Saint Gregory the Great!

On September 3 we celebrated the feast of St. Gregory the Great, one of the greatest Fathers in the history of the Church, one of the four Doctors of the West who was an Benedictine monk and later Bishop of Rome from 590 to 604 and who earned the traditional title Magnus (the Great!).

St. Gregory was born in Rome around 540 into a wealthy family known for their adherence to the Christian faith. Gregory entered early into an administrative career which reached its climax in 572, when, during chaotic times, he became Prefect of the city. Yet this life could not satisfy him. He decided to leave every civil assignment in order to withdraw into monastic life and spend his time in dialogue with the Lord and listening to his Word.

Cloistered withdrawal did not last long, however. Gregory was universally respected for his civil administration, and his good reputation induced Pope Pelagius to ordain him and send him to Constantinople in order to help bring about a solution to the Lombard invasions. When the plague took the life of Pope Pelagius in 590, Gregory was the unanimous selection as his successor. He tried to resist, even attempting to flee, but to no avail. Recognizing the will of God, the new Pope immediately set to work, especially in regards to the Lombard invaders, dedicating all his energy to peaceful resolution. He saw the Lombard people with the eyes of a good pastor and was concerned with proclaiming the Word of salvation to them and establishing fraternal relationships based on mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.

St. Gregory’s desire for God was always alive in the depths of his soul, and precisely because of this he was always close to his neighbor, to the needy people of his time. Indeed, during a desperate period of havoc, he was able to create peace and give hope. This man of God shows us the true source of peace from which true hope comes. Thus, he becomes a guide also for us today.

From: Pope Benedict XVI General Audience on Wednesday, 28 May 2008

Fresh Campus Minister

Fr. Killian Loch, O.S.B. has been named director of campus ministry at Saint Vincent College, according to an announcement by Br. Norman W. Hipps, O.S.B., president.

Fr. Killian joins the Saint Vincent staff after making his first vows as a Benedictine monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey. A native of Wilkes-Barre, he previously served in the Diocese of Scranton.

“I look forward to this assignment since a significant part of my background has been involvement in Catholic schools,” Fr. Killian said. “My assignments involved full and part time teaching and administration in diocesan high schools, and my parish assignments included parish elementary schools. I was also involved in several diocesan commissions and studies of the Catholic school system. I look forward to interacting with the students as campus minister. Saint Vincent has an outstanding campus ministry program of spiritual activities, service opportunities and social and educational activities. These already involve a large number of the students so I don’t anticipate making any immediate changes. As I become more familiar with the spiritual needs of the students, I may explore new programs and activities in the future.”

“Relationships are very important to college students,” Fr. Killian said. “I want them to have a good relationship with God, in which they will view him not as a distant deity, but as someone who desires a close relationship with them.”

Fr. Killian is very interested in the various lay ecclesial movements in the Church today, one form of associations of the faithful of the Catholic church. “The late Blessed John Paul II recognized the importance of ecclesial activity in the new millennium and encouraged the development of various ecclesial movements including Catholic Charismatic Renewal, Cursillo Movement, L’Arche, Worldwide Marriage Encounter, and others. He believed that the new evangelization will come through these movements. I will look for opportunities to connect our students with these on campus. After students graduate, I think it is important for them to be ready to be active in the broader Church.”

Fr. Killian joins current campus ministry staff including assistant directors Fr. Anthony Grossi, O.S.B., Fr. Jean-Luc Zadroga, and Dr. John Aupperle, secretary Jody Marsh, and music coordinator Mary Ellen Lang.

“I am very happy to be part of the Saint Vincent Benedictine Community,” Fr. Killian concluded. “For me, the community aspect is very important,” Fr. Killian noted. “The monks have a wonderful sense of community and it’s impressive to see this diverse group of men gather for prayer, meals and other interaction. It’s part of the broader Saint Vincent community which includes the Parish, Seminary and College, all of which have a great commitment to Saint Vincent. I have been so impressed with what people are willing to do for Saint Vincent.”

Fr. Killian earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Scranton before completing a master of divinity degree at St. John School of Theology and a master of education degree at Boston College. He served in various pastoral assignments including director of religious formation and procurator at Bishop Neumann High School in Williamsport and later acting principal and principal of Bishop Hafey High School, Hazleton.

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Daughter House of Saint Vincent Makes Land Breaking Pro-Life Move

Image Copyright Douglas Johnson (http://www.flickr.com/photos/carolinadoug/3714061461/)

June 20: Room At The Inn Breaks Ground On The First College-Based Maternity And After-Care Residential Facility In The Nation

from bacroads.com

Land donated by the Benedictine Monks of Belmont Abbey

Room At The Inn, a safe haven and source of hope for pregnant mothers and their children since 1994, will break ground on January 20th on the first college-based maternity and after-care residential facility of its kind in the nation.

The facility will be built on four acres of land donated by the Benedictine Monks of Belmont Abbey and located adjacent to Belmont Abbey monastery and the campus of Belmont Abbey College. Confirmed attendees for the groundbreaking ceremony include Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, and President of the National Pro-Life Religious Council; Mr. David Bereit, National Campaign Director for 40 Days for Life; Ms. Serrin Foster, President of Feminists for Life; the Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte; and the Right Reverend Abbot Placid Solari, O.S.B., Abbot of Belmont Abbey and Chancellor of Belmont Abbey College.CLICK HERE to see the invitation.)

The 10,000-square-foot home will provide single pregnant college women the option of continuing their educations while having their babies in a caring and supportive environment before, during and after their pregnancies. The program will be free of charge for up to two years. Participants don’t have to be Catholic or Christian or students at Belmont Abbey College to be accepted. *It is the first college-based facility in the nation to provide this extensive array of services.

“Many young women in college facing unexpected pregnancies believe they have to give up everything to keep their babies – but they don’t,” said Room At The Inn Executive Director Jeannie Wray. “Room At The Inn can give these young women the opportunity to continue their educations, have their babies, make a positive impact on society and fulfill their hopes and dreams.”

The new facility will have two residential wings – one for maternity and one for after-care – that will be home to 15 mothers, 15 infants and 8 toddlers for up to two years. Each mother will have a private bedroom and bathroom and share the kitchen, dining room and laundry room with other residents. Administrative and counseling offices and quarters for residential managers also will be on site.

Expectant mothers interested in Room At The Inn must go through several months of counseling before being accepted into the free program, which Wray describes as “fairly stringent” and filled with classes and counseling to prepare young mothers with the skills they need to be successful in life.

Participants are required to be in school, adhere to a curfew, sign in and sign out, pass room inspections, submit goal sheets and take classes in life skills, parenting, cooking, meal planning, financial planning and non-denominational Bible study, among others. In exchange, they receive free room and board and counseling, as well as everything they need for their babies from car seats and playpens to clothes and nursery furniture.

“Many of the young women we see are beaten down, hopeless, abandoned and have no earthly idea how they are going to put one foot in front of the other – they’re just looking for the light,” said Wray. “Room At The Inn can offer them help, hope and possibilities, so by the time they leave, they are prepared for their lives, more mature and eligible to come to our outreach program for as long as they like.”

Scott Hahn Symposium 2011 Begins Today

Priests, deacons and seminarians from around the nation come to spend four days with Dr. Scott Hahn on the grounds of Saint Vincent Archabbey and Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania for the sixth consecutive year. The theme for this year's symposium is Proclaiming the Kingdom: The Gospel of Matthew. Renowned scripture scholar and evangelist Dr. Hahn will once again lead the symposium. He will be joined by other noted scholars, including Dr. Brant Pitre of Notre Dame Seminary, New Orleans, the recent author of the highly acclaimed Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist and Dr. John Bergsma of Franciscan University of Steubenville. The days will be filled with prayer, in a leisurely, but stimulating environment. Please pray for the fire of the Holy Spirit to fall upon these priests, deacons, seminarians and speakers for the building up of the Kingdom!

Saturday Homily

FROM: www.saintvincentarchabbey.org

"Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands"

The missionary movement of the apostolic church is not just limited to the early days; it is essential to our identity as church, today. We too summon all you lands to sing joyfully to the LORD and Liberator of every human being and all human communities. In faith we recognize what the Psalmist knew that all people are God's people, the flock he tends. Indeed, the creator of every person is summoning all generations to the LORD, who is good and his kindness endures forever. Like our ancestors in the faith we too summon all the earth to the joy of complete liberation and true freedom. This universal call we inherit from Christ and his Apostles. The fulfillment of our missionary vocation today is subject to both the struggles of Saint Paul and the hatred about which Saint John writes.

Saint Timothy was born Jewish because his mother was Jewish. This ethnic background gave him an advantage in his missionary work. He was not excluded from fellowship with the Jews, but to make his ethnic identity clear circumcision was necessary. Perhaps, Saint Luke is trying to present Saint Paul as being all things to all people. In any case, Saint Paul is operating out of a genuine sensitivity to the audience. He is willing to use whatever is necessary to summon people to union with Jesus the Christ. Such apostolic zeal is tested and refined during his prayer. Twice the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in certain towns prevents him, and once in a vision he summoned to proclaim the good news -in Macedonia. Saint Paul is both sensitive to his audience and sensitive to divine guidance in prayer. Genuine listening to the needs of the people and the direction of the Holy Spirit enabled Saint Paul to fulfill his missionary vocation. We too need the same skills to fulfill our mission. We must be sensitive to others and listening in prayerful obedience.

Even though we have such a sensitive and obedient heart, we will encounter hatred. This is the promise of Christ to those who follow him. The reason we will be hated is simple; if the world hated the Lord Jesus then the world will hate those who follow Him. "They will harry you as they harried me. They will respect your words as much as they respected mine." This may appear to be bad news, but in fact it is good news. Indeed, persecution, rejection, hatred from the world is a sign that in our lifestyle and our witness we reveal the Lord Jesus, the faithful Son of the Father. Since the world knows nothing of the Father, they know nothing of the Son, so they will have nothing to do with those who follow the Son. Being sensitive to our audience does not necessarily mean buying into every agenda item of every group. Indeed, being sensitive may mean that we must challenge, question, and object to certain enslaving attitudes and values. Because we want our brothers and sisters in the world with us to live in true freedom and genuine liberation, then we will necessarily seem like an uncomfortable presence, at times, or share what seems to be a contradictory value, at times. However, it is the light of Christ and the warmth of the Spirit that reveals that obedience to the Father's will is our true delight. We, who daily struggle to become more faithful, cannot live without consuming Christ's flesh and being consumed by the fire of the Holy Spirit.