Greetings,

This weekend I am speaking on the importance of supporting our seminaries here in the archdiocese certainly with our prayers and sacrifices, but also financially.  Both of the two seminaries (St. Paul Seminary and St. John Vianney Seminary on the University of St. Thomas campus in St. Paul) have a great vision for the future that will mean more good and holy priests for the Church, and this vision is already on its way to becoming a reality with the ˜I Will Give You Shepherds™ campaign, but it cannot happen without the support of many.

Currently, there are 76 seminarians studying at the Saint Paul Seminary for 15 dioceses.  37 of those seminarians are studying for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.  Archbishop Flynn once said: so goes the seminary, so goes the priesthood, so goes the Church. Great things are happening at both seminaries, and that should give us all great hope for the future of the priesthood and the Church in this archdiocese and beyond.  That is why he instituted this three-year annual collection that would allow everyone in the Archdiocese the opportunity to participate in this essential work.

I have been privileged to work as an adjunct spiritual director at Saint John Vianney, the college seminary.  And I can attest that the young college men coming into our seminaries are top quality men who are very serious about following God’s plan in their life, wherever it may lead.  On the college level, there is a little more discernment needed because the commitment is not as intense as it is at the major seminary.  The men at the college seminary may yet discern the vocation of marriage and choose to go that route.  They still benefit from a formation program that teaches them the importance of a consistent and disciplined prayer life.  It equips them with a deeper understanding of the importance of having a faith life lived out daily.  Some may discern the call or vocation to the married life, raising a family of saints.

However, for those who discern the call and vocation to the priesthood, Pope John Paul II wrote an Apostolic Letter on the Formation of future priests.  He called this document Pastores dabo Vobis.™  I would like to encourage you all to read it for it is incredibly enlightening as to the conversion process we all must go through.  I will give you a thumbnail sketch that does not do it justice€¦ I want to focus primarily on the priestly formation from which I see happening on a profound level at the two seminaries.

-First of all, comes the human formation.  All of us, especially the priest, must learn to live a healthy balanced life.  Because of the high demand on his time and energy, the priest must learn early and quickly to get enough sleep at night, to eat healthy balanced meals, to get enough exercise, to have fun and to be consistent in his prayer life.  This is not an easy thing, as we all can attest to in our own lives but even more important for the priest.

-Second is the spiritual formation.  The future priests are taught to place prayer in a position of priority.  Everything a priest does must flow from his prayer life.  Daily Mass is a profound part and most powerful aspect of formation.  Also, there is one hour of adoration required every day.  The growing habit of praying the Divine Office every day is strongly encouraged.  As a priest these men will make a promise to pray five times a day every day, Office of Readings, Morning prayer, Daytime prayer, Evening prayer and lastly Night prayer.  This is to sanctify the whole day.  It has been my experience that when I have done these prayers consistently, it makes my whole day more joy-filled.  Of course devotional prayers like the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet as well as other devotions are strongly encouraged.

-Thirdly, the intellectual formation is encouraged by an outstanding University setting at St. Thomas.  The seminarians gain a degree in Philosophy, often times double majoring in Catholic Studies, with a language and some Theology.  They have to reach certain requirements with grades and show their ability to think critically.

-Fourth comes the pastoral formation.  Here the seminarians must develop good communication skills which involves deep personal awareness and good insight into themselves and those they will minister to.  It is important that these men have a healthy ability to love and respect the people of God as they move into ministry.

And so, this weekend the archdiocese has set aside to ask for your prayers and financial assistance.  The second collection at all of the Masses all around the archdiocese are an important part of ensuring that our seminaries have the resources they need to help our men become the priests that God is calling them to be.  Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Peace, Fr. Tom

Greetings,

I have been requested to share my homily of two weeks ago by some parishioners posted in my Pastor’s Column.  Here it is…

I have heard from some that the Catholic Mass is a dead liturgy.  That the Church is full of poor theology that doesn’t help anyone to know God better, much less get them to heaven.  That our Church is full of rules and man-made laws that have nothing to do with God.  Even in today’s gospel, we hear a shocking revelation from Jesus, when he tells us that it is an impossibility for the wealthy, for the rich to be saved.

For things that concern our faith and our salvation, we need to learn to pay very close attention.  If something doesn€™t sit right with us, it is important to research and find out truly what is being put forth for us to believe.  There is nothing more important than our faith, our relationship with God.  And so, should we not take the time to really know and understand what we believe and how we practice it in our daily lives.  The world, the culture around us doesn’t care about authentic love, or trying to live a good life.  We have to desire it and want it badly enough to put forth the effort to learn it and live it.  That is where a deeper understanding of our faith and its practice in our daily lives can really help us.  If we truly understood the depth and power of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we would certainly die of joy.

That at every Mass, properly understood, we can hear the readings of the Old Testament where God slowly reveals himself to us through the Jewish people, the chosen ones.  That through Adam and Eve, our first parents, to Noah and the Ark, from Abraham down to Moses, God slowly reveals himself and expands the Jewish understanding of himself.  King David is next, followed by the Prophets leading us all the way to Jesus, who fulfills the old covenant and reveals to us God€™s Messiah, truly his only begotten Son.  At every Mass, we hear this first reading from the Old Testament.  Then one of the Psalms is song, followed by the second reading which usually comes from one of the letters of St. Paul.

St. Paul and the other New Testament writers, elaborate and flesh out, giving us deeper insight into what happened with Jesus in the Gospels.  And then lastly, the Gospel is read, where we learn firsthand all about Jesus€™ life, death, and resurrection€¦  in short, how we are saved, and about this unconditional love from a beautiful, kind and gentle God, that wants us all to share eternity with Him some day.

The Eucharistic Prayers, the music, the Consecration of the bread and wine truly turning them into Jesus’ Body and Blood that we all come together every Sunday, sometimes during the weekdays and of course at Weddings and Funerals to celebrate this most powerful form of prayer.  There is nothing more transforming than the Holy Mass!!!   If we spent time in prayer and worked hard at living and practicing our faith in our daily lives, we would come to know this profound truth.   All the rubrics, the rituals, the symbolisms, the rules and laws of our Catholic faith are meant to help us grow closer to God in a loving friendship.  But don’t take my word for it, find out for yourselves.  It is definitely worth it!

And so, I would like to take just a few moments to let you know what the archdiocese is proposing we do within our liturgy to help protect us from the Flu season€¦ without losing any of the meaning of our liturgies to which if understood and believed, will transform us.  Here are some of the guidelines.  They propose a lot of good common sense.

TO HELP PREVENT THE SPREAD OF H1N1 INFLUENZA€¦ Influenza viruses are spread through contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids. This contact occurs through inhalation or by touching a surface contaminated with the virus. The following eight practices will help prevent the spread of illness at Mass. While these practices are strictly voluntary, in the interest of Christian charity, all persons are strongly urged to follow them.

1. If you suspect you are sick, stay at home and do not attend Mass until you feel healthy. Missing Mass due to illness is not sinful; it is prudent and shows a respect for your brothers and sisters. Stay at home, watch Mass on television or the Internet, pray devotional prayers such as the rosary or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, make a spiritual Communion, etc. 2. During Mass, at the Sign of Peace, you may choose to simply say Peace be with you, without offering your hand.

3. During Communion, you may elect to receive the Blessed Sacrament in the consecrated host and not receive the Precious Blood from the chalice.

4. Ministers of Holy Communion should wash their hands with soap and water or sanitize their hands with an alcohol based sanitizer prior to distributing Communion. The use of hand sanitizers, even during Mass, is acceptable for all ministers of Holy Communion, including priests and deacons.

5. Reception of the Blessed Sacrament in the hand is the best way to reduce the possibility of flu virus transmission.

6. Following the celebration of each Mass, after the vessels have been properly purified, the sacristans should wash the vessels with hot, soapy water, then towel dry them, and put them away.

7. While scientific evidence is inconclusive at this point, some health professionals  recommend taking precautions when using holy water. Water from the fonts should not be ingested, nor should it enter the body via the eyes or nose. 8. Practice good hygiene: sneeze or cough into a tissue or upper sleeve, not your hands; wash hands frequently with soap and water and scrub for at least 30 seconds; avoid the transmittal of mucus or other bodily fluids; refrain from shaking hands; refrain from sharing a common cup; and above all, if you feel sick, do not come to places where you might infect others.

So please use your good common sense as to the appropriate action to take in case of illness.  We should never let anything keep us from partaking in our faith€™s most important public worship of our God, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  And yet, we can still at the same time do so smartly, without causing illness or other problems for others.  God does allow us to be challenged and tested in this life.  This is what makes our faith strong.  And then at the end of this life, when everything is said and done, we will enter into heaven amidst great joy and celebration.

Peace, Fr. Tom