Yesterday was a very exciting day. It started off like any other. There were a number of things that I needed to accomplish as I am winding up my assignment here at St. Francis in Castle Rock. I knew that I needed get moving early as I had my annual review with Bishop Sheridan and then a BBQ for the seminarians at St. Paul’s parish. The morning went very smoothly and VERY quickly. I left for my appointment with the Bishop and arrived in plenty of time. The rain was POURING and so I sat in my truck and waited for it to subside. Eventually I gave up on that idea and headed into the offices. My appointment time came with the Bishop and we sat down to discuss this past year. My reviews have always been favorable and this was no exception. He told me that I was doing well and to keep up the good work. This was what I expected, but then he said something that in did not expect. We were discussing the transitional diaconate and he said “I suppose we should discuss some dates.” I about fell through the floor. I wasn’t expecting this conversation until December. He was actually going to give me a date for my ordination! WOW! This was very exciting. So we discussed some dates and several factors affecting the decision and the dates were narrowed down to May 25, 2013 or June 1, 2013. Deacon Jason Keas will be ordained to the Priesthood on one of those two dates and Mike and I will have the other. Since Jason has precedence of choice, I am waiting for him to choose; however, in talking to him at the BBQ he said he is leaning toward June 1. So it looks like I will be ordained on May 25, 2013. I HAVE AN ORDINATION DATE!!! I can’t express how exciting this is. Anyway, stay tuned for more good news and further updates.
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Over the last several days, I have watched the Chick-fil-A controversy play out. I like Chick-fil-A food and I appreciate their values. I have been irritated, though not surprised, by the backlash this company and its’ CEO have received because of his statements. Earlier today I came across a support statement that I thought was appropriate and in good taste. I concur with its’ message and am pleased to share it with you now.
I have been incensed at the vitriolic assaults on the Chick-fil-A company because the CEO, Dan Cathy, made comments recently in which he affirmed his view that the Biblical view of marriage should be upheld. The Cathy family, led by Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy, is a wonderful Christian family who is committed to operating the company with Biblical principles and whose story is the true American success story. Starting at age 46 Truett Cathy built Chick-fil-A into a $4 billion a year enterprise with over 1600 stores. At 91, he is still active in the company, but his son Dan runs it day to day as CEO. It's a great American story that is being smeared by vicious hate speech and intolerant bigotry from the left. The Chick-fil-A company refuses to open on Sundays so that their employees can go to church if they wish. Despite the pressure from malls, airports, and the business world to open on Sundays, they still don't. They treat customers and employees with respect and dignity. I ask you to join me in speaking out on Wednesday, August 1 "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.” No one is being asked to make signs, speeches, or openly demonstrate. The goal is simple: Let's affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick-fil-A on Wednesday, August 1. Too often, those on the left make corporate statements to show support for same sex marriage, abortion, or profanity, but if Christians affirm traditional values, we're considered homophobic, fundamentalists, hate-mongers, and intolerant. This effort is not being launched by the Chick Fil-A company and no one from the company or family is involved in proposing or promoting it. There's no need for anyone to be angry or engage in a verbal battle. Simply affirm appreciation for a company run by Christian principles by showing up on Wednesday, August 1 or by participating online – tweeting your support or sending a message on Facebook. Yesterday, a Colorado Springs Police Officer was killed in the line of duty. He was a 13 year veteran of the department and was assigned to the motorcycle division. The full news story can be found here. It was a sad day for the City of Colorado Springs that has already suffered much in the wake of the fire that destroyed the Mountain Shadows community. I was called down last night to spend time with the engine company that was first on scene of the accident. Any death has an impact on the responders to the scene, but it is more poignant when it is a police officer since the two departments work so closely together. I was honored to spend several hours supporting these firefighters who made a valiant effort to keep the officer alive. They deeply felt the loss of this officer’s life and will spend no little time dealing with this tragedy. Please take the time to remember this officer, his family and the police and fire departments of Colorado Springs in your prayers.  Officer Matthew "Matt" Tyner Colorado Springs Police Department Killed July 24, 2012 So it was just announced that President Obama will be flying into Aurora Colorado tomorrow to visit with the families of the victims of the shooting. Is this just because it is an election year? I would like to hear your comments. So please vote below, but also feel free to leave a comment. Today was a terrible day in Colorado. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families of the movie massacre in Aurora. Today and in the days to come a great deal of attention will be paid to the victims and their families and rightfully so. There is no explanation for the evil that has occurred and no words of comfort will be enough. In addition to these immediate victims of the shooting, there is another set of victims that I would ask you to remember in your thoughts and prayers. These are the first responders, the police, firefighters, and ambulance personnel that responded to this tragedy. Any incident of this magnitude has significant repercussions on those who respond to help. The mental health of these workers is directly attacked as they try to comprehend the immensity of the tragedy. This event in Aurora will be even worse than normal because of the number of young adults and children involved. Having served in the Emergency Services field for over 22 years, I can tell you first hand that responding to an emergency involving a child is the worst kind of call. For those responders with children, it brings home what can happen and they cannot help but think of their own kids. The untimely death of an adult, while difficult, is not beyond reason, but the untimely death of a child can be incomprehensible. This tragedy involved a great number of children wounded and dead. This was a difficult day in the lives of these responders. So as you pray for the victims of this tragedy, please remember in your prayers those who rushed in to save them. They will endure many difficult days ahead and your prayers will be a comfort to them. The next time you see a police officer, firefighter or ambulance attendant; perhaps a “Thank You” might be in order.
I am still working through some issues with the new site. I am trying to get a better system for commenting on my blog and I am researching some good HTML code for a site search box. I expect that these will be coming along over the next few days, so watch for updates. Of course if anyone has some suggestions on either of these issues, please let me know. There is a “Contact Me” form under the “About Me” link. Also if you have any other suggestions about the site, feel free to let me know.
I am also looking for good topics to post about and would be grateful for suggestions. Feel free!! For now I will keep this short and go back to writing code. Stay tuned! Yesterday, while I was working in the office, one of our assistants asked me if I had seen the new Catholic commercial about the upcoming election. I hadn’t and she told me about it. I thought it sounded pretty good, so I looked it up on You Tube. Not only was it pretty good, it was awesome. I have posted the video below and would love to hear your comments on it. It is well worth the 3 minutes it takes to watch. Hello world (again). This is my first post on my new website, though I have had previous blogs. I have tried different blogs in the past but have never liked the limitations that come with a blogger host. So, I have now developed my own website. I hope you enjoy it. It is my intent to give you “news and views of a seminarian,” as the title says, on a regular basis. Of course after my ordination in May it will become the “news and views of a Catholic Deacon” and finaly “news and views of a Catholic Priest”. My life is nowhere exciting enough for a running commentary, but the life of the Church is and I hope that you will see new postings several times each week. I hope to provide some valuable insights and information to my visitors that they will find helpful in their journey of faith. I invite comments from you on any number of topics or issues and hope that you will help spread the word about my website. Thank you for visiting and I look forward to a long and mutually rewarding digital relationship.
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AuthorI am a Roman Catholic Priest for the Diocese of Colorado Springs. I am currently assigned to St. Dominic Catholic Church in Security, CO. 
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