Sacred Heart Act of Consecration Prayer

Sacred Heart Act of Consecration Prayer by Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

From SacredHeart.com

I, ( your name. . .), give myself and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ my person and my life, my actions, pains, and sufferings, so that I may be unwilling to make use of any part of my being save to honor, love, and glorify the Sacred Heart.

This is my unchanging purpose, namely, to be all His, and to do all things for the love of Him, at the same time renouncing with all my heart whatever is displeasing to Him.

I therefore take Thee, O Sacred Heart, to be the only object of my love, the guardian of my life, my assurance of salvation, the remedy of my weakness and inconstancy, the atonement for all the faults of my life and my sure refuge at the hour of death.

Be then, O Heart of goodness, my justification before God Thy Father, and turn away from me the strokes of His righteous anger. O Heart of love, I put all my confidence in Thee, for I fear everything from my own wickedness and frailty; but I hope for all things from Thy goodness and bounty.

Do Thou consume in me all that can displease Thee or resist Thy holy will. Let Thy pure love imprint Thee so deeply upon my heart that I shall nevermore be able to forget Thee or to be separated from Thee. May I obtain from all Thy loving kindness the grace of having my name written in Thee, for in Thee I desire to place all my happiness and all my glory, living and dying in true bondage to Thee.

Nice Clip!!!

Check out this great clip on our community which was done as a video project (just about 3 years ago) by our Br. Maximilian Maxwell, O.S.B. while studying in our college.

"The Great Monk Is Still a True Teacher"

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 9, 2008
Zenit

Here is a translation of the address Pope Benedict XVI gave April 9, 2008 at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. This is a great read for all men and women conversing with the Lord about the possibility of a religious vocation.

* * *

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today I would like to talk about St. Benedict, the father of Western monasticism, and also the patron saint of my papacy. I will begin with a few words from Pope St. Gregory the Great who wrote the following about St. Benedict: “The man of God who shone on this earth with so many miracles does not shine any less for the eloquence with which he knew how to present his teaching” (Dial. II, 36).

The Great Pope wrote these words in the year 592: The holy monk had died barely 50 years earlier and was still alive in the memories of the people and above all in the blossoming religious order he founded. St. Benedict, through his life and work, had a fundamental influence on the development of European civilization and culture.

The most important source of information on his life is the second book of the Dialogues by Pope St. Gregory the Great. It is not a biography as such. According to the ideas of the time, he wanted to demonstrate by using a real person -- St. Benedict -- how someone who abandons himself to God can reach the heights of contemplation. He offers us a model of human life characterized as an ascent toward the peak of perfection.

Pope St. Gregory the Great tells us in the book of the Dialogues about the many miracles performed by the saint. Here too he did not want to simply recount a strange event, but rather demonstrate how God, by warning, helping and even punishing, intervenes in real situations in the life of man. He wanted to show that God is not a distant hypothesis situated at the beginning of the world, but rather that he is present in the life of man, of all men.

This perspective of the "biography" is also explained in the light of the general context of the times: Between the fifth and sixth centuries the world suffered a terrible crisis in values and institutions, caused by the collapse of the Roman Empire, the invasion of new people and the decline of customs. By presenting St. Benedict as a "shining light," Gregory wanted to show the way out of “this dark night of history” (cfr. John Paul II, Teachings, II/1, 1979, p. 1158), the terrible situation here in the city of Rome.

In fact, the work of St. Benedict and his Rule in particular are bearers of a genuine spiritual turmoil, which changed the face of Europe over the centuries and whose effects were felt way beyond his time and the borders of his own country. Following the collapse of the political unity created by the Roman Empire, it revived a new spiritual and cultural unity -- that of Christian faith, shared among the people of the Continent. This is how the Europe we know today was born.

The birth of St. Benedict is dated around the year 480. He was born, according to Pope St. Gregory, “ex provincia Nursiae” -- in the region of Norcia. His parents were well off and sent him to be educated in Rome. He did not stay long in the eternal city however. Pope St. Gregory offers a very likely explanation for this. He points out that the young Benedict was disgusted by the way of life of many of his fellow students who led unprincipled lives and he did not want to fall into the same trap. He wanted only to please God “soli Deo placere desiderans” (II Dial., Prol 1).

Therefore, even before he completed his studies, Benedict left Rome and withdrew to the solitude of the mountains east of Rome. Initially he stayed in the village of Effide (now: Affile), where for some time he affiliated himself with a "religious community" of monks, and then became a hermit living in Subiaco, which was close by. For three years he lived completely alone in a cave there. In the High Middle Ages, this cave became the "heart" of a Benedictine monastery called "Sacro Speco." His time in Subiaco was a period of solitude spent with God and was for Benedict a time in which he matured.

Here he endured and overcame the three fundamental human temptations: the temptation of self-assertion and the desire to place oneself at the center of things; the temptation of the senses; and finally, the temptation of anger and revenge.

Benedict firmly believed that only after conquering these temptations would he be able to say anything useful to others in need. And so, having pacified his soul, he was fully able to control the drive to put oneself first, and so became a creator of peace. Only then did he decide to found his first monasteries in the valley of Anio, near Subiaco.

In the year 529 he left Subiaco to establish himself in Montecassino. Some have explained this move as a flight from the interference of a jealous local clergyman, but this is not likely, as the priest's sudden death did not lead Benedict to move back again (II Dial. 8). In truth, he took this decision because he had entered into a new phase of monastic experience and personal maturity.

According to Gregory the Great his exodus from the remote valley of Anio to Mount Cassio -- which dominates the vast planes around it -- is symbolic of his character. A monastic life of isolation has it's place, but a monastery also has a public aim in the life of the Church and society as a whole. It must serve to make faith visible as a force of life. In fact, when Benedict died on March 21, 547, through his Rule and the Benedictine order that he founded, he left us a legacy that bore fruit all over the world in the subsequent centuries, and continues to do so today.

In the whole of the second book of the Dialogues, Gregory shows us how the life of St. Benedict was immersed in an atmosphere of prayer, the foundation of his existence. Without prayer you cannot experience God. Benedict's spirituality was not cut off from reality. In the turmoil and confusion of the times, Benedict lived under the gaze of God. He never lost sight of the duties of everyday life and of man and his necessities. In seeing God he understood the reality of man and his mission. In his Rule he explains monastic life as “a school at the service of the Lord” (Prol. 45), and he asks his monks "not to place anything ahead of the work of God" (that is, the Divine Office and the Liturgy of the Hours)(43,3). He underlines, however, that the act of prayer is in the first instance the act of listening (Prol. 9-11), which is then translated into concrete action. “Every day the Lord expects us to respond to his holy teaching with action” (Prol. 35).

The life of a monk therefore becomes a fruitful symbiosis of action and contemplation, “so that God is glorified in everything” (57,9). In contrast to an egocentric and easy self-fulfillment, often extolled today, the first and irrefutable duty of a disciple of St. Benedict is a sincere search for God (58,7) on the road traced by a humble and obedient Christ (5,13), the love of whom nothing should be allowed to stand in the way (4,21; 72,11).

It is in this way, in serving others, that Benedict becomes a man of service and peace. By showing obedience through his actions with a faith driven by love (5,2), the monk acquires humility (5,1), to which the Rule dedicates a whole chapter (7). In this way man becomes more like Christ and attains true self-fulfillment as a creature in God's own image.

The obedience of the disciple must be matched by the wisdom of the Abbot, who “takes the place of Christ” (2,2; 63,13) in a monastery. His role, outlined mainly in the second chapter of the Rule, with a description of spiritual beauty and demanding commitment, can be considered a self-portrait of Benedict, since, as Gregory the Great writes, “the Saint could not teach what he himself had not lived” (Dial. II, 36). The Abbot must be both a loving father and a strict teacher (2,24), a true educator.

Inflexible when it comes to vices, he is called upon to imitate the tenderness of the Good Shepherd (27,8) to “assist rather than dominate” (64,8), to “point out more with actions than words all that is good and holy,” and to “ illustrate the divine commandments by setting an example” (2,12).

In order to be capable of making responsible decisions, the Abbot must also be someone who listens to “the advice of his brothers” (3,2), because “God often reveals the most apt solution to the youngest person” (3,3). This attitude makes the Rule, written almost 15 centuries ago very current! A man with public responsibility, even in small circles, must always be a man who knows how to listen and to learn from what he hears.

Benedict describes the Rule as “minimal, just an initial outline” (73,8); in reality, however, it offers useful advice not only to monks, but to anyone looking for guidance on the path to God. Through his capacity, his humanity, and his sober ability to discern between what is essential and what is secondary in the spiritual life, he is still a guiding light today.

Paul VI, by proclaiming St. Benedict the patron saint of Europe on October 24, 1964, recognized the wonderful work accomplished by the saint through the Rule toward creating the civilization and culture of Europe.

Today, Europe -- deeply wounded during the last century by two world wars and the collapse of great ideologies now revealed as tragic utopias -- is searching for it's own identity. A strong political, economic and legal framework is undoubtedly important in creating a new, unified and lasting state, but we also need to renew ethical and spiritual values that draw on the Christian roots of the Continent, otherwise we cannot construct a new Europe.

Without this vital lifeblood, man remains exposed to the ancient temptation of self-redemption -- a utopia, which caused in various ways in 20th-century Europe, as pointed out by Pope John Paul II, “an unprecedented regression in the tormented history of humanity” (Teachings, XIII/1, 1990, p. 58).

In the search for true progress, let us listen to the Rule of St. Benedict and see it as a guiding light for our journey. The great monk is still a true teacher in whose school we can learn the art of living a true humanism.

Reflections from the Novitiate (by Br. Gabriel Myriam)

The following is a reflection by one of our novices (Br. Gabriel Myriam Kurzawski) given to his classmates concerning Chapter 58 of the Holy Rule. Please look for more articles like this from the Novices in the next couple of days.

A few weeks ago, I spoke with a good friend of mine who I met almost 5 years ago while attending a “Come and See Weekend” with a missionary religious order based in Queens, NY. Little did we know, at the time, that we would both eventually join this order, spend over 2 years developing our prayer life and friendship within this order, and later leave this order in order to follow Christ even more closely, myself as a Benedictine monk and my friend as a diocesan seminarian. Yet, we remain united to each other by our love for Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church. He jokingly remarked that we had both DISCERNED to leave this order and follow the Lord on a similar but different road. For one reason or another the word my friend used “discern” stuck with me. For days I just kept thinking about what does it mean to truly follow the Lord? How can one "discern" not to follow a Divine calling? Since we are free people, how could God call some and not others as I am so accustomed to hear in our modern Catholic lingo? To answer these questions I decided to start with the trusty Novitiate Webster’s Dictionary.…The dictionary states that to discern is, “to know or recognize mentally” while the act of discernment is, “the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure.” I must state that as an individual that has always admired St. Anselm’s argument for the existence of God, “I believe because it is absurd” the dictionaries definitions did not resonate well with me, not so much as a thinker, but a spiritual being, a being thirsting for truth, and a being who has come to realize that my thirst can only be quenched with the spiritual waters of faith in Jesus Christ, who, as we know, is beyond comprehension. As I internalized and processed the word (discern) and how the dictionary explained its meaning I came to the concluded that discernment is probably one of the most overly used and misunderstood words we as Catholics through around on a day to day basis to the point where often times it seems as though one needs to contact the local vocation director in order to choose or, for the sake of this reflection, (discern) whether or not we should purchase the steak or the salad. For me, the word “discern” and my understanding of the what the word means just did not seem to add up with why I am here at St. Vincent, why I am preparing to take Monastic Vows, why I feel God is calling me to serve Him and His Church as a monk. This being stated, one might be wondering why I have been hung up on the word “discernment” for the past few weeks and what does this have to do with Chapter 58 of the Holy Rule. Well, to answer this question I feel it would be accurate for me at least to admit that I have not been able to grasp or comprehend what the dictionary calls “obscure,” of course I am referring to grasping or comprehending the monastic vocation. Therefore, I wish to dive into Chapter 58 of the Holy Rule, which describes, as you know, the process of entering the monastery and the Novitiate.

Two days ago, my classmate commented that, “it seems as though what brought us to the monastery is certainly not what keeps us here.” I think that is why St. Benedict was and is opposed to the usual nice and opened armed Benedictine welcome for all who come to his door seeking the life of the monk, for as we have all seen during our various experiences here at St. Vincent, Monastic Life is not always internally what it appears to be externally (nor is the human being) and therefore if a man is not at least willing to open his heart, his soul, his entire self to the will of the Father then he will only progress as far as he selfishly and foolishly limits himself in his search for God’s holy truth. Today this tradition of not allowing the newcomer and easy entry is on full-display each time a potential candidate for the Novitiate sits before the Abbot, the prior, the Novice or Junior Master, or the Vocation Director. Each of these men within our community are, as the Holy Rule instructs, testing the spirits to see if they are from God. But I must caution you and myself that this “spirit testing” is not something we in the Monastic Life need to be concerned of only at the time of our entry, for as we have learned during the Novitiate, the life of the monk is a continual interaction with the Father (or as the Holy Rule states, “a continuous Lent”) and therefore, we, as true seekers of the will of God must make prayer, spiritual direction, and the celebration of the sacraments the focal point of our monastic existence in order that we are constantly testing our own spirits to see if what we seek is from God.

Looking back on our Novitiate year and more specifically on our study of Chapter 58, I feel that it is safe to state that the contents of this chapter are just as relevant to the monk with the jubilee cain as they are to the unhooded newby. Each of us, no matter where we are at on our Monastic journey, our walking with Christ, and are bound to face hardships along the way, but as Vs. 8 states, these are “hardships and difficulties that will lead him (the monk) to God.” Therefore, there is much to be joyful about in the monastery for each of us, that is if we truly believe in the words of our Holy Father St. Benedict, and thus the words of Christ, which assure us that if we persevere in the monastery living faithfully to the best of our ability the vows which we professed, then we are guaranteed eternal happiness with Christ the High Priest. For this reason I finally understand why an old man once told me that there is nothing sadder in the world than a miserable monk. As you, my brothers can attest to, we have heard the term, “living word” many times throughout this year to accurately describe the Book that the Lord has given us, the Holy Bible. Yet as monks, I wish to make the argument that indeed we have been doublely blessed with another living and breathing book, that being St. Benedict’s Holy Rule. The Rule not only speaks to us through its rich and carefully selected instructions on who, what, and how the monastery is to be run, but also for the monk, the Holy Rule speaks to the inmost segments of the human heart, calling the follower to “listen carefully…to the master’s instructions, and to attend to them with,” (not just with ones mouth or hands or mind, but even deeper than that, with ones heart) the organism that gives us life! For this reason, one can see why St. Benedict wishes the newcomer not to receive an easy welcome, for, our Holy Father is not just concerned with the affairs of the community but rather with the state of the spirit, the state of the soul of the newcomer in order that he may progress on the ladder which leads to salvation faithfully bearing all trials and tribulations that are bound to occur as one follows the Lord in the monastery. As I have often thought, “for a full dose of reality I will have a day in the monastery please!!!

This leads me back to my to the definition of discernment, the “grasp(ing) and comprehend(ing) of what is obscure” and a few final points concerning Chapter 58. Point blank, I can honestly say that in no way have I, or will I ever be able to “grasp and comprehend” why the Lord has allowed me this amazing opportunity to serve Him here at St. Vincent nor, I would argue, can a married couple fully grasp and comprehend how the Lord guided them faithfully and lovingly into each others lives and, quite honestly, I am really not to concerned with trying to figure it out. Simply put, we are not called to discern, to grasp, to comprehend the vocation that we have freely chosen in this life (and I must make the point to follow up an early statement I made, that the Lord calls each of us to Him daily… truly to serve Him is to Love Him as He himself is the servant to the servants, the model of priesthood, the one who laid down his life for His friends) this is important because as we continue to knock on the monastic door, asking the Lord, to take us deeper into His house, we know in advance that our Lord has given us a 24/7 365 day invitation to not just visit but to stay. Yet, it is our choice to either accept or deny His invitation. Either way, He will continue to call us back to Him faithfully.

To conclude, Chapter 58 of the Holy Rule provides us with not just the tools for allowing a man to enter into this monastic way of life but for me it provides a wonderful opportunity not to discern (to comprehend) why God has brought me here, it provides me with the opportunity to just be, to be joyful, to be hopeful, to be thankful that the Lord has allowed me to follow Him in this vocation that I have chosen in life in order to serve not just myself, but with His blessing, His people. “Receive me, Lord as you have promised, and I shall live; and do not disappoint me in my hope. Amen

Importance of Religious Garb

By Father Damian J. Ference
Posted in U.S. Catholic Magazine

Religious clothing allows Catholics to make a fashion statement about their faith, says a young priest who dons the wardrobe that the previous generation put away.


Like it or not, religious garb and clerical dress are making a comeback. This phenomenon can be hard to swallow for a generation of priests, religious, and laity.


It may seem that younger Catholics are attempting to undo all their hard work and are intentionally heading backward into a church that placed a greater emphasis on distinctions between the clergy and the laity, rather than celebrating the common priesthood of the baptized. Some have even accused wearers of religious garb of being insecure, out-of-touch, and intellectually second-rate. But today I find the youngest, brightest, healthiest, and most joyful consecrated religious and clergy seem perfectly at home in religious garb. What happened?


When asked how she reconciled her Catholicism with using violent, grotesque imagery, the great fiction writer Flannery O'Connor, herself a young Catholic who was often misunderstood, said: "To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large startling figures." It seems that the same philosophy is at work in the minds of young Catholics who are drawn to religious garb; they desire to communicate the gospel through sign and symbol to a world whose senses have been dulled. And if their clothing can help people to hear and see Christ, then it's a no-brainer.


The history of religious garb directs our attention to two important elements: identity and simplicity. Some religious orders pattern their habit on the garb of St. Anthony of Egypt (251-356), who most often prayed and worked in the desert and wore a simple robe with a thick leather belt. St. Francis of Assisi's garb looked like the cross when a friar stretched out his arms, and he added sandals and a cord with knots symbolizing the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Mother Teresa adopted the traditional dress of Indian women for the Missionaries of Charity. These three prominent examples were easily identifiable by their dress, which also pointed to the simplicity and poverty of Jesus.


Clerics, too, could be identified by what they wore. According to The Catholic Encyclopedia, the cassock and collar were responses to clerical extravagance. In the 13th century many priests were dressing like knights, with bright colors and ornate embroidery, so a mandate was issued that the cope of a cleric would be simple, ankle length, and buttoned closed in front. Thus the cassock was born. In the 17th century clerics would cover beautifully decorated collars with a white band to prevent wear and tear. The ornate collars caused scandal and were eventually forbidden, but the white protective band remained and became the Roman collar. Religious garb marked a person as a disciple of Christ.


The pastor at my first parish assignment was ordained in 1968, and he used to tell me stories over dinner of life before, during, and after the Second Vatican Council. In his seminary years the cassock was the dress code, and with the exception of recreation, the seminarian was expected to be in it. He often reminded me that he resented the fact that he had to put his cassock on to use the restroom in the middle of the night. I don't think he's worn a cassock since his seminary days, and I understand why.


Friends in religious communities also have told me about their orders' task of renewal after Vatican II. In terms of religious garb, the council stated that the religious habit was an outward mark of consecration to God and it should be simple, modest, and poor. The habit was to meet the requirements suited to the time and place and to the needs of the ministry involved, and, moreover, habits that did not conform to these norms were to be changed. For women's orders, some needed no changes, others simplified their garb, many modernized by sporting a simple veil, blouse, and skirt, and others opted to dress like the laity, as was the practice of their founder. Many of those orders that did away with religious garb thought it to be a good move since it was following the gospel mandate of not bringing attention to oneself. It was also thought that abandoning the habit would lead to greater approachability and help the religious focus on the internal life rather than being distracted by externals.


The years immediately following a church council tend to be disorienting. The post-Vatican II years were no exception. In the '60s even Father Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, was wearing a tie, if that gives any indication.


In a U.S. Catholic interview last year, Father Ronald Rolheiser said, "I don't think wearing a collar in public converts anybody. A lot of people in my generation don't feel that public witness should be in anyone's face." Reflecting on all that Rolheiser's generation has gone through, such a reaction is predictable. However, it has been more than 40 years since Vatican II. Now is the time for memories to be healed, purified, and reconciled, to move into the new millennium with a fresh perspective. As Benedict XVI stated in his first homily as pope, "The church is alive and the church is young!"


Generation X and millennial Catholics have never experienced a pre-Vatican II church and don't carry around the baggage of the previous generation when dealing with the issue of religious garb. Habits and collars are not oppressive or clerical, but courageous, especially in the post-scandal era. As a matter of fact, the first time I ever wore my cassock at a youth gathering at my first parish, the young people thought I looked like Neo from The Matrix. Rigid seminary formation was the last thing on their minds.


A great blessing of Vatican II was a greater awareness of the importance of sign and symbol. Miniature baptistries have been replaced by large baptismal pools, the holy oils have been given a more prominent place in glass ambries, paschal candles are to fit the size of the church, and even the principal host consecrated at Mass is to be big enough so that all can see it.


If being a visible, sacramental, and incarnational church is so important, doesn't it follow that religious garb has an important contribution to make as well? Young people think so. (And so do the folks who create the annual poster promoting the religious retirement fund, which consistently depicts elderly sisters in religious garb.) Unfortunately, many religious communities miss this crucial point, and they are going extinct in part because of it.


Today's youth live in a culture that forces them to say something about who they are and what they believe. The tattoo and body-piercing craze gives perfect witness to this condition. It's even hard to find a young person wearing a T-shirt that doesn't have words, numbers, or images on it. This is why more Catholic youth are wearing crosses, medals, and devotional bracelets. It should come as no surprise that younger Catholics would rather see priests in clerics than clothes from J. Crew and would rather see sisters in a habit than a pantsuit with a lapel pin. They want priests and religious to be recognizable, just as police officers and firefighters are recognizable by their uniforms.


Now I'm not suggesting that every priest and religious must live in their religious garb, although I have great respect for those who do. I dress down when I am in the rectory, on my day away, as well as when I exercise, but I have never seen the need to change out of my clerics when I am engaged in activity that isn't strictly pastoral. I have never been embarrassed to be recognized as a Roman Catholic priest. Sure, I have been persecuted at times because of my clothing, but the gospel tells us that such is to be expected. I can't begin to count the number of times I have heard Confessions, anointed the sick, or simply reminded someone that God is not dead precisely because I was wearing my clerics.


The John Paul II and Benedict XVI generations have been accused of wanting to wear religious garb in order to bring attention to themselves. I am sure that in a few situations this is true. Unfortunately, in every way of life there are folks who love attention, honor, and power. For the majority of young Catholics, however, this simply isn't the case.


They desire to bring attention to Christ with their whole lives, including their wardrobe. These young people want to be part of something greater than themselves. And they are willing to give up their lives to do so. They want to imitate saints like Anthony, Francis, and Teresa in their love of Jesus and service of the community. And yes, even in their dress. They want their habits to manifest their being.


So, in the spirit of the late Flannery O'Connor, the next time you see a young priest dressed in his Roman collar and you feel that he is shouting at you, or you judge a religious in her medieval habit to be a large startling figure, well, maybe that's the point. A thank you may be in order.


By Father Damian J. Ference, a young priest from the Diocese of Cleveland. He is currently a graduate student in the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Bishop David Zubik receives honorary doctorate at St. Vincent Seminary and encourages vocations

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Monday, May 12, 2008
 
By Ann Rodgers

Catholic Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh received an honorary doctorate from St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe over the weekend, capping a week in which his prayers for more vocations to the priesthood show signs of being answered.

More than 80 men and boys from the Diocese of Pittsburgh attended an inquiry meeting Thursday for those who think they might be interested in priesthood. It was followed by a standing-room-only hour of prayer for vocations.

"The spirit is moving," Bishop Zubik said.

The inquirers, who attended a cookout at St. Paul Seminary in East Carnegie, got a tour and a talk from the bishop on what priesthood is about. They ranged in age from older grade school students to professionals, the oldest of whom was 51. Then they joined nearly 600 other people from across the diocese to pray for more priests, with people standing five rows deep in the back and spilling out of the auditorium door to fill the lobby.

"I have never seen the seminary auditorium so packed," said Bishop Zubik, who gave up the traditional bishop's mansion in Squirrel Hill when he became bishop of Pittsburgh last year to live at St. Paul with the seminarians.

New seminarians live there for at least two years to receive spiritual formation and take college-level classes in philosophy and theology at Duquesne University. Then they go on for at least four more years of graduate and continued formation at one of several seminaries the diocese uses, including St. Vincent.

Only after receiving a master of divinity degree, as nine men did at St. Vincent Friday night, is a man eligible to be ordained for a diocese or a religious order.

There were no Pittsburghers among the St. Vincent graduates this year, although Bishop Zubik expects to ordain three men from other seminaries next month.

The diocese currently has 27 seminarians. Four of them attend St. Vincent, which currently has students from 13 dioceses, 12 Benedictine monasteries and several other religious orders.

One graduate in Friday night's commencement was a woman, Carol Ann Seraphin, who had earned a master of arts in theology, which is different from the ordination-track degree.

When Bishop Zubik spoke he addressed her briefly from the pulpit, apologizing for having assumed that all of the graduates were going to become priests and asking her understanding for having prepared a commencement address that was primarily about priesthood.

In his address he told the future priests to make sure their knowledge of God was more than academic.

"Do you know about Jesus and really know him?" he said. "Can you listen to experts speak about him, but especially let him speak about himself?"

Archabbot Douglas Nowicki of St. Vincent presented Bishop Zubik with his honorary doctorate, calling him an example of "what it means to be a follower of Christ and of the Holy Spirit."

Bishop Zubik has two master's degrees, the one required for ordination and another he earned later from Duquesne University in education administration, but no earned doctorate.

Although he attended seminary at St. Mary's in Baltimore, he has long-standing ties to St. Vincent from his many years as a priest and auxiliary bishop in Pittsburgh, when he served as an adjunct spiritual director at the seminary in Latrobe.

More about our Abbot

Check out this great biography on our Spiritual Father: Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B.

 The Right Reverend Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B. is eleventh Archabbot of Saint Vincent Archabbey and Chancellor of Saint Vincent College and Seminary, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and the Major Superior of the Benedictines at the Priory and Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Georgia, and the Benedictine Priories in Brazil and Taiwan.

Archabbot Douglas attended Catholic grade schools at Saint Joseph, Everson, and Holy Cross, Youngwood, Pennsylvania. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy from Saint Vincent College in May of 1968, a Master of Divinity from Saint Vincent Seminary in May of 1971 and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Tennessee in December of 1977.

He was professed as a Benedictine on July 11, 1966, and ordained to the priesthood at the Archabbey Basilica on May 21, 1972 by the late Bishop William G. Connare of Greensburg. He was elected by his fellow monks on January 8, 1991 to become the eleventh Archabbot of Saint Vincent. On March 1, 1991, he received the Abbatial Blessing from Anthony G. Bosco, Bishop of Greensburg.

Prior to his election as Archabbot, Archabbot Douglas had served for five years as Secretary for Education of the Diocese of Pittsburgh from 1986 to 1991 and Pastor of Our Lady, Queen of Peace Parish, North Side, Pittsburgh from 1984 to 1986. At Saint Vincent College he served as Chairman of the Department of Psychology from 1979 to 1984 and Associate Academic Dean from 1983 to 1984. From 1978 through 1983, he was also a member of the staff in the Behavioral Science Department at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He also served as a psychological consultant to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood for a number of years.

Archabbot Douglas is a member of the Board of Trustees of the McFeely-Rogers Foundation, the Extra Mile Education Foundation, Saint Vincent College and Seminary Board of Incorporators, Saint Vincent College Board of Directors and the Board of Directors of the Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Georgia. During his years as Secretary of Education in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, he also served as a member of the Saint Anthony School for Exceptional Children Board of Directors and the DePaul Institute Board of Directors. He also serves as a member of the International Benedictine Commission on China.

In his role as the Archabbot of Saint Vincent Archabbey, Archabbot Douglas serves as the spiritual leader of the first Benedictine monastery established in the United States and one of the largest monasteries in the world. The Benedictines of Saint Vincent Archabbey operate the Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Georgia, and the Penn State Campus Ministry Program at State College in Pennsylvania. In addition to his responsibilities in this country, Archabbot Douglas is also the spiritual leader of monasteries in Brazil and Taiwan. The Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey founded the original Fu Jen University in Beijing, the first Catholic University in China, in the 1920s. Today the Benedictines have a priory in Taiwan and teach at Fu Jen University in Taipei. The Benedictine Community recently opened a new school, Colegio Sao Bento, in Vinhedo, Brazil.

In 1992 Archabbot Douglas was named “Man of the Year in Religion” by the Pittsburgh Vectors Society and in 1995 received an honorary doctorate from Saint Vincent College. In the fall of 1999 he received an honorary degree from Fu Jen University in Taiwan, Republic of China.

The son of Sylvester and the late Evelyn (Jackamonis) Nowicki, he was born in Everson, Pennsylvania on May 8, 1945. He is one of four children. He has two brothers, Edward Nowicki of Greensburg and Lawrence Nowicki of Harrisburg, and a sister, Mrs. Dean Sickenberger of Greensburg.