Tomorrow I will be traveling to Rome and from there to Louvain, Belgium, for annually I visit our seminarians at their place

of residence. Thus there are many visits to St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo; but, for obvious reasons, I go only once each year to

Europe. However, when I do this I spend several days in order to meet at leisure with our seminarians and the faculties of the

seminaries. And also I want to enjoy these fascinating places.

Jeff Droessler and Paul Vu are our two seminarians in Rome, but they are joined by three of our young priests who are doing

further studies. The seminarians live in the North American College, and the priests in the Casa Santa Maria. I arrive Monday afternoon,

and already we have a group dinner planned for the next evening. I love to indulge in pasta, the way only Italians can prepare it.

But our men there are generally tired of pasta, and would prefer something else.

From Rome I continue on to Belgium. At this time we have only one student at the American College in Louvain (Leuven).

However, from the beginning of the foundation of the Diocese of Orange we have always had seminarians and priests studying

there. Our seminarian now is Troy Schneider, who is in his first year of theology, having completed his college studies at Mt. Angel

Seminary in Oregon.

I return to California just in time for Thanksgiving, a most special American celebration. I recall that during the years I

lived in rural Chile I would take the five-hour bus ride to Santiago in order to enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving dinner at the

Maryknoll house. It was a great gathering of the American ex-pat community of missioners. To accommodate various schedules the

complete dinner, down to the cranberry sauce, was served twice, at midday and evening, accompanied always by lots of communal

singing that was liberated by robust Chilean wine.

I greatly appreciate the theme of thanksgiving, for the Greek word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving.” The Mass is always a

prayer of thanksgiving, whether it is, on one hand, a festive First Communion, wedding, or Christmas celebration or, on the other hand, a

Requiem Mass or a prayer in time of great tragedy. We always give thanks to God, whatever be the immediate situation, for we

know that the death and resurrection we relive in the Mass is our assurance that the Lord is with us and for us in all situations, and

therefore God’s justice will prevail and life will conquer even death itself. You know that I travel a great deal, and I

always learn how to say thank you in the local language. It has long been my philosophy that the immigration officer at any port of

entry, in addition to reviewing passports and visas, should do a simple vocabulary test with the visitor. It would be this, “Say ‘Thank You’

in our language.” The person who could do this would be welcomed; but the one who could not pass this simple test of terribly

important courtesy, or did not think it necessary, would be immediately returned to the airplane and deported.

As I come to the conclusion of eight years as Director of Vocations of the Diocese of Orange, I have been reflecting on the many,

many reasons that I have for being a person of gratitude. If the seminarian or priest is not a thanksgiving person, he has chosen the

wrong vocation. But, so has any Christian or any other human being. It is a basic truth of faith.

May your Thanksgiving celebration be festive, tasty and a genuine opportunity of being thankful and giving thanks.

Wilbur Davis