My family truly enjoyed our whirlwind trip to Bellingham, and I felt great to have the chance to be in church with all of you again. Let me reiterate what I said from the pulpit: you have all played a pivotal role in the spiritual formation of my family, and we are deeply grateful for the opportunities we've had because of all of you. Thank you! For those who have asked about a copy of my sermon, it can be found on my blog: www.jesusstoolbelt.blogspot.
My schooling has begun again, and I am already neck-deep in assignments and sermons and the like. This year I have started my field education: I will be assigned to a local parish to assist the priests there. My church for the next two years will be St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Austin. (They'll have no trouble remembering my name!) So far my job consists of serving at the altar every Sunday, but my role there will gradually expand over the rest of my education. For this, my "middler" year of seminary, I will be working there five hours per week; when I become a senior, I will be expected to be there for ten hours every week. The church is in a beautiful building set high above a curve in the road in the Texas Hill Country, and the congregation is just a little larger than St. Paul's. I look forward to getting better acquainted with them as the months go on.
As I have watched the new class of juniors move in here at SSW and begin classes, I have become very aware of how much change just one year of seminary has brought to my life. I am a different person than when I arrived: I have much clearer ideas of my own needs in community and what strengths I have to offer my peers, and my family life has become far more settled and defined as the center of everything I do. I am a better listener and critical thinker in conversations, and my approach to academics is more refined and comfortable than last year. This education, taken as a whole, has truly been a life-changing experience for me: I can't wait to see what the next years bring, and I look forward in hope to an exciting career as a priest.
As always, I keep you all in my prayers. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any specific prayer requests - we have over fifteen chapel services a week!
Peace,
Michael Carroccino
P.S. The link for St. Michael's church website is: www.st-michaels.org
Also, for those of you who might be interested, the seminary recently posted on their website a few videos about what life here is like. You can watch them at: www.ssw.edu/videos
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