FOCUS Navy Sea Trials

Every year the plebe class does an intensive workout called sea trials.  It is usually about a 16 hour workout they have been preparing for all year.  This year, the FOCUS team decided to do a mini sea trials to take a glimpse into the life of a freshman midshipman's.  OK, so when I say that we decided I really mean that the midshipmen thought about it, planned for weeks on the best way to torture us, and we agreed to show up and do our best.  They did not think we would last 30 minutes, but we showed them!  We finished their little FOCUS Sea trials after three and a half hours of ... fun.  Ha ha.  No, it was actually great.  Here is a little preview of the event.  I will post the ten minute video later.  I hope you enjoy. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErOg9XzCl44&feature=youtu.be


P.S.  GO TEAM NAVY!!!

Rome Part 2

Assisi

The day after Pope Francis was elected we went to Assisi.  If you did not know it, this is where St. Francis of Assisi was from and started his ministry.  We planned the trip to Assisi before we went to Rome, and it was the only time we left the city.  The amazing thing was that our new Pope picked his name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi, so that night, when the Pope was elected, we all realized we were going to Assisi the very next day.  It was another one of those little things that the Lord planned for us. 

When we got there I found out that Assisi had two parts to the little town.  There was an old Assisi and a new Assisi.  New Assisi was down the hill by the train station, and old Assisi was on top of a hill, so a few of us started our hike up the hill like real pilgrims while the rest of our group took a cab.  If you ever get a chance make sure you walk.  It was amazing!  It looks like a long walk, but it really was not that bad, and the weather was great. 

 Assisi is one of the most peaceful towns I have ever been  . No, it is the most peaceful town I have ever been to.  Yet, there seemed to be this electricity in the air.  I don't know how to describe it, but I loved it, and at the very top of the city is a castle that was owned by St. Francis' father (The castle is on top of the center hill).  Captain Smith and I wanted to get to the castle, but we could not find the road to get there, so we ended up climbing the hill as if we were invaders. 

 When we finally got up to the castle we found that there was a few from our group already there.  Apparently there was an easy path to the castle. 

When we got to the top of the castle we looked down the hill, and realized why the castle was there.  If Captain Smith and I had been invaders there was no way we would have been successful on our attack.  We would have been easy targets. 

All that work was worth it, because the view was amazing!

Vatican Tour

This was the best tour I had ever been on.  The tour guide was amazing, and so was the Vatican.  I never knew that the Vatican had so many ancient artifacts.  Then again it makes sense that the church would help to preserve pieces of cultures.  It did the same thing in Europe during the Dark Ages.  It was also a great testament to how Christianity conquered all of these great nations.  They were not conquered by force from the outside but by love from the inside.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures. 

This is the vehicle that John Paul II rode when he was shot. 

Rafael's challenge to Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. 

 

Where's Rafael?

 

Trick question.  He is over here. 

 

Proof I was there. 

I had studied this in high school, but it was much more impressive in person. 

 P.S.  There will be a Rome Part 3. 

ROME Part 1

Waiting for the new Pope!

I still cannot believe that I went to Rome.  It had always been a dream of mine, but I thought I might go someday after I retired.  Of course, I thought the same thing about going to Walt Disney World, but I was able to do that on a band trip my junior year in high school.  This year I was able to go to Rome on a pilgrimage with about twenty-five midshipmen.  It was amazing, and so many great things happened.   I felt as though the Lord had personally planned my trip and made it perfect for me.  We planned the trip months in advance, and we never expected to see the conclave or a new Pope, but that is just what happened.  Let me take you through the highlights of the trip. 

 

The Flight

First, let me give you some advice.  If you ever fly to Rome make sure you sleep on the way over.  I know all  of those great movies are tempting, but you can watch them on the way back.  You are going to need your sleep, because when you get there it could be the morning of the next day, and if you did not get any sleep...Oh man.  I got some sleep, but more would have been great. 

This was my first trip over seas, and other then the eight hours it was a pretty normal flight.  We flew out of Philadelphia, and to my surprise there were people from San Marcos, Texas.  My home town church was taking students to Rome too. 

St Peter's Basilica

This was my dream!  This is what I wanted to see, and it was the first thing that we went to see.  It was huge, and when we walked in, yup it's true, it took my breath away.  It was beautiful.  Here are some pictures. 

 

 

 

My favorite had to be the Pieta. 

White Smoke!

That was the smoke stack (Actually, it is a large screen in the middle of St. Peter's square that made it easier to see the smoke.) on the first night of the election.  We waited for almost an hour, and to no surprise the smoke was black that night. 

This has to be my favorite part in the entire trip.  Imagine this...You are a catholic missionary, and it is your dream to go to Rome and see a Pope.  You hear that the midshipmen are going on a pilgrimage to Rome and you decide to go.  The trip is planned months in advance, and as the trip is getting closer you hear that the Pope is abdicating.  In fact, you realize that there will not be a Pope when you get there.  Someone else might think, "Well, at least it is still Rome, and I can still see the Sistine Chapel and the rest of the beautiful city."  NOT ME!  This was a dream of mine, and who knows when I would get another opportunity to go to Rome?  I knew this could be one of the greatest trips ever, or one of those times when I could say "I was so close...yet so far." In fact, I later learned that the Sistine Chapel would be closed, as they prepared to use the chapel for the conclave.  I never got to see the Sistine Chapel, but that is fine.  It is still the greatest trip I have ever been on, because I was there on the second night when that white smoke came out. 

 



Everyone was so surprised when the white smoke came out, and as soon as it did the Vatican bells began to ring, and all of the bells in the city followed.  Everyone in the square rushed to the front to get a good view.  While the rest of the city rushed to the square (I mean not the entire city, but the square was packed.), and we all waited for our new Pope. 
 

It was perfect!  The rain even cleared up, so everyone was able to pull down there umbrellas.  Otherwise, we would not have been able to see.  We waited for about an hour, and then the lights turned on, and all of the cardinals step out onto to the side balconies waiting for their brother, the new Pope whom they just elected, to step out and meet the world.
 

 

That was my favorite part.  To me it symbolized the unity of the church.  I was blown away, and then he stepped out!  It was amazing!  Here is a little video of that night. 

 



 

I felt as though the Lord had done it all for me, and I will never forget that moment.  Thank you for everyone who has supported me, because I would not be a missionary without you, and I never would have been able to see this.  

P.S.  Hey Luke, is that St. Peter's?

P.P.S. Thank you Father Mike for everything!

Spring Retreat 2013

 

This past weekend the Catholic Midshipmen Club hosted the spring retreat in Centreville, Maryland.  There were about fifty-five midshipmen who came to learn more about the catholic faith.  The midshipmen lead the entire retreat, and the theme was based on the Apostle's Creed.  That is the shorter creed we use in some masses. 

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

 It was so great to see the leaders step up and share their own faith in the talks and small groups. The retreat started Friday evening with the stations of the cross at the Naval Academy. Then everyone traveled in different cars to the retreat center in Centreville. (Haha! Center in Centreville, it just sounds funny to me as I read it.) We all got there at about dusk. We dropped of our stuff, and went straight to dinner. We had some type of fish, because it was a Friday. Then we heard the first talk over the first third of the creed. Next we went to adoration, and father Mike started hearing confessions. Then it was free time which meant people stayed up by the campfire until about midnight. 

 

On Saturday, we started with the liturgy of the hours, at 7:30 in the morning, followed by breakfast.  Liturgy of the hours is a series of set prayers from scripture for the days of the week.  Millions of catholics pray these everyday.  My favorite is Sunday night prayer.  At the retreat, we did liturgy of the hours in the morning and at night, and I think there are a few students who want to continue it at the Naval Academy.  We then heard the second talk and broke up into small groups.  Each group was lead by a student leader, and it allowed for mids to open up and ask questions about the faith.  Next we went to lunch and had about two hours of silence to pray and meditate.  After that we had three hours of free time so we played soccer and football. 

While we were playing, we could see these dark clouds getting closer, but it was still sunny.  After a little while it began to snow, so it was snowing while it was sunny.  Everyone was amazed at how peaceful it seemed. 

We then heard our third and last talk on the Apostle's Creed, had mass, and then went to dinner.  When we came back from dinner we had adoration for an hour.  It was a great time to be with our Lord in prayer, and many times this is most people's favorite part of the retreat.  To finish off Saturday night we had a bonfire and s'mores.  Everyone loves s'mores!

Sunday flew by.  We started the day with mass and then breakfast.  One of the midshipmen named Steve finished up the retreat with a great talk on living our faith and being truly alive.  Many of the mids were truly impacted by that talk, and it was great to see Steve in action and telling his testimony.  After that we ate lunch and went back home.  It was a great retreat, and so many people started coming to bible studies and daily mass the following week.  I can't wait to see what the Lord does. 

P.S. I just came back from Rome, and I saw our new Pope!!!  Thank you for all the photos Katy!!!


 

 

 

Holy Spirit on FIRE!!!

The Holy Spirit continues to amaze me.  This past week a midshipmen came up to me and asked if we could talk.  I could tell he was feeling down, so we found a place to talk.  This midshipmen had been starting to get involved with bible studies and other catholic groups.  He always seemed pretty happy and content, so I was surprised when he started to open up about his pain from a past relationship.  I am pretty sure he just wanted to talk and get it off of his chest, but I was able to share my conversion story with him.  I was able to share about my past relationships and how I came to know Jesus Christ.  He came to the realization that he could be in a relationship and be happy or miserable, or he could be single and be happy or miserable.  I also told him how Christ wanted a personal relationship with each one of us, and that night he chose to make Christ the center of his life.  He knows that it must be an everyday decision, but that this choice is the beginning of his healing.  Thank you for all of your prayers! 


P.S.  Happy Birthday Gina!!! 

P.S.  We will miss you Pope Benedict XVI!!!

Round Two

I hope everyone is having a grace filled Lent.   Easter will be here before we know it, but Lent is a great time for us to separate ourselves from this world and cling to our Lord.  It is a great time to reflect and remember who we are made for. 

This second semester has been full of adventure and blessings.  The Lord has poured His love on his people.  He has made our hearts new and called this generation to stand up for the truth.  From the FOCUS Conference called SEEK to the 40th March for Life the youth have gathered in the thousands and in the hundreds of thousands to search and fight for more in this life.  If you could only see the eyes of these youth you would see their energy and hunger.  The midshipmen are great examples of these men and women.  It is obvious there has been a great change in their hearts, and I am honored to be a part of their lives. 

On January 1st over 6,000 college students left for Orlando, Florida to attend SEEK from January 2-6.  They gave up days from their Christmas break to learn more about Jesus Christ and their faith.  Most of these students were people who have not lived out their faith in years, but they were seeking more in their lives.  They were looking for something or someone to make life fulfilling.  The world says that faith is foolish, but these men and women took a chance and amazing things happened.  One of the biggest signs of this was that about 5,000 people went to confession in those five days.  It was a great sight to see, and I know that same energy was sent back to each campus. 

The Naval Academy is no different.  As soon as we returned from SEEK, we could see a change in the midshipmen.  Daily mass involvement had almost doubled.  Students were inviting others to the Catholic Midshipmen Club, mass and bible studies.  I think the most impressive group that was started was a men's chastity group.  These men formed this brotherhood inorder to battle lust, and it is one of the most manly things I have ever seen. 

There are days when I can't believe the opportunities the Lord has given me.  Who am I?  The truth is that I just heard His call, and I chose to follow Him.  He gave me the strength, and I suppose that is all that he asks of us. I can honestly say there is nothing better.  Let us all pick up our cross and follow Him.


P.S.  Newsletters will be going out soon.  If you do not get one then let me know. 

Making A Difference



I asked one of our student leaders to give a little testimony of his senior year at the Naval Academy! 

I am Giiehti Christian, a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy and a disciple of Marcos Niño. My time under Marcos's discipleship could not have been better. I have gone from occasionally attending Mass to daily Eucharistic Adoration. Currently, I am now starting to outreach to my friends , so they too can enjoy the benefits of a personal relationship with Christ. Without Marcos, my faith would be dormant and my path to disciplining non-existent. Thank you Marcos!

V/r,

G.D.C. Christian

MIDN, USN

Brigade Character Advisor

P.S. None of this would be possible without your support.  Thank you from both of us.