Visiting Bishop

Dear Friends,

Please join us this weekend at St. Dominic as we celebrate Seminary Sunday with our new auxiliary bishop, Donald Hying.  Bishop Hying will be blessing our new Arts and Activities Center, Athletic Facility, and outdoor improvements after the 9am Mass on October 30.  It will be a great opportunity to meet Bishop Hying who will be presiding and preaching at all of our weekend Masses.  Bishop Hying vested me at my ordination to the priesthood back on May 23, 2009.  A vesting priest is specially chosen by one of the men to be ordained and is most often a priest that has had a profound influence in the life of the person to be ordained.  If you were present at my ordination, then you will know that Bishop Hying, at the time Fr. Hying, had quite a time helping me put my chasuble on.  It was a comical moment during the solemnity of the day!!

Don Hying Ordination Picture with Class of 2009

Congratulations Bishop-Designate Donald Hying!

My ordination class from 2009 is very close to our new bishop-designate for Milwaukee.  Here is a photo of us with Bishop-Designate Hying from our ordination at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.

Bishop-Designate Donald Hying and the Ordination Class of 2009

Seminary Open House

Seminary Open House

 

Seminary Open House Tour Group

The Faithful Leaving the Chapel after Mass

40 parishioners from St. Dominic attended the seminary open house this past Sunday.  I was astounded by the amount of people who were present from around the Archdiocese!  I have never seen the chapel that full for Mass!!  A great time was had by all.  Consider coming with your families to next year’s event.

Saint Francis de Sales Seminary Open House on April 3!

Please consider joining me for this wonderful Sunday afternoon event!  I would be so delighted to share Saint Francis de Sales Seminary with the people of St. Dominic.

 Join Fr. Sean @ the Seminary’s Spring Open House!

 The Archdiocese’s own Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, where Fr. Sean lived and studied just a few years ago and Fr. Dave was formed years before is hosting an open house with a special invitation to all St. Dominic families.

 Please join us:  Sunday, April 3

            Noon Mass

• Free sub sandwiches for Mass goers
•  Fr. Sean will be there and hopes a nice contingency of St. Dominic’s families will be there too.

            1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

• Tours, activities and a two-act play written by seminarians
• Service exhibits from St. Vincent de Paul Society, Reach Out/Reach In, Global Missions and the Vocations Office, a presentation on “Marriage, Family and Sexuality”
• Walk through the woods to the Grotto (if weather permits.)
• T-shirts and a raffle for an iPad!

 The Seminary is a beautiful place – on the lakefront amidst the Seminary woods. It is also architecturally stunning with historic artwork from Germany. Join us for an afternoon of prayer, fun and relaxation.

 RSVP to Fr. Sean at sean.oconnell@stdominic.net or 262-781-3480 by March 31. We hope to see you there!

Inspiring Characters

I think every priest has a list of saints that he can easily rattle off when thinking of the great heroes of the Church.  Men and women throughout the past 2,000+ years who have given their entire lives to serve the Gospel; not caring what people might think or say about their devotion.  The week immediately after Christmas gives the Church some shining examples of these wonderful figures. 

Dec. 26 – St. Stephen: The first martyr of the Christian community.  The stoning of Stephen can be read in the Acts of the Apostles chapters 6 and 7.

St. Stephen

Dec. 27 – St. John the Evangelist: Principal Patron of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.  Apostle of our Lord, Jesus Christ and writer of the 4th Gospel, the three Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation.  The only apostle not to suffer martyrdom.  Patron of this Blog!!

John the Evangelist

 

 Dec. 28 – Holy Innocents: In the Gospel of Matthew, Herod the Great orders the destruction of all the male children in the village of Bethlehem to protect his throne.  These children become the first martyrs for the newborn Christ.

The Holy Innocents

Martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket

 

Dec. 29 – St. Thomas Becket: Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170.  Assassinated by followers of King Henry II in the Canterbury Cathedral after many conflicts with the king over the rights and privileges of the Church. 

I guess it’s not that surprising to have so many extraordinary saints celebrated the week after Christmas.  It allows us to remember that the incarnation, God coming in the flesh, was a life changing moment for the world.  The world’s response?  Ordinary people enlivened by Christ, willing to give everything until it hurts.

God Squad vs. Best Buy

If you have seen the newspaper lately, perhaps your attention was drawn to an article concerning a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Fr. Luke Strand, who has found himself in a bind with Best Buy concerning the use of his “God Squad” car.  Best Buy claims that his car is causing confusing between its own “Geek Squad” vehicles that provide computer support to needy customers.

Fr. Luke Strand is a classmate of mine (Archmil 2009) and a one time former seminarian intern here at St. Dominic.  I have had the opportunity to ride in Fr. Luke’s ”God Squad” car on many occasions.  I personally never saw anyone  confuse Fr. Luke’s ”God Squad” car with Best Buy’s “Geek Squad” computer services.  However, Best Buy fears that a case of mistaken identity may occur and wants to protect its trademark.  That being said… Fr. Luke Strand has informed me that Best Buy will be fronting the cost for a new “God Squad” logo to be outfitted on the three cars which were previously sporting the confusing logo.  All in all, I find that this entire story has been a positive for both parties.  Best Buy is the good guy in the end by helping Fr. Luke put new logos on the cars and the Church gets some positive publicity about a vibrant young priest helping to spread the Gospel of Christ to the world he encounters!

Check out the Fox News interview with Fr. Luke Strand

http://video.foxnews.com/#/v/4314274/geek-squad-vs-god-squad/?playlist_id=87937

May God who has begun this good work in you….

Fr. Dave has informed me that I am no longer a “baby priest”.  Apparently, I have graduated to a “toddler priest” or “adolescent priest”.  This next step in my journey is the result of the 4 men ordained to the priesthood this past Saturday morning at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, here in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.  Matthew Widder, Chuck Wrobel, Erich Weiss, and Antony Primal Thomas were ordained by Archbishop Jerome Listecki on May 15 and will serve as parish priests in our beloved archdiocese.  I guess I feel like the “old guy” now that the class behind me has been ordained, but I feel entitled to hold onto the “baby priest” role for a bit longer!  

Ordination Class of 2010

It’s funny to think how fast this year has flown by!  This Sunday will be the one year anniversary of my own ordination, but it seems like it happened only yesterday.  A retired priest friend of mine recently asked me: “so Sean, do you have priesthood figured out yet?”  Honestly, I haven’t even scratched the surface, but each day brings new insights and a great amount of joy for the vocation God has called me to.  Most mornings when I wake up I have to pinch myself in order to remind me that I am indeed a priest of Jesus Christ!  I couldn’t be happier serving the people of God at St. Dominic and I pray for your continued support, encouragement, and love!  May the class of 2010 become Holy Priests of God!

ora et labora

Pray and Work.  The Benedictines of St. Benedict Abbey in Benet Lake, WI take these words to heart in their baptismal vocation to live the Gospel of Christ.  I just returned from retreat at this fine monastery and feel rested and spiritually renewed!  I was joined on this retreat by three of my closest priest friends.  We prayed the Divine Office together, we celebrated Mass together, and we spent time praying before the Blessed Sacrament as part of our everyday schedule.  In between, we nourished our souls with spiritual reading and silent meditation.  A retreat is not just something priests do, but a necessity for all Christians looking to deeper their relationship with Christ.  I would encourage you to find an opportunity to plan something for yourself.

Priest Spotlights

Check out the priest spotlights on the Archdiocese Web site.  You might find someone you recognize!

http://www.archmil.org/Vocations/Priest-Spotlight.htm