What can I say? Thank you so much for all the email, well wishes and prayers of support as my journey to priesthood kicked off last friday August 24th. From that point, I have lived through an intense week of an opening retreat with my fellow seminarian brothers coming in, as well as with the whole community for another three days,..all spent in silence. This has been a long time coming, and if I could use one word to describe it in any way, it is pure 'serenity.' Last year, I studied as an external student, this year, I'm inside, praying the breviery, daily Mass and community life.
The opening camp was a grace. My Spiritual Director, all 6'3 and 210lbs of big bad Fr Guy Guindon happens to be in charge of all the newbies. To describe this man, I would say he is holy, completely Eucharistically centred and real! (He would also be the only priest able to perform an exorcism on Chuck Norris, if Chuck Norris ever became possessed...) We spent our time at a Sulpician Retreat house in Oka, Quebec, where we prayed together, Mass, a pilgrimidge to the oldest pilgrim site in North America, and fraternized, there was plenty of beer and a swimming pool,.. (for those wondering, there was also a full gym in the rectory, however I don't think I made any friends with the older Sulpician Fathers as I decided to train at 530am in the morning,...hehehehe...)
Monday was the first Conference of the Rector, whereby our mission as a community was put forth,..Jesus in the Scriptures. To fall in love with Sacred Scripture as God's living Word. With our theme intact, we went on retreat for 3 days inside the Seminary,..meaning we could not leave the grounds or speak. We had morning, afternoon and evening prayer, as well as a teaching, Rosary, Adoration and Eucharist! (Yes,..I still trained everyday at night in the basment gym,..but in silence...lol!)
Thursday evening was the community BBQ,.. all provided by the Sulpicians. Hamburgers, beer and polish sausage! ( Da bearsss, da bullsss,...) where fraternity and laughes were the anthopological accompanyent to a week of prayer and recollection. I have a had a chance to meet and bond with my brothers, and they are just that,..my brothers,..we will live in community, pray together, eat together and battle together!
Confessions will from time to time offer a snapshot of life inside the seminary, the ups, the downs and the in betweens,.. To paraphrase Optimus Prime at the end of every live action Transformers movie,..he gives a little narrative,.. I am Optimusmastro, and I send this message out to any young guy feeling the tug of Jesus on his heart,..you are not alone, and though I am in discernment, feel free to contact me if you need to talk,...
St Jean Viannay,............................ora pro nobis!
The opening camp was a grace. My Spiritual Director, all 6'3 and 210lbs of big bad Fr Guy Guindon happens to be in charge of all the newbies. To describe this man, I would say he is holy, completely Eucharistically centred and real! (He would also be the only priest able to perform an exorcism on Chuck Norris, if Chuck Norris ever became possessed...) We spent our time at a Sulpician Retreat house in Oka, Quebec, where we prayed together, Mass, a pilgrimidge to the oldest pilgrim site in North America, and fraternized, there was plenty of beer and a swimming pool,.. (for those wondering, there was also a full gym in the rectory, however I don't think I made any friends with the older Sulpician Fathers as I decided to train at 530am in the morning,...hehehehe...)
Monday was the first Conference of the Rector, whereby our mission as a community was put forth,..Jesus in the Scriptures. To fall in love with Sacred Scripture as God's living Word. With our theme intact, we went on retreat for 3 days inside the Seminary,..meaning we could not leave the grounds or speak. We had morning, afternoon and evening prayer, as well as a teaching, Rosary, Adoration and Eucharist! (Yes,..I still trained everyday at night in the basment gym,..but in silence...lol!)
Thursday evening was the community BBQ,.. all provided by the Sulpicians. Hamburgers, beer and polish sausage! ( Da bearsss, da bullsss,...) where fraternity and laughes were the anthopological accompanyent to a week of prayer and recollection. I have a had a chance to meet and bond with my brothers, and they are just that,..my brothers,..we will live in community, pray together, eat together and battle together!
Confessions will from time to time offer a snapshot of life inside the seminary, the ups, the downs and the in betweens,.. To paraphrase Optimus Prime at the end of every live action Transformers movie,..he gives a little narrative,.. I am Optimusmastro, and I send this message out to any young guy feeling the tug of Jesus on his heart,..you are not alone, and though I am in discernment, feel free to contact me if you need to talk,...
St Jean Viannay,............................ora pro nobis!
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