Dear friends in Christ,
As time goes by, it seems I get worse and worse at communicating. I plan on being more consistent this next year. I wanted to give all of you the brief update on my formation and life, but in short--it's simply breathtaking!
After a very hectic exam schedule and no time to pack afterwards, I came home on the 16th of June from Belgium. I received confirmation that I successfully completed the STB requirements (Sacred Theological Baccalaureate) and should be proclaimed today. It has been a great grace and I now have completed 3 degrees-BA in Philosophy/Religious Studies(Mt. Angel), BA in Theology and Religious Studies, and the STB (both in Leuven). God is so good in allowing me to finish the STB ahead of normal schedule, which should allow me to finish my Masters and Licentiate (STL) in 2 years more of school--putting the priestly ordination and return to Oregon sometime around 2013 if all goes well.
You might be wondering what I'm doing now. This year, I will be in the coastal town of Astoria, serving at Mary Star of the Sea parish on my pastoral year. It's a really small, but very close knit community and I'm really excited to be there this year, as there are many opportunities for service, teaching, as well as learning from the people. It will be a blessing to not have school for a year!
But before any of that can happen, I'll be leaving in 2 days for Queretaro, Mexico to study Spanish for 6 weeks! Please pray for me that I receive the gift of tongues and interpretation for this beautiful language so that I can serve the Spanish speaking people in our diocese better. Also pray for safety for me and my seminarian brother Jeff during our travels.
After I return from Mexico, my sister gets married in a week, followed by one week of break before beginning the year in Astoria! Life is crazy busy, but so blessed! Thank you for all of your prayers; my own desire and love for the priesthood increases with each new day and I can't wait to serve you. Please pray for me as always, that I can remain faithful to the calling of God for today and not live in the future--be assured of my prayers for you!
Christ's Peace to all,
Mark
