happening to your children. You had perhaps imagined for them a mission different from the one for which they are now preparing. ... Let us look to Mary. The Gospel helps us to understand that she too asked herself many question about her Son Jesus, and reflected on Him for a long time.

It is inevitable that the vocation of children in some way also becomes the vocation of the parents. You have found yourselves participating in your sons' marvellous adventure. Indeed, although it may appear that a priest's life does not attract the interest of the majority of people, in reality it is the most interesting of adventures and the most necessary for the world: the adventure of demonstrating and realising the fullness of life to which everyone aspires. It is a very demanding adventure and could not be otherwise because a priest is called to imitate Jesus.

[Listening to the voice of the Lord] requires an atmosphere of silence. For this reason the seminary offers time and space to daily prayer; it pays great attention to liturgy, to meditation on the Word of God and to Eucharistic adoration. At the same time, it asks you to dedicate long hours to study: by praying and studying, you can create within yourselves the man of God that you must become and that people expect a priest to be.

There is also another aspect to your lives: ... the community aspect, which is of great importance. ... Your communion is not limited to the present but also concerns the future. The pastoral activity that awaits you must see you acting together united in a single body, an 'ordo' of priests who, with the bishop, watch over the Christian community.

All this serves as a reminder that God calls you to be saints, and that sanctity is the secret of real success in your priestly ministry. From this moment on, sanctity must be the final goal of all your choices and decisions. Entrust this desire and this daily commitment to Mary, Mother of Trust.

Follow your journey at the seminary with your hearts open to truth, to transparency, and to dialogue with those who guide you, and this will enable you to respond simply and humbly to the One Who calls you, freeing yourselves from the risk of pursuing a personal project of your own.

Given on June 9, 2008:
Unity with Christ is the secret of authentic success for the ministry of each priest. Whatever work you undertake in the Church, ensure that you always remain His true friends, faithful friends who have met Him and have learned to love Him above all else. Communion with Him, the divine Master of our souls, will ensure you serenity and peace even in the most complex and difficult moments.

You must proclaim - with your lives even before than with your words - the joyful and consoling announcement of the Gospel of love, in places sometimes very far removed from the Christian experience", the Holy Father told his audience. "Announce the Truth that is Christ! May prayer, meditation and listening to the Word of God be your daily bread.

May the celebration of the Eucharist be the core and the focus of your every day and of your entire ministry. ... It is not possible to approach the Lord every day, to pronounce these tremendous moving words, 'this is my Body, this is my Blood', ... to take the Body and Blood of the Lord in our hands, without allowing ourselves to be seized by Him, ... without allowing His infinite love to change us within. May the Eucharist become a school of life for you, in which Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross teaches you to give yourselves totally to your fellow man.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my dad, Ron, and to my grandfather, Camillus Joachim (C.J.). I owe so much to both of these men, most importantly, the gift of faith.

Land O'Lakes & Baby Priest Camp

I was going to make a post about these two recent happenings, but I'll encourage you to mosey on over to Gift & Mystery to read Fr. Stephen's quality descriptions.

I would only add that it was nice indeed to pray the Divine Office in common with the 23 priests who were present. We also had a Eucharistic Adoration on Tuesday night after the evening conference. It was wonderful to join together with my fellow priests in community to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. I had the particular petition of vocations to Holy Cross in my heart. The harvest is plenty but the laborers are few.

Ten Dates Every Catholic Should......not read.

I began to read Diane Moczar's Ten Dates Every Catholic Should Know but was quickly skeptical when I saw that the author only provides 8 footnotes for 177 pages of text. My caution was confirmed as I read one sensational quote and one way-too-broad of a historical stroke after another. It is very hard for me to put down a book once I've begun it, but alas, this one falls into that rarely exercised category.

New Bishop for Petriculana

Congratulations to Most Rev. Anthony Taylor who today was ordained as the 7th bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas. My home diocese had gone for over two years without a bishop, but today they have a new shepherd.

The diocesan administrator during the episcopal absence was Msgr. Hebert, who also baptized me on June 7, 1977, though he doesn't remember that, I'm sure. He writes a final column reflecting on his time as administrator here.

Blessings upon Bishop Taylor and the people of God he serves!

When Other Christians Become Catholic...

A good friend of mine recommended this latest book by Fr. Paul Turner and I echo the recommendation. Turner leads the reader through the historical, liturgical, and ecclessiological factors that have informed the reformed rites of initiation, specifically the Rite of Reception of Baptized Christians into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church, with clarity. Interesting points? 1) That in the U.S. there are most often more adult receptions than adult baptisms each year. 2) That historically only apostates, not heretics, were required to confess sin. 3) That the word "the" in the ritual's title is extremely telling and important to the Church's understanding of herself. 4) And, of course, that the close proximity candidates for reception have had with catechumens for baptism is unfortunate, to be avoided, and can be solved by not lumping everyone into the Easter vigil.

Happy Anniversary...

Happy 12th Wedding Anniversary to my sister, Kerri and her husband Jan! They are expecting their third child ( a boy ) in early September. Many prayers and love for you both!

Sermons in a Monastery by Kelty, OCSO

Fr. Matthew Kelty, OCSO is a gifted homilist at the Abbey of Gethsemani. This 118 page collection of various homilies gives a taste for his ability to elucidate on the Word of God with simple, earthy, and effective images. He is a poet and his poetic style is quite apparent in these short but densely packed homilies. I am particularly pleased to see that this volume includes a few homilies invoking liturgical topics.

A few excerpts:

On being a monk:
Do not tell me this is not madness. I do not care how good the cheese is that they make, how splendid the fruit cakes; they are mad. The people who do these things must be out of their minds. Or else they are in love. That is it, of course. They are in love. They do mad things because people who are in love do mad things. There is no other way that love can speak. This is the language of love. It is not necessary. It is not reasonable. It is not in accord with common sense. All very true. It is simply the way of people who are in love. That is all (16).

On monastic prayer:
Some might kneel in the visitors' gallery of our church and tell me afterwards that the monastic choir was the most impressive thing that they had ever seen. I would agree. They might ask me how long this had been going on in this hidden valley, and I would tell them seven times a day for the last hundred years and more. They might then suggest that it would be good if a lot of people knew about it and came here to see it, that it would edify and inspire. Then I would tell them, "That is not the point. This is not for you. This is not a performance. We are not here to edify. We do not sing only when there is a visitor in the gallery. This is for God and for God alone. If you want to join us in the praise of God you are most welcome, but think of it as something akin to the song of a robin. It has no special use. It is of no great benefit. it is an act of joy. For what point is there to be a robin? And how necessary is he? Or the robin's song in the wood? Or the wood for that matter. And the valley beside the wood. And the river that flows through, what good is it? Or the sea beyond into which it runs? Indeed, thew whole of creation? What is it except a song of God's joy, the outpouring of his love?" And that is the point of being a monk. Monastic song and dance are an expression of joy, the outpouring of hears in love with God.

Oneness with Christ:
In the morning, then, I rise with Christ, and with Christ I go to pray and with Christ I chant the office and with Christ I break my fast with bread and coffee. With Christ I commune in secret prayer in my heart, with Christ I read the Good Book, go to work. With Christ I love my brother and bear the heat and suffer pain and know heartache, endure loneliness, and keep silent, suffer rebuke and quench anger. With Christ I walk the earth and count the stars at night. The same sun as shone on him shines on me. The moon that lighted his Gethsemane lights mine. The same rain that fell on his holy head falls on mine, runs down my neck. I walk the earth he walked, live the life he lived. If these things happen to me in Christ and I do these things in Christ, then I do them with the whole human family. For with every person who ever lied I lie down each night and sleep. I rise in the morning. I work. I pray. I read. I suffer. With all of humanity, past, present and to come. In Christ. That being so, I share in some way with the total life of the whole earth, of the whole universe. I touch eternity and eternal life in God by the trivial things I do every day, in every breath I draw, every time I take a drink of water.

LOL at LOL

To spend some time praying, fishing, and laughing out loud at Land O'Lakes, MI during the summer has proven to be one of the most refreshing and renewing times for me. The property, formerly owned by the Congregation but now owned and operated by ND is comprised of 7,650 acres, 2,000 of which is water.

I missed the camp last year since I was busily finishing course work and placing the final details on my M.A. Thesis, but am glad to be back now. An added blessing this summer is the presence of many of my peers in Holy Cross. So, this is a great time for conversation and reflection on our young lives as priests in the Congregation. In addition, the more elder and esteemed members of the Congregation are present. I enjoy their history lessons or words of wisdom around the dinner table and on the back porch.

I use this luxury of time and place by arising for coffee, prayer, and more coffee. Lunch is simple with a home made soup. I spend the afternoon reading and I have a large list of titles I hope to finish before summer work. A Mass is offered at 7AM and 4PM followed by social and the main evening meal.

As the other fellows hop out onto the boats for sunset fishing, I grab a book and usually a cigar and await their return. That's when a rambunctious game of cards is played, banter is shared, and the problems of the world are solved one by one. Then, everything is repeated for the next day.

(UPDATE: 6/3/08) Frs. Tom Eckert, Kevin Russeau, and I headed out to Plum Lake last night after dinner. They fished while I piloted and worked the net. And indeed the net was needed with Fr. Tom pulling in large Northern Pike and Walleye fish.