The other day, I decided to join Twitter, which is basically a website where I can keep people informed about my daily life here at the seminary. It is actually a really cool website that lets me keep in touch with friends and family. If you have a Twitter, please look me up; my user ID is thomaspringle. I would like to take this time to welcome anyone who may be visiting my blog from Twitter. If you are interested in learning more about my vocation and what led me to my decision to enter the seminary, please feel free to contact me on Twitter.

Now, over the past few weeks, people back home have been wondering what classes I am taking this semester so I wanted to post them in case anyone may be interested. The schedule is as follows…

Monday:
7:15 a.m. Morning Prayer / Mass
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Drama and Ministry
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:10 to 2:00 p.m. Ministerial Practicum
5:00 p.m. Meditation / Evening Prayer
5:30 p.m. Dinner
11:00 p.m. Curfew

Tuesday:
7:15 a.m. Morning Prayer / Mass
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:25 to 9:40 a.m. Spanish II
9:50 to 11:05 a.m. Medieval Philosophy
11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Catholic Poets (Independent Study)
12:30 p.m. Lunch
5:00 p.m. Meditation / Evening Prayer
5:30 p.m. Dinner
6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Introduction to the New Testament
11:00 p.m. Curfew

Wednesday:
7:15 a.m. Morning Prayer / Mass
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Drama and Ministry
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Worklist
4:30 p.m. Holy Hour / Meditation / Evening Prayer
5:30 p.m. Dinner
11:00 p.m. Curfew

Thursday:
7:15 a.m. Morning Prayer / Mass
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:25 to 9:40 a.m. Spanish II
9:50 to 11:05 a.m. Medieval Philosophy
11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Catholic Poets (Independent Study)
12:30 p.m. Lunch
5:00 p.m. Meditation / Evening Prayer
5:30 p.m. Dinner
6:40 p.m. Rector’s Conference
11:00 p.m. Curfew

Friday:
7:15 a.m. Morning Prayer / Mass
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Drama and Ministry
12:30 p.m. Lunch
5:00 p.m. Meditation / Evening Prayer
5:30 p.m. Dinner
1:00 a.m. Curfew

Saturday:
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Rosary
9:30 a.m. Mass
1:00 a.m. Curfew

Sunday:
10:00 a.m. Solemn Morning Prayer
10:30 a.m. Mass
11:30 a.m. Brunch
10:00 p.m. Night Prayer
11:00 p.m. Curfew

Over the next couple of days, the seminary will continue a tradition of having the Blessed Sacrament exposed for forty hours. All of the seminarians really look forward to this tradition and spending time at the feet of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Here is an excerpt from the Seminary website about the last 40 Hours Devotion that we participated in at the beginning of the Fall semester.

The time of adoration began Friday with Solemn Evening Prayer and Exposition in the main chapel of St. Raphael. The entire community then participated in a procession with the Blessed Sacrament to the chapel of the McCarthy House, where the monstrance was placed on the altar for the forty hours of devotion to begin.
Two seminarians were assigned to each hour, even throughout the night. Many went to spend time with the Lord in the Eucharist outside their assigned hours. By experiencing such intimate communion with the Lord, we prayed as a community that we would receive the graces to live in reality as Men of Communion with the Lord and with each other. It was a beautiful way to begin the academic semester.

The 40 Hours Devotion will conclude tomorrow morning with a procession from the McCarthy House Chapel to the Chapel of St. Raphael, solemn morning prayer, Benediction, and morning Mass.

A couple of months ago, I was asked to write a brief reflection on how St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School shaped me into the person I have become and the important influence the school played on my spiritual and academic development.
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A Seminarian’s Memories of St. Charles School

Tucked away in my mother’s box of pictures is an image of a happy little kindergartner wearing a bright yellow rain coat, a vibrant red fireman’s hat, and sporting a shiny black pair of cowboy boots. Carrying an orange plastic pumpkin to collect Halloween candy, I stood there in the terrazzo hallway by Mrs. Ricker’s room waiting to trudge through the classrooms to show everyone that I was going to be a fireman when I grew up. Boy, did God have other plans for me!

Also nestled in the picture box are the memories of dressing up as Saint Paul on All Saint’s Day and standing before the statue of Mary in the courtyard with my classmates after we received our First Communion. There too, are other pictures: of my trip to Saint Augustine in fourth grade and of me sitting in Miss Patchett’s room reading a book. The memories just keep flooding in as I remember middle school and the antics of Mr. Dziedzic standing on the table teaching us that Star Wars really did have a connection to the Bible!

I wanted to never leave Saint Charles School. But the plan is for all little firemen to grow up and move into the realm of life where God wants us. We can hold on to the memories forever, but we can’t stay. We can only pass through the hallways and the classrooms learning what we will and then move forward on the path that God calls us to follow.

I am grateful that I spent my childhood at St. Charles School. I will forever be grateful to all the wonderful teachers and school staff (especially Mrs. Barbosa and Mrs. Windus who became like mothers to me). I will never forget the loving support of my family, my friends, and my church community. I believe that there is no better place for a future seminarian to develop his faith than in the arms of the patron saint for seminarians – Saint Charles Borromeo.

Tommy Pringle
St. John Vianney College Seminary

Hello everyone! I am overjoyed that the trip back to St. Johns in Miami did not take an exhausting five and a half hours like the trip down after the Thanksgiving holiday break. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to make it back in just under four hours. There was hardly any traffic on the Turnpike up until Port St. Lucie when it picked up a little.

Over the break, I was very excited to share my expressions of thanksgiving to the members of Corpus Christi and Blessed Sacrament parishes for their very generous support. The two parishes were so generous during my visits that I am very much looking forward to paying them another visit sometime during the Easter Break, God willing.

The last couple of weeks have been very busy for me. In fact, the majority of my time was spent helping out in the St. Charles parish office on Monday through Wednesday of the last two weeks as the parish receptionist was on vacation. All I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed it!!! Helping out in the office reassured me that the path I am on is truly what the Lord is calling me to. I look forward to helping out more over the summer, that is if Bishop Wenski and Fr. Miguel do not decide to have me do something else over the summer. In that case, I look forward to that as well.

I just wanted to keep all of you up-to-date on the last few weeks.  Please know that you will all continue to be in my prayers.

Before I go, I have one favor to ask of all of you. Please keep my grandmother (Myrtle Pringle) who has been diagnosed with skin cancer. We aren’t exactly sure how bad the cancer is right now, but she does go in for surgery sometime in February. More information to come.

For now, may the Lord bless you and continue to shine his light upon you to guide you throughout your life.