The Seminary celebrated the Feast of the Nativity with due solemnity, beginning with the anticipation of Matins the night of Christmas Eve, just before the celebration of the Midnight Mass. A Sung Mass at dawn was followed by a Solemn High Mass towards noon, in keeping with the tradition of celebrating three Masses on Christmas Day. The Feast was liturgically crowned by Solemn Vespers with six coped assistants.
On December 12th, Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary celebrated its Patronal Feast with great joy and solemnity. The festivities began the evening prior when the Seminarians sang a Serenade in honor of Our Lady from 8pm until midnight. This beloved tradition stems from the days of persecution in Mexico when faithful Catholics would sing to Our Lady through the doors of the churches closed by the Mexican Government.
In the morning the community gathered for a Solemn High Mass said by the Rector Fr. Josef Bisig, which was followed by a procession around the chapel. The procession ended in front of the beautifully decorated image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where the entire Seminary, led by the Rector, made an Act of Consecration to her.
The day’s festivities however, had only begun. In the evening, Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary was joined by St. Gregory the Great Seminary for Pontifical Vespers and Benediction, celebrated by His Excellency James Conley, Bishop of Lincoln. Bishop Emeritus Robert Finn was also present in choir. Fireworks and a traditional Mexican party followed.
The priests and seminarians of Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary are very grateful to Bishop Conley for celebrating this special feast day with us before taking medical leave of absence. He will be especially in our prayers and intentions until he returns to the Lincoln Diocese.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Pray For Us!
In the early morning of a Saturday during Advent, the Seminary celebrates a candlelit Votive Mass of Our Lady as the sun rises. This year it coincided with the First Saturday of December, and gave a special opportunity for the seminarians to offer this special Mass in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady. The candlelit aspect adds a veil of mystery and silence to the Mass, and serves as a reminder to us, who live in the age of electricity, of the ages in the Church when all light came from candles.
To begin the Advent Season, the Seminary celebrated the 40 Hours Devotion, from Saturday evening until the Monday following the 1st Sunday of Advent. This Eucharistic devotion provided an opportunity for the entire Seminary community to begin the new Liturgical Year with a renewed emphasis upon Our Eucharistic Lord and His abiding Presence with us. It was also a fitting beginning as a preparation for Our Lord’s birth at Christmas.
One of the Seminary’s favorite Thanksgiving traditions is the playing of the Buckley Bowl football game. Named for Fr. James Buckley, a long time professor at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, this intramural football game as been played each year for over 20 years. This year the snow began flying as the game began, and with a small dusting already on the ground, it had all the elements of a winter football classic. While a majority of the seminarians play in the game, more come to watch, drink hot apple cider, and enjoy the company of their confreres.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary rejoices on the occasion of 20 men being ordained to the Minor Orders of Porter, Lector, Exorcist, and Acolyte by His Excellency Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, Bishop Emeritus of Lincoln on November 23rd. 12 men were ordained to the Minor Orders of Porter and Lector and 8 to the Minor orders of Exorcist and Acolyte. These Minor Orders mark the first steps which the seminarians take towards the priesthood, in which they are given specific duties in service of the Church. More importantly however, they are also called to become the friends of Christ in a more profound way, as the words of the Bishop’s admonition repeatedly emphasize. One passage from the admonition to the men about to be ordained Lectors beautifully sums up this call to a deeper spiritual life:
Quod autem ore legitis, corde credatis, atque opere compleatis
“What you read with your lips, believe in your hearts and fulfill by your works”
Please continue to keep these men in your prayers as they continue their studies in preparation for the Sacred Priesthood.
