Happy Feast Day

Well, it's natural that I should be wishing the world a happy feast day ("buona festa," as they say around here), because yesterday was, of course, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who also goes by the titles of Guardian of the Redeemer and Patron of the Universal Church, among a slew of others. This is a high holy day for us in the Oblate community, and for the Church, as well. Once Holy Week is over, I'll try and write something about him and devotion to him for you. Meanwhile, it's Palm (Passion) Sunday, and I need to inform you that I'll be signing off for the duration of the week. I suggest you do the same--it's a great help in preparing for the liturgies of the Triduum.

Hapy Anniversary, OSJ

If the rest of you are nerds like I am (and I know for a fact that some of you are), then you probably already knew that today was π Day. For those of you who aren't geeks, the reason for that is that the irrational number, "π" is approximately equivalent to 3.14, which are the numerals that make up today's dat (March 14 or 3/14). Thus, they (we) call today "π Day," which is, of course pronounced, "Pi Day."

There is, though, an altogether more important reason to celebrate today: On March 14, 1878, then-Fr. Joseph Marello founded the Congregation of the Oblates of St. Joseph in Asti, Italy, when our first member, George Medico, OSJ, and three of his companions took up the life that our Founder had laid out for them.

In light of the profound significance of this day, then, I would like to take this opportunity to mention, for those who do not know, what the Oblates of St. Joseph are all about: St. Joseph Marello founded the Congregation in the midst of turmoil and political unrest as Italy was undergoing its violent unification. As a result of this, certain factions became oppressive of the Church, and so there was a great lack of religious education going on, which naturally resulted in ignorant Catholics. Meanwhile, the ranks of the clergy were declining, and pastors found themselves burdened beyond anything they had ever seen. In order to curb the effects of this situation, St. Joseph Marello founded the Oblates to be educators and sacristans, in order to help fulfill two of the greatest needs of his day.

Over time (and not much time, at that), Fr. Marello welcomed priests into the order, and the manner in which we were to be at the service of the diocesan clergy was somewhat altered. Rather than being sacristans and catechists, some could now also help with the sacramental ministry of the priesthood. As time went on, the oder spread, with the intention always in mind to spread devotion to St. Joseph with them anywhere they went.

Today, the Oblates of St. Joseph are committed to assisting the Church in Her greatest needs, which seem, once again, to be the religious education of the youth and the lack of clergy. What characterizes the Oblates more than their mission (similar missions can be found in seemingly countless congregations throughout the Church) is their spirit. The Oblates are committed to living together in a spirit of family, to humble, anonymous service, and to imitating the tireless labor of Christ's guardian on earth, St. Joseph.

So, there's a little of that, for you.

Every couple of years, this idea appears in my mind. It's an idea that's always essentially the same. It's an idea that I can't explain, and which does not coincide with my perception of reality. That idea is this: I say to myself, "Self, why don't you do something creative?" Then, I respond, "Self, I do do creative things. I write, for instance." Then I say, "No, no. Why don't you do something artisitic--like painting?" Unable to provide adequate reasons to convince me, I resolve that I should, indeed, take up painting.

The thought has come around once again. Lately, I have had the nearly-overwhelming belief that I ought to start painting. I've been tossing it to and fro in my mind, wondering whether watercolor, acrylic, or oil paint would be the best way to go; how much do easels cost; and what is the story with canvas, anyhow? For whatever reason, the thought has not yet explicitly occurred to me that I should not take up painting, since I have neither the requisite skill nor the patience to hone that skill. No, in the face of that little piece of "evidence" (who ever cared about evidence), I have consistently told myself that all I have to do is start with the basics. Don't worry about being able to reproduce the human form, just see if you can paint a square, and move on as you're comfortable.

I don't really know what it is, but I may end up running out to the art supply store and buying a bunch of painting supplies, only to find that "within the lines" would be a generous way of describing my artistic talents. Of course, having a sudden, inexplicable attraction to something that I would not normally even consider is a situation with which I am familiar. It has happened to me before. Can you guess when?

For those finished with the riddle, it also deserves mention that we are now well into the novena to St. Joseph, with the Feastday rapidly approaching. If you live in the area, or are devoted enough to St. Joseph just to fly (be my guest), be advised that Masses are at 7:30, 10:30, and 7:00 until next Saturday, when there will be an 8:00 and a 10:30. Then, of course, begins Holy Week, and the fun never ends for the contemporary seminarian. What fun? Well, for starters, not only am I singing the Exultet at my usual parish this year, but, due to the transfer of a deacon to an Hispanic parish in Scranton, I am also chanting the Passion on Good Friday. Don't you just love it? I do.

Welcome, March

Hi there, all. I would just like to express how happy I am that March is here. For several reasons. As I have already noted, my favorite liturgical season is racing toward its apex, for which I cannot wait. On top of that, the Solemn Novena to St. Joseph starts this coming Thursday, and does not end until the Feast Day Mass on March 15, the day before Palm Sunday. That's eighteen solid days of solemnity. I know I'm a Church addict, and this is like smack to me. So, I'm excited. In addition, my own feast day is coming up, which means all you posers are going to try and make yourselves part of the greatest race on earth, at least for a day. It's a good day to be a proud Irishman, even if it is displaced by Holy Week.

Besides the litrugical reasons for joy, I am also a big fan of the spring weather. Today was absolutely beautiful. I love this time of year, when it's sunny and cool. Not too long from now, though, Pennsylvania will remind me who's boss and suddenly become unbearably hot, which will continue from about May until October, by my reckoning. So, I enjoy the weather when I can.

I just came off of what has probably been the busiest weekend of my semester so far. That's appropriate, since March tends to be the busiest month of the seminary year. Busy, sure, but I love it.

And now, to the real reason I wrote this post: I never appropriately welcomed those of you hailing from other countries. Officially, as of now, the numbers tell me that we have visitors from the Philippines, Malta, the UK, and Italy, in addition to our usual American suspects. Welcome, to all of you.