Seminary Adventures July 2017 - kofcknights.org Adventures_July 2017 v2.pdf · Seminary Adventures July 2017 ... including its history and development, ... We even caught a flamenco

Seminary Adventures July 2017

SEMINARY ADVENTURES At the Halfway Mark!

Ciao amici! Welcome to another edition of Seminary Adventures. I say this every time, but it seems as if this semester flew by! With a fuller course load, Lent, Easter, apostolate, various responsibilities at the NAC, and guests visiting, there was very little down time. I guess this is good preparation for priesthood, right? Also, the end of this year marks the halfway point to priestly ordination. Whoa! There’s much to be covered in the next couple of pages. I hope you enjoy reading! Andiamo…

In This Issue

Spring 2017 Semester 2

Lent: Station Churches 3

Holy Week and Easter 4

Singing at the NAC 5

The Life of a First-Year Theologian at the Pontifical North American College | By Patrick Agustin

Prayer Intentions 10

Apostolate at St. Francis International School 7

Agustin Family in Europe | This Summer 9

More Pictures from the Past Semester 11

With my family at the place where you can get the best view of Rome… at the NAC! Closing Words 12

A Little About the NAC “In 1855, Pope Pius IX first expressed his interest in the establishment of a national seminary in Rome for the formation of candidates from the U.S., stressing the unique lessons to be learned in Rome: the unity and universality of the Church, the traditions of our faith, and the ministry of the successor of St. Peter. On December 8, 1859, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the patroness of the U.S., Pope Pius IX formally inaugurated the Pontifical North American College. Currently, students may pursue undergraduate studies at the Gregorian University, the University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, or the University of the Holy Cross while graduate degrees can also be earned at any number of universities administered by the Church’s major religious communities. The NAC is comprised of the chapel dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, a large dining hall, an English language theological library, an auditorium, administrative offices, classrooms as well as faculty and student residence facilities. While it is American in its utilities and appointments, it is typically Roman in much of its design. On the 12 acres of landscaped property surrounding it are a state of the art gymnasium, tennis and basketball courts, and a soccer-football-baseball field” (from the NAC website; for more info, visit pnac.org).


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The second semester brought another batch of theology courses! It was a great semester filled with academic material that also served as fuel for prayer. This semester included some fantastic professors, including a Dominican priest who serves as a theologian to the Papal Household and an Italian priest who has written a number of well-received theological texts.

Here is a rundown of the classes I took this semester (from each course’s syllabus):

• Introduction to Christian Worship: An introductory course to the western Church’s worship, including its history and development, its guiding principles and its forms.

• The Acts of the Apostles: The course will deal with the following topics: 1) General Introduction to the Acts:

Authorship, Date, Various Sources, Literary Forms and Structure of the Book. 2) A close look into the Content of the Acts; analysis of each chapter. 3) Theological aspects of the Acts: Christology, Ecclesiology and Pneumatology.

• The Synoptic Gospels: The course considers the following issues: the formation of the Synoptic Gospels, source

criticism, form criticism, redaction criticism, the Synoptic problem and proposed solutions. The Matthean and Lucan Infancy Narrative. The Christological titles, the Parables and the Miracles. Passion, Resurrection of Jesus. Exegesis of selected passages.

• Fundamental Moral Theology: An introduction to the

basic principles of Moral Theology, following the Ia-IIae of the Summa Theologiae of Thomas Aquinas and the encyclical Veritatis Splendor of John Paul II.

• Introduction to the World’s Great Religions: In line

with the teaching of Vatican Council II that the Church “rejects nothing of what is true and holy in the religions” (Nostra Aetate 2) the course offers a concise presentation of some of the major religious traditions of our contemporary world. Following an initial exploration of the religious phenomenon in general, attention will be focused on the basic elements of Indian religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, Far Eastern traditions (Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto), Islam as well as on the emerging New Age spirituality in Western culture that indicates a changing religious landscape to which theology has to pay attention.

• Introduction to Patristic Teaching: A historical and doctrinal survey of the patristic era concentrating on key

individuals who helped to shape the Church as we know it today. The emphasis will be on the reading of primary texts.

• Eschatology: This course will look at: 1. Eschatology in scripture and tradition; 2. Individual eschatology, death,

judgement and the afterlife; 3. General eschatology “the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come”; 4. The Christian’s engagement in the present world with a view to the parousia still to come.

Spring 2017 Semester

My university, the Angelicum, from the outside


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During Lent, the NAC seminarians had the opportunity to participate in the ancient Roman tradition of the station churches. Beginning on Ash Wednesday through the Wednesday of Holy Week, Mass was celebrated at 7am at a different church in the city (the location of each church for every day of Lent remains constant each year). Being able to attend Mass at a different church every day during Lent made this particular season “feel” more different than Lents of the past. Participating in this ancient tradition gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with the city even more (since we walked all over the city for each one), to go inside churches that I may have never visited otherwise (because they are out of the way or because they are closed all year except for the station liturgy), and to spend time with the saints whose relics reside inside these churches. We even got to enter different excavation sites beneath some of these churches, for example, where St. Paul was imprisoned during his time in Rome.

Lent: Station Churches

San Lorenzo in Panisperna

Basilica di San Clemente Santa Cecilia in Trastevere


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Holy Week began on Palm Sunday with Mass in St. Peter’s Square with Pope Francis. I joined a few of my brother seminarians to brave the crowds to be able to participate in the Mass with the Holy Father. It was a beautiful day, and it was amazing to see the crowds waving olive branches and palm leaves. It is always an incredible experience to see Pope Francis up close, but in a particular way, celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Because the seminarians had just over two weeks off from our respective universities for Easter, two brother seminarians and I headed to the beautiful country of Spain for a sort of pilgrimage (as well as some R&R) before entering into the holiest days of the year, the Triduum. Ivan, Pat, and I first made our way to Granada, Spain, where we visited some very beautiful churches and tried to get into Alhambra (to know avail though!). We also took a day trip to Cordoba to take in the sites there.

We spent the bulk of our visit to Spain in Seville, where we spent Holy Thursday through Easter Monday. Holy Week in Seville, or Semana Santa de Sevilla, is what everyone looks forward to each year, both locals and tourists alike. Spain is known for their processions leading up to Easter, but Seville is especially known for this tradition. In these processions, locals march throughout the city carrying on their backs pasos or floats depicting scenes from the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus, as well as those carrying a weeping Virgin Mary. Preceding these pasos are people in hoods carrying crosses and candles, women wearing black with veils praying the Rosary, as well as bands playing brass instruments. Some of the people participating in these processions would march through the cobblestone streets completely barefoot as a means of penance. They would walk for hours and often times, all through the night. I remember walking through the city the night of Holy Thursday into Good Friday hearing a woman wailing over the silence from her balcony as the procession made its way past her.

In God’s Providence we were led to a beautiful parish named San Bartolome, run by a religious order named Obra de la Iglesia, or Work of the Church. Because all the buses to Seville from Granada were full on Holy Thursday, we couldn’t make it to the city until the evening, so we searched for the last Mass available in Seville, and the Lord led us here. We introduced ourselves to the priests and they invited us to spend the Triduum with them. We took them up on their offer and spent Good Friday and the Easter Vigil with them. Thankfully I haven’t completely forgotten all my Spanish, so I was able to understand the beautiful homily during the Easter Vigil.

Holy Week and Easter

Sanctuary of San Bartolome in Seville

Ivan, Fr. Juan Miguel of Obra de la Iglesia, me, and Pat

Easter Sunday with these brother seminarians at Plaza de Espana in Seville


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On Easter Sunday, Pat prepared brunch for Ivan, me, and three other seminarians who were also in the city for Easter. We feasted on some delicious paella and pork, then wandered around the city together. What a gift to be able to spend Easter with your brothers!

On Easter Monday, Ivan, Pat, and I took the bus south to Torremolinos, a small beach town just outside Malaga. After an eventful few days in Granada and Seville, we hoped to get a little rest and sun, and also catch up on some reading (both for school and leisure). We even caught a flamenco show in the middle of town. It was a real treat!

Singing at the NAC This semester was jam-packed with music-related activities! On top of singing in the Schola, I was invited to join the rotation of cantors at our community liturgies. Additionally, six of us were asked to provide the entertainment for our annual Rector’s Dinner fundraiser in April. After 50+ hours of rehearsal, we put on a good set for the attendees, which included the songs “I’ve Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash and barbershop versions of “Stand By Me” and “Volare” by Dean Martin. It was a lot of work, but it all paid off in the end.

One of my favorite musical things I got to participate in this semester was join a band at the seminary. Not like an orchestra, but like a rock band. We call ourselves the “Red Room Rejects,” a name we inherited from alums of the college, who also formed a band. The Red Room refers to a suite in the seminary reserved only for the priests. Its entrance is indicated by a red door.

We typically play a set in our student lounge after big events at the college. In February, the first-year men hosted the Mardi Gras gathering for the house. The band sang a few songs appropriate for the occasion, like “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “Mardi Gras

Our Lady of Macarena in Seville Our Lady of Sorrows in Granada

Acoustic set in the student lounge; James on the cajon, me on vocals, and Spencer and Max on guitar

Entertaining the guests at the annual Rector’s Dinner


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Mambo.”

Afterwards, me and three brother seminarians played an acoustic set for the house, which included contemporary pop songs like, “Titanium” by Sia, “More than Words” by Extreme, and our closer, “Royals” by Lorde.

After our closing banquet at the end of the year, the Red Room Rejects came back with a full band to play a Classic Rock set. If you know me, I don’t sing rock, but more pop and R&B type songs. We pulled it off with only 8 total hours of practice together! We had a blast performing favorites such as, “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, “More than a Feeling” by Boston, “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and “Carry

On My Wayward Son” by Kansas. You can watch the video of this one here, taken by one of my brother seminarians: https://www.facebook.com/denisnakk/videos/10156261232374251/

Looking forward to doing more music next year with these guys!

Red Room Rejects following our Classic Rock set in the student lounge

Left: Supporting my brother seminarians in the annual Clericus Cup Soccer Tournament against the other seminaries in Rome. The games

were held at the Knights of Columbus Field behind St. Peter’s.

Below: A few images from my room at the NAC. It’s a work in progress – I inherited some things from departing men that still needs

to be hung up!


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At the start of the second semester, the first-year men began their apostolate assignments. Apostolates provide seminarians with the opportunity to gain pastoral experience through working with the poor and/or sick or educating people, for example, by giving tours of the basilicas or catacombs or in the classroom through catechesis.

After shadowing a number of apostolates, I was placed at my first choice; teaching catechesis to fourth graders at St. Francis International School, an English-language school in Rome. Now, if you saw these kids, you might ask yourself, “You wanted to teach these kids?!” When I got to the classroom the day I shadowed, all I saw were very energetic kids all over the place - shouting, running around, throwing stuff at each other, etc. I was thinking to myself sarcastically, "Oh man, this is gonna be fun!" I sat in the back while my brother seminarian Joe taught the class about Mary. As he was trying to teach, the kids couldn't stay in their seats - they were distracted by random things, holding side conversations, etc. I was sure they weren't listening. Joe was fighting to keep them quiet and get their attention (it's only a 45-minute period; at least 10 minutes of which are spent trying to settle them down!). Surprisingly though, through the chaos, he would ask

them questions about the lesson and they were able to answer! I was surprised. I left that class exhausted, and I didn't even teach!

I felt the Lord calling me to teach these kids because I knew it would stretch me. Having never taught before and always looking for an opportunity to practice speaking in front of people, I felt called to Saint Francis. It was going to be an opportunity for me to teach the faith and share in a way that fourth graders could understand. I knew it would be challenging, but I had a sense of peace about it, so I put it as my first choice.

And here we are! This past semester teaching these students has brought me indescribable joy. I got to teach them about Moses and the Ten Commandments and also speak about vocations. However, the highlight for me was preparing these students for their First Confession and their First Communion.

I remember running through the steps for making a First Confession with each of them. As we were going through the steps and I was explaining what to do, there was a visible change in each of them. They understood that Confession is a place where they can encounter a merciful God Who loves them very much and desires to take all their sins away. On the day of their First Confession, I ran into Niccolo, one of my students, in the hall before class and he asked, “We go to Confession today?” And I said enthusiastically, “Yes!” He smiled.

When we made it to the church, we introduced the students to Adoration, where they could pray before the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. For all them, I’m sure this was the first time they were exposed to Jesus in this way and perhaps they didn’t fully comprehend what was happening, but what Joe and I hoped to do was to leave an imprint on their minds of their First Confession.

After most of the kids made it through Confession, I had one more student left to go – Lavinia P. She was the quiet

Apostolate at St. Francis International School

Joe and I, Grade 4 catechism teachers at St. Francis


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one of the class, and every time I’d ask her a question she’d shy away from answering and punt to another student. When I looked at her and asked her if she was ready, she said with a big smile, “I’m so excited!” I smiled right back and said, “I’m so excited for you!” My heart melted. She went in, made her First Confession, and came out beaming. That’s God’s grace for you!

On Sunday, May 7, my students received their First Communion. I showed up to the church and they were decked out in their Sunday’s best – the girls dressed in white and the boys in their black or navy blue suits and sneakers (must be an Italian thing…). The church was packed with their family members, who were smiling from ear to ear as they snapped photos of their children as we processed down the aisle.

The Mass was beautiful, and the parents were so happy and proud. There were some really beautiful moments during the liturgy. One moment of grace for me was during the Consecration. In the program, there was a black and white image of a priest’s hands holding the Consecrated Host (see right). We strategically placed this image in the program where this would occur in the Mass. When the priest raised the Host, one of my students, Diletta, looked towards the altar curiously, then looked at the program, then looked towards the altar again, then looked at the program, then tapped me and pointed at the altar and then the program in surprise. I gave her a big smile and nodded to her in affirmation. In my head I said, “Yes! That’s Jesus!” Joe told me a similar story when he was sitting with the boys in their pew. At the same moment, apparently one of them said, “EccoLo!” which means, “Here He is!” What a moment for me and Joe not only as a teachers but as men preparing to bring Jesus in the Eucharist to His people.

When it was finally time for them to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, they appeared to be more nervous than at their First Confession! They went up one by one. While waiting, many of them asked, “Mr. Patrick, what do I say again?! Which hand goes on top?!” I gave them the instructions again and did my best to alleviate their nervousness. They received Jesus and were filled with grace. I could not have been happier for these kids.

Don’t get me wrong; these kids are a handful! But boy, they do have a way of surprising you. They have helped to give me some of the greatest graces this year, as well as some of the greatest frustrations. Next year, I will continue teaching a new batch of fourth graders, preparing them to receive their First Confession and First Communion. What a gift to be able to walk with these students in this time of their lives!

St. Francis School Grade 4 First Communion. This photo pretty much sums up my class this year.


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After my family left Europe, I hopped on a train to Genoa, Italy, to continue with Italian language studies. Genoa is a

beautiful and historic port city in the Liguria region of the country (northwest of Rome), just a quick train ride from popular Italian destinations like Portofino and Cinque Terre.

I opted to do more language studies to give me more opportunities for the second cycle of my studies (for the License in Sacred Theology) as most of the courses for these concentrations are taught in Italian. After two weeks/four hours per day of one-on-one tutoring, I have seen my Italian improve immensely. Further, staying with a wonderful host couple in Genoa who enforced speaking the language at the house helped me get more practice in!

After the two weeks in Genoa, I made my way east towards Padua, the burial place of St. Anthony and St. Luke the Evangelist. I am here in one of the villages just outside of Padua called Tencarola at a bustling parish named San Bartolomeo. San Bartolomeo is the parish of one of my dear friends Simone, who I met through a mutual friend in LA while Simone was studying abroad at UCLA.

I will be here at San Bartolomeo for the next five weeks to get more experience in parish life. I am blessed to live and learn from

Agustin Family in Europe After finals, I had the joy of spending a week with my family here in Europe. Because I can’t come home for my first summer, they came over instead, and we did a bit of travelling in Paris and Venice before coming to Rome. It was such a gift having them all over here, but especially my three-year-old niece Evie. Thanks to technology she hasn’t completely forgotten about her Uncle Patrick! She’s such a ham. She put on a show for us in front of the Eiffel Tower, telling jokes that we couldn’t full comprehend and dancing all around. She loves the movie Frozen, so we got to duet together with some of the words I knew.

In addition to the Eiffel Tower, we visited Notre Dame, walked the Champs-Elysees, saw the Arc de Triomphe, and stopped by the Louvre while in Paris. After a few days there, we headed to Venice, visiting St. Mark’s Basilica and taking a gondola ride. From there, we headed to Rome.

It was great having my family visit the city in which I now call home. I was able to show them around the seminary, take them to my favorite restaurants, and give them a highlights tour of the city – visiting the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and of course, St. Peter’s Basilica. It was sad to say goodbye to them again, but I look forward to seeing them (and as many of you as possible) next summer when I return to the U.S. for the first time after two years.

This Summer

Agustin Family at the Eiffel Tower In Venice

My wonderful hosts in Genoa, Signore and Signora Ponte


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Prayer Intentions I’d really appreciate it if you could keep the following intentions in your prayers: • For all those discerning a vocation to the

priesthood and religious life, especially for me and my brother seminarians from the Archdiocese of Washington and the NAC. In a particular way, please pray for the men in my class who are spending this summer away from their homes, that their summer apostolates may be fruitful for them and those they encounter.

• For the health and well-being of my family and

friends, especially each of you reading this newsletter

• For my current and future students at St. Francis

International School • For the parishioners of Saint Columba, Saint

Monica’s, Saint Bartholomew’s, and San Bartolomeo

• For the overall mission of IPF, as well as its

priests and alumni • For those who have no one to pray for them

some young priests here. Over these next few weeks, I will be going camping with some kids from the parish in the mountains and going on a pilgrimage in Tuscany with some teens.

I have been here for just a few days, and I am already enjoying my time here. I had the opportunity to introduce myself in Italian at each of the Masses my first weekend. Everyone at the parish has been incredibly hospitable and generous (and also forgiving of my Italian!). I am looking forward to the rest of my time here and will give a full update in the next newsletter!

In mid-August, I will be returning to Rome to welcome the batch of new seminarians coming from the United States, including four from my alma mater Saint John Paul II Seminary. I am on the Orientation Team as the Liturgy “Capo” or “Head.”

It is shaping up to be quite the summer!

Mother Teresa Vocation Society

How to Pray for Vocations

The Mother Teresa Vocation Society (MTVS) is a prayer apostolate that asks for your commitment to pray daily for vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life.

The MTVS was founded in 2004 through the Office of Priest Vocations of the Archdiocese of Washington following the beatification of Mother Teresa in 2003. The society is a prayer apostolate that promises a daily commitment to prayer for an increase in the response to God’s call and for the perseverance of priests, deacons and those in consecrated life.

It requires a daily commitment to prayer. There are no dues or meetings.

For more info, or if you’d like to join, visit the following link:

http://www.dcpriest.org/promote/mother-teresa-vocation-society/what-is-the-mtvs

With don Daniele and Paduan seminarian Pier Claudio on my first night at San Bartolomeo


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More Pictures from the Past Semester Left: With my good friend Simone, who helped me find my parish assignment at San Bartolomeo

Right: My brother seminarian and best friend Mark visited me from the U.S.!

With Archbishop Patron Wong at our semester-ly Latino-Asian Night Dinner Celebrated by 31st birthday with these great brothers

With my good friend Keith from my days at Sony Pictures and St. Monica’s! We attended a general

audience with Pope Francis.

With two of my (Filipino) classmates, Sr. Abigail and Sr. Estrella, who are with the Daughters of St.

Joseph.


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Mailing address:

Patrick Agustin

Pontifical North American College

00120 Vatican City State

Europe

(we appreciate the snail mail!)

Looking for other ways to see what I’m up to? Check these out:

facebook.com/pontificalnorthamericancollege

flickr.com/photos/pnac/albums

facebook.com/dcvocations

Closing Words

It’s hard to believe that another school year has come and gone. I didn’t believe them when they said that theology would go by faster than pre-theology, but it’s true! Not only have I completed my first year of theology studies here in Rome, but, God-willing, I am halfway to priestly ordination (and even closer to diaconate ordination). And what an incredible year it has been – a year filled with change, growth, learning, joys, and also struggles. Thanks for continuing to pray for me and this vocation. I’m blessed to have you all along with me for this amazing adventure. Know of my prayers for you all. God bless.

- Patrick

Other ways to reach me:

⇒ Email/Google Hangout: [email protected] ⇒ Facebook | Instagram (patrick_agustin) ⇒ WhatsApp (U.S. # 240.271.0514) ⇒ iMessage/Facetime ([email protected])

With my fellow NAC seminarians Joshua, Tim, and Chris. We were all in Genoa together for language school. We celebrated the 4th of July in Genoa’s Porto Antico

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Seminary Adventures July 2017 - kofcknights.org Adventures_July 2017 v2.pdf · Seminary Adventures July 2017 ... including its history and development, ... We even caught a flamenco