The following is a letter from Bishop Thomas Wenksi, Bishop of the Diocese of Orlando, regarding the World Day of Prayer for Vocations on May 3rd.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Vocations to the priesthood and religious life are a priority within the Diocese of Orlando. Today, as we experience a growing population in Central Florida, we are also experiencing an increase in vocations, partly because of the prayers of our faithful for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

I appeal to you to pray for an increase in vocations so that we can continue to minister to the increasing number of Catholics in the Diocese of Orlando. Our seminarians need your prayers as they grow in their formation during this period. Our parents need your prayers so they might encourage their children to consider the possibility of a vocation to religious life. Our children need your prayers so they might discern the call of God and say yes to the possibility of becoming a priest or religious sister. Our priests and religious sisters need your prayers as they continue to lead members of Christ’s faithful in their spiritual life.

I ask you to pray daily. There are many ways you might pray for vocations, such as praying the Rosary or Chaplet of Divine Mercy daily or as often as you are able. You might consider receiving Communion or participating in the celebration of Mass with a vocations intention.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (John 13:34) God calls each one of us to a future of love. To give ourselves as a gift to God as Jesus did when he died for us on the cross is the way to true joy.

May our prayers for vocations lead those who hear the call to serve the Lord in this special way to say YES and may our prayers support them on this journey.

Most Reverend Thomas Wenski
Bishop of Orlando

Prayer for Vocations

God, our Father, we turn to you in this time of great need. We trust in your loving kindness and ask you to hear the prayers we offer for your Church.

Through your grace, we seek men to generously offer their lives to you in the vocation of priesthood.

We seek both men and women who may offer their lives to you in the vocation of religious life.

Bless and guide those who are discerning your call to holiness and service.

Give them courage, steadfast love and a spirit of charity as they seek to respond faithfully to the call to priesthood and religious life.

We offer this prayer for the Diocese of Orlando and for the whole Church in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who is Lord, forever and ever.

Amen.

“Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end, and somewhere in the middle we became the best of friends.”

-Unknown Author

August 7, 2008 was my first day at St. John Vianney College Seminary. As I drove down in the car with my mother next to me, I was extremely nervous about leaving home for the first time and being away from my family and my friends. I was stepping into an unknown environment; an environment where it would be rather difficult the first few days to find anyone to talk to about how I was feeling or what I was experiencing. But, that all changed when I got to my room the first night and I got a chance to talk with my New Student Experience (NSE) roommate.

My first roommate was a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Miami who had just arrived in the states from Colombia. The first night of NSE we found ourselves talking about each other and our lives before entering St. John. In the midst of that talk, we shared the same concerns about leaving family and friends. I realized that I had made my first friend at the seminary; a friendship that I know will last forever.

As the year has progressed, the seminarians I have shared my thoughts and feelings with have all become more than just friends – we are more like brothers. As Eustache Deschamps puts it, “friends are relatives you make for yourself.” The brotherhood that develops in the seminary is something that is truly remarkable. We walk with each other down the path to ordination experiencing great struggles and challenges along the way. Sometimes, it is the brothers that actually prompt these challenges. But, these challenges are good for all of us because in the midst of the struggle there is tremendous growth.

The friendships that form in the seminary would not be possible without the presence of the Lord because without Him there would be no substance to them. They would simply be fleeting moments of chit-chat. We would not be able, or willing, to share any of the things that reside in the deepest recesses of our hearts.

In modern society, people are broken! Rather than developing friendships where emotions and feelings can be freely expressed, people look for “stuff” and “things” to make them happy. This increasingly materialistic society is something the church must address. The future is uncertain, especially now with this economic crisis. My hope and my prayer is that people will begin to realize that there is more to life than “stuff.”

In the words of our Rector/President, Msgr. Michael Carruthers, the conversation needs to deepen. We should not be afraid to put our hearts out there. Trust that the Lord will be present and that He will guide the conversation, sparking an incredible feeling of love and support.

Hello all! I hope you are all enjoying the new website!

The month of April has been and will continue to be hectic as Final Exams approach. In fact next week, I have three papers due, two of which are due on the same day. Throughout this week, I will be continuing to spend a little time on all of them. I should be done by Wednesday of next week with all the papers. So, over the next two weeks, I will not get a chance to post much on the site. My studies do come first!

Throughout the month of April, I will be praying for a special intention and I ask that you pray along with me. If you go to my Contact page, you will see that I do have one special cause, the ASPCA. Throughout this month, the ASPCA is honoring Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. During your prayer time this month, please remember the ASPCA and all the homeless, neglected, and abused pets in your prayers.

As the end of the year approaches, the seminary is already preparing for the upcoming year. Today, I got to pick my classes for next year. (Well, technically, I didn’t pick them – they were picked for me.) As it stands now, my first semester next year is going to be extremely busy. The classes that are required have a lot of writing involved with them. They include: Metaphysics with Dr. Solis, Modern Philosophy with Fr. Ferdi, Church History with Dr. Morgan, Themes of the Catechism with Dr. Morgan, and Intermediate Spanish with Dr. Jimenez.

Well, I am going to get back to writing my New Testament paper. May God continue to bless all of you! Bye for now…

This past week, the church celebrated Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday and coming to a close on Easter Sunday. As we journeyed with the church, we experienced Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey, the celebration of His Last Supper, the pain and suffering of His Passion and death, and the greatest triumph of all, His Resurrection. As we journey through this week and the rest of the Easter season, let us not lose sight of all the things our Lord, Jesus Christ did for us by dying for us upon the cross.

Over the past few days, I have been reflecting on this year, my first year of seminary formation. A few weeks ago, I mentioned how a year had passed since I had begun the process of becoming a seminarian fro the Diocese of Orlando. On that Monday of Holy Week last year, I had no idea of the things the Lord had in store for me for the upcoming year. It has been a year of extreme challenges and triumphs.

The challenges came from being away from family and friends for the first time, being in a completely different environment. I pretty much grew up at my parish. In fact, just the other day, when I was home for Holy Week Recess, I was talking to my mother about how the parish raised me. I have been associated with St. Charles Church ever since I was 3 DAYS old. So, you can imagine, leaving that environment was tremendously difficult. However, when I got to the seminary in August, I quickly found a new home and I grew to love my brother seminarians as if they were my biological brothers. The Lord truly does work in marvelous ways. Throughout the next year, I am sure the struggles will be even more difficult to deal with; but, I know that if I believe the Lord is there with me, I can conquer anything that challenges me along the way!

Here are some pictures from Holy Week 2009 at St. Charles!!

On Friday evening before the Operation Deliverance Prayer Service at Blanchard Park, Fr. Miguel informed all of the seminarians of their summer assignments. During the months of June and July, the majority of the seminarians will be placed in a parish within the Diocese of Orlando to gain some experience in various aspects of ministry. This summer, I will be staying in Merritt Island at Divine Mercy Catholic Church.

Interior of the Church

Exterior of the Church

More information to come soon! I am meeting my supervisor, Fr. Karl Bergin, on Wednesday at the Chrism Mass at Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine.