A day of great joy at the College - on of our own, Father William P. Callahan, O.F.M. Conv., a Spiritual Director at the North American College was named Aux Bishop of Milwaukee. He has always been a holy pastoral presence to the men of the college. His place will be a hard one to fill. His continued ministry in Milwaukee will be a blessing for the priests and people of the archdiocese.
Below see the Vatican Press release:
NOMINA DI AUSILIARE DI MILWAUKEE (U.S.A) Il Papa ha nominato Vescovo Ausiliare dell’arcidiocesi di Milwaukee (U.S.A.) il Rev.do Padre William Patrick Callahan, dell’Ordine Francescano dei Frati Minori Conventuali, finora Direttore Spirituale al Pontificio Collegio Americano del Nord, assegnandogli la sede titolare vescovile di Lares.
Rev.do Padre William Patrick Callahan
Il Rev.do Padre William Patrick Callahan, O.F.M. Conv., È nato il 17 giugno 1950 a Chicago (Illinois). Ha frequentato la scuola elementare “Saint Mary of Perpetual Help” nella medesima città. Dal 1964 al 1968 ha studiato al “Saint Mary Minor Seminary” a Crystal Lake (Illinois) e, poi, è entrato nel noviziato per la Provincia di San Bonaventura dellíOrdine Francescano Frati Minori Conventuali a Lake Forest (Illinois). Lí11 agosto 1970 ha emesso la prima professione. Dal 1970 al 1973 ha seguito i corsi presso la “Loyola University” a Chicago, dove ha ottenuto il Baccalaureato in “Radio and Television Communication”. Dal 1973 al 1976 ha studiato presso l’”University of Saint Michael’s College” nell’”University of Toronto”, dove ha ottenuto un “Master of Theology”. È stato ordinato sacerdote il 30 aprile 1977. Poi ha svolto i seguenti incarichi: Vicario parrocchiale della “Basilica of Saint Josaphat” a Milwaukee (1977-1978); Direttore delle Vocazioni per la Provincia di San Bonaventura (1978-1984); Vicario parrocchiale della “Holy Family” a Peoria (Illinois) (1984-1987) e, poi, Parroco della medesima parrocchia (1987-1994); Rettore della “Basilica of Saint Josaphat” (1994-2005). Dal 2005 è Direttore Spirituale al Pontificio Collegio Americano del Nord a Roma.
By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — An ocean away from family and friends, some U.S. seminarians at the Pontifical North American College in Rome are bridging the divide with online communities and digital means of communication such as Skype, instant messaging, Facebook, MySpace and more.
But while it may have begun as simple e-mails and Web log, or blog, entries meant to keep loved ones in touch, their notes from Rome to home have blossomed into a whole new way these students preparing for the priesthood can share their spiritual journey with the rest of the world.
“It’s a great witness when we share our stories, our experiences in (the) seminary” that include “our hopes, our joys, our fears, our anxieties about” the journey toward the priesthood, said Johnny Burns, 27, of Milwaukee.
Burns, Jacob Bertrand of San Diego and Michael Bruno of Brooklyn, N.Y., took a break from their busy schedules as second-year theology students to speak with Catholic News Service about how some seminarians from today’s so-called “Google generation” are helping other people find God and the church through the Internet.
“There’s a lot of junk on the Internet and we have to fix it,” said Bertrand, 23, who seems the savviest of the group with a blog, accounts on two social networking sites on the Web — MySpace and Facebook — and plans for broadcasting practice homilies on YouTube, a video-sharing Web site.
“We need to integrate ourselves into these online communities and in a sense baptize the way these things work,” he said.
“Everyone’s opinion gets expressed and published, but nobody’s opinion necessarily has any truth to it,” the California native said.
Well-formed Catholics and church leaders have a golden opportunity to move into the World Wide Web like any new mission territory and point people to the truth and to Christ, the seminarians said.
Bruno, 22, said one of the things he loves most about the networking power of Facebook is “I put down I am a Mets fan, that I follow Notre Dame football” as well as his favorite books and movies. Other young people may be drawn to his profile because they have a shared interest in the New York Mets baseball team or because they went to the same high school, but then they see that he is also a seminarian studying for the priesthood in Rome.
Very few people actually know a seminarian, and meeting one online and discovering he has many of the same interests as other young people can wipe away some preconceived notions about the kind of person who is drawn to a priestly or religious vocation, the three men said.
Being a presence in these online communities almost acts as a sort of accidental advertising for the Catholic Church.
On the one hand, some people may be drawn to vent their frustrations or anger about the church, but Burns said, “on the flip side it’s also easier for a young man or young woman who’s considering a vocation to the priestly or religious life to send a quick question or two or even enter into a relationship of counseling with a priest or a seminarian who can give some advice on the discernment process.”
He said his answering questions and engaging people in reflection in these “electronic communities” have provided him with valuable opportunities to experience ministry work.
“We are ministering to these people in many ways, both in sharing our stories, in helping them along their way answering their questions, and providing them another avenue for their own personal faith exploration,” the Milwaukee denizen said.
But while the three men see that they are helping people learn more about the church and Christ, they also see it helps strengthen their own love for God and priestly calling.
Bruno said often he is asked by curious online visitors what led to his decision to become a priest.
He tells them it wasn’t something “abnormal like a lightning bolt coming down and throwing you on the floor” or a loud voice calling your name. The reasons, he said, were rooted in the people who raised, loved and taught him throughout life.
“The vocation to be a priest is one that is nourished first in the family, but also in all your relationships, your friends, teachers and parish priests,” he said.
Bruno said relationships are crucial and are “the nourishment of one’s vocation.”
Now because of Facebook, instant messaging and Skype, he is able “to keep those relationships alive and vibrant” so that they continue to sustain him both as a person and as a future priest.
“So many people have the idea that the life of a priest is a lonely life, that it is without relationships. Well, that couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Bruno said.
On the one hand these young men are sent away from their families and friends to complete their studies and formation, but in the end, Bruno said, “we’re also sent back to them to minister to them, to be a comfort, to be a guide, to be a priest to them.”
All of them emphasized the aim of their online presence was not to point people to their site or to create a perfect or popular Christian community; it is to be a signpost of sorts to show people the way back to God and to a real physical community that involves human interaction, face to face.
Burns said online communities are “a helpful means of evangelization and can be a very successful tool for the church if, at the end of the day, it’s bringing people to the sacraments and especially to the Mass.”
“You cannot experience Jesus Christ on the Internet no matter what you do,” Bertrand said; it has to be a “personal experience of Christ,” and “they won’t get that on the online community.”
TWENTY-ONE SEMINARIANS ORDAINED DEACONS AT ST. PETER’S BASILICA
ROME, October 5, 2007 – The Pontifical North American College announces the ordination of twenty-one American and Australian seminarians to the Order of Deacons on Thursday, October 4, 2007. The sacrament was conferred by Archbishop John Patrick Foley, Pro-Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, at the Altar of the Chair in the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican.
During his homily, Archbishop Foley reminded those to be ordained that being a minister of the Church means conforming oneself entirely to Christ. He went on to say that service to those in need lies at the heart of the Order of Deacon, as it has been since the apostolic era. Appropriately, the ordination fell on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi who the Church honors for his service of the poor and preaching the Gospel of Christ.
Before ordination, the seminarians completed extensive studies in both philosophy and theology. In addition to studying at one of Rome’s Pontifical universities, the seminarians were also given thorough spiritual and pastoral formation at the College itself. As ordained deacons, they are commissioned by the Church to preach the Word of God, minister at the altar and assist bishops and priests in ministering to the needs of the community they serve.
The Rite of Ordination of Deacons exhorts the candidates to “receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach.”
Founded in 1859, the Pontifical North American College is the American house of studies located in Rome, where hundreds of priests have been formed near the heart of the Church for service in dioceses around the Unites States and Australia. The College strengthens the bonds between Rome and local churches worldwide, and it allows its students to study Christianity’s rich religious and cultural heritage at close range.
Have you ever felt called to the priesthood? If so, consider attending the annual Mass and discernment dinner with Archbishop Wuerl, November 25, 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., St. Peter, 313 Second Street SE, Washington, DC. Participants should be single men in their 20’s – 40’s who are practicing Catholics. If you are looking for a sign, this is it. ”Come and see” why the priesthood is such a gift.
For more information and to register, contact Msgr. Robert Panke, director of priest vocations, at 301-853-4580 or vocations”at”adw.org.
On Thursday October 4th, at the Altar of the Chair in the Basilica of St Peter, I was ordained to the Order of Deacons. It was a blessed event filled with many joy and graces. For one, from the twenty-one of us ordained, there were two other men from Washington ordained that same day - Vincent De Rosa and Patrick Riffle.
Two other brothers, Marco Schad and Mark Ivany, who were ordained in May by Archbishop Wuerl, were able to join us for the celebration. The five of us together with two more are scheduled to be ordained on June 14, 2007.
The festivities began on Sunday afternoon as people from all over America arrived at the College. The rest of the week was very busy. Luckily it had been preceded by a week of silent prayer at Rocca di Papa in the Colli Albani, the hills south of Rome. This time of prayer was a chance for my heart to truly rest in the Lord. And my Heart rejoiced continuously over the past two weeks.
I have many more things to write about - but I share with you pictures first. Please click “Photo” at the top of the page. I will be adding more pictures and reflections over the next few days.
