Symposium for the Year of Mercy in Huntington and Marian Festival

I spent yesterday, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which was also the beginning of the Year of Mercy (as declared by Pope Francis) at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, Long Island. They held an Academic Symposium which was presented by St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers. Laypeople attended as well as priests and it appeared that all the seminarians from St. Joseph's came as well. They arrived and entered the refectory at lunchtime and it was impressive how many there were in attendance.
They had excellent speakers at the symposium and a variety of lectures were offered for participants. There were so many good choices that I wanted to be everywhere and listen to everyone so it was difficult to choose. I attended Fr. Kevin O'Reilly's (Academic Dean and Professor) talk, "Mary as the New Eve: 21st Century Perspectives on an Ancient Image" and Msgr. Peter Vaccari's (Rector of St. Joseph Seminary) lecture, "The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, in the Jubilee Year of Mercy."
Both lectures were great. It was the first time I heard Fr. Kevin speak and it was very enlightening. Fr. Kevin pointed out all the parallels between Eve and Mary. So there are all these parallels in the Bible which I was fascinated to learn. For instance, as Fr. Kevin said, "Eve listened to the word of the serpent but Mary obeyed the word of God." Eve gave birth to sin, but Mary's nature was used to reverse Eve's sin and bring the Savior into the world.  Mary gives to Jesus his human nature and thereby reverses Eve's sin. Very intellectually stimulating. Fr. Kevin is an entertaining and knowledgeable speaker.
I mentioned at the end of the lecture that I find it fascinating that God seems to place in salvation history parallels as well as paradoxes, which you can find throughout the Bible and Bible figures.  I find that interesting. When I get to Heaven I'm going to ask God what is the fascination with parallel and paradox about.
Msgr. Peter Vaccari's talk was also excellent. I've heard Msgr. Vaccari speak before so I knew it would be good. He mentioned the papal document declaring the "Year of Mercy" and said it stated that "All salvation history attests to the Mercy of God" ...In Jesus, the Father's mercy is made known."
Mercy is always restorative. He mentioned that the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple in Jerusalem was for the ancient Israelites God's abiding presence with them. With the destruction of the Temple the Ark disappeared. For Christians, Mary becomes the new Ark of the Covenant. Mary becomes the new seat of mercy and she brings forth the Christ. He said we should keep our eyes fixed on the merciful gaze of Jesus.
It was a wonderful day and there was a lot of very fascinating information which I will continue to dwell upon. There is much more to this "Year of Mercy" that will have to be unpacked alittle at a time.
NJA

The Seminary of the Immaculate Conception- 80th Anniversary

On Sunday, October 24th, I attended the 80th Anniversary Celebration of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, NY. The evening included a Holy Hour of Prayer, followed by a Cocktail Hour and a Dinner. It was a wonderful evening of prayer and socialization. The idea of having Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction came from the inspiring rector, Msgr. Peter Vaccari, and it was a beautiful, holy, reverent way to begin the evening. Bishop William Murphy of the Diocese of Rockville Center presided at the Holy Hour and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, the Bishop of Brooklyn preached. The evening honored the Seminarians, who not only helped throughout the evening but they provided the entertainment as well. They were just great, using their diverse gifts, from their different ethnic backgrounds, to entertain with their music. (It was obvious that they had a good time as well!)

I was accompanied to the event with my son and his girlfriend as well as a friend. I was so happy that we all had such a wonderful time. We sat at a great table, with other Friends of the Seminary. The Friends of the Seminary are a wonderful, generous group of people that help the Seminary through fundraising, volunteerism and support. The evening raised money for the Seminarians to help them with their studies and also to help the Seminary itself, which is an historic building which was opened on September 28th, 1930.

The Journal which was distributed that evening with journal ads from generous supporters had an article about the history and I quote, "Situated on West Neck Road in Huntington, Long Island, about forty miles from New York City, the Seminary stands on more than 200 acres of hilly land overlooking Cold Spring Harbor, Lloyd Harbor and Oyster Bay. The building is constructed in Spanish Romanesque style with a Byzantine tower. The unique beauty and tranquility of the Seminary building and grounds offer an ideal setting for retreats, days of recollection, workshops, and conferences......." It's a special place, I especially love the magnificent chapel, which has a holiness and sacredness that's evident to me.

I was happy to be a part of the 80th Anniversary celebration and to have my son and his wonderful girlfriend there with me, as well as all the other friends who were there. I even "won" one of the Silent Auction prizes so I had a gift basket to take home with me, filled with goodies. What's better than prayer and praising God, family, friends, dinner, entertainment, good conversation, doing good and receiving a prize too. What a great night!

NJA