New Diocesan Vicar General

A short break from my usual posts to offer congratulations to Very Reverend Gregory Parkes, Chancellor of the Diocese of Orlando and Parochial Administrator of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Celebration, Florida, who was named the Vicar General for the Diocese of Orlando last week. Below is the announcement from the Diocese of Orlando website.

Bishop Thomas Wenski is pleased to announce the appointment of Very Reverend Gregory Parkes, J.C.L. as Vicar General of the Diocese of Orlando. Father Parkes assumed this role on November 1. He serves along with Monsignor Patrick Caverly who has served as Vicar General of the Diocese of Orlando since 1992. Father Parkes will continue to serve as Diocesan Chancellor of Canonical Affairs and Parochial Administrator of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Celebration.

A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general has executive power over the whole Diocese regarding administrative matters, except those matters the Bishop has reserved for himself.

Father Parkes was ordained to the priesthood on June 26, 1999 by Bishop Norbert Dorsey. He attended the North American College in Rome from 1996 – 2000 where he earned a Licentiate Degree in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University. After returning to the Diocese of Orlando, Father Parkes was assigned as Parochial Vicar of Holy Family Catholic Church in Orlando where he served from 2000 – 2004. In addition, he was appointed Defender of the Bond and served in the Marriage Tribunal during this same period. In December 2004, Bishop Thomas Wenski appointed him Chancellor of the diocese. Father Parkes was appointed Parochial Administrator of the newly formed Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Celebration in March 2005.

Father Parkes serves as a member of the Diocesan Finance Committee, Priest Placement Board, Presbyteral Council, Incardination Committee, College of Consultors, and is on the Board of Trustees of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach. He has two brothers, Very Reverend Stephen Parkes who is Parochial Administrator of Most Precious Blood Catholic Church in Oviedo, and Christopher Parkes who is married and lives in Maryland.

Remembering Our Veterans

Some 91 years ago, the First World War ended with an armistice between the Allied Powers and Germany on November 11, 1918. As a result of the armistice, the United Stated Congress decided to commemorate the day as a national holiday – Armistice Day. The holiday was meant not only to commemorate the reemergence of peace throughout the world but also as a way for the people of the United States to remember those who had fought for our freedom by serving in the armed forces during the “Great War.”

“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”  — President Woodrow Wilson

The concept of Armistice Day was changed in 1954 after many veterans organizations asked that the holiday be changed so that Americans could remember all those individuals who had served our country. Here is an excerpt from President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s proclamation of the First Veterans Day.

Eisenhower's Veterans Day Proclamation

“I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States of America, do hereby call upon all of our citizens to observe Thursday, November 11, 1954, as Veterans Day. On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shored, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain. I also direct the appropriate officials of the Government to arrange for the display of the flag of the United States on all public buildings on Veterans Day.”

Today, as our country fights a seemingly never ending War on Terror, let us remember the sacrifices of our military men and women who are defending our freedom and the freedom of all. Take time today to be remember them and their families in your thoughts and prayers. Also, take time today to promote peace in everything that you do so that the efforts of our military men and women are not in vain.

On a personal note, I would like to take this opportunity to remember my grandfather, Eugene W. Pringle who served our country in the Air Force. My grandfather, who died a couple of years ago, was always so proud of serving his country. In fact, the pride he had in his country inspired his children to join the military – my father, Terry, served in the Air Force and my uncle, Mel, in the Navy. Many of the uncles on my mother’s side of the family also served in the military: my uncle Tommy served in the Navy and my uncle Freddy served in the Marines. Thank you all for being willing to sacrifice everything in defense of our country’s freedom.

50th Anniversary Update: Mass

On Saturday, the St. John Vianney College Seminary community came together with alumni, family, and friends to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the Chapel of St. Raphael for the 50th Anniversary. Archbishop John C. Favalora, Archbishop of Miami, was the main celebrant of the Mass. The mass was concelebrated by Bishops Thomas Wenski (Orlando), John Noonan (Auxiliary of Miami), Felipe Estévez (Auxiliary of Miami), Agustin Román (Ret. Auxiliary of Miami) and Bishop-elect Fernando Isern (Pueblo) along with priest alumni.

All of the seminarians had a responsibility throughout the weekend. My responsibility was with the Schola, which sang at all of the liturgical celebrations throughout the weekend. The music that was chosen for the Mass covered each generation of the seminary, which hopefully brought back some enjoyable memories for the alumni that were present. Below is a list of the songs that were sung for the celebration of the Eucharist: (I will try to get the audio from the Mass when it is completed.)

• Go Up to the Altar of God composed by James J. Chepponis
• Kyrie from the Mass for John Carroll composed by Jan Michael Joncas
• Psalm 40: Here am I composed by Marty Haugen
• Celtic Alleluia composed by Christopher Walker
• Trilingual Intercessions composed by Donald Osuna
• Desde la Aurora hasta el Ocaso composed by Juan J. Sosa/words by Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy, D.D.
• Mass Parts: Festival Eucharist composed by Richard Proulx
• Agnus Dei from the Chant Mass
• God’s Justice composed by Robert Vallee (alumni and current member of the faculty of SJVCS)
• Amen. El Cuerpo de Cristo composed by John Schiavone
• Sacrum Convivium
• Go Forth and Preach the Gospel arranged by James Chepponis

From a current seminarian’s point of view, having the opportunity to share in the celebration of the 50th Anniversary Mass during my time at the seminary is something that I will remember for the rest of my life. Looking up to the altar during the consecration, I saw two bishops and a bishop-elect who had graduated from this place. Noticing this made me realize that we, the current generation of seminarians, are the future of the Church, which is terrifying and yet humbling. We all bring our own weaknesses with us as we begin the long road of discernment. However, the Lord has called each of us, despite those weaknesses, to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles, the martyrs, saints, and millions of Christians who have gone before us. We have all received the message of our Lord, Jesus Christ and it is our duty to go forth and preach the gospel to all nations and all peoples.

After the jump, more photos. (more…)

50th Anniversary Update: Morning of Recollection

Msgr. Michael Carruthers

The 50th Anniversary celebrations are well underway. Last evening, a small portion of the alumni gathered in the Holy Apostles Refectory for a Cocktail Reception/Gathering where they were given an opportunity to reflect on their time here at St. John Vianney College Seminary with some of their old classmates. There were three former seminarians there that attended the seminary during its high school days in 1959. (For those of you who did not know, the seminary used to be four years of high school and two years of college, which changed in the late 1970s when the Archdiocese of Miami took over control of the day-to-day operations of the seminary.)

This morning, the “welcoming” festivities continued with a Morning of Recollection. Monsignor Michael Carruthers, Rector/President of St. John Vianney reflected on the role of the minor seminary during Mid-day Prayer in St. Raphael’s Chapel. Msgr. Carruthers stated that the role of the minor seminary is to help young men who are discerning the Priesthood of Jesus Christ to “develop a deep, intimate relationship with our Lord.”

Dr. Charles Cox

After mid-day prayer, Monsignor Terrance Hogan, Rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Miami led a  panel reflection/sharing session with a Priest alumni, a lay alumni, and a faculty member. Monsignor Pablo Navarro shared with those present about how St. John Vianney helped him shape his priestly ministry. Bill Horton, a former seminarian who graduated from SJVCS, spoke about how the education he received at the seminary helped him to show God’s love to others in his workplace. He is currently in his fourth year of preparation for the Permanent Diaconate and will be ordained a Deacon in the very near future. Dr. Charles Cox, the longest serving faculty member of the seminary, spoke about how St. John Vianney has impacted his life by saying that he has been “honored to serve her majesty, holy Mother Church.”

More celebrations will be experienced later on this evening. More pictures to come!!

50th Anniversary Update

A very good morning to all of you! Tomorrow, the festivities for the celebration of St. John Vianney College Seminary’s 50th Anniversary begin. Judging by the number of people who have already RSVP’d, we are looking at having a packed house for the next few days. Our Rector/President, Msgr. Michael Carruthers spoke with us the other night about this being an opportunity for the alumni who are returning to experience the healing touch of Jesus Christ. The alumni will be touched by everything we throughout the duration of their visit. May the Holy Spirit guide us throughout the events.

Preparations are still underway for the tremendously joyous celebrations that will take place from Thursday evening through Sunday afternoon. All of the seminarians have been recruited to help out in some capacity. I will be singing with the awesome guys in Schola for the major liturgical events of the reunion. I will also be giving tours on Friday afternoon; that reminds me, I have to get some interesting facts to tell them. (Thanks to Timbo for the awesome idea!!) But, before all of this begins, I have to keep up with school work and…clean my room.

There will be pictures posted every night after the festivities have ended for the day, so be sure to check out the blog a lot over the next few days. After the 50th we have Vocations Awareness Weekend, so there will be many posts over the next couple of weeks. You will all be on the roller coaster ride with me.

May God bless all of you!! Bye for now….

50th Anniversary Week

Hello all! Later on this week, the St. John Vianney College Seminary community welcomes home the alumni for the 50th Anniversary celebration. The celebrations have the potential of becoming grace-filled for all who take part; not just the seminarians currently studying here, but for the returning alumni, some of whom have not seen this place since the early 1960s. Our hope is that the Holy Spirit will take this opportunity to reach out to all of us, allowing us to be filled with the tremendous love of our Lord.

Here is a brief list of the activities that are planned for the week:

Thursday, November 5th

6:30 p.m.A welcome reception will take place in the refectory for those already in-town. It will be a short chance (6:30 – 7:30 p.m.) to meet each other and plan ways to share with each other during free times. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvre’s will be served. A list of local restaurants will also be available.

Friday, November 6th

10:00 a.m. A morning of recollection will take place in the Chapel of St. Raphael. Included in the morning’s events will be testimonies by priest alumni, lay alumni and faculty. Among those scheduled to speak are Msgr. Pablo Navarro, Mr. Bill Horton, and Dr. Charlie Cox. Lunch will be available in the refectory, and other building will be open for tours.

5:00 p.m. Schola Practice. Yes, you read it correctly. All alumni interested in joining the current seminary schola for a meditation piece during the Friday Vespers (Fr. Buckley’s “Behold How Good It Is”) and the 50th Anniversary Mass can gather for practice. The piece for the mass will be Fr. Buckley’s O Sacrum Convivium.

6:30 p.m. Solemn Evening Prayer will take place in the Chapel of St. Raphael to begin the evening’s festivities.

7:00 p.m. The 50th Anniversary Banquet will commence with cocktails on the patio area outside the refectory. At 8:00 p.m. we will be seated for dinner. Chief Freddie Maas will be the evening’s Master of Ceremony.

Saturday, November 7th

10:00 a.m. Schola Practice

11:00 a.m. The 50th Anniversary Mass will be celebrated in the Chapel of St. Raphael, with Archbishop John C. Favalora as the principal celebrant. All active priest alumni are welcome to concelebrate (please bring albs). The mass will be followed by a stand-up reception in the refectory and its surrounding patio.

5:30 p.m. Evening Prayer will be celebrated in the Chapel of St. Raphael with those still in town. After that we will move to the refectory for a casual evening of Gaudeamus-like entertainment. Alumni are invited to sing and share. Heavy hors d’oeuvre’s will be available as well as guides to nearby restaurants.

Sunday, November 8th

10:00 a.m. Solemn Morning Prayer will be celebrated in the Chapel of St. Raphael. A Mass for healing, which will include the sacrament of the anointing of the sick will follow immediately. Active priest alumni are welcome to concelebrate (please bring albs) and deacons are welcome to vest (please bring alb and green stole).

11:30 a.m. The weekend will close with a relaxed family cook-out outside the community room of the college building.