From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
Our parish has received a terrific seminarian this summer. He comes from a great background and his older brother is a priest so he seems to have a strong support at home. My question is how can my family help support him along with our parish? Aside from adding him to my intentions in my rosary, what I else can I do for him, not only now but as he continues his studies?
Prayer is a good thing, as well as intentional sacrifices and mortifications offered on his behalf and against the wiles of the Enemy. The Rosary is a great choice. Offering Holy Communions for him is good. Go, perhaps, to daily Masses and when Father prepares the chalice for the Sacrifice, at the addition of the water, mentally add the seminarian to the wine to be transformed by Father and Christ’s priestly action. Ask your Guardian Angel also to help him and to defend him from the Enemy.
Another thing you can do is contribute to his future clerical sense. That is to say, depending on where he is in his formation – such as major seminary – you might provide for him a biretta through this blog’s ongoing BIRETTA PROJECT. By “clerical”, 
we don’t mean snooty or superior, of course. That’s for libs, with their smug condescension. Books on the priesthood are a fine contribution. Perhaps something like Those Mysterious Priests by Fulton J. Sheen (US HERE – UK HERE) or even The Priest Is Not His Own which is terrific (US HERE – UK HERE). Joseph Ratzinger put out a little book of reflections on priesthood called Ministers of Your Joy: Scriptural Meditations on Priestly Spirituality (US HERE – UK HERE). There are myriad more books. Perhaps, Fathers out there reading this… you could post or send your own suggestions about works on priesthood which were and are helpful for you.
I just had a thought… what a great gift it would be for a seminarian, a newly ordained priest, or a veteran, to receive a Kindle pre-loaded with a couple dozen or more books on priesthood. Interesting, no? I suppose one would have to…
- create an email that could be handed over to Father (or the seminarian);
- form a group who could purchase and send as gifts the Kindle books to that email address;
- load them on the Kindle;
- give the pre-loaded Kindle to Father along with email address and password.
People could then continue to add titles as they surface. Even if Father moves to another place, the Kindle could still receive so long as books are sent to that email. Also, that priest could also pass the Kindle along, with the email and password, to another priest or seminarian. Father or the seminarian could create wishlist as well. Kindle (US HERE – UK HERE).
You can even get the pre-Conciliar Roman Breviary on Kindle in ENGLISH in two-monthly portions (e.g., current July/Aug 2017 – US HERE – UK HERE).
I like this idea.
However, remember when trying to give support to a seminarian to keep balance between friendly presence and a bit of distance. We must never make a seminarian feel obliged to remain in seminary if priesthood truly isn’t his calling. A man must be totally free in making his choice without a sense that, because people were good or generous to him, he has to stay in. Get my drift? Avoid psychological pressure at all costs. Giving some things anonymously is often a good plan. Find the balance.
GUEST PRIEST BONUS RESPONSE: Fr. Tim Ferguson
Prayer is one of the best things you can do. Let him know of your prayers. Get the address of the seminary he’ll be returning to in the Fall and make a plan of writing to him. Gifts are nice, but use some common sense with gifts – seminarians often get inundated with well-meant, but ill-conceived gifts. It is likely, for example, that the seminarian already has a rosary. Statues, prayer books, and religious tchotchkes of all sorts – unless the seminarian has expressed a specific interest in something – are likely to be appreciated as far as the sentiment is concerned, but are less appreciated than, say, a gift certificate for a religious goods or clerical clothing store. A gift certificate to a local restaurant can be a good things – seminarians will occasionally have some free time, and a chance to get off campus for a nice dinner with friends can be a healing salve. Depending on how far away the seminary is, some gifts that have a local flavor can be kind – candy from a hometown candy store, or a small memento from a local sports team. When you do write to your seminarian, be sure to include a family picture – perhaps even something with the local parish church in the background.
While he’s still in town, invite him over to dinner, or out to a local restaurant. Get to know him, and let him know of your prayerful support for him as he continues his discernment and formation.
I may have quoted Whitman, but, no, I’m not talking about Abraham Lincoln.
From a reader…
From a reader…
There is a long standing political tool employed to eliminate opposition which is associated with the past, or a defeated regime. You can see evidence of this tool all around Rome, in monuments both ancient and recent. It is called damnatio memoriae… the condemnation of the memory (of someone). In effect, the winners destroy even the memory of the losers by effacing and erasing their very names from public view… as if they never existed. For the ancient Roman, this was a fate worse than death. The Roman wanted to extend the gloria of his family, especially through public works which would bring honor to their names in perpetuity. Think about the way Paul V put “BORGHESE” smack in the middle of the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica. In any event, walking about in Rome you can see inscriptions wherein the names of the defeated were literally chiseled out or filled in, made illegible.
As of this writing, it still bears its proper name. 
Fr. John Zuhlsdorf on ASK FATHER: Priest says the consecration of the chalice over the host: “Darby: 1) Yes 2) No”
