As the academic year comes to an end, we are grateful to be celebrating the ordination of a new class of holy, joyful parish priests. We have interviewed several members of the Class of 2021 for our Meet the Deacons series to introduce you to a few of these soon-to-be priests and let you hear about how they found their priestly vocation, their experience in seminary, what they’re looking forward to about the priesthood and a few of their favorite things.

In this episode recorded last month, we spoke to then-Deacon Kyle Tietz of the Archdiocese of Dubuque as he prepared for priestly ordination and the return to his home diocese. He reflected on his time in seminary and the various opportunities it afforded him for spiritual growth and fraternal community.

Ordination calendar: https://usml.edu/priest-2021/

Make a Class of 2021 tribute gift: https://usml.edu/2021-tribute/

Pray a novena for your new priests: https://usml.edu/classof2021-novena/

 

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Each month a series of guest speakers will offer reflections on aspects of Saint Joseph’s life and spiritual character, based on Pope Francis’ Patris Corde and the Litany of St. Joseph.

Megan Quinn, wife and mother, offered a beautiful reflection on Saint Joseph as a chaste spouse by sharing about her marriage with her husband Brian, parenthood, and the reality, joy and freedom of true self gift.

Sign up to receive future #YearofSaintJoseph video reflections: http://usml.edu/year-of-saint-joseph

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Pentecost Sunday (Mass During the Day) | Homily for John 15:26-27; 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.”

Audio courtesy of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Libertyville, Ill.

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So what exactly is spiritual direction and how do you get the most out of the experience? Mundelein Seminary rector Father John Kartje, an experienced spiritual director, explains how this longstanding practice can enhance your faith and help you to better recognize the movements of the Holy Spirit in your life. He also discusses his experience teaching a spiritual direction course for seminarians to empower them to be effective directors for their future parishioners.

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Homily for Mark 16:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

Audio courtesy of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Libertyville, Ill.

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Homily for John 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”

Audio courtesy of Faith Hub Chicago at St. Clement's in Chicago, Ill.

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This Eucharistic Reflection by Deacon Ryan Brady took place at his teaching parish, St. James Catholic Church in Arlington Heights, on April 29.

Please pray for Deacon Ryan Brady (Archdiocese of Chicago) as he prepares for priestly ordination on Saturday, May 15 at 10 a.m. CT in Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago.

Watch Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syVR1-zqlgI

Make a Class of 2021 Tribute Gift

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Video credit: St. James Parish in Arlington Heights, IL

Thank you for subscribing to Formation! Please spread the word to your family, friends and parish community about this podcast. Please rate and review this podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts so that others can discover it more easily. Together with you in Christ, we are Mundelein. We form parish priests.

Each month Mundelein seminarians are commemorating the Year of Saint Joseph by gathering for vespers and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament followed by a spiritual reflection on Saint Joseph.

A series of guest speakers will offer reflections on aspects of Saint Joseph’s life and spiritual character, based on Pope Francis’ Patris Corde and the Litany of St. Joseph. Father Kenneth Simpson '78 (Archdiocese of Chicago), vicar for pastoral and professional development of priests and administrator of Old Saint Patrick’s Church, presided over the April event and offered a beautiful reflection on Saint Joseph as an accepting father.

Sign up to receive future #YearofSaintJoseph reflections via email: usml.edu/year-of-saint-joseph

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Homily for John 14:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

If you would like to receive these reflections to your email, sign up: usml.edu/rector-reflections/

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Thank you for subscribing to Formation! Please spread the word to your family, friends and parish community about this podcast. Please rate and review this podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts so that others can discover it more easily. Together with you in Christ, we are Mundelein. We form parish priests.

Deacon Sebastian Zebrowski, soon to be ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago, was the homilist at the final community Mass of this academic year on Wednesday, April 28.

Homily for John 12:44-50

Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me.”

Pray a Novena for the Newly Ordained Class of 2021

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Thank you for subscribing to Formation! Please spread the word to your family, friends and parish community about this podcast. Please rate and review this podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts so that others can discover it more easily. Together with you in Christ, we are Mundelein. We form parish priests.