Mysterious Mercy at St. Mary's

Well I'm here :)

I've been here just a week, but so much has happened I don't know where to begin. I'll just go through the ininerary for each day, with brief comments:

So far I've been on an orientation week that started on Thursday, Aug 25, the feast of St. Louis (see pic at right).

Early that morning, at about 12:30am, my dad, brother and I finally arrived at St. Mary's after a 10 and a half hour drive from Louisville. Our stay in the Center for Continuing Formation on the campus of St. Mary's was much appreciated after that long journey.


At 9am on Thursday morning we drove around the campus to the front of the building where we were greeted by Michael Wimsatt, my Diocesan Brother at the seminary. I was so glad to see him. The rest of the seminarians on the orientation committee welcomed me as well, gave me some paperwork and information, and then unpacked my car and small u-haul trailer into my room. I was very glad not to have to unpack that mess!

Here was the itinerary for Thursday:
9am-2pm Arrival at St. Mary's Seminary, Foyer

• Brief private prayer in St. Mary's Chapel at the pew where Pope John Paul II prayed personally on his visit to St. Mary's in 1995.
• Archival Display of the beginning of St. Mary's
• Check-in at Reception Desk
• Pick up Liturgy of the Hours and T-Shirt
• General information and move-in
• Telephone system operating instructions and Long Distance Billing Options

2-5:30pm Free Time to Move In
5:30pm Dinner with Fr. Leavitt (the rector), Fr. Kulbicki (vice-rector), Fr. Brown (academic dean) and Students, Refectory
7pm New Seminarian Photos, Laubacher Hall
7:15pm Official Welcome by Fr. Leavitt, Fr. Kulbicki, Fr. Brown, "Spirituality of Seminary Life," St. Charles Chapel
8:30-10pm Social for New Seminarians, Donnelly Lounge
10pm Night Prayer, St. Charles Chapel

Friday, August 26th:
7:30AM Sulpician Meditation, Fr. Leavitt, Main Chapel
7:45am Morning Prayer with Explanation of Liturgy of the Hours, Fr. Perez, Main Chapel
9:30-10:30am Sulpician Formational Community, Fr. Leavitt & Fr. Kulbicki, Classroom 101D
10:30-10:45am Break
10:45-11:15am Pastoral Character of Seminary Formation, Fr. Leavitt & Fr. Couturier, Classroom 101D
11:30am Mass, Fr. Kulbicki, St. Charles Chapel
Lunch, Refectory
Free Time
4:30pm Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Evening Prayer, Benediction, St. Charles Chapel, Dinner
Free Time
Donnelly Lounge open with complimentary beverages and snacks.
10pm Night Prayer, St. Charles Chapel

Saturday, August 27
7:30am Breakfast, Refectory
8:15am Morning Prayer, Main Chapel
8:30am Departure for Paca Street (original location of St. Mary's, now on Roland Ave.), Accompanied by Fr. Leavitt & Fr. Kulbicki, Main Entrance
Mass at Paca Street (in original chapel of St. Mary's)
Tour - Sulpician & Catholic Baltimore
Visit to Basilica of the Assumption
Depart for Historic Fells Point and Lunch
Departure for St. Mary's
4:45pm Rosary, Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes
Evening Prayer, St. Charles Chapel
Dinner, Refectory
7pm Sharing of Personal Vocation Stories, Student Team, St. Charles Chapel
Reflection & Solitude - Quiet time for Spiritual Reading and Prayer
Donnelly Lounge Closed

Sunday, August 28:
7:30am Breakfast, Refectory
9am Morning Prayer, "Formation According to Pastores Dabo Vobis," Fr. Leavitt, Main Library
11:30am Mass, Fr. Leavitt, St. Charles Chapel
Lunch, Refectory
1pm Practical Guidelines for Prayer, St. Charles Chapel, Fr. Leavitt
4:30pm Evening Prayer, St. Charles Chapel
5:30pm Cookout with the Seminary Faculty, Donnelly Patio
8pm "An Introduction to Baltimore," Donnelly Lounge
Donnelly Closes at 10pm

Monday, August 29:
7:30am Sulpician Meditation, Morning Prayer, Fr Leavitt, Main Chapel
Breakfast, Refectory
9am Library Orientation, Soraya Magalhaes-Wilson, Knott Library
10:15am COMPASS Testing, Library Computer Lab
11:30am Mass, St. Charles Chapel, Fr. Brown
Lunch, Refectory
1:15pm Academics, Fr. Philip Brown, S.S./Pat Grega, Room 101D
2:30pm Seminary Policies, Fr. Kulbicki, Room 101D
Final Free Time to Settle In
Returning Students Join the Community
5:45pm Evening Prayer, Main Chapel
6pm Welcome Back Crab Feast, Donnelly Patio
Donnelly Lounge Open As Ususal

Tuesday, August 30:
8am Morning Prayer, Main Chapel
8:15am Breakfast, Refectory
9am "Community Building at St. Mary's," Student/Faculty Roundtable, The Forum
10:30am Staying Healthy at St. Mary's, Fr. Stevens, Fitness Center
11:30am Community Retreat Begins with Mass of the Holy Spirit
Presider and Homilist: Fr. Leavitt, S.S.
12:15pm Lunch, Refectory
2pm Conference 1: Msgr. Robert Hartnett, Pastor, "Anniversary Reflections on Priesthood"
4:30pm Evening Prayer
Conference 2: Fr. Michael Barre, S.S., "The Divine Call and Duty of the Shepherd in the Bible"
5:30pm Dinner, Refectory
7:30pm Meditative Rosary on the Glorious Mysteries
Led by Fr. Paul Zilonka, C.P.
Quiet Time for Prayer and Reflection

Wednesday, August 31
Strict Silence Begins
Breakfast in silence, Refectory
9am Morning Prayer
Conference 3: Fr. Phillip Brown, "The Shepherd Who Brings Order and Reconciliation"
11:30am Mass
Presider: Fr. Brown
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until Evening Prayer
12:15pm Lunch in silence, Refectory
2pm Extraordinary Confessors (priests from outside the seminary) Available for Sacrament of Reconciliation, Locations Posted
4:30pm Evening Prayer
Conference 4: Fr. Timothy Kulbicki, "The Shepherd and the Eucharist"
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Dinner in silence, Refectory
8pm Taize Meditative Prayer
Led by Fr. Corbin Eddy
Strict Silence Continues Through the Night

Thursday, September 1:
Breakfast in silence, Refectory
9am Morning Prayer
Conference 5: Fr. Philip Keane, S.S., "The Shepherd Who Leads by Example"
11:30am Conference 6: Fr. Gladstone Stevens, S.S., "Shepherds Formed by the Word"
Strict Silence Ends
12:15pm Lunch, Refectory
2pm Conference 7: Fr. Joseph Kitko, "Anniversary Reflections: The Shepherd and His Flock"
Quiet Time for Prayer and Reflection
4pm Covenant Liturgy (suits required)
Presider and Homilist: Fr. Leavitt, S.S.
5pm Social, Laubacher Hall
5:30pm Dinner, Refectory
Free Time

Now back to the blog :) Some other things you'll find interesting:

I couldn't wait to find out what my classes would be and finally found out yesterday. I know you're dying to know! They are:
History of Western Civ (pre-Theology guys have to take some Humanities and all Philosophy. After this year it will be all Theology classes)
Philosophical Anthropology
History of Philosophy I
Epistemology (the study of interpretation)
Intro to Catholic Theology I

And my required books are (Chris, I know you'll love these! - oh...BTW, the Rector, Fr. Leavitt, studied under Paul Ricoeur):
The Republic, The Laws, by Cicero
Nicomachean Ethics, by Aristotle
Introduction to Christianity, by then-Cardinal Ratzinger
Letters, Principal, Doctrines, and Vatican Sayings, by Epicurus
Confessions, by St. Augustine
Texts on Socrates, by Plato and Aristophanes
Dependent Rational Animals: Why Human Beings Need the Virtues, by Alasdair Macintyre
Hermeneutics, by Richard E. Palmer
A Primer on Postmodernism, by Stanley J. Grenz
The Republic, by Plato
Natural Right and History, by Leo Strauss
On the Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo by Friedrich Nietzsche
Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents (online here)
Catechism of the Catholic Church (online here)
I Will Give You Shepherds, Pastores Dabo Vobis (online here)
On the Relationship between Faith and Reason, Fides et Ratio (online here)
Western Civilization: Volume 1 to 1715, by Jackson J. Spielvogel
Five Dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo, by Plato
Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy, by Rene Descartes

I'm looking forward to the Strict Silence tomorrow so I can finish some spiritual reading I've started, pray, think,...and...sleep!

Things have been very busy, but I'm still looking foward to classes starting after Labor Day. This weekend there's a ton of cool stuff planned: trip to D.C. to see the Basilica, the JPII Institute, Gettysburg, a golf tournament, and an O-birds game. I'll update again Thursday night or Monday after the weekend. I've got some other info and thoughts to share...

Sedes sapientiae, ora pro nobis!