First Day - Dundalk

We went straight to Dundalk after landing in Dublin, where we stayed with a friend's aunt and uncle.  They immediately took us to Saint Brigid's shrine nearby, where many miraculous cures have been obtained by touching these rocks:

The birthplace of Saint Brigid:

Our Lady of Lourdes grotto nearby:

Saint Oliver:

The cemetery in Dundalk, where the last king of Ireland is buried: 

Ladywell - every year at midnight on the Feast of the Assumption, the dry well miraculously fills up in the middle of the summer.  Here it is full due to the rainstorm:

Chris and I in front of Ladywell:

Back to the house for some local Irish Whiskey:

And steak and potatoes:

And Irish chocolate:

The next day, we traveled to Portstewart (Northern Ireland) to stay with my friend Theresa, whom I met in Lourdes last summer.  Pictures will be posted soon!

Arrival in Dublin

Chris and I departed Philadelphia on the evening of December 28.  The plane was brand new, with a huge selection of movies from which to choose:

We landed in Munich around 9am the next morning:

Then took an Aer Lingus flight from Munich to Dublin.  Aer Lingus names every jet after a Saint:

We arrived in Dublin and picked up our bags.  All signs are in English and Gaelic:

It was raining and windy when we arrived in Dublin, but thankfully it soon stopped:

Chris trying to figure out how to drive the car on the other side of the road:

We proceeded from the airport straight to Dundalk.  I'll post those pictures shortly.

Leaving for Ireland

I leave today for Ireland, and will be posting photos from my trip.  The first stop is Saint Brigid of Kildare's Shrine in Dundalk.

Please pray for safe travels!

MRI Results, and Christmas at St Charles

An MRI on December 23 revealed that my tumor has not grown in the past 2 months, thanks be to God!

Meanwhile, Christmas at the seminary is cold:

The Pre-theology class won the Christmas decorating contest this year.  Here is my friend Ian, also from the Diocese of Raleigh, in our newly decorated dorm hall:

Venerable Pius XII

I was very happy to learn that Pope Benedict XVI has declared Pope Pius XII to be "Venerable" - recognizing his "heroic virtues" and advancing his Cause for Canonization.

This holy pope is one of my favorites.  Many accuse him of "ignoring" the Nazi extermination of the Jews, but much evidence has come forward to prove that he helped save hundreds of thousands of Jews.  Among other things, he allowed them to hide in monasteries and convents.  David Dalin (a Jewish Rabbi) wrote a great book, The Myth of Hitler's Pope, in which he describes how Pius XII helped save countless lives.  The book is a response to John Cornwell's Hitler's Pope, which criticizes the pope's "lack of action" during the War.

Pope Pius XII is entombed in the crypt of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome:

Br. Gerard's Solemn Vows

My friend Br. Gerard from the Mercedarians (Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy) made his solemn profession on December 12. The Mercedarians run the parish down the street from the seminary.  

Founded in 1218 by St. Peter Nolasco to ransom Christian captives from the Muslims, one of the distinguishing marks of their order is that its members are required to take a fourth vow to be willing to give up their lives, if necessary, in order to save Christians.

Br. Gerard lying prostrate as the Litany of the Saints is sung:

Reception:

TLM for First Saturday in Wilmington, DE

On December 5, 2009, Fr. C. Breslin offered a Missa Cantata in the Extraordinary Form at Saint Patrick's Church in Wilmington, DE.  He celebrated a Votive Mass of Our Lady for the "First Saturday Devotion."

Six seminarians from Saint Charles Borromeo seminary in Philadelphia served and chanted the Mass, so Father offered the Mass for us.

Paul's Baptism

Paul Gerard Johnson was baptized the day after Thanksgiving at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dunn, NC according to the 1961 Rituale Romanum.

Fr. Parkerson baptizing Paul:

My family: