A Reflection on Priesthood

Friends, a week ago the men of Moreau Seminary had the pleasure of hosting, H.E. The Most Rev. Kevin Rhoades, Bishop of the diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. After mass and dinner the Bishop gave a wonderful lecture in honor of the Year of the Priest, entitled Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest.  In his lecture the Bishop outlined well how all priestly life, lay and ordained, emanates from the Priesthood of Christ.  It is a bit legenthy, but if you have the time, especially if you are discerning a priestly vocation, it is worth the read.

Help kids go to college by eating at Taco Bell

That's right folks, my old director at Old College and soon to be novicemaster, Fr. Kevin Russeau, C.S.C. is taking on shifts at two local Taco Bell's next week in order to raise money for scholarships at Holy Cross College.  If you are in town please stop by and lend your support.  The dates and times are:

Roseland Taco Bell
May 3rd and 4th from 6PM to 9PM

and

Downtown Taco Bell
May 5th and 6th from 6PM to 9PM

Annuntio Vobis Gadium Magnum...

Habemus Blogam!

This is my first entry into the blogging world.  For years I have done my fair share of blog browsing but never gave much thought to writing one, even during my year at the novitiate.  It has always struck me as a bit presumptuous that enough people would have the interest or desire to know of my thoughts and reflections to support a blog.  Alas as I prepare to spend the summer learning Spanish in Guadalajara and then the subsequent year at St. John John Vianney Parish in Goodyear, AZ I have come to the realization that I will be fairly far from many of the people that I cherish and hold dear and unlike the novitiate there is a fair possibility for lots of exciting things to be happening that some of my family and friends might want to know about.  Thus I humbly open this blog, Duc In Altum.  I hope that is helps many of my family and friends to keep in touch and to update themselves on my goings on in the coming year, but also it gives me a chance to share some of my reflections on the many new and challenging opportunities that await me both in Mexico and in Phoenix.  I have never been very good at journaling, but I hope that this blog will help keep me honest and allows me to share a little bit of me with you.

Lastly a note on the blog title Duc in Altum, for the non Latin scholars out there the phrase roughly translates as: "put out into the deep" and comes from the fifth chapter of St. Luke's gospel (which is quoted just under the title heading).  As I approach the beginning of my summer in Mexico as well as my Pastoral Year this saying of Our Lord has been ever in my mind so I figured it would be a good title for the blog.  On one hand it represents, for me, leaving the safe and known waters of life at Notre Dame and life at Moreau to the deeper and unknown waters of full time ministry.  The road ahead is certainly a bit mysterious and will be challenging, and like St. Peter I am often hesitant to go, yet the Lord calls me to these deep waters because it is there that we will find our eternal reward, our great catch of fish.  On the other hand this phrase also represents my desire for the upcoming year, to put out into the great vineyard of the Lord and to make Him known, loved, and served.  To answer Jesus' call to his apostles "Come and follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Let's hope that there will be actual subsequent blog entries, but until then oremus pro invicem!