Disaster in Haiti

Over the last few hours, the news of the massive, devastating earthquake in Haiti has had precedence on all of our thoughts and minds here at the seminary. The Church in Florida is so uniquely diverse that we have seminarians at St. John Vianney from 17 countries of birth and whom speak five first languages. Included in this group are three seminarians of Haitian descent, which makes the tragedy in Haiti hit close to home.

All morning, we have been watching the television and browsing the internet for any good news emerging from the region affected by the earthquake. However, the bad news continues to pour out of the poorest country in the western hemisphere. In regards to the Catholic Church in Haiti, the latest news has been even more devastating. The Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince has maintained extensive losses to churches, schools, formation houses, etc. The most devastating and heart wrenching loss of churches, however, has to be that of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Port-au-Prince , which received extensive damage. [In fact, when I saw these before and after pictures, I was completely dumbfounded.] The Port-au-Prince seminary also fell victim to the earthquake, collapsing with seminarians inside the building. The seminarians are still trapped beneath the rubble; they will especially be in my thoughts and prayers today.

Among the greatest loss to the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince is the Archbishop, Msgr. Joseph Serge Miot. The Archbishop’s body was located beneath the rubble of his collapsed residence.

As Catholics, it is important for us to remember the people of Haiti and their families located throughout the world in prayer today and throughout the upcoming weeks, months, and years. It is going to take a long time to overcome such a devastating disaster. If you would like to offer financial assistance to help the people of Haiti recover, here are some links that will take you to sites that will accept monetary donations.

• Catholic Relief Services
• The American Red Cross: You can also text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross charged to your phone bill.

The three Haitian seminarians we have at St. John Vianney have taught me one thing about the Haitian people–they will overcome this disaster, singing praises to God. In fact, the one thing that stood out the most to me while watching all the news reports  this morning was an observation from a reporter, Christine Webb, from one of Orlando’s news stations who happened to be in Haiti for a mission trip. She reported that “you could hear people singing through the night, praising God.”

National Vocation Awareness Week

A post I did for Whispers of the Spirit:

This week the Church in the United States celebrates National Vocation Awareness Week; a week that the Bishops have set aside in which all Catholics are asked to pray for an increase in vocations. Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston who is the current chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations said that, as Catholics, “it is our responsibility to encourage young people to be generous in their response as they discern the possibility of a call to service in the Church.”

As we begin this week, it is fitting that the Gospel reading from Mass this morning was on the call of the Apostles: Simon, Andrew, James, and John. Jesus asked all of them to leave everything they possessed behind to “Come after me.” Sometimes we don’t understand or we can’t clearly see where the Lord is calling us. In these instances, we must put all of our trust and hope in the Lord , asking Him to show us the path He wants us to follow that will best serve the church.

On other occasions, we clearly hear where the Lord wants us to go and we are fearful to respond to his call. In these times, it is important to remember the life of Mary, who, though filled with fear at the message of the angel declaring her to be to virgin Mother of God, answered with a yes. Let us not forget that, in Mary’s time, women who were not married and became pregnant were literally stoned to death. However, despite all of this uncertainty, Mary trusted that God would take care of her. (more…)

UPDATE: Health Care Reform

As all of us are aware, the United States Congress has been debating the issue of reforming America’s health care system over the last few months. There is no question about it; there is much reform needed within the health care system. The first major hurdle for the debate came on November 7, 2009 when the Affordable Health Care for America Act was voted upon by the U.S. House of Representatives. However, before the vote was carried out an amendment was proposed by Representatives Bart Stupak (D-MI), Joseph Pitts (R-PA), Brad Ellsworth (D-IN), Marcy Kaptur (DOH), Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA), Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL) that would ban the use of federal funds in abortions.

There has been some misunderstanding about what the Stupak Amendment actually does for the health care bill. To help Catholics (more…)

100th Post!!!!!

Good morning, everyone!! Sorry I have been out of the loop a little over the last few weeks. Things have really been hectic around the seminary with the celebration of the 50th Anniversary, the Fall Vocations Awareness Weekend, and now papers and approaching final exams. However, I did want to share some news with you about the site.

Today, I write the 100th post for the website!!! To tell you the truth, I expected to write the post earlier-in fact, I wrote something a couple of weeks ago and forgot to post it. Nonetheless, I would like to thank you all for constantly checking up on the progress of a young man trying to discern God’s will in his life. Seminary life is not always easy!! Everything I write on the site allows me to reflect on my seminary experience. For that, I thank you all tremendously!

Now, for the next few weeks:

• Vocations Awareness Weekend Article: There will be an article coming out in the Florida Catholic very soon that I wrote about our recent Vocations Awareness Weekend. I will have it up (with some interesting pictures) when it comes out so that you all can see what the weekend was all about.
• Review of the Semester: Sometime in the next few days, I will post a review of my third semester at St. John Vianney College Seminary so that all of you can share in the experiences of this very hectic, grace-filled semester.
• Evaluations, Finals, Gaudeamus, Christmas Break: All of these are coming up!!

Until next time, PAX!

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.