tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55962251737138610282011-09-28T17:05:44.193-04:00This blog will offer insight into the life of men studying for the Priesthood for the Diocese of Allentown.Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.comBlogger311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-46327006117497292052011-05-10T09:39:00.000-04:002011-05-10T09:39:00.312-04:00

By: Rick James Seminarian, Third Theology This month of May belongs to our Blessed Lady, the Mother of risen Savior. All seminarians and priest rely greatly upon her intercession at all times to remain close to her Son. But what does it mean when we ask for our Blessed Mother’s intercession—or for that matter, any saint’s intercession. We can wonder: why do we go through the trouble of asking

Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-76456153054622695372011-05-09T17:35:00.000-04:002011-05-09T17:35:05.306-04:00

By: Albert Camburn II Seminarian, Pre-Theology I Albert Camburn II (center left - with other first year men) Nearing the end of my first year at St. Charles Seminary, I can think of so many wonderful aspects of life here, the beautiful liturgies, the rich community life and the gift of learning about the faith, but what really stands out is the immensely rewarding experience of having spent

Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-32508265281125392592011-05-05T21:04:00.001-04:002011-05-05T21:19:16.204-04:00

By: Daniel LisellaSeminarian, First College I want you to imagine that you are on the seashore with Jesus. You are walking along the beach with him. What does the atmosphere feel like on the beach? What are the sounds of the birds and the waves like? What does the water feel like? What do you feel you want to say to Jesus? Take a moment now to express to Jesus what you are feeling right now and

Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-66536077913631850142011-04-20T18:11:00.000-04:002011-04-20T18:11:22.898-04:00

By: Brendon Laroche Seminarian, Pre-Theology II On Saturday, April 9, 2011, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary held its second annual Lenten concert. The concert's title was "Into Your Hands, Lord... Lenten Lessons Through Word & Song." The concert featured the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary choir. Numerous seminarians also served as musicians, soloists, members of small ensembles, readers,

Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-64162429453966226702011-04-12T21:53:00.000-04:002011-04-12T21:53:46.935-04:00

By: James Harper Seminarian, First Theology The Institute for Priestly Formation held a symposium at St. Charles Seminary from the 17th to the 20th of March.  The symposium was a great opportunity for the seminarians to experience a taste of the IPF program for what it is as well as for a break from the standard track of studies at the seminary. James Harper (front right) with other

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By: Mark R. SearlesSeminarian, First Theology After almost a whole year in 1st theology, my classmates and I passed another milestone this past week, our first practice homily! Starting this Spring semester, we have had our first class in homiletics. The first half of the semester was a typical class with lectures and discussions on public speaking in general and some helpful specific insights

Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-12330349840254059772011-03-02T10:49:00.001-05:002011-03-02T10:51:22.510-05:00

By: Stephan Isaac Seminarian, Pre-Theology I While studying Political Science and International Studies at American University, I spent a semester abroad in Cairo, Egypt during the Fall of 2009. I continued my studies in Middle Eastern politics and Arabic at the American University of Cairo (AUC) and it was some of the best four months of my young life. During my time there, I encountered so

Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-90304279929544235192010-12-30T19:34:00.000-05:002010-12-30T19:34:18.560-05:00

By: Kevin Lonergan Seminarian, First Theology Kevin Lonergan next to Msgr. O'Connor in the back Exams are finished; papers are written, and the car is facing the gate; but when seminarians arrive home, what do they do to occupy their time? Well, for most seminarians it is often one of the busiest times of the year! In between catching up with friends and family, many seminarians are put to

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By: Orlando Aso Seminarian, Third Theology  It’s twelve noon on Wednesday, the 22nd of December, and exams are thankfully over, the Fall semester has officially ended, and now it’s time to depart from beloved Mother Overbrook for three weeks in order to enjoy Christmas at home with my family in Bethlehem. Christmas break is very much the ideal time to ‘chillax’ (chill out + relax), reconnect

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By: Joseph Ganser Seminarian, Third Theology During the fall semester each year the seminarians from St. Charles have a great opportunity. In order to help us apply what we’ve been learning in our theology classes the seminary takes part in an ecumenical discussion group with the divinity schools located in the Philadelphia area. This class is the longest running ecumenical group in the country

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By: Rick James Seminarian, Third Theology  Forty Hours in St. Martin Chapel, 2010 Since the 1840’s, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary has been celebrating Forty Hours Eucharistic devotions every year. This great celebration begins every year on the Solemnity of All Saints. For three days the seminary community is blessed with extended adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament. This cheerful

Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-24677821467383659802010-11-13T21:18:00.002-05:002010-11-13T21:21:04.178-05:00

By: Daniel C. Lisella Seminarian, First College Picture in your mind you are a 5 year old whose birthday it is and your parents are going to throw you a surprise party. All the relatives come early and hide in the house while you are out with one of your parents. You show up late at the house tired from a long birthday morning with your mom and grandparents. You walk into the house completely

Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-79640941779095168742010-11-03T16:22:00.000-04:002010-11-03T16:22:17.033-04:00

By: Deacon Jason Stokes Seminarian, Fourth Theology Today is October 21 – we are half-way through the fall semester of the 2010-2011 academic year, or if you are on a quarter system – it is roughly the end of the first quarter. This is a good time to sit back and take stock of where we are in the school year. What is it we are trying to accomplish in school this year? What is the goal? If

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By: Daniel KravatzSeminarian, First Theology Now that I have been back in PA for a few weeks, I have had time to reflect on my stay in Omaha for the summer. Of course, there were many great graces God chose to bestow upon me, with which I am sure I can fill up a book. This post is on a game I have grown to enjoy deeply: baseball. I am a big Phillies fan, and in my time out in Omaha, one of the

Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-7162333681849814672010-08-25T17:08:00.001-04:002010-08-29T18:53:58.236-04:00

By: Kevin Lonergan Seminarian, First Theology When you think about Omaha, Nebraska, the first thing that probably does NOT come to mind is an awesome downtown area, beautiful churches, interesting culture, and intriguing history. But, rest assured, Omaha has all of the above! When arriving in Omaha at the end of May, I was shocked to find myself in a city with skyscrapers and beautiful art

Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-33292282102855832382010-08-13T09:00:00.001-04:002010-08-13T11:15:31.059-04:00

By: James Harper, Seminarian First Theology In a summer of spirituality at the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha, liturgy is the core about which our prayer takes place. Each day, we begin with Morning Prayer prior to class.  For the most part, Mass took place after class, towards the center of our day. Evening prayer varied significantly over the summer. Sometimes it would unite us as a

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By: Joseph Ganser, Seminarian Third Theology As the summer begins to wind down and students prepare to return to school the seminarians come to end of our summer assignments and begin to look forward to the changes that the new semester will bring. However, before we pack up and head back to class we also take time to thank God for all the good experiences that he has given us over the past

Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-9914375086100184082010-07-18T18:10:00.000-04:002010-07-18T18:10:50.532-04:00

By: Mark SearlesSeminarian, First Theology At the start of this ten week program back in June, I did not know what to expect besides a trip to Omaha, NE and an opportunity to grow in my relationship with God and to take some courses on spirituality. Now just beyond the midway point of the summer it is amazing to think about how much I’ve grown and the many blessings I have received. We live on

Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-87422698728300592802010-03-27T16:14:00.001-04:002010-03-27T16:14:59.056-04:00

By Jared Zambelli Seminarian, Third College The sacred season of Lent is upon us again, a season in which we commemorate the sufferings and sorrows of Our Lord and prepare ourselves for His Resurrection. Concerning this holy season, Abbot Guéranger O.S.B., a celebrated liturgist of the 19th century writes: The Church has made [Lent] a time of recollection and penance…she would therefore bring

Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-444883166018788352010-02-13T19:12:00.000-05:002010-02-13T19:12:04.793-05:00

By:  Vincent DranginisSeminarian, Fourth College Once a month as a Diocese we the seminarians and some of our wonderful Priests come together in fellowship, and spend an evening out for dinner somewhere in Philadelphia. This is a great event that we look forward to every month because we have the privilege of spending time with our Priests and each other as one big diocesan family. This past week

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By: Kevin M. Lonergan Seminarian, Fourth College On Sunday February 7th all of the classes at the seminary from first year college to third year theology go out to a parish for a first hand experience of the Catholic Church within a different culture. This year my class, the fourth year collegians, went to St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church in Bethlehem. In addition to participating in the

Allentown Diocese Vocationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11024609236381558031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596225173713861028.post-23817926714926280802010-02-08T10:40:00.001-05:002010-02-08T10:44:23.073-05:00

By: James Harper Seminarian, Fourth College The march for life has become an unfortunate annual event for the community of St. Charles Borromeo seminary. Each year, we at the seminary regard this march as a solemn duty we are to perform. We will do it, but we would certainly rather have no reason to march. Despite any optimism on our part and prayers for justice with regards to basic life

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By: Mark Searles, Seminarian Pre-Theology II To start the new spring semester the seminary held a day of prayer and reflection during our first Sunday back from a long and restful winter break. This day of recollection consisted of the usual Morning Prayer, Mass, and Evening Prayer, but each was accompanied by a reflection given by a visiting priest along with adoration throughout the day. We

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By: Brendon Laroche Seminarian, Pre-Theology I Every seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary is assigned an apostolate as part of our seminary formation. Thursdays throughout the year are reserved for apostolic work. We have no classes on apostolate days; rather, we get “on the job training” that prepares us for the various assignments we may have as diocesan priests. My apostolate for the

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By: Daniel Kravatz Seminarian, PreTheology II On December 8, the seminary community gathered together to celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. This is also the patronal feast of the chapel in the Theologate. We began the celebration of Our Blessed Mother’s conception with Evening Prayer on the vigil in the Immaculate Conception Chapel. Later in the evening, we gathered together

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By: Rick James Seminarian, Second Theology On December 6 the Seminarians of St. Charles Borromeo seminary preformed the annual “Concert Before Christmas” on the seminary campus in the Chapel of St. Martin of Tours. In the Seminary’s nearly 180 years of existence, the Christmas concert as it is today is a relatively recent tradition. This year marks the 22nd occurrence of the event. Each year a

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Joseph Ganser, Seminarian Second Theology Each year during the first two weekends of November the seminarians at St. Charles get a rare treat: we get to leave campus for the weekends. However, these are not free weekends in the traditional sense instead every man, from the one who received his cassock no more than two weeks ago to the transitional deacon, is assigned to a parish for what is

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By: Orlando Aso Seminarian, Second Theology Each year on November 4th, Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary celebrates the feast day of its patron saint with its annual Upper Side versus Lower Side Flag Football Game. At stake is possession of the coveted football trophy engraved with the winning division’s name as well as bragging rights as the best overall athletic division (Soccer, Football,

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By: Deacon Brian Miller Seminarian, Fourth Theology It is the law of the Church that seminarians in there last year at the seminary be transitional deacons. This makes my final year at the seminary unlike any other. Like all seminarians I attend daily mass with the seminary community, but I also have opportunities to exercise my diaconate service in the liturgies. This means that occasionally I

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By: Jason Stokes, Seminarian Third Theology The seminary sports season has hit full stride as the seminarians are gearing up for the annual St. Charles Borromeo Upper Side - Lower Side Football Game to be held on November 4, the feast of St. Charles Borromeo. This gridiron contest pits the men in the College Division (Lower Side) against the older and wiser men of the Theology Division (Upper

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By: Mark Searles, Seminarian Pre-Theology II Every year at St. Charles, the whole seminary community looks forward to the exciting fall weekend when the New Men first wear their cassocks. Cassock Day includes some great traditions passed on for many years beginning with Friday night festivities and extending throughout the day on Saturday. On Friday evening the entire college division puts

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