There is a line in the 1998 song Closing Time by SemiSonic which goes, “Every
new beginning comes from some other beginnings end.” I feel that it is an appropriate quote as I
make these reflections on my time in Rome on the brink of priestly ordination
on June 21st. This past week,
I was asked to give some words at a fundraiser for the NAC (The North American
College, which is where I lived in Rome) in New Orleans. As I thought about what I might say, what was
unique about my time in seminary in Rome, one word made its way into my
thoughts that seemed to tie what I wanted to say together: Friendship. There are three different areas of friendship
that I would like to focus on to describe my four years of formation in Rome.
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| Dinner with some friends as we travel. |
The first type of friendship is
friendship in the traditional sense. One
of the tough things about studying theology in Rome is that we do not come home
very often. For most of us, the first
summer is spent away from home. That
means that we have amazing, once in a lifetime opportunities during those 2-3
months, but it also means that we do not see family, friends, or home for
almost 2 full years. Because of that, I
think that the men at the NAC form deep, lasting friendships with each other,
and this was certainly true for me. As I
prepared to leave Rome and head back to South Louisiana for good, I was
obviously very happy to be returning home.
However, there were many things that I realized I would miss about Rome,
and perhaps the thing that I will miss most is living in a house with so many
close friends. Though I made many
friends, there were about 10-15 men to whom I became particularly close. Our bonds of friendship were deepened due to
our common experience of being away from home, our going through classes at the
university together, the common formation we received at the NAC, and the many
wonderful opportunities we had to travel together all over Europe. In the days before I left I had to say
goodbye to a few friends who managed to finish finals before me. On the day of my clap-out (a NAC tradition
for those returning home), I had to say goodbye to many more friends who were
finishing up their finals. It was hard because
I realized that I would never see some of them again in this life. Though it was difficult, I was comforted by
two thoughts. The first was that I know
that I will see many of the men with whom I am close again. We have already made a pact to get together
each year in a different hometown of one of us so that we can all experience
the wonderful places from which we come.
The second, and even more important thing that consoled me as I said
goodbye was the hope that I have that we will all be together again one day in
heaven. After all, that is the goal for
each one of us, to get to heaven and to take others there with us!
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| The Angelus on my last Sunday in Rome. |
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| Tomb of St. Catherine with white roses. |
The second type of friendship that
I developed while in Rome is with the Church/The Holy Father/the Saints. Being in Rome, you get a sense for the Church
in a way that I don’t think you can anywhere else. That is not saying that those who study
elsewhere can’t love the Church, no.
However, there is something about being in the Eternal City and being
among the dealings of the Church. One of
the most powerful experiences that I had of the Church while there is being
able to attend the events surrounding the conclave and the election of Pope
Francis. Seeing the Church at prayer (and
at work) was a wonderful experience, and I don’t think I have ever
felt more Catholic than when I was
standing in St. Peter’s Square that night watching the white smoke come out of
the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and all of the other events that unfolded. One of the missions of the NAC is to form men
in the “shadow of St. Peter’s,” and to send them home with a great love for the
Holy Father. I can honestly say that
this goal has certainly been achieved in my time there. Finally, Rome, like no other place, is filled
with the stories and bodies of the saints.
Being in Europe, one also has access to other places which house the
bodies of the saints. Perhaps a story
can bring home what I want to say about the saints. This past Saturday I was blessed to be able
to serve as deacon for the priestly ordination of 4 men in the Archdiocese of
New Orleans. As part of the ordination
rite, all of us present prayed a Litany of the Saints for the 4 men being
ordained as they laid prostrate on the ground.
As we went through the list of saints names and asked them to pray for
these men, I couldn’t help but think of my encounters with these holy men and
women of God. Each time they would
invoke a saint to whom I have a particular devotion, I would think of how my
friendship with that saint began and the time that I was able to visit their
tomb. For the sake of brevity I will recall
only two.
St. Therese of Lisieux: My devotion to St. Therese began at St. Ben’s,
when one of the men being ordained in New Orleans introduced me to her. She has followed me throughout my time in
formation and has been a great help to me in difficult times. She has also reassured me many times of my
call to the priesthood by sending me white roses when I have doubted that
call. I was able to pray at her tomb in
Lisieux in December of 2010.
St.
Catherine of Siena: I took a class
on St. Catherine last semester and she quickly became a new favorite saint
friend of mine. She has constantly
called me to suffer well, and she has given me a great example of how to do
that! She is buried in Rome, and I had
the privilege of visiting her tomb often.
She teamed up with St. Therese on my last visit to Catherine’s tomb the
day before I left Rome. When I walked
into Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (Where Catherine is buried) there were white
roses all over…very comforting as I prepared to return home to be ordained in a
few weeks! There are many other stories
and many other saints, but this gives you an idea of the types of friends I
made while in Rome! There are two reasons
for including the Church, the Holy Father, and the Saints all in one. The first is that 3 types of friendship is
easier to remember than 4 or 5. The
second is that they belong together. The
Saints and Holy Father mean nothing if they are not connected to the
Church. If they are not connected to the
Church, they lose what makes them special, they cease to be what they are.
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| Serving with Pope Francis for the 2014 Easter Vigil. |
I have certainly saved the best and
most important for last. The third
friendship that grew during my time in Rome is my friendship with Jesus
Christ. This was fostered by my
friendship with the men in the house, by the Church/the Holy Father/the Saints,
and by the constant reminder that the most important thing in formation is
growing in my relationship with our Lord.
In his regular conferences to the house, the rector would always remind
us to stay faithful to our daily personal pray, including our holy hour and
devotions. He would also remind us of
the importance of attending Mass daily, receiving the Sacrament of
Reconciliation regularly, remaining faithful to the Liturgy of the Hours, and
fostering our devotion to the Blessed Mother.
All of these things are so important if any of us, priests, religious,
or laity, want to grow in our love for Christ and His Church. Being away from home also helped in the
growth of my friendship with Christ.
There were many moments when I felt alone, especially early on in my
time at the NAC. One moment in
particular stands out in my mind as I write.
It was a Sunday early on in my time in Rome, perhaps during the first
semester. As we finished Mass around
10:45, I thought about how if I were home I would be leaving to go to my grandmother’s
house for Sunday lunch with the family.
As I thought about this I was saddened by how far away my family
was. Feeling like I had no one to turn
to, I realized that I did have a friend who would never let me down, who would
never be far from me, and that I HAD to turn to Him. My friendship with Jesus grew at times out of
a type of necessity, but more than that, it grew out of a realization of how
much He loves me. Realizing this love
that God has for me, and growing in my love for Him has made me happier than I
have ever been. I will be forever
grateful for the NAC and for my time in Rome for helping me to grow in that
love.
Saying goodbye is never easy. As I have had to say goodbye many times in
the last couple of weeks, I am comforted by the fact that “Every new beginning
comes from some other beginnings end.” I
am so incredibly happy to be back home among the great people of the Diocese of
Lafayette who have supported me so much through these last 6 years. I look forward to all that is in store in
this new beginning which will begin with ordination to the priesthood in just a
few days, and my arrival on the UL campus at Our Lady of Wisdom on July 1
st!
In Christ,
Dcn. Patrick
