Editor’s Note: Eight seminarians from the Diocese of Youngstown are participating in a pilgrimage to Rome, along with additional seminarians studying at Saint Mary Seminary in Wickliffe, Ohio. Youngstown seminarians include Deacon John Rovnak, Deacon Fritz Schlueter, Kevin Bertleff, Garrett Guerrieri, William Wainio, Arthur Bodenschatz, Daniel LaPolla, and Craig Ziobert. These eight men are joined by Saint Mary Seminary Professor and Youngstown Priest, Rev. J. Patrick Manning.
Seminarian William Wainio contributed this reflection to The Catholic Echo, as the trip began, highlighting the anticipation of the seminarians for the week, including their upcoming private audience with Pope Francis.
Before our group of 70 pilgrims embarked on our journey, we all gathered together in prayer. While the sun was still a good hour from shedding light on Northeast Ohio, our group of seminarians, bishops, priests, seminary faculty and staff, and a few guests, gathered for an early morning “travelers Mass” before our trip to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
Thursday March 2nd, 2023 had finally arrived and we were eager to hit the skies for the 8 hour trip to Rome, Italy. For some, this trip is a return to a place of faith and great memories, for others it’s the first time flying across the Atlantic. Yet, setting these differences aside, we all held one thing in common: the prayers we carry with us for family, friends, and even complete strangers. As pilgrims, we know that this trip is not the average spring break vacation! There will be no sun tanning on the beach or bar hopping because this trip is not a vacation at all. Our trip to Rome is a time for great prayer, drawing each of us deeper into the history of the Church and the life of Jesus and the saints. Vacations do not normally give us the blessing to pray at the tombs of saints such as St. Paul, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Catherine of Siena and many more. Vacations are not typically built around the Eucharist and prayer. This is not a vacation at all: it is a pilgrimage.
This week, we will have the great opportunity to journey together as brother seminarians with our formators and the staff who supports us in our discernment of God’s call. We will have the opportunity to have Mass at the tomb of St Peter celebrated by Bishop Michael G. Woost, Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland. We will explore the beauty of Rome through art and history. We will have the blessing of praying at many of the historic Churches around Rome. Midweek, a group will journey from Rome to Assisi to visit the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clair. We have the great privilege of meeting His Holiness Pope Francis in a private audience on Monday. Best of all, we are blessed to be able to grow in brotherly fraternity for we know well that no one takes a journey of faith alone. As Jesus called his disciples to go out and spread the Good News, we too are following in the footsteps of the disciples to journey together and be a witness to the world of our love and faith.
Know that we carry with us your prayer intentions and we promise to pray for our diocese as we journey through Rome. We invite you to journey with us by following our trip on social media, on Facebook or Instagram. We promise to do our best to post updates and pictures. Finally, we ask that you pray for us as we travel, learn, discern, and grow into loving and faithful spiritual fathers for our local Church.
