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

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].

Providence happened a few weeks back. In a completely random place, I ran into two friends from the Sister Servants of the Lord - Sr Trinite SSVM & Sr Revelation SSVM.

I was introduced to the SSVM’s when a friend, Ruth Gaes from Sacred Heart in Bowie, returned from a Pilgrimmage to Rome during the 2000 Jubilee Year and entered the novitiate. They were unknown to me at the time. But they have been growing leaps and bounds and soon they were very much a part of my life and a help to my vocation through their service and prayers. Now Ruth is Mother Mary of the Sacred Heart and serving as the mother of the Novices. Another friend, Sister Ostra Brama is here assistant at the novitiate - now in Upper Marlboro, MD.

When I was in College, they started their Noviate in Bowie and the novices would come to Mass everyday at Sacred Heart’s Chapel on the Hill. When I came to Rome, I would see them everywhere - in the streets, at St Peter’s and at the Angelicum. When I came home last summer for my pastoral placement at Holy Comforter-St Cyprian, their Juniorate house was in the old convent and they would come to daily Mass. Now they are praying for my preparation to the Priesthood as they sew some vestments for me. I could go on … but I think that is enough.

Primarily, I wanted to present a video that I found on them [here]. Enjoy!

Just before Easter, CNA published a story on Diocesan Priests living in Community. I though this would be interested to share and point out. The charism of the  Companions of Christ, originally established in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, has been established by seminarians in Denver to formFrom the mission statement:

The Companions of Christ is a fraternity of diocesan priests and seminarians of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.  While serving as priests of the Archdiocese the Companions of Christ live in community, where they are able to pray together, share meals, and support each other. In their life and ministry as priests, the Companions of Christ offer three emphases:
Diocesan priestly consescration expressed through the observance of the evangelical counsels
Commitment to fraternal life
Dedication to the “new evangelization” including ministries of catechesis, spiritual renewal and the fostering of vocations.

From CNA:

In response to a call from Vatican II for priests to share a common life, four seminarians for the Archdiocese of Denver have decided to begin a priestly community that will eventually be opened up to any priest or seminarian in the archdiocese.
Currently, the Companions of Christ is an association of seminarians established in the Archdiocese of Denver.  Once the four founding men are ordained, they will live together as priests in a rectory close to their pastoral assignments in the Archdiocese of Denver.
The priests will strive to live with three emphases: “Observance of the evangelical counsels in the context of the diocesan priesthood, commitment to a common life of prayer and fraternity, and dedication to the New Evangelization, including catechesis, spiritual renewal, and the fostering of vocations,” according to their website.
The Companions of Christ have already received the blessing of the Archbishop of Denver, Charles Chaput who established the fraternity “canonically” on December 12, 2007, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“Our priests today face immense challenges: larger parishes, fewer priests to assist them, and a more secular culture that is at times hostile to both the Gospel and the priesthood,” said the archbishop.  “Grouped in rectories in various parts of the Archdiocese, they strive together for the ideal of the priesthood, giving mutual support and holding each other to a strict accountability.”
Noting the difficulties priests face, Father Michael Glenn, Rector of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary added, “All priests want to live a committed and zealous life, but the demands of ministry, human weakness and the difficulty of their work can often discourage them, revealing a life far different than what he expected while in the seminary.”
The Companions of Christ will directly address the problems priests are currently facing and will offer encouragement.  “Fraternal life offers unity in prayer and identity, as well as strength and support for Christ’s mission.  God has truly blessed us with a model of life that will help Companion Priests and many others to be holy, joyful, and healthy shepherds in their service and leadership of God’s people.  Nothing promotes vocations, invites to prayer, or enlivens a parish more than dynamic, fulfilled priests who love the life they live.  Strengthened as brothers in Christ, priests are ready to step forward in leadership for the New Evangelization.”
Companions of Christ is comprised of four Denver seminarians: John Nepil, Matt Book, Brian Larkin, and Mike Rapp who will be ordained in the next two or three years.
Plans for the group began after one seminarian learned about a similar community in St. Paul, Minnesota.  The seminarians there “insisted that it wasn’t a new idea, just something that had been lost, that the Church was seeking to recover.”
After years of prayer, three other seminarians were drawn to the idea of the fraternity.  “The four men spent the next year together quietly praying and sharing meals, all the while fully immersed in the life of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary.”
Since the announcement of the community, the Companions of Christ have been received with support and encouragement.