Diocese of Charlotte seminarians enjoy life among sites in Italy
Three seminarians from the Diocese of Charlotte – John Harrison, Gabriel Lugo and Ronan Ostendorf – are in Italy to study at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. They arrived several weeks early and have been traveling, visiting holy sites and studying Italian. (Provided photos)ROME — Pilgrimages, visits to historic Italian churches and a chance to shake hands with Pope Francis. Sounds like a Catholic vacation dream, doesn’t it?
This is the life three seminarians from the Diocese of Charlotte – John Harrison, Gabriel Lugo and Ronan Ostendorf – have been living since July as they began studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. It’s not really a vacation – their lives already center around studying Italian, prayer and preparation for classes to start on Oct. 1, but they are experiencing some things that will bring lasting memories and indelibly influence their faith and future lives in the priesthood.
They made a pilgrimage to the Holy House of Loreto, by tradition the house in which the Blessed Mother was visited by the Angel Gabriel. They viewed holy sites, churches and cathedrals in Assisi and Rome. And they hiked on Mount Subasio in the Perugia province in central Italy.
They also got the chance to enjoy pizza with Bishop Michael Martin in the colorful Trastevere district of Rome during his trip for new bishops’ training in September. They even snapped a photo together with their bishop, which he sent back in one of his “postcards from Rome.”
“It has been a wonderful experience so far and delightful to see the Catholicity of many places,” Lugo told the Catholic News Herald. “In Assisi, we were able to join in a procession for their patronal feast day, which ended with a public benediction of the city. How different from the U.S.! I’m looking forward to the additional graces that God has in store for us here.”
Meeting Pope Francis was one of the spiritual highlights of their time in the Holy City. They didn’t have much time together, mainly time for handshakes and a few words, but the moment had a definite impact on the men.
“I was in an awe-inspired daze to meet the vicar of Christ on Earth,” Ostendorf said. “He seemed quite concerned for our well-being. He told us to be joyful and have a sense of humor.”
Pope Francis advised them to do three things in particular: “Pray, study and do sports,” Ostendorf said.
“Pope Francis was genuinely happy to see us, and he encouraged us in our preparation for the priesthood,” Harrison said.
Harrison also said he witnessed the pope’s love for Mary.
“When we met, he immediately noticed I was holding a rosary,” Harrison said. “He blessed the rosary and smiled at me, knowing full well that his future priests were under Our Lady’s mantle.”
Their travels and experiences also included a month of study of Italian in Assisi.
“Studying Italian has been very fun because I feel less like a tourist when I can begin to talk with random Italians I meet,” Harrison said.
He tried out his new language skills during a recent chance meeting with the aunt of Blessed Carlo Acutis while the men were in Assisi. Carlo Acutis was an Italian teenager with a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Eucharist who died of leukemia at age 15 in 2006. His pathway to canonization was recently approved by Pope Francis.
“She told us a little about him, and because of our Italian studies we were able to speak with her, though I’m sure she was laughing under her breath at our Italian,” he said.
The three men visited a wide variety of holy sites and were struck both by their beauty and the sacred atmosphere. Ostendorf said the Holy House of Loreto, a Marian shrine about 170 miles northeast of Rome, was especially moving.
“There is a spiritual gravity and luminescence to the place,” Ostendorf said. “It is difficult for me to communicate what it was like to be there. I could feel the power and protection of Our Lady. It was almost like a portal to another world, and yet it was so familiar.”
He especially remembers the words written above the altar in the Holy House: “Hic Verbum Caro Factum Est,” which translate to “The Word was made flesh here.”
Ostendorf said the “deeply incarnational artifacts and places” the men visited have had a strong impact on his faith. He recalled seeing the site where St. Peter was martyred and then his grave in Rome, as well as the site where St. Agnes was executed. Other places also left a big impression.
“Being in places where you can say ‘St. Philip Neri used to preach by those stars. St. Francis used to sleep on this rock. St. Clare wore this hairshirt.’ There are so many wonderful and concrete things that point to the deep faith, heroic virtue and divine love of the saints,” he said. “It makes it easier to feel the weight of glory and aspire to it.”
It hasn’t been all study and travel. There has been down time to meet and hang out with other seminarians they will study with. All three men are musicians and have gotten together for impromptu jam sessions – Harrison on banjo, Ostendorf on mandolin and Lugo on the fiddle.
After they complete their Italian classes and orientation, the seminarians will begin theology studies. Their first year will include extensive study of Scripture as well as explorations in general theology, followed by studies in moral theology, divine life and Christian worship, Harrison said.
As they study, they’ll remain close to the center of the faith that led them to the seminary in the first place.
“The experience of the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church in Rome is a splendid thing – and a great blessing to witness,” Ostendorf said. “Spending time in St. Peter’s Square, one can easily meet Catholics from all over the globe. It truly is a universal Church.”
— Christina Lee Knauss
