DialogueDialogue “Priestly Formation for the 21st Century” • A Publication of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary • Winter 2009 What’s Inside Dialogue 1 Dialogue Editorial Editor – Msgr. Keith R. Brennan Associate Editors – Cindy Krueger, Sharon Melancon, Keith Parker Managing Editors – Stanton Cadow, Daniella Coy Contributing Writers – Stanton Cadow, Daniella Coy, Jim Frankowiak, Fr. Lou Guerin Administrative Assistants – Herminia Garcia, Cindy Krueger, Sharon Melancon Board of Trustees Letter From the Rector Most Rev. John C. Favalora, Archbishop of Miami, Chancellor Most Rev. Victor B. Galeone, Bishop of St. Augustine, Chairman Most Rev. Gerald M. Barbarito, Bishop of Palm Beach Most Rev. Frank J. Dewane, Bishop of Venice Most Rev. Robert N. Lynch, Bishop of St. Petersburg Most Rev. John H. Ricard, S.S.J., Bishop of Pensacola/ Tallahassee Most Rev. Thomas G. Wenski, Bishop of Orlando Most Rev. Felipe J. Estévez, Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Miami Most Rev. John G. Noonan, Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Miami Deacon Dennis Demes Rev. Msgr. Robert C. Gibbons Rev. Mark Heuberger Rev. Michael R. Houle Rev. Timothy Lindenfelser Ms. Lydia Menocál Very Rev. Robert Morris Ms. Catherine “Cam” Murphy Rev. Msgr. Pablo A. Navarro Very Rev. Gregory Parkes Ex-Officio Rev. Msgr. Michael Carruthers J. Patrick Fitzgerald, Esq. Staff/Directors Msgr. Keith R. Brennan – Rector & President Fr. Steven O’Hala – Vice Rector & Academic Dean Mr. Keith Parker – Campus Administrator/Treasurer Msgr. Michael McGraw – Dean of Pastoral Formation Fr. Michael Muhr – Dean of Spiritual Formation Mr. Stanton Cadow – Director of Institutional Advancement Mr. Art Quinn – Library Director Fr. Louis Guerin – Director of Field Ministry Sr. Joyce LaVoy – Director of Liturgy/Music Mrs. Joyce Martinez – Director of Language Dialogue Design Director – Claudia O’Leary Photographers – Leonard Bryant, Stanton Cadow, Deacon Randy Musselman Advertising Sales Sharon Melancon – [email protected] & David O’Leary - [email protected] Correspondence 10701 S. Military Trail, Boynton Beach, Florida 33436-4899 Send address changes to: Sharon Melancon, 10701 S. Military Trail, Boynton Beach, Florida 33436-4899 or email: [email protected] Telephone: (561) 732-4424 – Fax: (561) 737-2205 Web site: www.svdp.edu Subscriptions Dialogue is published twice a year by St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary. Single subscriptions are $20 for one year in the U.S., and $25 in Canada, and $30 in all other countries. Donors and alumni receive Dialogue free of charge. Mission Statement The primary purpose of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary is to provide a human, spiritual, academic, and pastoral formation program to prepare candidates for the Roman Catholic priesthood. In response to the large number of Hispanic Catholics in Florida, and throughout the United States, the Seminary formation program is bilingual and multicultural. The secondary purpose of the seminary is to provide continuing theological education to qualified clergy, religious, and laity of all denominations. 2 Dialogue Inside Letter from the Rector Inside Front Cover In Memory of Thomas Aquinas Murphy Year For Priest 2 Trustee, Saint Vincent Barbara Ann Nugent —Benefactor Profile 3 de Paul Regional Seminary Retired Chairman, Back in the Dominican Republic Again 5 General Motors Corporation Fr. Jose Alfaro —Faculty Profile 6 Fr. Michael J. Flynn—Faculty Profile 5 “May God Hold You Around the Campus 7 in the Palm of His Hand” In Memoriam We ask for your prayers for recently deceased members of our St. Vincent de Paul family. Francis Madden, mother of alumnus Fr. Tom Madden. Fidelis Ndolo, father of seminarian Bernard Ngila Ernie Librizzi, ON THE COVER grandfather of seminarian Mark Librizzi. Claude Almyra Hilaire, sister of seminarian Wesler Hilaire Jean Hilaire, father of seminarian Wesler Hilaire. We regret to inform you of deaths in Leonard Dim’s family. Monica Nwadike (Leonard’s maternal grandmother) - The funeral will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 10:00 AM in Orlu, Nigeria. Chukwuma Dim (Leonard’s paternal uncle) - The funeral will take place also on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 10:00 AM in Amike, Nigeria. We ask that you keep Mrs. Nwadiki and Mr. Dim, Leonard, and the entire Dim family in your Masses and prayers. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed Dialogue Through the mercy of God rest in peace., Amen 1 “Year For Priests” Pope Benedict XVI has de- bread and wine and blessed clared a “Year for Priests” Abraham, who gave him the beginning June 19, 2009, tithe, in Genesis 14. His is the feast of the Sacred Heart. an eternal priesthood and his The U.S. Bishop’s Confer- name means both “Righteous ence has adopted the icon King” and “King of Peace,” pictured here as emblematic; Hebrews 7. This aspect of in the words of its creator Christ’s priesthood shows Marek Czarnecki, the icon his power and majesty, and is meant to be not just a win- trustworthiness before God dow through which we see the Father. Christ, but also a But the letter to the Hebrews mirror in which also tells us that our High we see Christ in Priest is merciful because he ourselves and, es- knows and has experienced pecially, seminar- our weakness. It is another ians and priests divine paradox that the pa- see themselves in tron of priests, in many ways Christ. their model, was a most un- The icon pic- likely prospect, having great tures Christ the difficulty in his studies and Great, Eternal then being assigned to an High Priest. He out of the way, lost parish. is flanked by There the humble Jean-Ma- Melchizedek and rie Vianney became much St. Jean-Marie sought-after for his holiness Vianney, the pa- and uncanny insight as a tron of priests. confessor, a task to which he The Letter to the devoted a daunting number Hebrews tells us of hours. It was perhaps his that Christ is the very weakness and aware- High Priest according to the ness of his lack of human order of Melchizedek who, prowess which allowed the after offering the perfect sac- grace and power of God to rifice once for all, has sat at be perfected in him (2 Cor- the right hand of the Father. inthians 12:7-10). Melchizedek was a priest of The words at the bottom of God Most High who offered Continued on page 13 2 Dialogue Benefactor Profile Barbara Ann Nugent, 1928 - 2009 Legacy Society Member arbara Ann Brewer Nugent was Paul Regional Seminary. She had born December 20, 1928 in Spring a great ad-miration for those in Lake, New Jersey. She moved to the priesthood and religious life. B Florida with her mother at the age She wanted to support them of 11. She married Charles Nugent in any way that she could, both on April 27, 1951 at St. Ann Catholic fi nancially and through prayer. Church in West Palm Beach. Her children remember their Barbara became the loving mom inviting the nuns from St. mother of eight. All of her Luke over for a Sunday dinner. children were bap-tized in the Barbara and Chuck would walk Catholic Church. Barbara was to Church every day until it baptized Episcopalian, but she became too diffi cult. May people made sure that all of her children would comment about how nice attended Mass every Sunday and it was to see them every morning on all Holy Days of Obligation. All on their way to or from Church. eight children attended St. Luke When they weren’t able to walk Catholic School and fi ve went on any more they began to drive. to Cardinal Newman High School There weren’t too many days while one attended Rosarian that they missed mass. Acad emy. It wasn’t until all of her Barbara was a selfl ess woman. children were grown that she Her kindness and good heart converted to Catholicism. That is could be seen through her just on of the many ways which beauti-ful smile. Her grandson, she made sure that the needs of Patrick said at her funeral that, everyone else were met before “I can only ask God for one-third hers. of my grandmothers’ heart.” One Barbara’s husband Chuck has of her favorite sayings was, “Bless been a member of the Palm Beach you baby life.” She was of course Chapter of the Serra Club since 1962. teased for this, but the family She attended several conventions continues to say this to each with him and often with the other quite often. children. This is how she became Barbara wanted to make sure interested in the St. Vincent de Continued on page 8 Dialogue 3 for 48 Years 4 Dialogue Back in the Dominican Republic again! Who would have thought that last seen all of these people in “Seminary Road” in Florida the mountains; I did not know would lead me to this Caribbean what to expect either from island not once, but twice on them or myself. Yet, as soon as assignment. I never imagined we pulled up to the newly built that I would know so much middle school (which rivals any about sancocho (a delicious school here in the states), I was Dominican Soup) or bachata amazed to see so many young music, but I do. faces I knew and remembered, This summer I traveled to La and likewise, so many who Romana, Dominican Republic, remembered me. Kids popped to study in a six- out and shouted out something week language close to my name: “Domini!” p r o g r a m “Domino!” “Dominic!” through St. I was overwhelmed with joy Vincent de and enthusiasm. I could not Paul Regional believe the warm reception I Seminary. After received in what really was this program more like a homecoming.