The Guardian

Newsletter of St. Joseph Minor Seminary

November Calendar
Theology Project
A Complicated Subject
Are Touchdowns the Answer?
Not the West Nile Virus, But...
Friends Who are in Most Need
Weekends
Again and Again

“Out of the depths I cry to Thee, O Lord.” These words, taken from Psalm 129 form part of our daily November prayers for the Poor Souls in purgatory. During this month we also sing some high masses for the Poor Souls and visit our cemetery. It is a privilege for us to have a Catholic cemetery on our grounds. During the octave of All Souls’ Day a plenary indulgence may be gained each day for visiting a cemetery and praying for the faithful departed.

October has been a beautiful month, weather-wise. The warm autumn afternoons are perfect for a football game. We have played 4 games already, with 3 or 4 more before basketball season starts. We also have enjoyed a visit from the Fatima Conference guests and from 5 of the seminarians from Omaha who also came for the Conference.

With November, however, comes colder weather. We all wonder when our first snowfall will come. Everyone is already starting to talk about snowboarding or skiing. We also look forward to Thanksgiving Day and, of course, the start of our basketball season. Please be assured that we will pray daily for the souls whose names you have sent in to be placed on our altar during November. We also ask you to continue to pray for our seminary.

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November Calendar

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Theology Project

For theology class we upperclassmen had a first-quarter project of preparing a report on one of the apparitions of Our Lady. We also had to provide a statue, pictures and details on where the vision took place.

I did my report on Our Lady of Good Success. Phil did his on Our Lady of the Pillar — which actually wasn’t a vision, but rather a visit by Our Lady while she was still on earth. Dustin did his report on Our Lady of LaSalette.

Our Lady of Good Success and Our Lady of LaSalette both have important meaning in our times. Our Lady of Good Success predicted all the evil and sin that would occur in the 20th century. Our Lady of LaSalette predicted the punishments to come if people didn’t do God’s will. Our Lady of the Pillar was a visit of Our Lady to Saint James while she was still alive. A chapel was built on the spot to house the miraculous statue of Our Lady. The chapel and the statue symbolize the Church, because Our Lady has promised that they will last until the end of time.

These projects have taken time, but it has been well worth it. Our hard work should help our grade, but above all, it should benefit our spiritual life.

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A Complicated Subject

My hardest subject so far this year has been geometry. Not all of geometry is difficult, but proofs have been the hardest part. After Mr. Duff begins our math class each morning, we watch incredulously as he works out a proof with ease.

A typical geometry test or quiz here has mostly easy problems on it. When I do come to a hard problem on a test or quiz, however, it usually has something to do with a proof. Sometimes, on my assignments I’ll get a proof right, but most of the time I won’t.

Just because I say proofs are hard doesn’t mean that Mr. Duff isn’t a good teacher or that I don’t try — it means I need more practice at them. They are slowly getting easier, and most of the time I manage to get a fairly good grade on my tests and quizzes.

In geometry right now we are working a lot with triangles and how people make certain structures using triangles, such as the framework for the Statue of Liberty or for a bridge. We are also using proofs to demonstrate that two triangles are congruent.

This is basically what geometry is like for me. Maybe some time this year I will surmount the difficulties of proofs and learn to do them well.

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Are Touchdowns the Answer?

This year, as in past years, we have a flag football season. It lasts from September until early November, when our basketball practices begin. So it is a good way for us to get in shape for basketball. So far this season we’ve had four games.

Our team this year is 2-2 with 4 games remaining to earn a winning record. We have a high-scoring offense this year, averaging over 35 points a game in the first 3 games. Our defense, however, is the problem. We have trouble reading plays and we end up paying for it.

In the last few weeks we have been drilling on the defensive end. We still have problems, but we are progressively getting better. In our case the old saying holds true: “Offense sells the tickets but Defense is what wins the game.”

We still have four games left. Our goal is to improve our defense so that our offensive talent is put to good use when we read the scoreboard at the end of the game.

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Not the West Nile Virus, But...

The seminary has been infiltrated with the cold bug. Eight out of the ten seminarians have contracted the common cold, some worse than others. The cold has spread like wildfire among the students causing symptoms ranging anywhere from a stuffy nose to a persistent cough. The cause of everyone contracting this illness boils down to the domino effect. Once one person has a cold, it progressively works its way around the seminary until most have contracted it.

Symptoms, however, have been improving. The combination of Mrs. Carpenter’s nutritious cooking and home remedies has improved the condition of some, while others diverted to over-the-counter medicines which seem to work just as well.

The cold is one of the most uncomfortable illnesses and it’s one of the hardest to overcome. To remain healthy by taking a daily multi-vitamin can drastically increase your chances of avoiding this illness. Other steps you can take are: healthful eating and exercising. Even praying the Holy Rosary for health is a great step in avoiding illness. Keep in mind that everyone must have his turn at the cold this season, but your best bet is to get it over with early.

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Friends Who are in Most Need

Too often we forget our friends in purgatory. How often we neglect our duty to help them out of these sufferings. When we think of purgatory, perhaps we think of it as a place of grave punishment for our sins. Well, that’s exactly what it is. God has made a purgatory because we all sin, and unless we are completely spotless, we must endure purgatory time until we have burned off the debt of our sins.

Spiritual writers give a vast number of aspects as to what purgatory is like. There have been many revelations to the saints and even apparitions of souls in purgatory, expressing their pains and sorrows. These descriptions are vivid and quite horrifying to think of.

We should remember that if we don’t do penance for the sins we commit on earth, they will come back to torment us in purgatory. As we start the month of November — the month of the Holy Souls — let us not forget our friends, the Holy Souls in purgatory, who are so greatly in need of our help. The more souls we release from purgatory, the more friends we will have to help us in our time of need.

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Weekends

Here at the seminary after a long week of study, everyone is ready for the weekend. At the end of Friday classes all of the excited students rush from the classroom. For those of us who board here at the seminary full-time, Friday evening is a time to relax, while on Saturdays we fulfill the chores which Father assigns us to do.

After Mass and breakfast, we clean our rooms and then do whatever jobs we are given. One Saturday job we recently did was to clean out one of the basement rooms which will eventually be used as a weight room. Another is to dig a ditch for drain tile so the basement won’t flood when the snow melts in the spring. We also have been harvesting the apples. At noon we congregate in the chapel for prayers and then, after lunch, we finish our chores, if necessary. The rest of the afternoon is free until supper and then again until night prayers.

On Sundays, Mass is at 9:00 a.m., after which we have breakfast and then do any homework we have. In the afternoon we can call home to get caught up on the news of our family. When the weekend comes to a close and Monday rolls around, we must once more prepare to delve into the books.

Again and Again

In many respects, running a minor seminary is like being a parent. I find that students need to be told the same things many times over — keep your room clean, put things back where they belong, put your books away, etc. The work of education, like that of parenting, requires enormous quantities of persevering patience. The work of education is not the work of a day, a month, or even a year — it is the work of a lifetime.

My work here helps me to empathize with parents. No doubt there are many times when you are tempted to ask yourself the question: “What’s the use? I have told him a hundred times already!”; But perhaps it is the next time that will make the difference.

And, of course, there are the gratifying moments when our words of counsel, encouragement, and correction seem to sink in and make a difference. We must remind ourselves that we are laborers working in Our Lord’s vineyard. The precious souls that He has entrusted to parents and educators are His — we are merely instruments in His hands. So let us take courage if we find ourselves repeating the same admonitions again and again.

As always, we ask the assistance of your prayers in this important work of education. We are most grateful for your support, prayers and encouragement. Be assured that your departed loved ones will especially be remembered in our daily prayers during November.

— Fr. Benedict Hughes, CMRI

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The Guardian is published monthly for the enjoyment of our benefactors and for the family members of our seminarians. This newsletter is free upon request.

Do You Have a Vocation?

If you are a young man of high school age who has a vocation, then Saint Joseph Seminary may be the place for you. Our four-year course of studies offers the regular high school curriculum, with an emphasis on Theology, Latin and foreign language. A well-rounded program of daily Mass, prayer and sports complements our academic schedule. For more information, write to the rector of Saint Joseph Seminary at the address below.

Seminary Support Club:

If you are not yet a member of the Seminary Support Club and would like to become a member, you may write to the seminary at the address below. Members pledge to pray for the success of the seminary and, if able, to send a regular financial contribution for its support.

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