Brother--I mean--FATHER Patrick!

I fell in love with St. Louis this weekend. And I fell even more deeply in love with my Catholic faith. It was a whirlwind of a weekend to say the least! And as my travel buddy Annie and I kept saying on the drive home yesterday, “It was just so fun!” To be honest, I had no idea what I was in for, but the weekend was far more than I could have ever hoped for, and it turned into the one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time. There was so much going on, but my favorite part was the people. There were religious everywhere: sisters, priests, brothers, and probably some religious that I don’t know the name for (#Catholicprobs). And I unexpectedly spent most of my weekend with friends from IU that I didn’t know would be there. It was simply amazing. It was jam-packed couple of days, so I’ve broken it down into the best parts of the weekend. But to begin, I want to share how I’ve gotten to know Fr. Patrick during the past few years.

ONLY THE BEGINNING

My sophomore year at Indiana University was not the easiest of years, but it was a year of growth, maturity, and a lot of laughter--all of which were influenced by the then Br. Patrick Hyde. He was the Dominican student brother at St. Paul Catholic Center that year, and as the campus ministry intern, I worked closely with him and got to know him very well. The IU campus ministry program was pretty dismal when I arrived, but during my sophomore year, Fr. Simon and Br. Patrick were the perfect team to give it the kickstart it needed. I loved working with them and am so grateful for the time we had together. Though we did a lot of planning and administrative tasks together, my favorite memory of Br. Patrick has nothing to do with campus ministry.

January of my sophomore year, I made a major change in my life by joining Weight Watchers. And I was only nineteen. I was ashamed that I, a 19-year-old college student, had a weight problem. I should’ve been drinking beer and eating pizza, and I had started counting points and measuring my servings of shredded cheese. The week after I started WW, I went to daily Mass one afternoon and found myself sitting alone in the sanctuary after everyone had left. And I burst into tears. I had always been such a confident person, but my self-esteem was at a major low-point because of my body image and this ridiculous idea that my body was preventing guys from liking me (oh, if I could slap my 19-year-old self). He walked out of the sacristy and saw me crying and did one of those, “Do I comfort the crying girl or just leave her alone?” double takes. But he came over and sat down next to me and asked if I needed to talk, and I just poured out all of my life problems to him. And he just sat and listened for a solid 15 minutes without saying a word. And when I was done he said two things to me that I will never forget, “First of all, I’m proud of you for joining Weight Watchers and making healthier choices. Most college students do the opposite, so this choice says a lot about your maturity and your desire to be a better person. Second of all, don’t ever place your self-worth in a man. You are beautiful and talented and have so much going for you, and God will only put a man in your life when that man is ready for you.” I have no idea if he remembers that moment, but it was pivotal at that point in my life, and I can’t thank him enough for that tidbit of wisdom.

ORDINATION MASS

This mass was the most moving mass I have ever witnessed! There were seven ordinations: five to the deaconate and two to the priesthood. Br. Raphael, the student brother from my junior year at IU, was ordained a deacon and was vested by Fr. Cassian, a priest who was also at IU when I was there (but has since become a Purdue Boilermaker traitor. We still love you.). Fr. Patrick was vested (we later found out) by the same priest that baptized him. How awesome is that!? After the two new priests were ordained, they co-presided during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, which was beautiful. They couldn’t stop smiling, so I couldn’t stop crying.

A woman named Sister Catherine sat behind the little group of Hoosier Catholics, and when we saw her at the reception, she said she loved sitting behind us because we all sat up straighter and smiled bigger when Br. Raphael and Fr. Patrick were being ordained. It was a very special moment to witness these two moving forward in their vocational journey.

After the Mass, we all went to the Dominican Priory (basically the home base for the Midwestern Province of Dominican priests) for a reception. The food was incredible, but the company was better. We met some pretty hilarious characters (shoutout to Br. Joseph for catching us walking out of the business office… we just needed a pair of scissors to cut tags off a dress--I swear!) and got to receive blessings from the new priests. Perfect afternoon. We were also informed that Fr. Patrick would be doing his first Confessions at 3:30 that afternoon at the church where the ordination was, so Annie and I went back to the church to change into street clothes, and I got to be Fr. Patrick’s very first confessor!! I am not usually that excited about going to Confession, but it was so cool to be his very first one! He may be embarrassed that I’m sharing this, but when he absolved me of my sins, I looked up at him, and he had a huge smile on his face. It was beautiful.

FROM PARK TO ZOO TO PARK

Annie and I had a few hours of free time and didn’t want to drive back to our hotel, so we ventured to Forest Park, the home of the 1904 World Fair and the St. Louis Zoo. We parked in the first spot we could find (this is only funny to Annie, sorry about that…) and admired the World’s Fair Pavilion under a cloudless, blue sky. I wish we had more time to explore the park, but we wanted to make sure to stop by the zoo to see the polar bear (per Sister Catherine’s insistence!). The zoo was FREE, which is still crazy to me. Annie and I had a lovely time seeing the animals, and we particularly loved the sea lions. After a minor panicky moment of not knowing where the heck in Forest Park we had ended up, we headed to pick up our friend Sarah and drove to the reception at the Piper Palm House in Tower Grove Park.

CATHOLICS KNOW HOW TO PARTY!

And Fr. Patrick’s family knows how to throw a party! What a NIGHT! I had so much fun talking to a bunch of different priests and brothers, catching up with friends, eating a few too many chocolate truffles, and singing some songs with the jazz pianist that played at the event. That last part wasn’t planned, but it was one of my favorite parts of the evening. There isn’t much to share about the reception other than the fact that it was a blast, and the extrovert in me (which is my entire self…) was shouting with joy for all the opportunities I had to talk to people. So fun!

MUNCHIES AND MOSAICS

On Sunday morning, Annie and I met up with Sarah at a Jewish deli for breakfast, which we found out had been open since 1897. The food was fantastic. We had originally planned to go back to the zoo but wanted to check out the St. Louis Basilica first. Let’s just say that we didn’t make it back to the zoo because holy cow the St. Louis Basilica is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been in. The entire interior is comprised of mosaics. There are no words to properly describe the beauty and magnificence of the sanctuary. I may or may not have looked up the price of a wedding at the basilica… and quickly learned that it was out of the question! I was very grateful to have my friend Tom with me because he has a vast knowledge of church history and theology and was able to explain much of the symbolism in the artwork and construction of the building. Thanks, Tom! I could have spent hours, or even days, wandering around the church and continued to find things to admire. It is a spectacular place, and I would highly recommend a visit if you find yourself in St. Louis.

St. Louis Basilica

Basilica selfie!

St. Louis Basilica

FIRST MASS

It was an IU reunion on the altar at his first mass! Goodness! Fr. Patrick presided for the first time, and both of his assisting deacons have been student brothers at IU, AND Fr. Simon, a former campus ministry priest at IU, gave the homily. Tom, a fellow Hoosier and seminarian, was also present on the altar, and I was privileged to cantor the psalm and the Alleluia. It was so special to be a part of it all. Fr. Patrick’s first mass was at St. Clement of Rome, which was his home parish growing up. His family was also very involved in the mass. It was so exciting to watch him during the Liturgy of the Eucharist! The mass and the reception that followed were both a lot of fun. One of the best parts of the afternoon was being reunited with my beautiful friend Maura. She and I were best friends at IU, and I hadn’t seen her since graduation a year prior. I loved reconnecting with her and am so grateful for her friendship.

FAREWELL FOR NOW...

As I mentioned earlier, it’s hard to explain how incredible the weekend was. Annie and I discussed that it felt almost like a retreat. It was so faith-filled, and spending time around so many dedicated religious was inspiring. I was so honored that Fr. Patrick asked me to sing at his first Mass, and it was a blessing to be a part of the entire weekend. I wish I could have made this post a little shorter, but this truly was an abbreviated version of the incredible weekend in St. Louis. Please keep Fr. Patrick in your prayers as he begins this next part of his vocational journey! He is going to be an amazing priest!