SACRILEGIOUS: Confessions of a Roman Catholic Seminarian

Chapter XI: Story of a Soul

"Well, you are busy." Responded Fr. Virgil with a glimmer in his eyes. "When I did my pastoral assignment I had to write the sermons for daily Mass! I wasn't as busy as you are, but those sermons had to be top notch, otherwise Fr. Augustin would send them back to me, and keep me writing all day long if he deemed necessary!" Barked Fr. Virgil flinging his finger mocking Fr. Augustin.

"It was a lot of reading and studying back then. Not that there isn't any now, but I went to seminary before the council, so there was a great emphasis on Latin. Since the Mass was said in Latin in those days." Emphasizing his dislike for the language and for the extraordinary form of the Mass.

"It's incredible how much the church has changed since then, today I hear finding a parish who says the Mass in Latin is a rare as finding gold in a dumpster!" said Fr. Virgil proudly, Jake knew he had been a strong supporter of the council's reforms in his youth, most priests of his generation had.

"I was ordained in 1963. The year the council was interrupted because John XXIII died. Those were some chaotic days. As a young priest I looked forward to the changes being talked about with enthusiasm, a lot of young priests did. Paul VI was the last pope to be crowned you know, and the last to say the Mass in Latin, at least for a long time...until Benedict came around. You see Jake in those days everything was perfect, the Mass was perfect, the vestments, the churches, the doctrine, but the church was rotting from the inside out, with Clericalism."

"Paul VI let in some much needed fresh air into the Church, it was incredible! Yet we were all surprised and shock with all the crazy experiments we saw after '67 when the Mass began to be said in the vernacular. Thanks to all those changes, priest were for once allowed out of the churches and meet the people of God!" His excitement was evident and Jake sat back on the couch as the story unfolded through the shimmer of his eyes.

"I went on to work as Director of Religious Education for the archdiocese. Had the privilege to work with the USCCB, helping them with outreach Mexicans faithful, there was a huge influx of Mexican immigrants then. I spent most of the seventies in Paris you know? I got two doctorates at the Institut Catholique de Paris, one in Philosophy and Sacred Theology. By the eighties I was back in the states, I wasn't bound to any parish so when I was invited by the archbishop to work here I decided to move to the West Coast after haveing spent most of my life in Texas. Then I began teaching at St. Mary's College, and working as Pastor at St. Stephens in Napa as you know. " Said Fr. Virgil laughing nostalgically remembering the ghosts of his past.

Jake listened attentively, Fr. Virgil was a breathing and living history book, and he had been alive during the epoch that dramatically changed the church. This church which Fr. Virgil talked about was all but foreign to him, as visionaries and reformers changed the face of the Catholic Church into what it is today.

"That was a good time to be alive huh father?" said Jake with curious googly eyes.

"Any time is a good time to be alive Jake." Fr. Virgil responded snapping out of memory lane. "Sorry, got carried away, old man grimacing of his past achievements. So, tell me how is your family? How was your summer in Mexico City? Your faith? And most importantly how is your calling to the priesthood?"

Jake smirked, repositioned himself in the couch crossing his legs, the sole purpose of his visit was to see how Fr. Virgil was, yet Fr. Virgil seemed more intrigued in seeing how he was instead.

"Well, the family is good. Mom and my sister are still working at the hospital together. The kids are still at the parish school like always. God has always given me the comfort of knowing they are fine..." Jake stopped momentarily as he saw Fr. Virgil stands up grabbing both of their empty cups from the table.