Michaelmas

Today is the feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Rafael, and I have some thoughts to post, mostly drawn from a homily of St. Gregory the Great.

First is that "angel" does not actually designate a type of being, but rather a function performed by some heavenly spirits. As messengers of God the angels have had a profound impact on the history of salvation. The archangels are those who bear the most important of these messages and, according to the Books of Tobit and Revelation, are "the seven who stand before the Lord."

It was Rafael ("God heals") who instructed Tobias how to heal his father's blindness and defeat the demon Asmodeus. He is not mentioned in the New Testament, but because of his connection to healing he is associated with the pool of Bethesda where "an angel of the Lord descended at times into the pool, and the waters were moved" and the first person in the pool was healed of infirmity.

Gabriel ("God is my strength") is held by St. Gregory to be the highest of the archangels because it was he who delivered the greatest message of all time; that God the Son was to be incarnated. The very nature of this greatest message was also unique because it was essentially a request rather than instruction. He also foretold the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah and explained Daniel's heavenly visions. 

Michael ("who is like God?") is mentioned in the Book of Daniel three times as a "prince who stands up for the children" of Israel, and in Revelation as leading in the defeat of Satan. Interestingly, the earliest Christian invocations of St. Michael was as healer rather than warrior and it was for this reason that St. Basil the Great considered him to be the greatest of the angels, although in latter times the second sense of protection has come to predominate and replaced devotion to early martyrs such as St. George, St. Theodore, and St. Sebastian as military patrons. 

St. Michael, patron of Kiev

There are some differences in tradition between the West, where St. Michael is associated with death and the transport of souls, and the East, where the same role is assigned to St. Gabriel. Both are very highly regarded in Eastern Churches, where there are even akathist hymns devoted to St. Michael who is referred to as the Archestrategos ("supreme commander (of heavenly hosts)").

What Do Doozers Do?

Sorry for not posting last week, but it has been pretty busy. It seems there has yet to be a quiet, 'normal' week of postulancy; maybe there never will be!
Last week was the farewell dinner for Brother Luigi, who has been transferred to a quieter assignment in Alton, IL after 35 years at St. Clement's where he served as a cook and provincial treasurer for many years. He has been an institution since the Oblates took over the shrine in 1976, so it really is the end of an era. I often met Br. Lou in the mornings while preparing breakfast and always enjoyed his wry humor, and I will miss him a lot. It was also the end of the conferences for which the Rector-Major and many Oblates from overseas were visiting, so there were more farewell dinners and gatherings. Today was the installation of Msgr. Moroney as the new Rector of St. John's Seminary, so we all went there for mass with Cardinal O'Malley which ended up being a lengthy affair because of all the pomp, family day at SJS, and excessive traffic due to bicycle races and a Red Sox game, but things will mostly return to normal this week.

However, I have yet to define what 'normal' is for a week of postulancy and talk about what it is I do all day anyway, so here is a week in the life:



Monday-Friday
   5:30 am- Rise
   6:00 am- Morning holy hour, Office of
           Readings
   6:30 am- Lauds
   7:00 am- Mass
   7:30 am- Breakfast
   8:00 am-11:44 am- Daily responsibilities (class,        
           study, apostolates, etc.)
   11:45 am- Eucharistic adoration, Divine Mercy
           Chaplet
   12:00 pm- Angelus, lunch
                                                                                     1:00 pm- 4:59 pm- Daily responsibilities
                                                                                     5:00 pm- Rosary, evening holy hour
                                                                                     5:45 pm- Vespers
                                                                                     6:00 pm- Dinner
                                                                                     7:00 pm- Community recreation (usually gym
                                                                                             time, sports, card games, etc.)           
                                                                                     8:00 pm (9:00 pm Fridays)- Study
                                                                                     10:00 pm- Compline and Great Silence


Saturday
   7:30 am- Lauds
   8:00 am- Breakfast
   9:00 am- Cleaning common areas
   11:00 am- Mass
   12:00 pm- 5:00 pm- Apostolate work in Boston
           or free time
   5:00 pm- Rosary, holy hour
   5:30 pm- Grand Vespers and Benediction
   6:00 pm- Dinner
   7:15 pm- Community recreation (usually movie  
           night)
   11:00 pm- Great Silence

Sunday

   9:00 am- Matins, Lauds     

  10:00 am- Choir practice

  11:00 am- Mass

  12:15 pm- Lunch

  1:30 pm- Free time

  5:45 pm- Vespers

  10:00 pm- Great Silence 

 
In addition to the daily structure and classes, apostolates, etc., postulants have a number of other responsibilities assigned. All postulants are responsible for washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen after meals, and there is a weekly rotation for the following tasks: cantor for the Divine Office (also gets to choose the Saturday night movie), altar server for all masses, lector for masses and the Office, and cooking weekend dinners.

In addition to this are personal assignments that last all year, including an assignment for cleaning common areas of the seminary (I am the Dust Buster). Everyone is also responsible for doing their own laundry and keeping their cell neat (surprise inspections on weekends!). Postulants are also able to structure their own free time in the daily schedule between duties and studies for gym time, personal communication, personal prayer, and spiritual or recreational reading.
My personal assignment is to be one of the two sacristans: I am responsible for taking care of the sacred vessels (making sure they are purified, polishing, setting out the chalice and paten preferred by whichever priest has the next mass, etc.); purifying, laundering, and ironing purificators and corporals (and occasionally cassocks and surplices); measuring out wine, water, and hosts for each mass; making sure the correct propers are marked in the Sacramentary; checking that the correct vestment colors are used for feast days and solemnities; keeping four sanctuary lamps burning at all times; cleaning candle holders, incense thuribles, and tapers; doing any set up in the sanctuary, stripping the altar, moving candlesticks, etc.; and taking care of any other miscellanies around the sanctuary and sacristy.
Fr. Tom, my formation director who is also the choirmaster and usual piano accompanist for the Office, started working me in playing piano for Grand Vespers on weekends.

So, if idleness was ever a vice it is no longer! Saturdays and Sundays are a little more flexible: it is permissible to miss Lauds on Saturday and Vespers on Sunday. Some of you have asked how available I am if you visit, and the answer it that it varies: I can be excused from community functions to spend time with out of town guests and can get other postulants to cover my responsibilities, so I can pretty much be free all weekend.    

There are also other outings and events interspersed in the weekly schedule; this is Boston, after all, and there is always plenty to do. Tonight we are all going to SJS for a special dinner and lecture on St. Augustine followed by a screening of the new biographical film Restless Heart at Boston College.

A Monstah of a Different Color

Tonight was a different kind of adventure than yesterday's asado internationale. Tom Ledbetter is a friend of the Oblates and also a season ticket holder at Fenway Park who generous with his extra tickets. Tonight, he stopped in to visit during dinner and offered a ticket to tonight's game. I was the only person interested, so I saw my first professional baseball game: Red Sox vs. Yankees at Fenway Park, front row seats on the first base line.

It was an interesting immersion in East Coast baseball culture, but fun nevertheless. Unfortunately, the Sox lost 2-0, but I was surprised how well the Boston natives seemed to handle it considering my observation of their behavior at traffic lights and movie theaters. Perhaps their reputation for churlishness is overstated. 

Across from the "Green Monstah."

My actual distance from the baseline.

Bill Cosby threw the opening pitch.

Festa di Santissimo Nome di Maria

Today was a rather exciting day in the life; not every third-week postulant gets to meet the Rector Major (Oblate parlance for the Superior General) of the congregation personally.

To explain: this week the Oblates have an international conference regarding formation and vocations in Milton, MA, so the Rector Major as well as rectors and formation directors from Italy, France, Austria, Brazil, Argentina, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Canada are meeting with the local Oblates.

But for a few out-of-town guests at the seminary, it was business as usual for most of us during the first part of the week while the conference was taking place, but today was the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, which is the titular feast of the congregation and observed as a solemnity by Oblates. Thus we were dismissed from afternoon classes and gathered with all the professed members at the retreat center for grand vespers and mass (in Italiano e Latino), renewal of the dedication of the congregation, and an asado (traditional Argentinian super-barbecue).

Frs. Dave (USA), Steve (Austria), and John (Nigeria/Italy) provided stimulating dinner conversation.

All the Spanish-speaking postulants with the Argentinians, Brazilians and Italians at the equally animated table

The Rector Major, Padre Sergio (seated center). There are pictures of me with him somewhere on the phones and cameras of priests from Illinois and Italy; not sure how to track those down yet.

It was very different from the usual Wednesday dinner in the refectory: I was treated like an honored guest and spent most of the evening trying to convey my autobiography repeatedly to priests who speak as much English as I speak Spanish. But the reunion was much more personal for most and the vino was shared generously, so after a couple hours we were all gathered around exchanging anecdotes in broken English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese with the help of a few competent translators. I was only able to take leave after lots of blessings and having to promise to visit Brazil. 

Also featured was a rousing rendition of the Oblate anthem Salve Mater Misericordiae, which I learned for the occasion. Here is a more sedate version if you like mode VII chant:

R. Hail, Mother of mercy, Mother of God and Mother of pardon, Mother of hope and Mother of grace, Mother full of holy joy. O Mary!

Hail, honor of the human race. Hail, Virgin worthier than others, for you surpassed them all and now occupy the highest seat of honor. O Mary! R.

Hail, Blessed Virgin yet bearing child: for he who sits at the Father's right hand, the Ruler of heaven, of earth and sky, has sheltered himself in your womb. O Mary! R.

Become, O Mother, our solace: be for us a source of joy, and at the last, after this exile, unite us rejoicing to the choirs of angels. O Mary! R.

It was a great experience I wanted to share right away, but I still have a Latin quiz tomorrow so I will have to post exciting LOTR tidbits later.

Festum!

Hodie est Festum Nativitatis Beatae Mariae Virginis! (And I'm ready for the quiz!)

In honor of the Nativity of Mary, we had a day off from studies and took a trip up to Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire. The family of Fr. Ed Broom, an associate at the Oblate parish in Los Angeles, hosts an annual picnic for the OMV postulants at their lakeside home. It was great not only to escape Latin drills but to have hiking, kayaking, swimming, tennis, and barbecue.

 

Domus magnus apud lacum (the large house at the lake).

Conflictio epica inter tamais et sciurus in dispensatoribus aviarius cibi (epic chipmunk vs. squirrel face off at the bird feeder).

Excitus super navigatione in caiac! (excited about kayaking!)

I might never have wanted to come back to the city, but a fortuitously timed downpour got us on the road at the right time; late enough that I escaped having to make dinner (the postulants have assigned weekends to prepare evening meals) but early enough to eat it! Br. Jerry, a brother from the Philippines, was kind enough to do my job, prepared an excellent Italian-style dinner, and even had a birthday cake.  

The News Is Out!

The St. Ignatius Province webpage has been updated with shots from our photo shoot for the OMV newsletter, so my postulancy is 'internet legit.'  You can also read blurbs about the other six postulants here.

I now realize I have not linked to the website before, so if you are interested in more information about the order than I have offered, you can see the provincial website to read about Oblate history, apostolates, foundations, and spirituality.

Me, Isaac, Josh, Fr. Tom Carzon, OMV (formation director), Scott, Chris, Rafael, and Paul.

Missions and Apostolates

God, who called blessed Teresa, virgin, to respond to the love of your Son thirsting on the cross with outstanding charity to the poorest of the poor, grant us, we beseech you, by her intercession, to minister to Christ in his suffering brothers.
- Collect, 5 September

I thought that today being the memorial of Bl. Teresa and the day of the week devoted to intentions for the poor and suffering, I could post about the apostolate work I will be doing this semester.

Part of the Oblate formation program is spending at least a few hours each week working in an apostolate, either independently or with one of the professed priests or brothers. I found out today that my assignment for this semester will be working with the elderly, ill, and disabled through Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Network, a healthcare system that encompasses mainly short-term care and rehabilitation but also extended care facilities and hospice. My primary assignment will be to take Holy Communion to patients, as well as visiting and comforting the ill and residents at the homes for the elderly.

This apostolate is actually unusual for the Oblates; although they do hospital visits on request and if they are working in a parish, working with the sick and dying is not often part of their ministry. (I think there are too many postulants and novices this year for everyone to work with a professed member and they had to find something we could do independently. Hearing confessions, preaching, and spiritual direction are obviously off the table.)

When I found out about the extra assignment today after a long day of classes, my initial inclination was to complain about having something additional on top of studies and other responsibilities. God certainly caught me there having it be on the memorial of Bl. Teresa:

"I pray that you will understand the words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Ask yourself “How has he loved me? Do I really love others in the same way?” Unless this love is among us, we can kill ourselves with work and it will only be work, not love. Work without love is slavery."

"Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart." 
   


Speaking of classes, I will be auditing the class on JP II's encyclical Fides et Ratio instead of taking it for credit; I guess 18 credits is considered an unreasonable course load during postulancy. Ah, holy obedience. Also, I may not be able to share my Peter Kreeft lectures due to education fair use guidelines and also technical difficulties. However, I can still keep you updated. The course is "Philosophy in Literature" and we are reading The Lord of the Rings (!) and The Brothers Karamazov.

Listen to the Sound.... (of Silence)

After only a few years of trying, I finally made a silent retreat; I guess all I had to do was go to seminary first. It was a great experience, and I enjoyed the silence and meditation so much I almost wish classes weren't about to start... almost!
The retreat was patterned on an Ignatian structure: I had four scripture passages assigned every day for 60-70 minute meditation at 90 minute intervals. The structure was free within the daily framework, but was more or less two morning and two afternoon reflection periods unless you wanted to be up extremely early or extremely late. Every day we had lauds 6 am, mass at noon, vespers at 6 pm, and a scheduled one-hour meeting with your retreat director, otherwise it was complete silence for four days.

There isn't much more to tell (unless you are really interested in my deeply personal reflections), but I snapped a few shots of St. Joseph's before leaving so I can at least give you a virtual tour.

       

St. Joseph's House is a century-old mansion bequeathed to the Oblates that has been slowly renovated to serve as a retreat house for Ignatian retreats. 

    

St. Mary's Chapel is a small structure recently added on the grounds to augment two interior chapels. We had noon mass, 5 pm holy hour/ adoration, and vespers out there every day.

     

The entrance way and grand staircase.

Undoubtedly the most awkward part of a silent retreat: trying to eat silently and avoid eye contact in the refectory.

The library- where I spent most of my time not assigned to scriptural reflection reading Tolkien, Lewis, Sheen, and the Lives of the Saints.

They recently added an all-weather porch that extends off the library. None of the other rooms in the old house provide an outdoor panorama and it is used as overflow dining and reading space and for spiritual direction. 

The upstairs chapel where I prayed lauds at 6 am.

 One of the deluxe retreat accommodations, as compared to...

the postulants' retreat rooms, which I did not fail to notice are in the old servants quarters. However, they are quite a bit more luxurious than I imagine they were a century ago. 

Last of all, the attic chapel right above my room. A very peaceful place for contemplation, except on Saturday (when Logan's landing flights were roaring over every 10-15 minutes).