J U N E 2 0 1 5 Seminary Adventures The Life of a First-Year Seminarian at Saint John Paul II Seminary By Patrick Agustin In This Issue: Silent Retreat... page 2 Spring 15 Classes page 3 March for Life.. page 3 Spring Break!... page 4 Holy Week and Easter.... page 5 TV Mass and CD Recording.. page 6 What s Next. page 7 Prayer Intentions. page 7 Other Pictures from My Second Semester. page 8 Closing Words. page 9 Some of the Schola at the taping of the TV Mass A look into what I have been up to since the last newsletter Welcome to the second issue of Seminary Adventures! First off, thank you for your continued prayers and support as I discern a call to the priesthood. Believe me when I say your prayers have and continue to sustain me through this process. Second, my apologies for not getting this out sooner. You know, when you spend all semester writing papers, you don t always feel motivated to keep writing during your vacation. Anyways, let s jump right in
Silent Retreat OnJanuary5,2015,priortothestartofthespring semester,theseminariansatsaintjohnpaulii headeduptothemalvernretreatcenterin Malvern,PA,forourannualsilentretreat. OutsideofMass,communityprayer,andspiritual direction,wewereaskedtorefrainfromtalking toeachotherandusingtechnology.thesilence affordedustimetospendwiththelordinprayer, meditation,andspiritualreading,reallytryingto listentothevoiceoftheholyspirit.didi mentionthattheretreatwasfivedayslong? That sright almostnotalkingforfivedays!it definitelymadeforsomeawkwardmoments duringmealswhenyoureallyneededsomeoneto passthesaltandpepper TheretreatwasledbyFatherDanLeary,apriest forthearchdioceseofwashington,whogave talksandservedasspiritualdirectorformeanda fewofmybrotherseminarians.theinteresting thingabouttheweekwasthattherewasnota specificthemefortheretreat.ofcourse,father Dantailoredhistalkstowarddiscerningthe priesthood,butwhatiquicklynoticedwasthathe cameintotheretreatwithoutalotofpreparation beforehand.heprobablycameinwithanideafor hisfirsttwotalks,butafterthat,heleftitupto theholyspirittoguidewheretheretreatwould go. FatherDanhasanincrediblegift.Hewouldlisten towhattheseminariansweresayinginspiritual directiontogivehimasenseofwherewe wereasagroup.then,hewouldtakewhat wesaidandspendanhourorsoinprayerand deliverhistalkrightthenandthere.andwhat hehadtosaywouldblowyourmindand pierceyourheart.youcouldtelltheholy Spiritwasworkingthroughhimashegave thosetalks. Ireceivedalotofgracesfromtheretreatthat hasbeenfruitfulformydiscernmentofthe priesthood,whichiwillleavebetweengod andmefornow.iwillshare,however,thati gotagoodamountofreadingdone.ifinished Story&of&a&SoulbySaintThereseofLisieuxand readthroughhalfofthe&fulfillment&of&all& DesirebyRalphMartin.Story&of&a&Soulis Therese sautobiography,chroniclingher childhoodthroughherlifeasacarmelitenun. The&Fulfillment&of&All&Desiredrawsuponthe wisdomofthedoctorsofthechurchinorder toshowuswhatstepstotaketoliveafull, meaningful,andhappylifeorderedtowards God,Whofulfillseveryoneofourdesires (eventhosethatwedonotrealizewedesire!). Ihighlyrecommendbothbooks! Afteraveryrestfulandprayerfulweek,my brotherseminariansandiwerereadyto tackleanothersemesterofphilosophyand theologyatthecatholicuniversityof America. Inside the chapel at Malvern Retreat Center 2
Spring 15 Classes This semester presented me with a new set of challenges by way of grueling philosophy and theology classes. If you know me, I m always up for a good challenge! Here is a brief overview of the courses I took this past spring semester: Reasoning and Argumentation: A study on Aristotelian syllogistic logic and sentential logic forms, as well as informal fallacies. Developed skills to determine the validity of various types of arguments. History of Medieval Philosophy: Survey course of philosophers spanning from Saint Augustine through William of Ockham. Spent a good portion of the semester discussing Islamic philosophers, including al-razi, Avicenna, Averroes, and Maimonides. Theories of Ethics: A study of classical and contemporary theories of moral conduct, with an emphasis on Aristotle s Nicomachean Ethics, Immanuel Kant s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, the Epicureans, the Stoics, and John Stuart Mill s Utilitarianism and On Liberty. Foundations of Catholicism II: A course focusing on the origin and significance of the sacraments, as well as Catholic moral tradition. Catechesis on Human Love: A course offered at the Saint John Paul II Institute on The Catholic University of America s campus that focused on JPII s Theology of the Body. March for Life On Thursday, January 22, 2015, the seminarians joined thousands of people from around the country to rally for life and fight for an end to abortion. The day began with a Youth Rally and Mass at the Verizon Center. Popular Catholic songwriter Bob Rice provided the music with his band, and if you were there, you may have seen some seminarians making absolute fools of themselves by dancing on stage (including myself). Cardinal Wuerl celebrated Mass, which was concelebrated by hundreds of priests from all over the country, and the Saint John Paul II Seminary Schola had the honor of singing the Communion hymn. I won t lie it was a pretty neat experience singing at the Verizon Center in front of thousands of people! Afterwards, we (along with thousands of others) walked to the National Mall for another rally prior to the actual march. We walked from the National Mall to the Supreme Court (about 2 to 3 miles), praying Rosaries and uniting with our brothers and sisters in Christ in hopes of ending abortion in this country. 3 Youth Rally at the Verizon Center With the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Vigano
My brother seminarians and I received a warm welcome home! Spring Break! (LA Edition) Reunited with some Sony co-workers, past and present! During the second week in March, I was able to return to LA for the first time since entering seminary. As you can imagine, I was both excited and nervous to return to LA; excited to see my family, friends, and former co-workers, but also nervous about the fact that I would have to leave LA all over again at the end of the trip. To add to this, I was also bringing along three of my seminarian brothers Jeremy, Mark, and Ferdinand. Jeremy and Ferdinand have been to LA before, but it was Mark s first time. I had been talking LA up to them ever since I entered into the seminary, so I was hoping that they would get even just a taste of the joy I experienced during my time in LA. Plus, there s something about having your different groups of friends meet for the first time. Don t get me wrong, I knew my friends from the east coast would get along with my friends from the west coast, but seeing your previous life and your current life collide with each other is still a pretty unreal feeling. Nonetheless, both sides got along extremely well! Msgr. Torgerson and Fr. Richard at St. Monica s (my parish in LA) graciously allowed my brothers and me to stay over at the rectory. Doing so allowed us to attend daily Mass, spend some time in prayer, and be close to the beach! Thank you to my spiritual fathers in LA for being so hospitable to us. Some highlights from the week (in no particular order) post-mass brunch with the 2014 Spring Retreat Team; singing with the 5:30 Sunday Evening Choir like old times; giving my vocation story to 60 young adults at YMA s Vespers; visiting Fr. Mel and Tom at Serra Retreat Center in Malibu; Mass, Adoration, and lunch with priests of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary; eating legit Korean BBQ; surfing at my favorite beach (and seeing a shark while surfing); dinner with my Saguros family at Upper West; and reuniting with my Sony family for happy hour and karaoke at Backstage. It was so great seeing everyone it was like I never left! I m already looking forward to coming back soon! 4
Holy Week and Easter On Monday, March 30, 2015, my brother seminarians and I attended the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. The Chrism Mass is significant for the local church for two main reasons: (1) over 200 priests from the Archdiocese of Washington gather together to renew the promises they made at their respective ordinations; and (2) the Cardinal Archbishop blesses and consecrates the oils that will be used throughout the year at sacramental celebrations at parishes. The oil of catechumens is used to Serving the Chrism Mass with Cardinal Wuerl and bishops at Saint Matthew s anoint those preparing for baptism. The oil of the sick is used to anoint those who are seriously ill, and the holy chrism is used in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders. I had the honor of altar serving at this year s Chrism Mass, which was also the first time I had ever attended this particular Mass. It was really neat being up there on the altar and seeing the 200+ priests and a number of religious priests, brothers, and sisters fill the cathedral. But the coolest thing was being right beside the Cardinal as he prepared the chrism oil. I was standing just a few feet away as he poured a fragrance called balsam into the oil then breathed (literally blew) into the vessel containing the oil, which was part of the consecration. After the Chrism Mass, the D.C. seminarians went to an Italian restaurant called Buca di Beppo not too far from the cathedral to have dinner with young men who are thinking about applying to the seminary. Overall, it was a great evening seeing new and seasoned priests gather together for the celebration of the Mass then ending it with my brother seminarians and other young men who hope to be up on that altar one day. Later that week, I was able to return to my home parish Saint Columba (where I went for grade school and received all my sacraments) to serve the Easter Triduum. It was great being back there to serve the parishioners and thank them for their prayers and support. Easter Sunday with Fr. Gary Villanueva 5
TV Mass and CD Recording By way of music, the Schola at Saint John Paul II Seminary has been keeping pretty busy. On top of singing at the Verizon Center in January and at Sunday Mass each week, from time to time we get asked to provide the music for a televised Mass for those that are unable to make it to church on Sundays (like the sick and elderly). These Masses are taped in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. On Thursday, April 16, the Schola taped two Masses in one evening that were aired at later dates. This was the second time this year I was able to participate in a TV Mass, the first of which happened last semester with the Octet, comprised of a select few of us from the Schola. It was great having a larger group this time around, and I could tell my brother seminarians had a blast (for some it was their TV debut!). Another project that kept us busy in April was a CD recording. You read that correctly! The Saint John Paul II Seminary Schola was presented with an opportunity to record some of the music that we had been singing this past year. One of our biggest benefactors and his wife attended Sunday Mass where they heard us sing. They asked, Are those our boys?! When they realized that it indeed was us, they asked if had a CD. We didn t at the time, but we soon will! The Schola goofing off in between taping TV Masses Members of the Octet recording music for our CD The CD will contain music that we sang this year some English pieces, some pieces in Latin, some hymns sung by the entire choir, and others by just the Octet. The recording is being edited as we speak, and the final product will hopefully be available by the end of the summer. I will keep you all posted! 6 Behind-the-scenes look at our CD recording
What s Next So what s next for me? As I am still discerning my vocation, I will be returning to Saint John Paul II Seminary for my second year of priestly formation. I m looking forward to coming back and finishing my philosophy studies at The Catholic University of America. The first year asked a lot of me by way of transitioning into seminary life and going back to school, so I am eager to return with a renewed perspective, being able to focus on discernment since I am a bit more seasoned! At the seminary, we are each assigned with a certain responsibility or job in the house. For the upcoming school year, I was chosen to be the student leader of my class. As student leader, I will serve as the liaison between the pre-theologians and the faculty, run house meetings where we vote on different things related to our living situation, and represent my class at different events. My counterpart on the collegian side is my brother seminarian Jonathan Young. As part of my formation, I have been assigned to work in a parish for eight weeks this summer. Through the end of July, I will living at the rectory of Saint Bartholomew s Parish in Bethesda, MD, a suburb of D.C. I began my assignment the day after Memorial Day, and so far, it has been a wonderful experience. Everyone has been so warm and welcoming. In just these two weeks, I have seen different sides of the priesthood that I never got to see before. It has been an eye-opening experience (in the best way possible), and I m looking forward to seeing what comes of the next few weeks. Over these two months, I will be altar serving at the Masses, giving talks, serving the poor, helping to start a young adult group, and overall shadowing the priests at St. Bart s the pastor Fr. Mark Knestout, parochial vicar Fr. Tim Daniel (whom I ve known since our days at the University of Maryland), and Msgr. John Enzler (who runs Catholic Charities and is in residence at St. Bart s). Finally, as you may have heard, the Holy Father Pope Francis will be making a visit to Washington, D.C. this September, in advance of his visits to New York and Philadelphia. During his brief visit here, he will canonize (make a saint) Blessed Junipero Serra, a Franciscan friar who was responsible for establishing the first 9 of the 21 missions in California. The canonization will take place on the steps of the East Portico of the Basilica of National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, just steps away from the seminary. It is our hope that the Holy Father will pay a visit to Saint John Paul II Seminary at some point during his stay in D.C.! East Portico of the Basilica Prayer Intentions Whether you pray or not, I ask that you keep the following in your thoughts and/or prayers: For all those discerning a vocation to the priesthood and religious life, in particular for my brother seminarians at Saint John Paul II Seminary and from the Archdiocese of Washington For those preparing to be ordained this month to the priesthood, the transitional diaconate, and the permanent diaconate For the sick, in particular my brother seminarian Nicholas Morrison For the parishioners at Saint Columba For the parishioners at Saint Monica s For the parishioners at Saint Bartholomew s 7
Other Pictures from My Second Semester Theology on Tap with Brother Diogo and Mark Fr. Mel, Mark, Me, Tom, and Jeremy at Serra Retreat in Malibu, CA Matching pants and all: Me, James, and Kevin Worlds colliding: East meets West at Korean BBQ! JPII visits Saint Gabriel in D.C. Giving my vocation story at St. Monica s 8
Closing Words What a year it has been! Around this time last year, I was putting together my application for the seminary and now I have completed my first year of priestly formation. This year went by very quickly, and it has been amazing to see how much the Lord has worked in my life in a short amount of time, yet it is also a bit daunting to see how much still lies ahead of me. But I am trusting that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide me in the direction I need to go. Your prayers have been an integral part of this process, and I am so thankful to have them. Please rest assured of my prayers for you all. If there are any specific intentions of yours that I can keep in my prayers, please let me know. Thank you for reading, and may God bless you all! Top: Overlooking Santa Monica during Spring Break Bottom: Celebrating some brothers 21 st birthdays in D.C. My contact information: Patrick Agustin Saint John Paul II Seminary 145 Taylor Street NE Washington, D.C. 20017 Looking for other ways to keep tabs on me? Check these out: dcpriest.org facebook.com/dcvocations youtube.com/dcpriest (c) 240.271.0514 (e) patrick.s.agustin@gmail.com 9