Food and Feet

It's been a long time since my last post and for that, I apologize.  There's been a lot happening at the Seminary these days and I'll try to bring everyone up to speed in the weeks ahead. 

One of the highlights in the Seminary over the past month has been the Ordination to the Diaconate on our patronal feast - the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.  On this day, we celebrated and prayed with Rodnev Lapommeray, Dennis Suglia, Kevin Thompson and Frank Zero (see pictures below) as they were ordained to the diaconate. I have been fortunate to spend a significant amount of time with these men - my classmates - and it was a tremendous day for our entire community.

I had the opportuntiy to preach at Morning Prayer on December 8th. Below is the text of my homily that morning:

Today is a day of calling for sure. I’d like to suggest today that we, too, might be called, like Mary, in ways we could never imagine. Today, in a special way, in spirit of both this solemnity and the spirit of this day as we prepare for the Ordination to the Diaconate if this day is not about a calling to Food and Feet - yes, Food and Feet. Bear with me for a minute….



Rodnev Lapommeray, from the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Before coming to the Seminary, I had the opportunity to work with a program called, “Midnight Run”. It involved bringing together groups of people – in my case – high school students – to bring clothing and food to homeless women and men in Manhattan on Friday nights. Before one I received a call from the Dean of Students asking me to include a young man – who I knew all too well – who had gotten into some trouble. So, I strongly encouraged Sean to come and to spend the night with a group of people he was not too comfortable with and spending a Friday night in an unfamiliar way, for him at least.

So we journeyed and headed into Manhattan. I never failed (nor fail) to be humbled by the reaction of those we would bring and those we would encounter. The gratitude, appreciation and desire for relationship they sought too. There was also human moments of encounter, like on this night when one man said to Sean – after seeing the hundreds of sandwiches prepared and said, “What, you don’t have any Turkey? How can you come here and not have Turkey?”



That same night we journeyed to 55th Street and Park Avenue and saw a man who came to our van barefoot looking for shoes or sneakers. The shoes he was wearing were worn and ripped and clearly this man needed new shoes. We just did not have that much clothing this particular night and had to send the man away barefoot with only food. It wasn’t until the next stop that I realized what had happened. As we gathered everyone up I couldn’t find Sean. You can imagine the range of thoughts running through my mind. After a minute or two Sean came from around a corner and returned to the van. It wasn’t until we got to the next stop that I realized what happened. Sean wasn’t wearing any shoes.

I share that story because this day – because I think this morning’s reading and our preparations for the celebration of Diaconate – might en-flesh for us, if you will, the power of this Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. That we, like Mary, are called to greatness, even when we don’t think we’re worthy, even when we cannot imagine why God might have created us, why he formed us, what we are His.

How do we actualize this – how do we come to more powerfully recognize this – well it’s in Food and Feet. It’s in the example of the diaconate. It’s around the Table that we’ll gather around to share and encounter Jesus in bread and wine. And it calls us to look at the tables of our own lives. Who do we welcome? include? Exclude? Who is welcome? Who is shunned? The men who will be ordained today become more powerfully people of Table – should not the same be true for the rest of us.

And it’s from that sharing in the meal – that we are called to be people of feet – of the “washing of the feet”, of service to our God by service to another. Here, again, it’s in the example of the diaconate. The commitment of deacons to have a special love and priority to the poor. We, too, must look to that in our own lives. Are we really willing to serve and seek out the most vulnerable among us? It’s not about journeying into NYC and feeding the homeless. It’s about looking among our friends, our family members, the men we are in class with, those who live on our alleys. The men who will be ordained today prepare to embrace what it means to wash feet – should not the same be true for the rest of us?

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – a day we recognize in a deeper, even unseen ways, of Mary’s call to be the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church. God called her by name – saw and realized the gifts present within before she herself knew. Today, you and I are called to re-recognize, re-discover and reflect on how God constantly calls each one of us to encounter him in bread and wine, in the service of the other. – in food and feet.

Rockville Centre Deacons. From left to right: Deacon Frank Zero, Deacon Dennis Suglia, Bishop William Murphy and Deacon Dennis Suglia.

Let’s pray that we may be open to God’s dynamic call in our lives, that we like Mary, like the men to be ordained may respond to God’s call with enthusiasm and acceptance for we are his servants, let it be done to us according to his will.

The Wedding

So this week, I considered writing about Thanksgiving or Work Days or some other facet of Seminary life...and then I returned home this weekend to read The Long Island Catholic to find an article about my "mock" wedding that so many participted in.  Take some time to read the article
http://www.licatholic.org/news/2010/11/112410/DoingtheritethingSeminarianpracticesweddingwithparishhelp.html
as I hope it reveals a lot about the formation process and the need for the community of support to be invovled in the process.

Have a great week!

This a picture of the wedding reception the parish hosted after the "mock" wedding! What a great community!

Hall of Fame

This past Saturday, I was inducted into the St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School Hall of Fame along Mrs. Barbara Maher, The Ferraro Family and Rev. Msgr. James Kissane. It was a tremendous honor - one that was both very affirming and humbling, most especially when I consider this year's inductees and previous honorees.  Even more humbling was the tremendous visible support offered by family, the St. John's, Our Lady of Lourdes and Hope House communities and the members of the Seminary community who attended the dinner.





The Inductees: Mr. Walter D. Lace and Msgr. James Vlaun



 Below are the words I shared after being inducted into the Hall of Fame by Msgr. James Vlaun, past Chaplain and Mr. Walter D. Lace, Principal:

"I come tonight with three reactions – shock – humility – gratitude.

Shock. First, and those of you who know me already know this – I hate this stuff. And I want you to know how it happened. Last January Mr. Lace mentioned, “You know, Johnny, we need to honor you at the Hall of Fame….” and I said, “No, no, I don’t think so” and never heard about it again until during my pastoral work this summer at Good Samaritan Hospital came to me and said, “Congratulations you’re being honored at St. John the Baptist”. I replied, “What?” and she showed me the SJB Family News with my picture on it…so lesson learned – in the future be definitive.

Family Picture!



 Humility. Truthfully, I come here tonight very humbled and truthfully one does not feel worthy of this for two reasons. First I see who has been inducted into the Hall of Fame and who is being inducted this night. The wall in the South Lobby is filled with women and men, families and communities who have in some way – directly or indirectly –given more to me than I could ever hope to offer to St. John’s. For this community accepted an awkward, uncomfortable fourteen year old freshman in 1989 and molded and formed him. This community through the actions and support of Dr. Joanne O’Brien, Msgr. Vlaun and Mr. Lace gave an opportunity of a lifetime to a 20 year old to serve as a teacher and campus minister and eventually social worker, It is this community that encouraged me to continue to learn and go to school and to develop. It is this community – of students, alumni, teachers, family, friends and so many others – who in large part sent me to the Seminary. And even to this night, a community that continues to pray for, support and encourage me in so many ways.

Some members of the Seminary Community: Sr. Mary Louise Brink, SC, Collins Adwutum, Lawrence Onyegu, Jacob Onyumbe, Msgr. Joseph DeGrocco, Paschal Choi, Daniel Opaku-Mensah, and John Kwon.

   Gratitude. You see it’s because I have been given so much that I come with gratitude….gratitude I suppose for those circles that Fr. Jim spoke about. Grateful for family….who has constantly provided support and encouragement and space – I can’t tell you how many family events I’ve had to be late or to miss for something involving work or parish. Grateful for this community of course as well as parish who is here tonight – a parish where I was born and raised and again given the opportunity to minister and serve…Grateful for the community of health care ministry and Hope House…again given more opportunities to discover more about myself and the limited way I can God’s gifts for the better. And grateful for the perhaps the “newest” community on the block –the men and women here from the Seminary. I’m honored that administrators, faculty and staff have come tonight – for while St. John’s accepted a 14 year old freshmen, this community accepted a 34 year old awkward freshman last year. You will see a number of men I live with here tonight. In most cases they have traveled the world to come to this place and in coming to know them, I’ve come to know what true sacrifice, humility and service are about – again another opportunity and experience I’ve been given. 


Good friends from parish and beyond who attended the dinner.



In that spirit of shock, humility and gratitude – I thank you for doing what good community – what good family – does so well: surprises you again and again, gives you opportunities to recognize how God might in some way work through and time and time again – give you reasons to give thanks again and again for a lifetime of support, empowerment, strength and support. For that I am most grateful."





All Saints Day Homily

This morning, I preached and presided at our Morning Prayer for All Saints' Day. Attached is the text of my homily.

When you work in a place for thirteen years some would say you develop a legacy, a history…I would say you develop a “trail”. So when I left a place where I worked and actually went to school all of the history comes out….and hence this picture (not shown on blog!) This picture is from my Freshman year in high school at the annual Halloween Dance….yes I’m in clerical garb. And a note – that “big glasses” were in the late 80s and early 90s – I was not a nerd! And I actually have the collar buttoned and am wearing a jacket. Those of you who have come to know me here are probably shocked.

Yet, I find some comedy – well actually – humiliation in this picture. When I received this picture and came across it a few weeks ago I thought of today’s feast day and the cultural celebration of Halloween.. All Saints’ Day and Halloween - a day of great masks compared to a day of authenticity. A day when we dress up and perhaps seek to become who we want to be or dream to be – balanced against a day of utter authenticity.

This challenges me and maybe you – because if I’m honest the person standing in front of you is a bigger phony than the kid in the picture. And with great honesty, I wonder if each one of us might say the same about ourselves.

There are three qualities that I’d like to suggest we need to look at this morning. There are many we could look but perhaps these three can focus our prayer and reflection this day.

The saints show us insecurity and vulnerability. When we encounter the writings and lives of the saints, we encounter women and men who were not necessarily the most confident in their abilities and talents. They questioned, in many cases, why God choose them or how God would use them. Their acknowledgement of their weakness, of their vulnerability, attracts us to them. I don’t know a person – who is sitting in this Chapel today or not – who does not struggle with insecurity. Yet we’re not as good as facing it. We hide ourselves in work, in relationships, statuses. The saint embraced their brokenness and used it as a means to embrace those they were called to serve and to embrace the Lord.

The saints teach us about intimacy. In their brokenness, their vulnerability, they seek to grow closer to the Lord. It’s one thing in our lives to know about God – to study, debate, publicly worship. We do that well and it’s good. However, it is all a waste of time unless its based in our ongoing relationship with and desire to know God – to be willing to fall more deeply in love with him each and every day. What prevents us from falling more deeply in love with God?

Finally, the saints teach us integrity, they teach us about authenticity. They are most clearly who God has called them to be – in some cases entirely undaunted by what those around them might think. I have to admit something else to you today. I am a “Parrotthead”. That’s a name given to Jimmy Buffett fans. That’s another homily. He wrote and sang a song about culture and when it came to religion, he says, “There is a fine line between Saturday night and Sunday morning”. For the saints, there was no fine line. They were who they were. Can the same be said be about us? We sit here this morning most holy and prayerful – will the same spirit reside in us in a few minutes at breakfast? We’ll pray beautifully and prayerfully at Mass this afternoon. Will have that same spirit this evening in B-wing or in conversations with one another today. We can lack integrity and authenticity more often then we want to admit or acknowledge. What is preventing us from become our true and best selves?

So truthfully, there are times, more than I’d like to admit that the man standing here is more a phony than they guy in the picture. Yet, I pray, and I hope you do, too, that we might seek the “wisdom and insight” of the saints. With that wisdom and insight, let’s pray we can recognize our vulnerabilities and weaknesses, grow closer to our God and in so doing more authentically live the life God has called us to be - men (and women) of holiness.


Scripture Text:
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians.
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. May he enlighten the eyes
of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit.

The Word of the Lord.

Meet the Alley - Year 2

The view of our alley hall from my room.

Last year, around this time, I wrote about the alley community where I live here at the Seminary. I thought it’d be good to introduce you to the Alley Community this year. Each year there are some changes in the alley as people take leave for Pastoral Year or Ordination. Additionally, every two years, seminarians are required to move to a different alley.

As I wrote last year, in addition to being part of the larger seminary community, each seminarian at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception is part of a “corridor community” or more informally an “alley”. The idea is, that just like Church, we don’t just experience support from the larger community but also on a smaller, more intimate level. I have come to see even more this year the need for a smaller community in the midst of a larger one.

I still live on Alley 3-B. There are seven of us who live here daily and our alley prefect, or professor is Msgr. James Swiader. (He’s also the Dean of Seminarians and my Advisor – so there will be a post about him one day.) We have some formal and informal ways that we attempt to support and be present to one another. We gather for Evening Prayer on Mondays and Thursdays and those times we usually share a few laughs or good stories about the week. Once or twice a semester we’ll try to go to dinner outside of the Seminary. (A few weeks ago we went to Besito for dinner –muy bueno!)



I’m going to provide a brief intro about each person on the alley – you can check out their pictures on the Seminary Website….



Daniel Opoku-Mensah receives
Candidacy and Killick Pierrilus
serves as the Bookbearer



Killick Pierrilus: Killick is a 3rd year theologian from the Diocese of Brooklyn. Orginally, he is from Haiti. He works in B wing – a place for the seminarians to hang out and catch up after a long day.

Fortunatus Mugishu: I’ve written before about Fortunatus (click here). He’s a great man who comes to our seminary from the Diocese of Kabale in Uganda. I miss Fortunatus. He is on his pastoral year at St. Patrick’s in Bay Shore.  We keep in touch pretty regularly. Even though he’s not living here daily, he still makes a great difference.

Daniel Opoku-Mensah: Daniel is now a second year theologian from the Diocese of Konongo-Mampong in Ghana. Daniel has a great sense of humor and perspective on life, here at the Seminary and in general. And, good news, this year he’s passed his road test and is now driving all over Long Island. (I've written before about Daniel here.)

Frank Zero: Frank is a 4th year theologian from St. Edward’s in Syosset. Frank is in many of my classes and is a great classmate. We find a good way to tease each other a bit but underneath it all is a great respect and admiration. He will be ordained a deacon this December 8th.

Ray Flores: Ray joined the alley last Spring and, like Fortunatus, is out on Pastoral Year in the Diocese of Brooklyn. He is a great musician and has a wonderful pastoral sense of things in and outside of the Seminary.



Jeremy Canna

Jeremy Canna: Jeremy is a 2nd year theologian from the Diocese of Brooklyn. He is a great musician and plays the organ at many of our seminary Masses and prayer services. Jeremy and I spent part of our summer together at the Southeast Pastoral Institute (SEPI) in Miami.

James Renna: James, a 1st theologian, is the newest member of our Alley Community. He comes to the Seminary from St. Joseph’s Parish in Hewlitt. He has a great reverence and love for the Church and for those he lives with. I’m glad he’s on the alley.


John Kwon and I at St. John the Baptist
Diocesan High School in May 2010


John Kwon: I’ve written about John before, too (click here).  He joined the alley last Spring. He is from the Diocese of Daejon in South Korea. He has a great sense of humor and perspective on things. He has become a trusted friend and mentor in managing life within and outside the Seminary.

So that's the alley! It's a great group of people and I'm fortunate to spend part of my journey here with them.

Taking Time to Smell the Roses

This past week, I returned to the parish for two important events both which are good reminders for me (and for all of us?) on this journey. Last Tuesday, I celebrated my “mock” Baptism which I’ll write about at another time.

Marie Ricigliano and I at Oktoberfest at Our Lady of Lourdes R.C. Church



Then on Saturday, I returned for a wonderful parish celebration where we honored Marie Ricigliano. Marie, to me and many others, is a living example of faith, hope and love. She has known pain, struggle, illness, the loss of a child and husband, to name a few. Yet she never fails to inspire and invigorate others. Marie is a tremendous person of prayer, community, hospitality, service, support and encouragement. What we often say about faith, hope and love she lives each and every day.



 I’ve known Marie since I was a fourth grader in the parish school (there will be no pictures of that). While we didn’t know each other personally at that point, Marie was one of the volunteers who helped at everything in the parish – from the Italian Feast, Bingo, the Rosary Christian Mothers, Parish Outreach, the Ministry of Consolation and so much more. More than the “ministries” is her gift of presence. When you talk with Marie, you know you’re talking with a woman who not only knows about Jesus, she knows Jesus and wants you to know Him too.

Over the past ten years or so, I have had the opportunity to know Marie not only as a woman from the parish but as a friend. (There is, no doubt, she is a large source of encouragement in my coming to the Seminary.) Throughout these years, she has said to me in person, on the phone or in writing, “Be sure to take time to smell the roses.” (I think she was warning me to slow it down a bit!) And, truthfully, whenever things have gotten a little crazy or busy, that line, and the person who said it, would even creep into my mind….what would Marie say?

When I arrived at the Seminary and entered my room for the first time, I smiled. For as hard as taking leave of family, parish and ministry were, I knew it’d be OK. You see, outside of my room is the Rose Garden of the Seminary. I called Marie that day and said, “Don’t worry…I’ll be able to smell the roses every day!”

We all probably have people in our lives like Marie – women and men who gently encourage and guide us in becoming who God calls us to be. (I've written about a few others here and here.) They often stay in the background, never seeking credit or accolades. (She’ll be furious when she reads this posting.) However, no matter how far in the background they might go, you always know they’re there. You need them for they call you beyond some of the surface things that life can bring and help you to move “into the deep” of relationship and love with God and one another.

Thanks, Marie, for teaching me to take time to smell the roses.

Marie (center) with Jo Brogan, Lori Bouklas and Mimi Camperlengo in the Kitchen at St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School. They used to come and organize all the Italian food at our Annual  Family Festival.

Ministry of Acolyte

This past Friday, I took one of the “official” steps on this journey. I was installed as an Acolyte. Last March, you might remember, I was instituted as a lector or reader. The focus in the ministry is on the Word and how it is proclaimed and lived out. With the institution of Acolyte, the focus moves to the Table and a sense of service both within and outside of the Liturgy.

On a “practical” level, this means more public liturgical service. The Church tells us, “The Acolyte is appointed in order to aid the deacon and minister to the priest (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 6). This requires assisting at the altar with the details of the Liturgy and serving at liturgical functions (prayer services, Exposition, and at other acts of worship). At the seminary, this includes leading Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer when assigned, serving at Mass and our daily Exposition services, and making sure that everything “flows” at a particular liturgy.

When installed as lectors, we received a Lectionary – the book that contains the readings for each day of the year. As acolytes, we received and now begin wearing an alb. It’s another external sign of what I hope, are not only external but internal changes and growth.

Bishop Octavio Cisneros, Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn, came to the Seminary on Friday, and this is part of the homily he offered on Friday:
In performing your ministry bear in mind that, as you share the one bread with your brothers and sisters, so you form one body with them. Show a sincere love for Christ's Mystical Body, God's holy people, and especially for the weak and the sick. Be obedient to the commandment which the Lord gave to his apostles at the Last Supper: "Love one another as I also have loved you."
By this prayer, I am reminded (and maybe you, too) of the tremendous link between how we pray and how we live our lives each day. It’s not only about we do “in Church” but how serve “as Church” each and every day.

On Friday, after the homily, Bishop Cisneros called each of us forward and gave us a vessel of bread and wine and he said:
“Take this vessel with bread (wine) for the celebration of the eucharist. Make your life worthy of your service at the table of the Lord and his Church.”

Let’s pray that each of one of us, and particularly me these days, may be worthy of our “service at the table of the Lord and his Church!

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If you're able to come to Our Lady of Lourdes to help on October 12th (see right column) please e-mail this week. Some of you might be getting jobs!