In The Hospital

The Christmas break provides seminarians with some time away from the seminary to do many things. Taking a step away from the routine and rituals of the Seminary allows some seminarians to return to their local communities – to be nourished and strengthened and to also contribute as well.

Over the past number of years, I have had the privilege of working as a social worker at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip. (You can read more about the hospital by clicking on the link.).  Before coming to the Seminary, I would work as an “on-call” social worker during vacations from school (Christmas Recess, Winter Recess, summer, etc.). Since coming to the Seminary, I’m not able to be as present as I once was, but can still contribute during these extended times off.

Hospital social work is, at the same time, both challenging and exhilarating.   It is challenging because you are handling some of the most difficult issues of a patient’s life – his or her social issues. In a “typical” day, a hospital social worker may assist a family with placing a loved one in a nursing home, advocating for a patient without insurance, sitting with a family at the bedside of one who is dying, seeking services for someone with insurance, counseling someone with an alcohol or drug issue, providing emotional support to a grieving family, among many other issues.  Unfortunately, there aren’t always a lot of victories and there are times – even when you only work a few times a year -when you see some of the same people again and again, managing some of the same issues and problems.

It is exhilarating because, in some way, you seek to make a concrete difference in the life of another.  For the challenges listed above, each day usually brings a glimmer of hope. In the position of social worker you can sometimes help someone get to the “next step” or find resources for them they never knew about before or advocate for a person in light of some injustice. It may not be bringing closure to a long standing issue, but it might be listening to someone who hasn’t felt they’ve been listened to, it might be helping someone to see the potential within, or it might even be doing something to bring a smile to someone’s face who hasn’t found a reason to smile in a long time.    While it is not pastoral work in the same sense as hospital chaplaincy, it is pastoral in many, many ways.

It is also exhilarating because of who I am able to work with.  When studying in Social Work, I interned at Good Samaritan Hospital and many of the people who helped to train me as a social worker a few years ago are still present to support and encourage me – not only as a social worker, or a seminarian (which they’re excited about!), but as a person who is constantly seeking to answer God’s call in his life.  Again, as I ended last week, how blessed am I!

Christmas Recess - Coming Home

The Christmas Recess has been filled with many blessings – including reuniting with family and friends, returning to hospital ministry, praying with fellow seminarians in the Syro-Malankara Rite of the Church, a week of retreat at Mount Saviour Monastery near Elmira, NY and much more! 

The 2010 OLL Christmas Pageant!

 One of the highlights of the Christmas Recess for me is returning to my parish home – Our Lady of Lourdes R.C. Church in West Islip.  It is this community, among others, that sent me forth to pursue the seminary and priestly formation. I have the chance to return, at times, for Daily Mass, Saturday evening Mass, some parish events, and on Home Weekends. I never fail to leave affirmed, encouraged and supported by the people of God in West Islip.

This year, because of our break and my schedule, I had the opportunity to spend time in a different way at OLL.  In many ways, this was the first time I went “public” since becoming an Acolyte in October.  My work in the past as Coordinator of Worship involved, primarily, “behind the scenes” work which I love.  This year, at the invitation of my pastor, Fr. Mike Vetrano, I served at some Christmas Masses and had the opportunity to offer a reflection on the Feast of the Holy Family (hours before the great blizzard).

It is very humbling, for me, to have the opportunity to serve in a parish community, most especially the one that has given so much to me.  Serving publicly brings with it new feelings and emotions.  First, it can be difficult to be “in front” at times. It’s necessary and it’s certainly something I’m more comfortable with as the years have gone by, but it’s an adjustment from much of the “behind the scenes” work.  Second, initially, it can be nerve wracking and it probably shows. I know this because one of the servers – who I trained when I worked in the parish said to me – “Relax, you’re too tense!” (As I said, humbling.) Third, it is, at the same time,  powerful to be part of the Church’s liturgy in this way.  I think I feared that serving as an acolyte and perhaps one days as a presider, would pull me away from the assembly. More and more I am realizing this is not the case. The “one body” still prays together.

In addition to these experiences, returning to the parish means a great deal to me, personally.  Most days, I pray at the 8 A.M. Mass. In the celebration of the Mass and the quiet time in the Church before, I am able to set a good direction for the day. And, I am automatically reminded that I do not journey alone.  Throughout these weeks, it has also been good for me to just be part of some of parish life – whether it be attending the Christmas Pageant (with some seminary friends), helping to prepare and some of the Christmas liturgies, talking and sharing life with members of the community or being one of many to put all those Christmas decorations away – to remember that this is what has, in large part, brought me to this point in my life and continues to encourage and strengthen me along the way. How blessed am I!

Have a great week!

Catching Up

Greetings from Long Island! I have much to tell you about the past few weeks in upcoming blogs.  For now, I invite you to check out a different blog - In the Footsteps of Jesus.  This blog follows the members of the Seminary community journeying throughout the Holy Land for the next two weeks.

Last year, I had the opportunity to participate in this pilgrimage and it was a life-changing experience. Try to follow their experiences and reflections in the days ahead!

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.