It seems that my time at St. John the Baptist Parish in Valatie, NY was just a blink of an eye! Now, I know that it has been a while since my last post... OK, more than a while... but, seriously, it feels as if only last week I was being introduced to the parish staff, and already I'm here at my desk in my room at Mundelein writing this post. I just can't believe how quickly the time passed. I suppose that says a lot about the people of St. John's parish; after all, time does fly when you're having fun, and I did enjoy my time there immensely. But alas, as with all good things, they must come to an end. August 15th was my last day at St. John's. Then, it was time to say, "Goodbye, Good Luck, and God Bless!" to all my new friends there. After that, it was a frantic dash to get all of my stuff packed and moved out of the Isaac Jogues House, get it home, and get it re-packed for the trek out here to Mundelein. Oh, and by the way, during that last week of my summer assignment, on August 12th to be exact, Michael Taylor and I received candidacy.
I am well aware of the fact, even as I write it, that my first paragraph exemplifies lousy style, poor logical flow, and it would probably make it up on any elementary teacher's board of 'Ways not to write a paragraph.' However, as such, it does give an accurate sense of what the last month of my life has been like. I'll try to unpack it all as I go on, but it was quite a blur to be perfectly honest.
I guess it will make the most sense to start with the most important event first: the Rite of Candidacy. In the Albany Diocese, seminarians receive candidacy before going off to major seminary to study their theology. Some dioceses also have it this way, others wait as late as the second year of major seminary before conferring candidacy on a seminarian. Essentially, the reception of candidacy is to preparation for the priesthood what engagement is to the preparation for marriage. In the Rite of Candidacy, a seminarian promises to enter fully into his formation in pursuit of ordination to the diaconate and presbyterate; in return, his bishop promises to support him fully in this endeavor.
In my diocese though, there really is no practical difference between seminarians who have received candidacy and those who have not. In some dioceses, there are financial differences, for example, perhaps a seminarian would not receive diocesan health insurance or a stipend until after receiving candidacy. In other places, seminarians who have received candidacy are expected to dress in clerics at all times, so there is a very deep sense of a transformation of identity that goes along with it. In Albany, though, seminarians really do get the full support of our bishop and the diocese from day one of our acceptance, and while there is a certain sense of a change in identity with the rite, seminarians, as a general rule, do not wear clerics until after their ordination to the deaconate. So for us, I would say that the Rite of Candidacy comes right down to a promise to take a certain direction in life. I have promised to pursue the ordained priesthood with all that I have--I have said my 'yes' to the Church. The next four years of seminary formation are about the Church's taking time to accept that 'yes.' To extend the earlier analogy to engagement, it is understood that during this time, I might discern that my call is not in fact to the priesthood, or the Church could discern that, in which case my time as a seminarian would come to an end. However, should this happen (and I hope that it doesn't and don't foresee any reason why it would) it would be comparable in severity to the breaking of an engagement. That is, it can be done... and it's not the end of the world if it happens (far better than following through on a bad decision)... but it's really something you would much, much rather avoid.
Alright, enough about candidacy. I wish I had pictures of the event, but alas. However, the Evangelist, our diocesan newspaper, had some really nice photos. You might be able to find some from them.
Now, on to the the trip out here! It was quite the trip: a solid 16 hours in the back seat of David Hammond's Blazer, securely packed in with all of the "essentials" that he, Michael, and I would need for this coming year at Mundelein. Yep, that's right, all three of us along with all of our stuff for the rest of the year made the trip from New York to Mundelein in one car. Gotta love the Gospel simplicity! Actually, it really wasn't all that bad. We packed our music for the trip, snuggled in like sardines with all of our stuff and hit the road bright and early (6:30 AM) on Sunday Aug. 19th. We drove from David's house in Central New York to Columbus, OH where both Michael and I have family.
It's worth making a little aside here: when you're a seminarian, you might not have very much money, but the Lord makes up for it by blessing you with the generosity of his people. We stayed overnight with my great aunt and uncle in Columbus, and as I expected, we got more food than we could shake a stick at. (Incidentally, this was not unlike our experience at David Hammond's house the night before we left where the Hammonds showered us with hospitality and really did a lot to make sure we got off to a good start.) I have to say that if you're not a person who likes food, if eating is a chore for you, then the life of a diocesan seminarian is not for you! If, however, you've ever considered some kind of job, I don't know, maybe like a restaurant critic, where you would get to eat and eat and eat... contact Fr. Jim Walsh, Diocese of Albany: Vocations Director. Like I said, we're not swimming in money as seminarians, but if you're OK with having your work compensated through the culinary artistry of just about every ethnic group out there, you just might have a vocation to the priesthood! Of course, I say this all tongue in cheek, yet with a tinge of seriousness.
On Monday morning, it was time to get back on the road to finish our trip up to Mundelein. With David, our Energizer-bunny driver, behind the wheel once more, we were here by suppertime. Deacon Dan from the Diocese of Covington, KY helped us haul our stuff into our rooms. We had about a day to breathe, then it was time to dive head-first into the most intense orientation experience I have ever experienced...
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