Home Sweet Home

The AD GENTES Road Trip is now complete...or is it?  This week, we are taking some R & R to unpack and unravel the last few weeks and our experience of being AD GENTES.  The interns are back home and I am back up at Saint Joseph Formation Center.  The winter is still in full swing with lots of snow on the ground and in the silence and stillness, it gives me some time to pray and reflect.

Gaudium et Spes #1 says, "The work of the New Evangelization demands a renewed enthusiasm, knowledge, and commitment to the Catholic faith, and a creative engagement with the modern world whose 'joys and hopes, grief and anguish are those of the followers of Christ as well.'"  And this, I believe is the essence of our trip.  We have come away with a renewed enthusiasm.  We have come to see that the mission AD GENTES is a mission that all of us can participate in.  However unique and specific our calling to engage the culture, we are part of a large mosaic being created by God's all-powerful will.  

If there is one thing that has solidified itself in my mind is that this tapestry, this large canvas of creative imagination which we call the Church has a multi-faceted dynamic that is like no other in the universe!  The Mystical Bride of Christ is not just an institution or fabrication of man's invention.  The Church is a living organism responding to God's grace in amazing ways.  I wish that for just a day, the media would concentrate on the vigor and enthusiasm of the youth.  I wish they would, for an instance, acknowledge the vibrant movement of the New Evangelization that is the Church.  Never mind the doom-and-gloom reporting of faithless reporting, we have discovered anew the creative engagement of the Church in the modern world.

I am grateful to God for the response of the youth.  They have a full-out sold-out expression of faith that can only come from a youthful exuberance and renewed commitment to the Gospel message.  Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  He died on the cross for our sins.  He rose from the dead.  He sent His Holy Spirit to be with us and has called us to go and make disciples of all nations.  The message is ever ancient ever new!  Thank you to all those whose witness to the LOVE of God will forever impact our lives here at Catholic Youth Expeditions.  We hope that you were inspired by our expression of faith!  AD GENTES!

We're Small Fry, but we Pack a Punch!

One observation that I've made while on this AD GENTES missionary road tour is that we might be small fry, but we pack a big punch!  I wonder what makes that so?  I think there is something very special about being a priest and being able to minister in this capacity within a specialized ministry like Catholic Youth Expeditions Inc.  I mean lets take a look at this for a minute.  Let's really analyze how ridiculous this endeavor is and put it into perspective:

1)  I'm from Sturgeon Bay
2)  We don't have any money....literally, I'm not just saying this
3)  We don't fundraise except for a newsletter once a year
4)  We don't have any paid employees nor will we ever
5)  We receive no financial support from our Diocese
6)  All our vehicles break down regularly
7)  We are not organized
8)  We have no program or set plan for anything
9)  We are all sinners
10)  Efficiency is not in our vocabulary...I don't know even know how I spelled it

So you see, we really are small fry.  We've set ourselves up for some real success.  And what is success anyway.  Everyday I tell that if He wants to pull the plug, I'm ready.  If at anytime He wants to say, "That's it!  It was fun while it lasted!"  I'm all ears.  For now, it is a blessing and I give thanks to God for being small fry packing a big punch!  AD GENTES

Goodbye Houston!

Just had a wonderful visit in Houston!  God is good!  Deacon Mike and Kate where gracious hosts.  I was able to meet a priest from the Companions of the Cross, Adore Ministries and Lifeteen Missions!  The Church is alive and well here in Houston!

Boarding plane for Birmingham and looking forward to seeing Josh Garrels!

Our Incapable Capacity In Christ!

Just got into Texas and listening to Third Day with the top down!  Praise the Lord!  This is our last day on the road with the Popemobile.  The interns have put on 5320 miles in grand total.  With fly miles, that is probably doubled.  So all in all, I think it is fair to say that we got the WORD out!

Last night, we stay at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.  These next couple of days we will be staying at St. Antony of Padua Parish with Deacon Michael Mims.  This evening we will be doing some inner city ministry with some Lifeteen missionaries.  By Friday morning, we'll be flying back to Birmingham to visit EWTN and go to a Josh Garrels concert and take the drive back to Wisconsin in the Sportwagen which is waiting for us at the airport.

It is very easy to underestimate the capacity of what we are able to accomplish with Jesus Christ.  We, on our own,  are not capable of much, but with Jesus Christ we have the ability to increase our capacity to do the work of God.  Before leaving on the trip, there are some doubts and some hesitations.  Our confidence is not really there yet, but in time as we share the Gospel with others, we, ourselves have an increase of faith.

Now as we travel to our final destination, I see how our incapable capacity that come from Christ has feed us, nourished us, enlivened us and empowered us to realize what we can do WITH HIM!  A shared faith is a faith that is emboldened and increased.  A faith that is not shared is a faith that become dead very quickly.  Our capability to hold a high threshold of capacity is decreased and we flounder and begin to die inside.

As one who has the FREEDOM to make a evangelization road tour like this, I can certainly contend that it has been a tremendous blessing to my priesthood.  It reminds me of Mission of the Redeemers claim that to go out is a fundamental requirement in the life of a priest to give HOPE and a higher capacity to love.  So let's get out there!  Let's break out of our comfortable and routine modes of living.  Let's stop thinking that what we are doing is so important that we come up with excuse after excuse of not sharing the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel!  This is no time be afraid of the Gospel!  It is no time to hide it under a bushel basket!  Faith is meant to be shared!

A Rectory, a Sanctuary

It is difficult to convey to someone who doesn't live in a rectory what it actually is like.  First, let me explain what a rectory is.  It is simply the residence of a pastor (not necessarily Catholic).  This home for clergy is usually owned by the Church that he ministers to.  Most often the rectory is attached to the Church itself or is very close in proximity to the Church.  The rectory is usually a sanctuary of sorts, a place of repose for a pastor after a long days work in ministry.

Today I had to reflect on the importance of a good rectory because I'm in a good one right now near Auburn University in Alabama.  Once again, we were dependent upon the good-will of a contact on the road and in this case it was Joshua, a man who has applied for summer staff.  He contacted Father Bill from St. Michael the Archangel Parish to see if we could stay in his rectory for the night.  Grateful to God he opened the door of his rectory to put us up for the night.

These gestures and many like them have happened time and time again.  Walking into this rectory was like walking into a home.  It was a safe sanctuary that seemed like I had been in many times before.  This feeling of solidarity is unique to the office of priesthood and the common bond of being priests shares the sentiments of a good "man cave" or rectory.  Tonight I was able to put my feet up, share in great conversation with a pastor and his associate and feel right at home.

What a great blessing this is.  God wants to make his home in us.  He wants us to make room for Him just like room was made ready for us this evening.  This invitation of grace by God is a welcome blessing to the isolation we can easily fall prey to in our lives.  Today's experience is yet another reminder to me to reconsider the important gift of hospitality.  It is a call to have a heart of gratitude for the rectory--the quiet and necessary sanctuary of the priest.  It is an invitation to open my heart to Christ so that he may have room in my soul so that I may become more like Him.

Take a long walk off a short pier!

Praise the Lord!  Headed back to Appleton right now about 18,000 ft above Georgia!  The document Redemptoris Missio specifically talks about the missionary nature of the Church in the times we live.  One particular means that we have at our disposal is swift transportation that can bring us to many parts of the world very quickly.  With modern technology and communication, along with travel there is no excuse to making ourselves available to go out AD GENTES.  This particular form of evangelization seems to run in my veins!  There is a "wanderlust" running in me that I can't necessarily shake.

Since last blogging, I met up with the missionary interns in Miami and traveled west along Alligator Alley to Ave Maria.  There we met up with Ben Houde, a missionary in his own ranks who worked with Paul Rush in Nicaragua.  From there, we headed up to Brandenton to meet with some familiar friends from the Fox Valley, Ken and Doris Wolff.

This morning, I was given the opportunity to share our story with the parishioners at Sts. Peter & Paul Parish in Bradenton.  One of the principles of Christianity I stress with young people is that there are no dead ends in life.  Often it is easy to begin to think that if we make a particular decision in life that we are locked into something with no way out.  Often this fear paralyzes young people to make a serious commitment to a vocation.  The picture above is a pier we walked down yesterday.  At the end is a restaurant with fantastic fresh fish (it was Ash Wednesday).  We were taken there and it could seem that once we got out to the end of the pier, there was no where else to go.  That may be true physically, but spiritually the end of the pier was the beginning of a spiritual solidarity with the older couples we spent time with.  I told them that our east coast tour of Florida was ministry to the youth.  Our west coast tour has been a ministry to the young of heart.  The evening culminated in a talk with these Catholics of deep faith.  Such a humbling and life-giving encounter that begins a renewed sense of mission for all of us in the year of faith.

Two people I was not expecting was Tony and Mary Jane.  Tony is co-owner of Bell Heights Center were we run CYE Base Camp!  I couldn't believe it!  I've bumped into Tony a few times when he would stop by Base Camp, but this time we really had a chance to get to know one another and I was really amazed by the faith, hope and love of this couple.

This missionary road trip tour is full of new beginnings!  There are no dead ends in the spiritual life.  If you are struggling to see hope in you life.  If you are yearning to know that God loves you so intimately and tenderly in the midst of human weakness and sin, I encourage you to turn to Him this Lent.  Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Do not resign to the world which continually thwarts the hope of the Christian message of love!  Jesus love you!  He is with you!  He will never leave you!  You may seem that the end is nothing but a termination of dreams and aspirations, but the end is really the beginning!  It is the door at the end of the dark hallway that once opened can reveal a blinding light of hope.  So go take a long walk off a short pier!  See what happens!  I promise you, God will not let you down!

Please keep us in prayer!  Please pray for our safety.  I travel back to Green Bay to have a dinner with friends, hear confessions, go to a priest day of reflection and meet with an engaged couple.  On Saturday night, I plan on driving down to Auburn, Alabama to meet back up with the missionary interns.  Does anyone read this?

What Cardinal do you Want to be? Prince or Pauper?

Praised be Jesus Christ!  The mission Ad Gentes continues!  Just arrived in Miami and Chris and Andrew picked me up at the airport.  This evening I was able to meet Father Roberto.  He is the Rector of the minor seminary in Miami.  What a great conversation...again!  Even the last two days were filled with amazing conversations with people!  Three to be exact!  Over the weekend, after speaking at SJV Minor seminary, I concelebrated a Mass in Hudson, WI with Father Patrick.  Not having a ride to the airport afterward, I was leaving it up to Divine Providence.  After Sunday Mass, I was sitting there eating my hot dog and Chuck comes up to me and says, "Let's go to the airport!"  Seeing that it was near blizzard conditions, I was alarmed that someone actually was going to bring me.  Chuck was up for it because he just got snow tires!  I was like, "This guy rocks!"  We blazed a trail down I-94 and got talking.  Turns out he is a 3rd order Franciscan, had a conversion at Mejagorie, and is one fired-up Catholic.  Inspiring to say the least.

Then on the plane ride home, I sit next to Jenny.  She's an on-fire scripture readin' Christian from Alaska!  She was all into the WORD and I mean into it!  She busted out her bible and began reading scripture and then began talking about how our words convey deep meaning like we can't take what comes out of our mouths lightly.  We prayed together and shared in the love of Christ all the way back to Appleton.  What a complete joy.

Then this evening, I meet Father Roberto.  So appropriately he shares a story about how he meet B16 twice while studying in Rome.  Father studied Missiology out of all things and is fired up too!  What an inspiration! Then he asks me to talk to his class tomorrow at the seminary!  That's two talks in one week at seminaries!  Wow!  Needless to say, all these encounters leave me very humbled.  These Christians are what makes our Church so powerful.  The Church is something to be reckoned with!  A powerful force for love in the world!

So why the painting?  It is a satire painting.  One of 18 here at the seminary.  Look at that cardinal, stuffing his face with food.  Got all his fancy stuff on.  A prince of the Church far from the poverty of simplicity...or is he entitled to that big 'ol piece of peasant or chicken he's gnawing on?  I'll let you decide, but today we saw another cardinal who at the age of 85, gave himself tirelessly for the Gospel.  I want to be more like him and less like that fat 'ol cardinal in the painting.  I want to spend myself for the Gospel.  I don't want to take any shortcuts, but take the fast track to holiness...a heart of gratitude and a yearning for Divine Will.  I want to get tired and sick and worn-out for Christ.  I don't want to reserve anything.  I want to give more.  There is this silent deadly killer in the priesthood called complacency and comfort.  It lures me into a dead space of mediocrity.  Please Lord, allow these people who are inspiring be a witness to be of the importance of untiringly spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  AD GENTES!

Administrative Machinery is Suffocating the Church

Two days ago, I had a chance to speak to the St. John Vianney Seminarians in the Twin Cities.  Although I am not with Chris and Andrew down in Florida right now, I am still on AD GENTES from afar.  United in solidarity with the missionary interns, I believe this road trip transcends many physical boundaries and its limitless expanse beckon's us to answer the question, "What can I do to resist the world and join the army of the New Evangelization in this the year of faith.  In reading the past three reflections of Chris and Andrew, I am fired up by their youthful enthusiasm, zeal and optimism in the future of the Church because it is HERE!  There is SO MUCH to be thankful for and seeing the seminarians a couple days ago, I was inspired by their zeal and ardor!  I shared with them the vitality of faith that comes with discipline and docility.  We must hold fast to the disciplines of our faith in order to be docile or receptive to the Holy Spirit.  The seminarians are poised to leap from these foundations of faith.

Unfortunately, the administrative machinery of our Church threatens this movement of the Spirit and can often suffocate the young people's ability to respond to the movement of the Holy Spirit.  It gives me great joy as a priest to see Chris and Andrew RESPOND, RESIST and follow the Holy Spirit on the road with the Popemobile!  Keep going guys!  Never give up.  No retreats.  No regrets.  No returns.  We move forward in faith.  Pope Benedict says this of the threat of administration suffocating the Church:
The more administrative machinery we construct, be it the most modern, the less place there is for the Spirit, the less place there is for the Lord, and the less freedom there is.  It is my opinion that we ought to begin an unsparing examination on this point at all levels in the Church.
Be FREE...on the road, unhampered by the shackles of bogged down Church!

New Methods--often Tried and True!

I've been meaning to enter this homily we heard back in North Carolina while at Belmont Abbey.  I asked the priest (a Benedictine Monk) for a copy of it because it was such a confirmation of what we are doing.  I was so pumped up after hearing because it reminded me that the more things change the more they stay the same when it comes to the mission of evangelization:

"In today's Gospel (Mark 4:1-20), we find Jesus changing his modus operandi--his method of procedure.  He no longer is teaching in the synagogue but by the lakeside because he is no longer welcome at synagogues.  So, using different methods--to take religious preaching and teaching out of its conventional setting--the synagogue--into the open air and among crowds of ordinary men and women.  There msut have been orthodox Jews who regarded his different procedure stunting and sensational but Jesus was wise enough to know when different methods where necessary and he was adventurous enough to use them.  As campus minister at our College some time ago, students and I would go on retreats to North Carolina beaches and mountains and celebrate Mass outdoors in the beautiful God given settings of a beach or a mountain and our seasoned Christian students would themselves prepare and deliver inspirational talks for the retreat about thier own spiritual journeys towards the Kingdom of God for the edification of other retreatants."

Wow!  This was such an amazing realization.  Much of what we aim to do with Catholic Youth Expeditions is so very similar.  This old Benedictine had been doing it for years and it was humbling to hear the words of an old master share the secrets of Jesus' ministry.  I hope we can do a little bit of this as well during our AD GENTES Missionary Road Trip!

Fools for Christ!

An application of the proclamation is always a difficult challenge isn't it!  One thing I can surely relate with.  Often, I've heard people say that it is foolish to drive a Popemobile and indeed it is!  St. Paul, however, calls us to be fools for Christ.  That indeed is what we are!  You can see this by our picture above!  These fools, which I have the privilege to do ministry with are living witnesses of the love the youth have in WANTING to bring Christ to the world.  This particular day, it took awhile to bring it!  After fixing the alternator belt themselves which is remarkable, they were on their way to Savannah, Georgia!  I would like to explain the theory behind our praxis of driving a Popemobile:

The Popemobile is NOT the ministry!  It is rather the form of the ministry!  You see, having a Paschal Mystery Machine or a Popemobile is not all that effective in and of itself.  What it represents, rather, is the most influential aspect of what it is!  I would rather say that the vehicles that I have put blood, sweet and tears in are more of an icon--a postmodern neo-pagan sort of icon!  You see, we must use what is at our disposal for the application of the Gospel of Christ to be proclaimed in our world today.  St. Paul succinctly put it as such, "To be all things to all people."  Vehicles in and of themselves are nothing more than means to get us from point A to point B.  However, there is something more to vehicles these days--they give us identity and venues for self-expression.  They are icons in the sense that they open us up to something deeper.  I was a marketing major and am intrigued by this thought.  Recently, I read a book entitled, "Engines of Change."  In the book, the author, Paul Ingrassia, uses the cultural impact fifteen cars had on American life.  You see, there is something important here!  Why not use the vehicle as a way of expressing the Catholic faith.  Why not have it be the form and all that surrounds it be the substance!  When we meet just one person and have a conversation about Jesus Christ because of what we are doing, and not what we are driving then it has proven effective.  I think a manifestation of this principle is being made manifest as we speak!  With social media, we are bringing the message of AD GENTES to the world!  We are traveling across the country to spread AWARENESS of the Good of the New Evangelization in the Year of faith!  AD GENTES!

NO to the Easy Life! YES to God's Strength!

We are currently on the road on our way to Covecrest, Lifeteen Camp in Tiger, Georgia.  Our last stop at Belmont Abbey was beautiful to say the least.  I was impressed by the Benedictine community there and Brother Edward's hospitality was second-to-none.  You see most religious communities have a porter, or a greeter.  Someone to welcome pilgrims at the door and care for them while they visit.  There is a long long tradition of porters in the Church.  Saint Maritn de Porres, Saint Andrew Basset and Venerable Solanus Casey.  Interestingly these were all brothers, not priests, but religious brothers who lived out their vocation admirably.

What struck me about my time at Belmont Abbey is how important the ministry of hospitality is within the Church!  We left feeling loved and while being strangers on the interstate, we were made welcomed as friends with these Benedictines.  They live a simple life between the dynamic of prayer and pastoral duties.  Brother Edward was engaged in spiritual direction with the students.   The campus minister, Patrick Ford, was generous to get us a venue to put the Popemobile.  He is also a graduate of Hillsdale College, my Alma mater.

Besides Brother Edward being a Benedictine version of Father John Girotti from Cathedral Parish in Green Bay, he has a devotion to Venerable Casey (Adam Bradley is happy about this I am sure!).  The prayer you see above says:
"Do not pray for an easy lives.  Pray to be stronger."
Isn't it all to easy to want to have lives of ease?  We default to this lethargic mode of being and sometimes this slothful stupor is a difficult place to dig ourselves out.  In fact, we can't!  We need Christ!  We need a Savior!  We need to be pilgrims on the road to shake it up a bit!  WE NEED MISSION!  And boy do young MEN need mission these days or they never become boys to men but live boy all too long.  The Church gives a drastic alternative to a lethargic life-style.  Interestingly, both Brother Nolte up in Richmond and Brother Edward walked like they are on a MISSION!  And they are.  Often I see young men up at the formation center with hands in pockets and shoulders slouched over.  I remember mi madre not allowing that in our house.  Well now Mother Church is saying, "None of that in MY HOUSE!"  We were not made for an easy life, but to pray to be STRONGER!"  My prayer for you is that you may have the strength of Christ. To fall, certainly, but to get up once again and carry the cross to Calvery.
Our theme song from Josh Garrels is appropriate here!
RESIST, HOLD FAST LIKE AN ANCHOR IN A STORM!