This morning, on the Feast of St. Joseph, the seminary community welcomed the fifth rector of St. John Vianney College Seminary, Bishop Robert N. Lynch, Bishop of St. Petersburg. It has been a very difficult past eight months for Bishop Lynch who has undergone numerous surgeries and experienced many complications with his recovery. While the bishop has lost quite a bit of weight, he is finally beginning to return to full ministry. I might add that he really does look great!!!

During this morning’s Mass, Bishop Lynch spoke to the seminarians, reminding us to follow the example of St. Joseph. On this, the feast of the foster father of Jesus, Bishop Lynch told us to live by Joseph’s example, giving us three points to focus on. The first point was to have a fidelity to faith, to be willing to listen to the voice of the Lord and have faith that he will protect, guide, and strengthen us. Secondly, we should all have the courage to take risks–the bishop reminded us that Joseph had to take the risk to take Mary and Jesus into Egypt to protect them from Herod. Finally, we should all have humility to put others before ourselves, not simply seeking what is best for ourselves but, rather, for the good of all.

Please continue to pray for Bishop Lynch as he continues his recovery. Please also remember to pray for Bishop John Ricard (Pensacola-Tallahassee) who is recovering from a December stroke.

Happy Feast of St. Joseph to all of you!! May the words of Pius IX be a reminder to all of us of Joseph’s mission: “All for Jesus, all for Mary, all to imitate thee, O patriarch St. Joseph!”

PHOTO SOURCE: For His Friends: Thoughts and Reflections by Bishop Robert Lynch

Another Vocations Awareness Weekend has come and gone and this time around the bar was definitely raised by the guests. Out of the 70 young men who attended the weekend, all of them gave their hearts to really consider the discernment of the priesthood of Jesus Christ.

On Friday evening, the guests arrived to the seminary. At about 11:00 p.m. we all gathered in the main chapel for a welcoming/blessing ceremony with a modified version of Night Prayer. Saturday was packed with all kinds of different activities. On Saturday morning, the guests watched a very…interesting movie created by the Dean of Students/Vice Rector of the seminary. Following the movie presentation, the guests listened to several seminarians describe the four pillars of formation as prescribed by the Program of Priestly Formation (PPF). The seminarians added a personal touch to the pillars to make them more real for the guests.

On Saturday evening, several seminarians were asked to lead small group sessions where the guests could ask any questions about seminary life, the process of discernment in our own lives, etc. During the small group sessions, I experienced the willingness of these young men to open their hearts. Compared to the last VAW in November, the conversation that took place in these small groups was much deeper and more geared towards discernment.

A very good morning to all of you!! As I write this, the seminary community of St. John Vianney College Seminary is hosting about 70 young men who are seeking to know God’s will for their lives during our Spring Vocations Awareness Weekend.

This morning, I would like to begin by thanking all of you who are loyal readers of this small effort on my part to promote vocations in the Catholic Church by sharing my own journey of discernment. I would also like to welcome those who may be visiting for the first time.

As many of you read on the Whispers of the Spirit blog on Thursday, over the last several months it has become increasingly difficult to keep up two blogs when you are pretty much working on them yourself. The only reasonable thing to do would be to stop posting blogs on one site and focus on the site where I post more articles. Therefore, Whispers of the Spirit will no longer be updated with new information, effective immediately. The work of promoting vocations will continue on this site.

This upcoming weekend, the seminary community will welcome 72 guests from all seven dioceses of Florida to the spring version of Vocation Awareness Weekend. The seminarians have all been busy the last few days getting everything prepared to make the weekend as prayerful and inspiring for the guests.

As one of the seminarians responsible for music throughout each week, I, along with the other “music guys,” have been tasked with getting the music ready for all of the liturgies. We have quite a few liturgies to plan for; here is a bit of a breakdown of the schedule for VAW.

Friday Night the seminarians will welcome the guests with a social in the Bishop Noonan Community Room. Following the arrival of the guests, we will all gather in the main chapel for an adjusted form of Night Prayer, with a formal welcoming and blessing ceremony.

Saturday is action packed with the guests being introduced to the “Pillars of Priestly Formation” with a video made by Fr. Alvarez. (That should be interesting to say the least.) To begin the day, we will all gather in the chapel for Morning Prayer. Later in the morning, after the video and seminarian panel, we will all gather in the chapel for Mass. The afternoon on Saturday is meant to be enjoyable; we usually set aside time for all of us to get some recreation, whether that be playing basketball, soccer, football…you get the point. Following the time for sports, we will gather in the chapel for Evening Prayer.

A good afternoon to everyone!! Yesterday afternoon, my fellow seminarians and I returned to St. John Vianney College Seminary after a much needed mid-semester break. Though the break was shorter than our normal breaks, it was very relaxing, allowing me to catch up on some rest. During the break, most of my time was spent with family and friends including two very awesome priests!! However, my prayer life was also enriched over the break–the dust is beginning to settle and I am able to see how the Lord has been working in my life over the last few months.

This afternoon at 5 p.m., the seminary community begins our annual silent retreat. So, from 5 o’clock this evening until Sunday afternoon, I will be free from the distractions of cell phones, computers, etc. Needless to say, I am really looking forward to this retreat; I am kind of wondering how the Lord is going to work. Please keep me and all the seminarians in your prayers, that the Lord will grant us all humility to receive and recognize the movements of the Spirit in our lives. As always, you all will remain in my prayers.

Pax.