September 30, 2005 (Friday)
After classes ended today Off Campus began. I will soon be leaving to spend some time with the Silva family in Nebraska, so I will be away for the weekend and will not journal again until Sunday night. The Slivas are from my parish back home and just recently moved to Nebraska.
September 29, 2005 (Thursday)
Today is the feast day of St. Michael, Rapael, Gabriel, and all the ArchAngels. St. Michaels had its open house tonight and the monks and students from the other buuilding came over to tour our rooms. The hall also included some of the usual Conception refreshments of cookies, chips & sausa, and some punch. I meet with my Spirtual Director Father Daniel today and we finally came up with my Spirtual Goals I will be working on for this year.
September 28, 2005 (Wednesday)
Courtney Beard and her family is in need of our help. The skin treatment for Courtney will cost a lot of money, and an account has been opened to help assist them with these costs. If you would like to make a donation to help this girl out please send your donation to:
Attn: Skin Renewal Center
1009 N. State of Franklin Access Road
Johnson City, TN
37604
Make sure to specify that the donation is for Courtney Beard so it will make it to her account. Courtney was with Hensley when the car was hit, and she has had bad third degree burns all over her body and is currently at Vanderbuilt getting treatment. My day went well because I did not have Realsim due to the birth of Dr. Anadale's child. Team sports was also cancelled because of the rain, so I had some time to take it easy. Tonight after supper I got a chance to go to Wal-Mart where I bought a few needed items. Now I am working on Biology work and I have to clean my room because of building is going to have its open house.
September 27, 2005 (Tuesday)
Mass this morning was pretty weird because of the music that was played. I felt like jumping up and down clapping my hands like at a Baptist Service for the music. O' how we all want this person's piano prevaledge to be taken away. After Mass was my lest favorite class Old Testament and he told us we all did bad on our tests and will be giving us a pretty nice sized curve so we can pass. We will gets our results on Thursday when we return to his class. We had a floor meeting today and where given our assignments for reflection group. Usually the class meets as a whole, but our class is way to big for that and will have to split in two. Supper was very slow! It took the waiters forever and they never came around to refill drinks. Someone needs to tell these guys how to do things correctly it's just a mess. Also, keep Cortney Hensley's family in your prayers tonight and also pray for her friend Coryney Beard who is in the hospital bairly hanging on to life.
September 26, 2005 (Monday)
The front of my website says it all "In Memory of Cortney Hensley" who was crowned homecoming queen on friday night and died 24 hours later. Only at the age of 17 and taken so fastly due only to a guy who was speeding. This is an example of life and how short it can be. Let us remember our death can come at any moment and we must be ready for it. We must use this time left in this life to "Glorify God in All That We Do."
September 25, 2005 (Sunday)
Divine Word joined us today along with a huge group of people who gave money for the renevations of St. Maur Hall. After supper which was not done with waiters I spent the day playing Star Wars, sleeping, and watching Family Guy followed by the new movie. After the movie I grabbed a corndog to eat from the Union which has now been lowered in price from $1 to .75cents.
September 24, 2005 (Saturday)
I woke up this morning to no power or water. The problem was resolved before apostolics, so I was able to take a shower before leaving. After the psych-ward we stopped at Wendys to eat because we where unable to eat at school before leaving. Today was Conception hosted a soccer/volleyball game against Divine Word College, and we returned in time to see the volleyball match. In soccer CSC lost 1-2, but we pulled off the victory in volleyball 3 games to 2. After all the sport activities we had Evening prayer, ate supper, Divine Word got a tour of our dorm, and the Union was open giving away free soda and beer to those at least 21.
September 23, 2005 (Friday)
I missed morning prayer today due to hitting the snooze button on my alarm clock to many times I finally rolled out of bed at 8:03am. After my first class I finished up some work on a presentation I had to do for SBS and I studied for a quiz for Western Cilvilizations. My presentation went well and lasted for 25 minutes. After prayer I headed into Maryville to eat at Taco Johns and then went to Wal-Mart where I bought the new Family Guy movie and the new Paul McCartney CD.
September 22, 2005 (Thursday)
Today had to be my most busy day ever here. Classes all morning, a trip to Gambinos, set up for the Alumni Reunion banquet, more class, the dedication of St. Maur Hall, Holy Mass, a reception, and a banquet tied my schedule up from 7am until 8:15pm. I took my Old Testament Test today,and wow it had to be the hardest test I have ever seen. It seemed to cover none of the things the teacher told us to look at. I think I failed it along with the rest of the class. I took some pictures from the events of the Alumni Reunion and now have them posted on my pictures page.
September 21, 2005 (Wednesday)
All went well today, and Team Sports let us play Softball. I have not hit a ball since my days of teeball, but I only striked out one time with four times at bat. The bad part was I only got on base one time in the game. My team scored around twenty something points while the only team scored aroun eight or nine. Spent the night studying for tommorrow's dreaded Old Testament Test.
September 20, 2005 (Tuesday)
All the work around this place is starting to pile up. On Thursday I will be doing my first Old Testament Test, on Friday I have to give a presentation for SBS, and I have daily quizzes for Western Cilvilizations. I cannot wait until this weekend is over because the work will slow down a bit. After classes where over I had to get tested for TB, so I can continue to work at my apostolic. I had my second chaplain's meeting of the year and it lasted around 30 minutes and went well. After the meeting I went down to the Union to find a new item on the menu, the corndog! I did not notice this until after I placed my order, so I will get it on my next visit.
September 19, 2005 (Monday)
Today went well because all the Kansas City guys are gone today for the gold tournament. Due to this Team Sports and the after evening prayer meal was cancelled. This lead to a lot of playing of my Star Wars game, and after prayer I went out with some of the guys for Red Lobster. I had the Ultimate Feast which includes anything you can want (lobster, crab, shrimp, fries, salad, and those great Red Lobster biscits). After eating we stopped at Best Buy to looks at things we would like to have, but cannot afford.
Septmeber 18, 2005 (Sunday)
After Mass we had out very first brunch which is a breakfast instead of lunch. This is new for this year and will only happen once a month. Other than this I did nothing, but sleep and listen to Optional Reason. Optional Reason is a band backhome that just released a their first CD. I am friends with the lead singer because he attends Notre Dame Catholic with me. For tonight I only plan to watch Family Guy.
September 17, 2005 (Saturday)
No apostolics today because we have to take a TB Test before they will allow us to return. Due to this I got to sleep in and attend Mass here at the Abbey. After Mass I spent my day messing around on my computer and sleeping. When I awoke from my sleep I had to head to the Union to help out with a fundraiser being done by the Social Concerns Committee. We served great Mexican dishes for the price of $10 which will be used to help a guy who does ministery over seas.
September 16, 2005 (Friday)
I changed the look of my website today, and I do like the changes. Right now I am getting a credit card, so I can purchase the web domain dustincollins.com to move this site to. This will get rid of the dumb ad and also make my email address @dustincollins.com. The day started off right because Realsim was cancelled, so I got to spend my whole morning with nothing to do. Abnormal Sciences was a lot of fun because we watched a video on Exorcisms. After prayer I went out with a few of the guys to eat at KFC and go bowling. I had a horrible score, but I did have a lot of fun.
September 15, 2005 (Thursday)
Today was a very busy day that never gave me a chance to sit down and stop doing things. I started the day with morning prayer and then had two classes which lasted 1hour and a half each. After classes it was off to the bacilica to get ready to serve for a visiting Abbott. After Mass ended it was to my favorite place to go on Friday's, Gambinos. After pizza it was straight to Biology Lab which was followed with a meeting with my Spiritual Director. Following this meeting I had to be in the Oritory for Liturgy Praticum and Evening Prayer. After prayer we had our supper and New and Views happend in which Abbott Gregory told us great news! The news was the monestary must start kneeling starting tommorrow. At least their is a little bit of good about this event filled day. I also I must not forget my camera has came in, and some pictures have been added to my picture folder. I still have many pictures to add, but I will keep you posted to when I am done uploading.
September 14, 2005 (Wednesday)
Everything went great today! Team sports was a lot of fun because we played Speedball again and I was on the winning team. Also, I made a call to Sister Claire Marie who is with the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word, but I was unable to talk to her today. I have never meet or talked with her before, but I feel like God is calling me to talk to her. I learned about her from the newest edition of the Serra Club Newsletter which had an article on what brought her to the convent. This story hits home with me and what I am going threw right now, so I must call her to figure out more details and what I must do next.
September 13, 2005 (Tuesday)
After classes ended for the day I went out to eat some Mexican Food in Maryville with a few of the guys. After eating we went to Wal-Mart where I bought a new game called Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. It looks like this game will keep me brainwashed for days to come.
September 12, 2005 (Monday)
Team Sports went well today because we did not plat soccer. Instead, we played a game called Speedball which I have never seen played before. In this game you can score either by kicking the ball in the goal or throwing it into the goal. You can only pick the ball up if you catch if off of a kick. Once you catch the ball you are only allowed to take three steps before you must pause and pass the ball. The teams where very badly matched, so my team lost miserably. After Supper I headed into Maryville with a few of the guys to bring some things to Greg who was in the hospital because he had a leg surgery. After visiting him it was off the Wal-Mart to get a few items.
September 11, 2005 (Sunday)
Today we remember all those who died on this day and for all those that risked their lives to safe others. I got to serve at Mass today and Patrick came up to me after and said looks like all went well. As I was waiting for the lunch bell to be rang Andy came up to me and asked if I would like to join him and two other seminarians for supper at Clyde. I of course agreed and so we left later that day to pray with them and also to supper with them.
September 10, 2005 (Saturday)
I am writing this journal entry from Saint Joseph's Hall because the internet in our building is not working. Hopefully this issue will be resolved by at least Monday. I started my day off early for a Saturday because I went to Clyde for Mass. At 11:30am I left CSC with my apostolics group to head to the psych-ward. I was in a way fearing what would happen, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Our group split up to play basketball and cards. I learned the game of Spades today, and this game is a great way to pass the time. After returning to CSC the internet went out, so we where forced to occupy ourselfs with the making of a new movie. In this movie which is still in the works BC warns us of why he was kicked out of the seminary. It was due to him knowing to much about the evil plans of the monks and what they would unleash on the seminarians in the year 2006.
September 9, 2005 (Friday)
This week's weekend activities include eating at Applebees, seeing the Exorist of Emma Rose, and making a Wal-Mart stop. The movie was awesome and is a must see. If I ever find myself waking up at 3am I think I will go nuts! This reminds me of a story I heard not to long ago. A few years ago one of our monks passed away and was put into the bacilica for viewing. The dead monks are barely touched with things to keep them limp so it was late at night and a young novice was praying at his side. Out of nowhere the body jumps up, and the monk goes running off. I hear it took them hours to get him to come back into the bacilica. After the movie we made a stop at Wal-Mart and I bought the new ALF Season 2.
September 8, 2005 (Thursday)
Had a great day of classes today and I got a little bit of pizza at the usual pizza stop of Thursday, Gambinos. After eating I did Biology Lab where I had to test foods for sugar, protein, fats, and some other things. Liturgy Praticum was used to discuss the heated issue of kneeling starting with the Lamb of God. Bishop Finn announced that he wanted his Diocese to be kneeling at this part of the Mass starting today. Currently we will remain standing, but that could change because the Abbott is meeting with the Bishop currently to resolve this issue.
September 7, 2005 (Wednesday)
I offically started my apostolics today. My group will go to the psych-ward every Saturday, but we had to go down today for orientation. We where told about HIPPA which is a program that protects the patients, gave our fingerprints, got our ID cards, and took a fast tour of the ward. Starting this Saturday we will start spending time with the patients.
September 6, 2005 (Tuesday)
We had our first Spanish Mass of the year today at 7:45am. After Mass I grabed a little bit of breakfast and then headed off to class. After classes where over I cashed two checks and talking to Skip about my fitness results. Ian asked me to fill in for him tonight as a waiter because he was going out to eat with his Diocese. After Supper I meet with Brother Elias for the first time and we talked about what I did over the summer.
September 5, 2005 (Monday)
The sisters gave two more talks today. Sister Loredana talked about the apportance of Spiritual Direction and Sister Susan talked about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Sister Loredana said the four things that lead to holiness are prayer, the Eucharist, Our Lady, and spiritual Direction. Sister Susan added in her conference that Confession also leads someone to holiness because they are coming to Christ with their problems and he forgives them. Talking to a priest in confession cannot be a new sin to the priest. He has heard it all, so why do you think your sin is so unique. A weekly confession is something that can bring us into a state of holiness. Pope John Paul II frequently received this sacrament. He made it something that he did on a daily basis. To think a saint like John Paul can make a confession everyday, but we who are nowhere near this state of holiness may only make one once in their whole life. I want to make a goal today to go for this challenge from Sister Susan and make a confession weekly. I know that it can lead me into the state of holiness that I am truely wanting to be at.
September 4, 2005 (Sunday)
Being a waiter is finally over! Today was a lot of fun and it was also the start of our first Day of Recollection of the year. The Sisters of Interior Life returned to our school. Sisters Susan and Loredana came this time and they did a great job in their first conference. Sister Susan told us a story about a seminary in Africa that had 34 students. These 34 students came from two different tribes, and one day a group came to the school with guns a told them to separate into the two tribes. The students refused because they where one, so the order was given to kill them. She said holiness is becoming the person I am ment to be. She also gave us this question to think about: What is the goal of our life?
September 3, 3005 (Saturday)
Karin & Tom Silva came up to visit me today. They meet me infront on the church at 10:30 and we went to Mass at 11:15. They got the tour of the new building from me and they seem to like all the improvements around Conception. After they left I took off with some of the guys to St. Joseph where I bought two new Ringo Starr CDs and ate some great Mexican Food. Also, a camera update: The camera has arrived in Tennessee I should have it here in MO sometime next week.
September 2, 2005 (Friday)
The definition test in Western Civilizations was breeze it only had one definition on it which was our choice of customs or cilvilization. After prayer I went out with some of the guys to a bar and grill that serves some huge burgers that can barely fit in your mouth. This place is found in the giant city of Parnel which only has 187 people living there. After eating we went to watch some high school football in Stansberry. This game was not the usual 11 man, but 8 man football. The home team won the game with a score of 53 to 22. After the game it was off to the Union for there free soda and beer Fridays.
September 1, 2005 (Thursday)
The usual Thursday tradition of going to Gambino's was done today. After returning back to CSC I did my second Biology Lab where we had to put household cleaners on PH Paper and see if they where an acid or a base. After the lab I got to meet with my new Spiritual Director, Father Daniel, for the first time. At the next meeting we will go over my goals in Spiritual Direction. Tonight I will be working on memorizing definitions for the test I will take tommorrow in Western Civilizations.