Summer at IPF, The Institute for Priestly Formation Summer Seminarian Program

By: Mark Searles

Seminarian, 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 the beautiful campus of Creighton University right next to downtown Omaha and after a weeklong introductory course on the basics of prayer to start the program, we entered into an eight day silent retreat. To use some IPF terminology, this retreat began a “radical reorientation towards Christ” in my life and in the lives of the 175 other seminarians gathered here from all over the country. The retreat was an awesome opportunity to establish a more in-depth relationship with God and in my personal experience, a great new bond with the Father. The spiritual directors and other priests gathered at IPF are some of the finest in the country and it has been an amazing privilege to be with them so far!

After a very powerful retreat experience, the next eight weeks consist of one or two daily classes and eventually an afternoon apostolate assignment at a local nursing home or hospital. The quality of priest and lay faculty has also been superb as we’ve discussed a wide range of topics such as the spirituality of a diocesan priest, the Ignatian rules for discernment, and the healthy integration of celibacy and the priest’s love for his spouse, the Church. The apostolate assignment then is a great opportunity to put our prayers and studies into practice, not just giving and doing for the people we meet, but an opportunity to receive God’s love through others and to see Jesus in them.

The program also allows for some fun as I had the chance to visit Denver, CO over the 4^th of July weekend and might get in a trip to Kansas City before it’s time to drive back to PA! Omaha has also been a very friendly and welcoming place for us this summer plus we haven’t had the 100+ temps that PA has had to endure! The cornfields and cattle farms are beautiful out here too, but I haven’t officially been converted to a “Cornhusker” just yet (watch out Penn State)!

Thank you for your prayers for all of us out here and we are praying for everyone back at home in our beautiful Diocese of Allentown!

Lenten Practices

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 into it everything that could excite the faith of her children, and encourage them to go through the arduous work of atonement for their sins.

It is into this same spirit, one of both recollection and penance, that all of us here at St. Charles are encouraged to enter and to live. However, as Abbot Guéranger says, this is a challenging and “arduous work.” For this reason, St. Charles, just as parishes and dioceses around the world, provides us with various spiritual practices and events to assist us.

Among these practices are Rosaries, Poor Man’s Lunches, Alms, and even a Lenten Concert titled “From Darkness to Light: A Choral Meditation on the Seven Last words of Jesus.” On Fridays these Lenten practices grow even more focused, and it is on these devotions that I would like to focus. Beginning at 3:00pm, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration until Vespers at 5:00pm. During this time we have the opportunity to kneel and pray before our Savior, He who “was pierced for our offenses” (Isaiah 53:5) and “by [whose] stripes we were healed” (Isaiah 53:7).

Benediction concludes the time of silent adoration, and Vespers directly follows. In this time of Lent, the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours powerfully expresses the same spirit explained by Abbot Guéranger. The texts focus on prayer, fasting, and contrition, but also on the joyful expectation of Easter, which strengthens us and provides us with hope.

The Stations of the Cross, composed by St. Alphonsus, immediately follow Vespers. This devotion is one of my favorites, for it is in the stations that I am able to console the Lord in His passion and to accompany Him who had “trodden the winepress alone” (Isaiah 63:3). Between each station a strophe of the “Stabat Mater” (a Lenten Marian Hymn) is sung in honor of Our Sorrowful Mother, whose grief, as St. Anselm remarks, was so great that it was enough to cause her a thousand deaths. This grief of Our Mother is extremely important to me, for I realize that through it she pleads to her Son on my behalf. It is through her, with her, and by her, that I hope to be saved.

As these last days of Lent come to a close, I pray that all of you may have the strength to finish out the season with solid devotion, so that you may enter into the Easter joy freed from all that may have hindered you from Christ. And I ask you to please pray the same for myself and my brother seminarians.

Allentown Night

By:  Vincent Dranginis

Seminarian, 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 we all journeyed to a very nice Italian restaurant called Valentino’s. We were treated to a fabulous dinner complements of our Vicar General Msgr. Schlert. Also joining us for dinner was our Vocation Director Father Andy, and Father Jerome Tauber Assistant Pastor of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus in Hellertown.

I personally enjoy these evenings because we have a chance to be out of the seminary buildings for a time, and we have the opportunity to spend time with each other and enjoy a great meal. The dinner table is always a great place to encounter people for who they really are, just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus. I feel it is very special to “break bread” with your brothers who live and share the same vocational calling.

Ukrainian Catholic Church Visit

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 liturgy we were given the opportunity ask the pastor, Fr Gurovich, some questions as well as tour the church and sanctuary. Following the liturgy the parishioners held a social where we enjoyed some coffee and delicious baked goods.

I believe that it is invaluable for seminarians to be able to go out and to experience the Church in a new way. Whether it is in a different language or in an unusual style of liturgical celebration, the cultural differences in the Church today are a crucial part of the lives of the priests of the third millennium.

As I complete my time in the college seminary and look forward to being a theologian on the upper side and I see more and more the need for an understanding and appreciation for the different cultures that encompass the Catholic Church. I pray that these days in the seminary will assist me in a deeper understanding and appreciation for the vast number and beautiful languages and rituals that are the Catholic Church.

Pro-Life March in Washington DC

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 issues, the march for life has its place once a year in the life of a seminarian.

Traveling by bus, our departure comes soon after 0530. Unlike a typical seminary day, this trip necessitates a day free of class and a day outside of the seminary environment. Once underway, we begin our day together with prayer with morning prayer and a rosary offered for life. Beyond this, the remainder of our trip is spent at our discretion.

As seminarians, our initial destination for the march is not a rally point within Washington, but the National Shrine. The seminary joins the Philadelphia Archdiocese contingent. This year the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was privileged to make use of the National Shrine for mass. With the seminary choir tasked to lead the singing, my two Allentown classmates, Vincent Dranginis and Kevin Lonergan, and myself were actively involved in aiding a beautiful mass.

After mass, we advanced to our rally point with the rest of those representing Philadelphia Every year, assembling for the march takes more time than the actual march itself. But this time is constructively used. Often, we encounter other seminarians who once attended St. Charles. This is also a time when many seminarians find high school friends and renew their friendships. But as it came closer to begin our march, Cardinal Rigali addressed the people of Philadelphia and the seminary community via a megaphone and began to lead us in prayer. Shortly thereafter, it was time to begin walking.

I had an unusual perspective during this year's march. Often while marching, we join together in prayer, often a rosary and sometimes singing. This time four seminarians from Harrisburg and I were selected to lead the decades of the rosary with the megaphone. Leading a rosary in such a manner at first seems to lack the setting in which we would wish to pray. However, in this extraordinary circumstance, it was powerful to be leading a prayer like the rosary within the context of a large crowd joining the prayer amidst other factions alongside us presenting more boisterous demonstrations. Despite all various distractions that turn the march for life into a pep rally, we can still lock into prayer and devote our concentration towards it.

After praying first the sorrowful mysteries, then the luminous mysteries for a total of ten decades, our march came to an end. With a momentary pause to regroup the seminary community, we then moved towards Union Station to ride the Metro back to Catholic University where we would begin our return trip on the bus.

We returned to the seminary at about 1900 and I spent the rest of my day with friends. Most of everyone else did likewise or took advantage of their free time to sleep early. At the day's end, the march for life was a full day providing mixed feelings. We had the camaraderie of our community but also the need to stand up for injustice. As a seminary community, our presence was a small, but necessary part of a larger piece of society that will continue to march year after year until this form of injustice is brought to an end.

Day of Recollection, January 24, 2010

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 were led by Father Shaun Mahoney who leads the Newman Center at Temple University who clearly has a great zeal for the priesthood which made him a great choice during this Year of the Priest. Father spoke about one’s calling in life and in particular used some examples from his own adventures and also made reference to St. Peter. Reflecting on St. Peter, Father spoke about a visit to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. While praying near St. Peter’s grave, one might be easily struck by the beauty, vast amount of treasures, and size alone of the church, but it is important to contemplate the rock itself upon which Jesus built His Church. St. Peter was a simple fisherman, might have had a bit of a temper, and even denied Christ three times, but God called Peter to a special vocation in life and Peter followed.

My favorite part of Father’s reflections came when he spoke about one’s own personal conversion in life. First, one must turn and run after the Lord with all one’s strength and secondly, one must realize that this is not enough. One must rely on God’s strength to move within us. Father reminded us that there is this crucial step two to conversion, which can take a lifetime, but like St. Peter who had his share of falls, God will be there for us when we turn to Him and give us strength. St .Peter was almost knocked down by the waves when he saw Jesus walking on the water, but before he could sink, Jesus reached out and took Peter by the hand.

Father’s reflections were a great reminder to place our trust in the Lord and as I sat in St. Martin’s chapel during adoration I was reminded of the words from Psalm 34, “Look toward him and be radiant with joy.” When our gaze is fixed upon Jesus, no wind or waves or any distractions in life can knock us down. When we gaze upon Jesus in adoration how can we not be filled with joy? Overall, the day presented a nice opportunity to refresh and renew our spiritual lives and to make a joyful start to the new semester of formation towards the priesthood.



For further reading and reflection about St. Peter check out Archbishop Timothy Dolan’s book, To Whom Shall We Go?

First Year Apostolate Assignment

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 current year is the John Paul II Center for Special Learning, located in Berks County. Since this is my first year in the Seminary, it is my first apostolate. It is also the first time I have worked with children and young adults who have special needs.

I was initially nervous about this assignment. Most of the volunteer work I did at my parish before entering seminary was in adult education and faith formation. I did some work with children and young adults, but not much. And, as I said, I had never before worked with those who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Our apostolic work is intended to help us grow into the kind of men who will be good pastors, dedicated shepherds of souls. Reflecting back on this first semester of apostolic work, I realize that my time at the John Paul II Center has helped me to grow in a number of ways. I would like to share with you some of these ways.

My apostolate has made readily apparent our shared humanity. The students here are like all other children and young adults. They want to learn and discover new things. They want to play and have fun. They want to grow, make friends, and test their boundaries and limits. They have all the characteristics that make people their age both easily lovable and occasionally troublesome.

The various intellectual and developmental disabilities of the students can make communication more difficult, but this can be worked through with patience and love. And it can never obscure the truth: these are human persons who possess human dignity. They deserve to love and be loved, and to be treated with respect. I have long known this intellectually. Now I also know it from experience.

I have also been challenged to grow in how I communicate the faith. Before entering the seminary, I studied philosophy. This has left me prone to drawing fine distinctions and elaborating technical points. I am now being challenged to express the truth in a way that the students can understand. I am learning to be “all things to all men.”

Finally, the most important thing that my apostolate at the John Paul II Center has done for me is drive home the fact that the truth must be lived in love. These students may not remember what I say, but they will remember what I do. They will remember that I ate lunch with them and played with them at recess. They will remember that I helped them with their art projects and read them stories. They will remember that I cared enough to listen to their stories and their problems. They will remember that I tried to be reverent in the chapel and both dedicated and focused in my prayer. They will remember that I loved God and that I loved them. If I can do nothing else for them, I can try to do that.

I am looking forward to continuing my apostolic work at the John Paul II Center next semester. Please pray for me, that God grant me the grace I need to share the love of Christ to everyone I interact with on my days there. And please pray for the faculty, students, and staff of the John Paul II Center for Special Learning.