.::Firmum Est::. - - My Heart is Steadfast

Wow! From the Catholic Standard - the outpouring of prayers have been amazing!

Please consider offering one hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, and for the intentions of those to be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Washington on June 14, 9:30 a.m., at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The men to be ordained as priests are: Deacon Jose Raul DeLeon, Deacon Vincent DeRosa, Deacon Juan Esposito, Deacon Mark Ivany, Deacon Kevin Regan, Deacon Patrick Riffle, and Deacon Marco Schad.

Holy Hours for Vocations before the Most Blessed Sacrament are offered at the following parishes:

Washington, D.C.

Cathedral of St. Matthew: June 13, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Church of the Annunciation: June 5, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Epiphany: June 12, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian: June 6, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Holy Name: June 3, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Holy Trinity: June 6, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Immaculate Conception: June 5, 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.
Incarnation: June 2, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Nativity: June 6, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help: June 5, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Our Lady, Queen of the Americas: June 6, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Evening Prayer in Spanish: 6 p.m.)
Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament: June 5, 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Shrine of the Sacred Heart: June 6, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
St. Ann: June 4, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
St. Anthony of Padua: June 6, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
St. Augustine: June 6, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
St. Dominic: June 5, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
St. Francis de Sales: June 3, 11 a.m. to noon and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
St. Gabriel: June 2, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
St. Louis de France: June 6, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
St. Mary, Mother of God: June 2, 11 a.m. to noon
St. Patrick: June 6, 12:40 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
St. Peter: June 2, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
St. Stephen, Martyr: June 6, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
St. Teresa of Avila: June 5, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Montgomery County

Christ the King, Silver Spring: June 6, 10 a.m. to noon
Holy Cross, Garrett Park: June 5, 1 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Holy Redeemer, Kensington: June 6, 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Little Flower, Bethesda: June 6, 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Mother Seton, Germantown: June 6, 4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Our Lady of Vietnam, Silver Spring: June 2, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Our Lady of the Presentation, Poolesville: June 1, 7:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Our Lady of Mercy, Potomac: June 3, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Our Lady of the Visitation, Darnestown: June 5, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Our Lady of Grace, Silver Spring: June 4, 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
Our Lady Queen of Poland, Silver Spring: June 6, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
St. Andrew Apostle, Silver Spring: June 6, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
St. Bartholomew, Bethesda: June 14, 9 to 10 a.m.
St. Bernadette, Silver Spring: June 1, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
St. Catherine Labour, Wheaton: June 6, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
St. Jane de Chantal, Bethesda: June 6, 8:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
St. Patrick, Rockville: June 6, 9:45 to 11:45 a.m.
St. Paul, Damascus: June 4, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
St. Peter, Olney: June 6, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
St. Raphael, Rockville: June 5, 6:15 to 7:15 p.m.
Shrine of St. Jude, Rockville: June 3, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Prince George’s County
Ascension, Bowie: June 7, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Holy Redeemer, College Park: June 8, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Holy Spirit, Forestville: June 6, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Mt. Calvary, Forestville: June 7, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Sacred Heart, Bowie: June 6, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
St. Bernardine of Siena, Suitland: June 7, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
St. Edward Confessor, Bowie: June 13, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
St. Jerome, Hyattsville: June 7, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
St. John the Evangelist, Clinton: June 2, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
St. Joseph, Largo: June 6, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
St. Mary, Piscataway: June 6, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and June 13, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
St. Mary of the Assumption, Upper Marlboro: June 4, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
St. Pius X, Bowie: June 4, 9:30 a.m. to noon
Southern Maryland
Holy Angels, Avenue: June 3, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Holy Ghost, Issue: June 6, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Immaculate Conception, Mechanicsville: June 6, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Jesus the Divine Word, Huntingtown: June 13, 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Jesus the Good Shepherd, Dunkirk: June 5, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Our Lady, Star of the Sea, Solomons: June 3, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Our Lady Help of Christians, Waldorf: June 6, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Our Lady’s Church at Medley’s Neck: June 6, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Sacred Heart, La Plata: June 1 and 7, 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Sacred Heart, Bushwood: June 8, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
St. Francis Xavier, Newtowne: June 5, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
St. George, Valley Lee: June 6, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
St. Ignatius, Chapel Point: June 6, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
St. John, Hollywood: June 6, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
St. Joseph, Pomfret: June 6, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
St. Joseph, Morganza: June 4, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
St. Mary, Newport: June 14, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
St. Michael, Ridge: June 1, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Altar of St. Petronilla at St Peter Basilica is where I first served as a deacon. Here is a bit of information about the altar:

[UPDATE: In God’s providence, I was able to serve the Mass of  newly ordained friend (oil still on the hands) at the same Altar on her feast day - though we celebrated the Visitation!] 

Most visitors to St. Peter’s Basilica wonder why the candles on the altars are never lit. Early morning Mass attendees of course know that all the candles on the side altars are lit every morning from 7 to 8:30 a.m. as the individual Eucharistic celebrations are taking place.

But as the last taper is extinguished, the altars fall dark, except the one that will be used for the regular morning Masses. But on feast days of saints venerated in St. Peter’s, the altar dedicated to the saint is adorned with flowers and lit candles, standing out among all the others.

Sometimes the honoree is a well-known saint, such as St. Gregory the Great or St. Joseph, but often these little celebrations allow visitors to reacquaint themselves with long-forgotten saints and realize how important they are to Christian history and culture.

On May 31, St. Peter’s paid homage to what is today a somewhat obscure saint, St. Petronilla, but closer study reveals that some of the finest art in the basilica was dedicated to her altar.

St. Petronilla lived in Rome and was probably martyred in the first century during the early Christian persecutions. Her grave, near that of Sts. Nereo and Achilleo in the catacomb of Domitilla, was one of the most venerated tombs in the city up through the seventh century, when the catacombs were finally abandoned.

As early as the fourth century, Petronilla was already an artistic subject. A fresco in an underground crypt from 356 represents the saint assisting a woman, Veneranda, into heaven. But this was only the beginning of Petronilla’s rewarding association with the arts.

The remains of Petronilla, in a white marble sarcophagus, were transferred in 757 to the old St. Peter’s Basilica built by Constantine. The saint was laid to rest in a former imperial mausoleum situated next to the church, which was consecrated as the Chapel of Petronilla and annexed to the Basilica.

The circular building, which can be seen in old drawings of the ancient church, became the French chapel of St. Peter’s, as Petronilla became patroness of relations between the Pope and the first Holy Roman Emperors.

The inscription on the tomb, “of the golden Petronilla, the sweetest daughter,” the distinctiveness of her elegant mausoleum, and the translation of her relics to St. Peter’s gave rise to the medieval legend that the Roman martyr was the daughter of St. Peter.

The charming tale surrounding the identity of Petronilla recounted that Peter’s beautiful daughter attracted the eye of the pagan son of a high-ranking Roman official, and to protect Petronilla from unwanted advances, Peter and his daughter prayed for her to be rendered too ill to be considered for marriage.

The ruse worked for a short time, but finally the young man realized he had been duped and denounced Petronilla as a Christian. Peter prayed to have his daughter spared a harrowing martyrdom and Petronilla died in her sleep.

This story, while adding romance and famous names, nonetheless demoted Petronilla from her high status of martyr to virgin. The artwork dedicated to her, however, went from a hasty catacomb fresco to one of the greatest treasures of the basilica.

In 1498, French Cardinal Jean Bilhères de Lagraulas wanted to commemorate the upcoming Jubilee Year of 1500 with a new work of art for the Petronilla chapel where he planned to be buried. He approached a relatively unknown, 23-year-old Florentine sculptor named Michelangelo Buonarroti, and asked him to sculpt a statue of the Pietà. The rest is history.

St. Petronilla still ranked high as a virgin martyr in Cesare Baronio’s Martyrology of the post Counter-Reformation era (ending in the 16th century). Antonio Bosio’s exploration of the early Christian sites ensured that Petronilla had enough clout to retain a chapel dedicated to her in the new basilica of St. Peter completed in 1612.

The Pietà was briefly placed back in her chapel, which is along the right-hand aisle against the apsidal wall of the basilica. It was soon moved to its present position, and a new work of art was commissioned for Petronilla.

Francesco Barbieri, nicknamed Guercino, star pupil of the 17th-century Carracci academy of Bologna, and Baroque painter par excellence, was hired to paint the enormous oil on canvas of “The Raising of St. Petronilla.”

The original is kept today in the Capitoline Museums, but the mosaic copy in St. Peter’s faithfully re-creates the effect of the landmark work.

This astonishing work, standing 25 feet high, drew on the medieval legend of Petronilla and represents Peter on the lower half of the canvas lowering his daughter in the tomb while the upper half shows Petronilla, adorned in beautiful silks and velvets being welcomed into heaven by Christ.

The brilliant blues and rich reds catch the viewer’s eye from afar and impart a sense of preciousness to the work, but the most surprising effect can only be seen by those attending Mass. As Peter grasps the ropes to lower his daughter’s body into the grave, the corpse of Petronilla seems to hover above the altar. From the lowest border of the work only two outstretched hands reaching upward can be seen.

One might think that the hands belong to a gravedigger ready to receive the body and lay it in the ground, but those hands also recall the supplication of Veneranda, who relied on Petronilla’s intercession for her salvation. The medieval tale blends with the ancient martyrdom.

St. Petronilla’s life in both history and art recall that the examples of the saints are more than just pretty pictures to be admired in church, but also indications of how we too can be part of the great communion of the elect in heaven.

Each year these statements are collected from those to be ordained around the country. You can find the whole list on the USCCB website.

I have placed some I like and/or guys I know here:

as a small child I played Mass everyday with all the neighborhood kids yet often times I was the only Catholic who was present.

love Chicken Fried Steak and gravy.

Played in a rock band in high school and college and like reading mystery stories.

That I have been a permanent deacon for almost 20 years.  I taught on the college level for 24 years and taught at the diocesan seminary for almost ten years.

was always interested in the priesthood, but took a circuitous route by becoming a Low Vision Specialist in Optometry first.

I have an identical twin who is an Anglican minister.

play the accordion or that I once wanted to be a professional chef.

practiced medicine for 2 years, and went to graduate school for 1 year before entering seminary.

was a fishing and canoe guide in Northern Minnesota.

have whitewater rafted down the Arkansas River.

was a lawyer.  I wanted to be a lawyer since I was eleven years old.  I never considerd the priesthood until my parish priest asked me to consider it after recognizing a potential priestly vocation.

Have second degree black belt in Taekwondo.

was a coal miner during the summers between college semesters.

was a successful investment banker before I entered the seminary.

worked in broadcasting for 32 years, 7 in radio and 25 in television.

Played college football and was a quarterback.

love to perform magic and juggling and have been doing magic and juggling since I was 7 years old.

don’t know how to swim.

was an actor in Hollywood for a year right out of High School.

Served in the 3rd Infantry Division, Alpha Company 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry. I also worked for Charles Scwhab & Co. as an investment advisor prior to entering the seminary.

Grew up on a tobacco farm in Southern Maryland. I joined the seminary after high school.  As a seminarian I have done mission experiences in Thailand and El Salvador

Was named a College Lacrosse All American my senior year.

Have traveled to 29 countires

Have completed 3 Half Ironman triathlons

really wanted to be in a Rock Band in High School and College.

Lived and worked abroad for eight years in the UK, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria prior to entering religious life

I was an  underground  diocesan seminarian for 7 years in Vietnam before I came to the U.S.

Knowing of your prayers over the next few weeks as I prepare to be ordained a Priest of Jesus Christ, I share with you the Rite of Ordination that the Bishop will follow on June 14th.

• A link with pictures and the rite together - [here]
• A link to a video of the Ordination of a fellow seminarian from the College [here]
• A link to the text of the rite [here]

Thank you for your specific prayers for me. I also ask for your prayers for all the men to be ordained in the following months and for priest and seminarians in general.

The Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as Pontificia Università San Tommaso d’Aquino or the Angelicum, is one of the major pontifical universities of Rome. It is my alma mater.

Check out a introduction video [here].