The Eagles Make Us Proud!

Saint John’s Eagles returned home yesterday, winning two out of three games in the USML Seminary Invitational!  The Eagles’ only loss was to the winners of the tournament, the seminarians from Saint Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach.  The third game saw a 25-23 victory of the Eagles over the seminarians of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida.  Some predicted this victory of Boston over Philadelphia presaged the Superbowl next weekend!

A wonderful time was had by all and each of our seminarians played with their whole heart and soul, concluding the week with a celebratory banquet, which included a commemoration of the birthday of our own Peter Schirripa.

Congratulations to our great team!

Players

Gabriel Hanley

Joseph Kim

Bobby LeBlanc

Derek Mobilio

Joe Moynahan

Peter Schirripa

Dan Simard

Francis Trewin

Diego Valdez

Matt Valles

Coaching Staff

Alex Boucher

Brother Francis McCarty, O.S.B

Steven Restrepo

Nicholas Stano

Peter Schirripa

Monsignor John McLaughlin, Chaplain

Monsignor James Moroney, Rector

SJS Eagles Have Landed!

The SJS Eagles have landed in Chicago for the University of Saint Mary of the Lake invitational Seminary Basketball Tournament.  Opening ceremonies are at 6:00pm eastern standard time (EST) and the game between the Saint John's Eagles and Saint Vincent DePaul Seminary is at 7:20pm eastern standard time.  Click here to go to the tournament home page for a complete schedule and live stream of tonight's game!

The team just finished a hearty Italian lunch after celebrating Mass with Monsignor McLaughlin and me at MaryTown, the National Shrine dedicated to Saint Maxililian Kolbe.  More news here and on our twitter feed as it happens!

SJS Marches for Life

First, the 5am Holy Hour in the Crypt of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception: Deacon Michael Rora, presider and Deacon Matt Gill, Homilist.

Then, some of the priests, deacons and seminarians at the Boston Mass celebrated by Cardinal O'Malley with Bishop Deeley at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart before the March!

The March begins!

Pilgrims for Life...

SJS Seminarians left for Washington D.C. at 5:00am this morning for the annual March for Life.  Here's the Blessing I gave as the community headed for the train.

God, our Father,

Creator and Author of Life,

hear our early-morning prayer

for the rising sun with its warming rays,

for the beauty of a winter’s morning,

and for the air your give us to breathe,

that we might sing your praises

and give voice to your love.

Be with these good men,

our brothers and sons,

as they go forth

to speak for those who have no voice.

Keep them safe,

give them joy

and draw them through prayer and action

into the wonders of your love.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

We are all deeply grateful to the Flatley Foundation for their typical generosity in covering our expenses for traveling to the March for Life.  Please join us in keeping the Flatleys in grateful prayer!

SJS on EWTN

I was a guest this morning of Father Thomas Petri, O.P. (an eminent Trustee of SJS!) on the EWTN Radio program Morning Glory, where I had a chance to sing the praises of Saint John’s Seminary. Here’s a link to the program. The segment begins at about the 17 minute mark.

Yes, there are classes tomorrow!

There was great concern today about the weather for Wednesday, the second day of classes for this semester, in the light of an impending storm.  However, with reports that snow should not exceed 2- 4" in the greater Boston area, I trust that all you rugged New Englanders are looking forward to bravely soldiering on!  As a result, there WILL BE CLASSES at SJS tomorrow.

The next day, on Thursday, the Seminary moves south to Washington D.C. for the pro-life March, beginning with the traditional blessing of pilgrims at 4:20am!  

Eternal Rest Grant Unto Him, O Lord!

Please join me in praying for Father Matthew Lamb, a longtime friend of Saint John’s Seminary and founding member of the Cardinal Maida Chair of Theology at Ave Maria University.

Father Lamb taught at Marquette University, and later Boston College, during which time he was cofounder of an influential group of scholars from Boston College, Harvard University and Providence College who would meet here at the Seminary.

Father Lamb’s commitment to academic excellence and Catholic truth appears in his publications, some of which have found their way onto reading lists for the students of Saint John’s Seminary. He was a frequent visitor here for ceremonies and for the abovementioned Aquinas Reading Circle which welcomed prelates and other Church dignitaries. Father Lamb was a diocesan priest whose whole ministry was devoted to instruction in the elements of the Catholic faith. He was especially critical of the popularized and sometimes misleading interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, which he felt had misled several generations of good willed young Christian minds.

Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine 

et lux perpetua luceat ei.