Ite bloggus est, alleluia, alleluia.

Well, this is it. Tomorrow I will be leaving for the monastery in Norcia.

I will just say that the blog won't necessarily die, it will go dormant for now. Maybe in the future it can be started up again. Even though I cannot blog in the monastery, I will leave it up as a source for translation comparisons and quirky humor. It's been a fun three years.

Again, I ask for your prayers and will be praying for all those supporting me with their prayers.

Pax et Bonum,
The Roman Sacristan

Rejoice! The Lord is risen! Alleluia!

"The Resurrection" by Titian
Happy Easter! After the Easter Vigil I am always reminded of the phrase I would hear my Hungarian Cistercian friends say after their Easter Vigil: "Rejoice! The Lord is risen! Alleluia!" Part of it was in the delivery, which was what made it so amusing.

Anyway, I want to thank all of you readers who have been praying for me. Not only has the Lord been resurrected, but also "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum" the "resurrection" of my vocation. The three months of intense vocational discernment was spent at the Benedictine Monastery in Norcia, Italy as an "observer." I am happy to say that I will be returning there this summer to enter the monastery.

Basilica and Monastery of Saint Benedict in Norcia, Italy.
So, I would ask for continued prayers as I try to get things taken care of so I can return. I feel a bit overwhelmed with all things to get done, but I guess I'll just need to chip away at it with God's grace.

I was also thrilled to see that the monks have been posting the audio and pictures from their Tenebrae services this year on their website at http://www.osbnorcia.org

So, once again, happy Easter.

RS

How People Got Here #120208

More interesting searches which got people to this site.

- "ginormous cheeseburger.jpg" which is all the more interesting because it was a search from Germany.

- More than usual searches for the Motivational Saint Francis poster I found, and the Motivational Judas poster I made.

- A lot of people have been searching for Saint Christopher lately, but I'm not sure why.

- "very very very cool stuff for the romans" Sorry, I only know the very, very cool stuff, not the very, very, very cool stuff.

- "coolest alarm clock"

- "retreat with the carthusians" Your best bet is to go buy the DVD "Into Great Silence" because the Carthusians do not give retreats. The only retreat is if you are considering a vocation in which you usually have to spend a month with them.

- "Streetmentioner's Time Traveller's Handbook of 1001 Tense Formations" LOL. Don't forget your towel too.

- "meaning of handkerchif as a gift" this one just baffles me. I think it's related to a meme that asked what is in my pockets, but usually if someone offers you a handkerchif as a gift it means you have a booger on your nose.

- "no Gloria during Advent" - nope, no Gloria. One of the signs which I believe shows that Advent is more penitential than the ordinary time of the liturgical year.

- "relics of St Scholastica" ... glad you asked

Relic (forearm bone) of Saint Scholastica
RS

How people got here #110508

Usually people visit this blog because they are looking for pictures, translations, feast day information, information about a particular church in Rome, (and happily) indulgence information. But I enjoy looking through some of the searches that people do to end up on my sight. For example, it used to be that if you looked up "LHC end of the world" I would be the first result on google.

One of the most popular posts is due to people searching for the interpetation of forgiving someone 7x70 or 77 times.

I also get a lot of hits of people looking for a picture of the Body of Saint John Vianney.

I get a lot of hits about the Portiuncula Indulgence on August 2nd.

I also get quite a few hits regarding the monastic diurnal, which I highly recommend.

I actually get a lot of hits for my Michael Jackson autograph, but I would bet most people are looking for the pop singer's autograph and not the beer expert's.

I got one search of "'short road to chaos' 'thomas More'"which seems appropriate for this election time reminding me of a quote from Saint Thomas More.

Oddest search of late: "What does Jet Li chant"

LOL.

RS

Amateur Catholic Blogger Membership Approved

It took a while (about a year), but I finally got a reply and am now a part of the Amateur Catholic Bloggers. What does that mean? Basically, I get another neat badge to put on my sidebar.

Application posted here:

"Roman Sacristan: Amateur Catholic

Dear http://amateurcatholic.blogspot.com/,
I am a GYS (grizzly young sacristan) seeking relationship with amateur blog membership. I have been plugging away at blogging for about a year and a half (hey, that's about two blog half-lifes!). I like translating the 2002 Missale Romanum, long surfs on the web, liturgically geeky things, and talking about Italy, Rome, and pilgrimages. Hobbies include monastic beers, cooking, theology, and monastic things. Currently working on sanctity and discerning a monastic vocation. Would be willing to post badge. If interested please reply to:
http://romansacristan.blogspot.com
Thanks,
The Roman Sacristan"

RS

Weekend Recap

Quick links to all the stuff for this weekend.

How to obtain a plenary indulgence for a soul in Purgatory on All Souls Day

Comparison of Prayers - Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed - Mass III

Comparison of Prayers - Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed - Mass II

Comparison of Prayers - Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed - Mass I

Comparison of Prayers - Solemnity of All Saints

RS

Back from Rome

Well, I'm back from what I'd say was a very fruitful trip and pilgrimage.

I am kind of hitting the ground running since I have parish work to do this weekend.

I'd also ask you to keep several private petitions in your prayers, as there are several special intentions I was given by friends and for a personal one of my own as well.

I'll see if I can get some summary of Saints up when I get a bit more time. But let's just say I've inlisted A LOT of Saints.

RS

Mass of Thanksgiving and other neat stuff

Father Benedict's first Mass of Thanksgiving was an awesome sight. Some of the commons were sung from one of Mozart's Masses (I'll try to find out which one) by a local choir and small orchestra, while some of the propers and other commons were chanted by the monks' choir.

I am thankful to have been able to serve in this Mass as well as yesterday's ordination as a torchbearer (the altar boys back home will love to hear that!)

The Mass also had all the readings chanted (in Italian but with the same tones as the Latin), and the Gospel was chanted by a Byzantine Deacon. I think with a little practice I could possibly do the readings at our parish as the tones really weren't that hard. (Someone will have to nudge Father for me! [wink][wink])

We also had a lot of Fraternity of Saint Peter priests from Australia, so it was kind of cool to see several private low Tridentine Masses being said early this morning (and some of those priests were not Fraternity priests either).

Then today, I met Father Richard Cipolla (whom I'd met once before since he is a friend of Father Benedict) and I also got to meet and talk a little with Father Uwe Michael Lang! And I'll mention again that all the North American College seminarians that I met were solid guys too. So keep them in your prayers, so they can become ordained and the Church can get more good priests. I also got to see an Italian friend whom I'd met back in 2001 through Father Clement and hadn't seen since then.

It's been really great to have so many Catholics from different countries, languages, and even Rites, be able to come together. It was really easy training for Mass when everyone there was on the same liturgical page. And many of these people are in the know and have rather authoritative positions in the liturgical scene of the Church. I have to say it was a great experience.

As for some of the more trivial things: the Pranzo (lunch) today was particularly good. Some really good prociutto crudo, and a tartufo risotto. Tartufo is a truffle that is a regional specialty and delicacy. It's a bit of an acquired taste as the black tartufo is pretty strong. I don't usually prefer it, but the rosotto that it was in today was particularly good.

Oh, I have gotten to see a few relics. There was Saint Benedict's tooth (which I unfortunately did not get a picture of because it is held by the commune and they are very possessive of it, so it got taken away by the polizia municipale almost immediately after Mass. However, I did get pictures of a small relic from Blessed Columba Marmion, a part of the forearm bone of Saint Scholastica, and a part of the cincture of Pope Saint Celestine V. Not only are Saint Scholastica and Saint Benedict important to Norcia, but so is Pope Saint Celestine V. But I'll talk about that some other time.

And I can't remember if I mentioned it or not, but I have officially counted 15 churches in Norcia. Eventually I'll get the list up, several are in disrepair or practically ruins, and one has been decommissioned and turned into a concert hall, but still, seven are used on a regular basis, and Father Cassian told me that another one was just renovated recently.

So, as of this posting it's getting close to compline, then a dinner up at the guesthouse of the Benedictine Nuns here in the city.

Sightseeing begins tomorrow.

Oh, and jet-lag finally went away Friday.

Anyway, ciao for now.

RS

Habemus Sacerdotem

AVE O CRUX SPES UNICA

Pater Maria Benedictus Nivakoff, O.S.B.
monachus Monasterii Sancti Benedicti, Nursiae

sacerdos in aeternum

die 11 Octobris 2008

orate pro eo

-Holy card for the Ordination of Father Benedict

HAIL O CROSS OUR ONE HOPE

Father Mary Benedict Nivakoff, O.S.B.
monk of the Monastery of Saint Benedict, Norcia

a priest forever

on the 11th of October 2008

pray for him

The Church now has a new priest. Let us rejoice and be glad!

The Mass was one of great joy as the Archbishop of Spoleto-Noricia, His Excellency Ricardo Fontana, ordained the now Father Benedict to the priesthood.

I regret that I do not have any personal pictures, but that was because I was able to help serve in the Mass. However, the experience was great. There were many priests and seminarians who had come for the ordination. I met several young men from the North American College, one of whom is a seminarian from my own diocese! And all of whom are solid guys. I must say it was really amazing over the past 24 hours as priests, seminarians, and young men and women who were friends of Father Benedict came to Norcia, and in all the liturgies where we used Latin we were all united in prayer and worship even though there were people from several different countries and languages.

It has been a rather amazing experience, and it has been impressive in how many people have been in contact not only with the monastery but with Father Benedict in his studies. There were people from the United States, people who studied in Rome with him at Santa Croce, and students from the theological institute in Gamming, Austria (I probably didn't spell that right), as well as other friends and family.

It's also been great to help out the monks and get to know the newer members of the community.

Well, I need to get ready for Compline, and then help out Brother Sacristan in setting up for Masses tomorrow. The main Mass will be Father Benedict's thanksgiving Mass.

So, please say a prayer of thanksgiving to God for providing another laborer for the harvest ... one who is solid in the Faith and zealous for liturgy.

Deo gratias!

RS

Body and soul

It's amazing how much physical well being can affect the mind and spirit. Or to say it in a simpler way: jet-lag stinks.

All yesterday I was just in a weird mood all day long. It didn't even dawn on me that I had only gotten 3.5 hours of sleep the night before. Even though I did get a lot of rest on my first night here, the second night I went to bed around 9:30 pm and then woke up at 1:00 am and just could not get back to sleep. I laid there for another 2.5 hours trying to get back to sleep and just couldn't. So, I got up and showered and went to Matins (which are at 4:15 am everyday), and was surprisingly awake for Matins (Lots of Latin chanted recto tono that early in the morning usually make for an epic struggle to overcome sleep, LOL).

But then after Prime, the body just began to weigh down the mind. It's probably best I hadn't realized I had only gotten 3.5 hours of sleep since I was helping with some chores around the monastery and even drove one of the monks to the train station (driving in Italy is so much fun!).

But, the good thing about being that tired is that once you do go to bed, the sandman doesn't take too long to visit. It also helped that I got a heater in the room to help stave off the dampness.

So, hopefully jet-lag is about ended.

Other than that, things are going well. The ordination day is tomorrow, so the last minute details will be frantically dealt with.

So, pray for my driving, and pray for Brother Benedict as the final countdown to his ordination begins.

In other news, I have gotten to have a few good liturgical discussions which have clarified some important points for me. These guys know their liturgy (both forms) so it is good to get some more "authoritative" perspective on things.

Pax et Bonum,

RS

Hello from Norcia

I'm here in Norcia.

Internet access is available, but limited.

The weather is decent, but it is a bit damp, so there can sometimes be a chill in the air that I am not used to. But last night I managed to stay warm enough. I was also able to catch up on the lost sleep from flying the redeye to Rome, then getting from the airport to Rome and from Rome to Umbria by train ... all while jet-lagging. And it doesn't help when you only know survival Italian and even that is rusty. But I've just accepted the fact that it is obvious I am American and can't speak Italian, so at least Italians are friendly and happy that I am at least trying to speak their language even if I stink at it. In spite of that, I worked up the courage to ask an Italian lady to help me get the monastery phone number since I forgot to bring it in my flurry of last minute packing. She was helpful and I was able to get to the monastery. LOL.

Norcia is still an amazing place. It almost seems odd to me that in one sense it is so familiar to me, given that Italy is such a different culture from the United States. I guess even though I lived here for about 14 months, it has obviously captured my heart on some level.

It is certainly very different place from the United States. As I walked around town this morning, I realized there are (or more truthfully have been) about 13 different churches in this tiny little town! Even so, there are 6 that are still used (although two of them are the same parish, they just use one in the summer months and one in the winter months)in a town of only about 1000 people.

I should also mention that I attended my first Extraordinary Form Mass in quite awhile. Definitely my first since Summorum Pontificum was released. I was a little lost, but it's nothing that I couldn't get used to once I learn it. Today's conventual Mass which was in the Ordinary Form was also very beautiful since the Mass was in Latin with sung chant propers. Interestingly, I could follow everything but the readings since they were in Italian ... darn vernacular! LOL.

Still adjusting to the time difference. My body is a bit confused. The bigger test will be to see how well I sleep tonight. Usually jet lag lasts a few days which causes me to wake up at about 3:00am wide awake and unable to get back to sleep. Of course I guess that is not too bad since Vigils are at 4:15am. But even monks can be sleepy at that hour. LOL.

We'll see how often I can update. It will all depend on how much work I will be helping with and how many opportunities I'll have to get onto the computer. So until next time: ciao for now.

RS

Off to Norcia and Rome

Been busy getting ready, and now I am about to leave for Italy. As you can see, Pope Benedict XVI even included the pilgrim grizzly on his coat of arms (including the backpack!).

I'll try to update when I'm able. But I will definitely get the comparison of prayers up for each Sunday while I'm gone.

I'll keep all friends, family, parish members, and readers in my prayers while over there.

And please pray for Brother Benedict as he prepares for his ordination.

Ciao.

RS

Catholic Ragemonkey partially returning.

Wow! Cruising around on Fr. Philip, OP's blog, I found out that one of the first Catholic blogs I began regularly reading has popped back up on the blogosphere. The original was run by two priests in Oklahoma, but due to schedules and othe factors, they decided to stop blogging.

Well, Fr. Shane Tharp has decided to return to the blogosphere with:

From the Phoenix Station: The Return of Ragemonkey.

The original Ragemonkey site was sort of like a kaleidoscope of stuff, yet always remained orthodox. So, we'll see how this one develops.

RS

The blogging bug

Apparently, Joee Blogs had taken a hiatus from blogging, only to return to it once again with a new blog.

Joee Blog

I have updated his link in the sidebar.

I'm embarassed to admit I didn't know he had stopped blogging. When I upgraded my computer, I culled the listing of blogs in my "favorites" to only the ones I read daily, so some have fallen through the cracks.

Although I did drop Cafeteria is Closed and Geralds new blog because he has basically gone off the deep end, IMHO.

But do check out Joee Blogs (and his avatar is of ursine nature as well!).

RS

Yessss!!!

Yessss!!!
I am going to visit Italy in October!

Keep my friend Brother Benedict in your prayers, as I am going over for his ordination to the priesthood.

Can't wait!

RS

Stress equals lack of posts

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've had a lot on my mind lately, and have been doing a lot of soul searching.

Top it off with spreading myself too thin, and real life has just swamped any blogging. Unfortunately, I don't see it easing up any time in the near future.

So, I just ask for prayers in the discernment area.

Pax et Bonum,
RS

Yes, I'm still alive.

Sorry for the inactivity of late.

I must first confess that I have been a bit distracted by a video game. (And I'm saying this knowing my pastor is going to preach on "the bonfire of the vanities" LOL). I have been going completely bananas over the game Half-Life 2 and it's continuing episodes since upgrading my computer. Part of it was that I wanted to get it finished before Lent, but mainly it was just a complete blast and one heck of a fun ride. Even though the first part was released 2 years ago, I managed to avoid reading much about it so that it was all fresh, and I had practically nothing spoiled. So, I finished it and that is over for the mean time, and now I have to wait for Episode 3 to be released (which I can't wait for). Portal was quite fun too, and the brilliant (if you've played Half-Life and Portal games) ending song of the game sort of inspired this post's title:



(How often do you have a computer sing to you?)

Otherwise, I have also trying to get a bit prepared for Lent in regards to my job at the parish. I've actually been getting some of the little things out of the way in hopes to get a jump on Holy Week rather than all the preparation coming down to the wire (as it usually does).

I've also been thinking a bit about the spiritual preparation for Lent. It seems like there are so many things I want to try and do for Lent that I worry I'll get frustrated if I do too many things. I'm not talking about going hardcore austere and moving into a cave and eating only sticks and rocks for Lent, but more of just trying to improve not only spiritual habits but some health things as well (like regular exercise).

One of the things I am hoping to do is to get a bit more organized into a better daily routine, which might give me a chance to actually do some better blogging. I'm not a natural writer, so making intelligent blog entries is actually quite a challenge for me. I was always more of the science geek and absolutely hated writing papers in high school and college, even thought I ironically ended up being a theology major.

So bear with me (pun intended) and we'll see what type of inspiration I can get for blogging. Maybe I can blog about what I work on in preparing for Holy Week liturgies.

RS

Funeral and San Francisco

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. My Grandmother died just before new year's so I went out to California for the funeral. Please keep her in your prayers.

The weather was rather dreary the whole time and we had just missed a HUGE storm that had gone through the bay area a couple of days before we got there. Still, we were able to get up to San Francisco to see some sights the day before I left.

San Francisco was covered most of the day with its stereotypical fog:


And we saw some of the usual touristy things like going across the Golden Gate Bridge:


Coit tower:


Cable cars:


and of course Alcatraz:


The main reason I wanted to go was to see the Shrine to Saint Francis of Assisi. However, along the way we also stumbled upon the church of Saints Peter and Paul:


and went inside:


Thankfully, we also made it to the Shrine of Saint Francis:


The we went down to the bay front and looked for the "money shot":


RS

Franciscan Friary of Greccio where Saint Francis had the "first" Nativity scene.
Merry Christmas from the Roman Sacristan to all readers.

Translations for the Vigil, Midnight, and Day Masses are below.

Pax et Bonum,


The Roman Sacristan

The new rig.

Sorry to be a bit quiet this week.

Finally! After 7 years, I have a new computer. The timing was a bit difficult with the holiday coming up. It's been a bit of a distraction given how much I have had to also prepare for work and the holidays.

But first off, to answer one of the The Engineer's son's questions: Yes, J. my computer case has lights. It's glowy!

The new "rig"
Going from a Dell, Pentium III 733MHz, 512 RAM, nVidia 32MB, Windows 98SE, and generic Dell stuff.
Going to a Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz w/4MB L2 Cache 1333MHz FSB, 2 GB DDR2 RAM, nVidia 8800GT 512MB, Gigabyte motherboard, Altec 900 PC case, and other stuff.

Thanks to a friend we he pretty much got it assembled and loaded and it runs very nicely. Portal looks beautiful (and is really a fun concept):



Now that I have just about all my holiday work prep ready now maybe I can get in a bit of recreation before the Marathon from 4th Sunday of Advent through Epiphany.

I may try some open source stuff like Open Office instead of Microsoft Office and Gimp instead of Photoshop.

RS