Hello everyone, my name is Christopher Rehagen, and I am a 2009 graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a Spring 2008 participant in the Dublin Program. Currently, I am a second year seminarian studying for the priesthood for the Congregation of Holy Cross (the religious order that founded and continues to run Notre Dame). As a second year seminarian, I am spending my year in Cascade, Colorado at the Holy Cross Novitiate. I live in the shadow of Pikes Peak in one of the most beautiful areas of the country.
The novitiate year is essentially an internship into religious life where one steps away from some of the distractions of daily life to focus on discerning God’s call. It is a year of study, prayer, reflection and work. Here at the Novitiate, my classmates and I take a break from regular access to internet, cell phones, and TV to focus more deeply on our relationship with God. Fortunately, we do have some access to these things (usually on the weekends and Wednesday nights) or this blog entry wouldn’t be getting done!
As part of the Novitiate experience, my classmates and I don’t take formal classes but meet daily for conferences on topics such as the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience; the history and ministries of Holy Cross, human sexuality and so much more. We also spend a good portion of our day in prayer and silence in addition to spending a period of three hours each day maintaining the Novitiate property.
As part of the Novitiate experience, my classmates and I spend one day each week working as chaplains in a local Catholic Hospital. Ministering to dying patients and their families is one of the most rewarding and hardest things I have ever had to do! My classmates and I also minister in local parishes on Sunday. For instance, I help with the RCIA program at one local parish. I work with the candidates and catechumens in what is known as “Breaking Open the Word.” Essentially, we meet as a group to discuss the readings of the day in order to dwell more deeply on the Word of God that we just heard at Mass.
Next July, if my classmates and I discern that God is calling us to the religious life, we will profess the temporary vows of poverty, chastity and obedience for a period of one year. We will then return to the University of Notre Dame to study theology in preparation for the priesthood. At the conclusion of each school year, we would then choose either to renew our vows of poverty, chastity and obedience for another year or leave the seminary. After a period of three to six years in temporary vows, we can petition to make the vows permanent through the profession of final vows. At around the same time, we would likely be ordained to the diaconate. The following year we would then be ordained to the priesthood. It’s quite a process, but one that I’m quite comfortable with as I need the time and experience to grow in my relationship with God and make sure that God is indeed calling me to religious life.
Since this blog is about the Dublin Program, I thought it would be nice if I said a few words about my experience with the program and how it impacted my decision to enter the seminary following graduation. Somewhat surprisingly, considering how much seemed to be going on while I was in Dublin, my time in Dublin was one of great spiritual growth for me. I really enjoyed the Tuesday night Mass followed by the trips to Eddie Rocket’s. I also enjoyed attending daily Mass at the parish in Blackrock (I lived at the dorms in Blackrock during my time abroad). I attended the 10:00 AM daily Mass, which usually had around fifty people in the congregation. I would venture to guess that 49 were over the age of sixty. Despite this, I grew to love the Mass there. I loved how the Irish people always made me feel welcome. I didn’t know them well, but they still greeted me with a smile when I arrived. I also was impressed by how the Irish people prayed for the dead in every single Mass I attended. Their belief in the Resurrection was something I envied and learned from.
Most importantly, my time in Dublin helped me realize how important my faith was to me. For the first time in my life, it wasn’t all that easy to attend Mass or set aside time to pray. It wasn’t like at Notre Dame where Mass is being celebrated at seemingly all hours of the day. And yet, I still had a deep desire to attend Mass and stay in the Church for a few minutes after Mass to sneak in a few prayers or pray the Rosary with the men and women of the parish. It wasn’t always easy to roll out of bed after a long night the night before, but it was worth it. In Dublin, I felt God in my life in a special way, and I will always be thankful for it.
As an aside, I want to thank Kevin for asking me to write an entry for the blog. I can’t tell you how many old memories I recalled as I wrote this entry. It made me remember just how much I loved my time in Dublin; how much I loved the Irish people and culture, the pubs and the museums, the chance to travel throughout both Ireland and Europe, and most importantly, the people I met, both from Notre Dame and from around the world. It was a great experience and one I would do again in a heartbeat.
Peace,
Christopher
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