SCHOLA CANTORUM Recordings!

Here are a few recordings of the St. Joseph Abbey & Seminary College "Schola Cantorum" (Seminarian Choir), which I am a blessed to be a part of (I sing 1st Tenor)! Feel free to download and ENJOY!

Spring Semester 2009:

http://www.iterseminarii.com/music/Spring_2009/When%20Jesus%20Wept%20the%20Falling%

http://www.iterseminarii.com/music/Spring_2009/Have%20Mercy%20Upon%20Me%20-%20William%20Byrd.mp3

http://www.iterseminarii.com/music/Spring_2009/Nunc%20dimitis.mp3


Fall Semester 2008:
http://www.iterseminarii.com/music/Fall_2008/Long%20is%20our%20winter.mp3mp3

http://www.iterseminarii.com/music/John_Lateran_2008/How%20lovely%20is%20your%20dwelling%20place.mp3

http://www.iterseminarii.com/music/Fall_2008/Wake%20Awake%20for%20Night%20is%20Coming.mp3

http://www.iterseminarii.com/music/Fall_2008/Hodie%20egressa%20est%20virga%20de%20radice%20Jesse.mp3

God Bless!

More videos from Italy!

More videos from Italy:

The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI processing into St. Peter's Basilica for New Years Eve Vespers! I was blessed to get within 1 foot of the Holy Father! Amazing experience and truly a blessing!

After Vespers on New Years Eve, Pope Benedict XVI made his rounds in St. Peter's Square inside his Popemobile!

The Friars at San Matteo Friary in near San Giovanni Rotondo graciously provided hospitality for us during our pilgrimage to see Saint (Padre) Pio! This was an incredibly beautiful Friary tucked amoungst a beautiful mountain range in Southern Italy! It was very isolated, simple, cold and EXTREMELY peaceful! I LOVED every minute of it! Here is a quick tour of the hallway outside my "Cell" and my "Cell" itself!

Wandering the Roman countryside on foot in search of the Catacombs (ancient Christian underground burial sites)! We were kinda lost and had our lives flashing before out eyes because there were NO sidewalks! ahhh!

We got seranaded by our Taxi Driver while in Rome! He did not speak a word of english but when we said "Texas...America," the first thing out of his mouth was "OHHH...John Wayne!" hahaha...then he proceeded to sing us this song about John Wayne which we later called the "BOOM" song!

The start of another semester at St. Joseph's...

I have started my second semester here at St. Joseph Seminary College and even though my time in Italy was INCREDIBLE and I didn't want to leave, it is GREAT to be back at Seminary! I absolutely love my classes this spring semester and am blessed to have such great professors:

Art History (Mrs. Rich - Crazy, eccentric, funny lady who drives in from New Orleans)
New Testament (Bro. Jude Israel O.S.B.- Benedictine Monk from the Abbey/Monastery)
World Religions (Fr. Matthew Clark O.S.B. - Benedictine Monk from the Abbey/Monastery)
Ancient Philosophy (Fr. Tom Gwozdz S.D.B. - Salesian Priest that lives here at the Seminary)
Introduction to Counseling (Dr. John Hebert - Psychologist/Counselor in the Covington area)
Formation 202 (Mr. Danny Burns - Brother (birth) of one of the Benedictine Monks)
Personal Health and Wellness (Dr. Keri Diez - Director of health department for some nearby college)
Schola Cantorum -Tenor I (Dr. Harry McMurray - Crazy, old, halarious ex Jesuit whose entire world is music)

I will try to do a MUCH better job at updating this blog from now on! Please keep me in prayers and know that I always remember YOU in mine daily! GOD BLESS!


........................................................................Cookie out..........................

During the week of finals, last semester, we experienced what we considered a Christmas miracle! One morning we woke up to SNOW falling! We of course all woke up at the crack of dawn, once the discovery had been made and fellow seminarians took it upon themselves to run down the halls waking everyone up! It was truly an AMAZING day and brought myself and my brother seminarians all closer to God and to one another! I caught the bells ringing for the Monk's morning prayer (Vigils) as the snow just kept falling! What beautiful sights and sounds!

Italy Experience! My life will never be the same...

E-mail that I wrote on January 6, 2009 while in Italy:

WHAT A WEEK I HAVE HAD THIS WEEK! It would take me hours to tell you about everything, so I will just give you the highlights:
I have visited ALL four of the Major Basilicas here in Rome (St. John Lateran, St. Paul, St. Mary Maggiore, and of course St. Peter's, I have also been to New Years eve Vespers and new years day Mass with Pope Benedict XVI (both times, got within 1 FOOT of him - INCREDIBLE!), We also went to the Epiphany Mass with Pope Benedict as well, we also spent New Years eve at the Colosseum with the local Italians (they were CRAZY), we also visited the Catacombs (ancient christian underground cemetarys - way cool!), we also got to climb the steps that Jesus climbed when he was going up to be condemned by P. Pilate (we went up on our knees which is the way it is to be done (What an experience - lots of prayer and tears), we rented a car and drove ALL over Italy - we went to Monte Cassino Monastery where St. Benedict and St. Scholastica are buried (the monastery was so high up in the mountains, we were looking down into the clouds), we also drove to Mt. San Angelo where St. Michael is said to have landed on the mountain and left his foot prints (They were there and have been scientifically tested), we also went to Lanciano where a Eucharistic Miracle took place (the host actually started to bleed and then broke off into real human flesh (both the host and the flesh are still there behind glass of course), We went to Loreto where the Virgin Mary's house is (according to tradition it was moved by angels to Italy during the crusades - there is nothin holding the structure up at all - and then many years later there was a basilica built over/around it - this was were the Annunciation took place - you will have to see pics to get the full idea), We also went to Asissi which I think is the most beautiful place on earth - we went to mass at St. Mary of the Angels which houses the original little church called "La Porziuncola" that St. Francis of Asissi rebuilt after God told him to - awesome and very emotional to see, we also went to St. Francis of Asissi's Basilica were he is buried - his tomb and basilica were amazing and yet again it was very emotional and beautiful to experience, we also saw St. Clare's basilica and her incorrupt body, perhaps the greatest part of my trip was going to San Giovanni Rotondo to see Padre Pio - we stayed with Fr. Jaegers order near San Giovanni in a jawdropping Friary on the side of a mountain (it was incredible) the Friars there spoke absolutely NO english so that was interesting and kind of exciting - they treated us great and for some reason I really loved staying in my COLD little cell (no ceiling fan required there haha! You know how I love the cold!), Padre Pio was about a 10 minute drive from the Friary and we spent a couple hours there the night we arrived - I can't explain my feelings and emotions when I saw his incorupt body - but I will say that it was probably the most spiritual experience I have ever had - we were of course wearing our cassocks so we were grabbed by the arm and escorted to some private seating near his body to pray with all the other priests, nuns and religious (that was an awesome moment) - i probably prayed in front of his body for an hour and a half and then decided to go on through the museum - We went and prayed in the original church there and then went and saw the new HUGE church they built for him after his canonization (it seats thousands) - the next morning we went to mass at the original church were Padre Pio celebrated all of the Masses (including his last one) - it was also the location of the movie that I have of him), I went and prayed in front of his body one last time and then we left to go back to Rome (I have more details for yall when I get back to the states), yesturday (my birthday!) I got to read the readings and psalms at daily mass here with the Franciscan Friars and they celebrated the mass in English for us (it has been in Italian all the rest of the time), I also was taken out for an authentic Italian meal (7 course meal UGH! I couldnt finish it), today we of course went to the Epiphany mass like I said and we then went and took an actual tour of St. Peter's Basilica and we climbed ALL the way to the very TOP (to what is called the Cupola) and saw the most awesome view ever, we then climbed down and visited the the Basilica's crypt where many of the Popes are buried, I got choked up in front of Pope John Paul II's tomb and prayed a rosary there - it was great,......JUST TO NAME A FEW! Tomorrow we have our final experience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Papal Audience and guess what...we have special seating in the FRONT because we are seminarians!!!! I can't wait! My time here has been a blessing and has flown by and we still have a week left. I can't wait to talk to yall and tell you all about it!