Thank you to the Church, our Mother, who has gathered us up into Her arms and has loved us.
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After a wonderful two-and-a-half weeks serving the poor, learning, and exploring in Mexico City, on Friday it was finally time to return to the US and get ready for the Spring Semester. Many of the men got up early for 6am Mass at the shrine, then climbed Tepeyac hill to watch the sun rise and […]
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What a wonderful week it was spending “quiet” time at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Of course nothing and nowhere is ever actually quiet in Mexico City, but the Carmelite sisters gave us good advice last week when they reminded us that the quiet we really need is interior, and that that kind […]
Continue Reading On Sunday the Theology II seminarians got split into two groups. One went to a women’s shelter and the other group, my group, went back to Saint Matthew’s Parish. Brother Joseph P.E.S, Michael Rienhardt, Adam Johnson, and I arrived early via Uber. The trek from the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe to San Matteo […]
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After a short breakfast we started the day by packing our entire group into a tiny van for an hour ride to the Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia. The Basilica in Higuey is home to the image of Our Lady of Altagracia, the nation’s official protector. In addition to the towering arches that make up the interior and exterior of the Basilica, the most evident thing was the peoples’ intense devotion to our Blessed Mother. Although we only had a short time to visit the basilica and museum devoted to Our Lady of Altagracia, the genuine joy of the people and peace of the Blessed Mother remained with us for the rest of the day.
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Dear friends, Thank you for supporting us on this unforgettable journey! You have been with us at every mass and in all of our prayers. Your generosity has allowed us an experience that will forever mark our lives as seminarians and priests. But now, it is has come time for us to return home. Perhaps […]
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Since we have been on this journey something which I have found difficult is the language barrier. I took two years of Spanish in high school which has helped me read signs and menus. However, I cannot converse with anyone. This has been very difficult because I love talking with people. I enjoy sharing the […]
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This weekend we worked with an organization called “Hope for the Poor”. We visited a park near the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Saturday. It was an interesting place: full of pilgrim groups having picnics and forming up to walk the last few blocks to the Basilica, and also full of homeless people. […]
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I have a bit of a reflection to share today. This morning, we visited Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. We had the great privilege of being able to celebrate the Mass at the Grotto of the Manger, a small, intimate space where it is traditionally said the crib sat. Unfortunately, our hope for a […]
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Several days ago we had the opportunity to have Mass in the Holy Sepulchre – where Jesus rose from the dead. It was beautiful to realize that the reason so many millions of people come here each year is precisely because Jesus isn’t here – it is the Resurrection, the historical fact that Jesus rose […]
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