I’m working on so much right now and I wish I could multiply myself and take on all my projects at once, but instead each day is a question about what I will work on and what I will put off. Here is a peek at what I’m working on now:

1. The Website. Of course there is www.armoredcatholic.com, which I try to make my main focus. Right now I’m working on a “Groups not in Communion [with the Catholic Church]” page that will include sections for each major denomination and faith not in full union with the Catholic Church. I will also address specific doctrines that these groups teach, responding to each and helping to show how they are misguided. All the while I am always adding new entries into the “Twisted Scripture” section, and I plan on eventually integrating material found on this website into my page (after I secure permission and figure out how I will do that). And of course, there is so much I want to add to the website and I think of new ideas each day.

2. The Scripture Commentary. One of my greatest wishes is that there will one day be a resource on the internet where a user can find commentary from Church Fathers and Catholic theologians compiled in one area by verse. I.e., If I wanted to find extensive commentary on Matthew 16:18, I could go to the page, click Matthew > Chapter 16 > Verse 18, and voila! And you would be able to do this for virtually any verse in the entire Bible. I’m talking commentary by early Fathers like Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus of Lyon, Clement of Alexandria, and by later theologians like Thomas Aquinas, and by even later commentators like Fr. Haydock. Heck, it would be great to even throw in contemporary commentaries! The more the merrier! Sometimes people just want as much commentary on a single verse by as many sources as possible—early, later, and contemporary. Well, as much work as this would take, I am working on putting together something like this. Here is a sample of what I’ve done; it’s of John 1:14. I plan to somehow integrate this into my website as well, chapter by chapter as I complete them.

3. Apologetics Cards. Okay this is just a fun activity on the side. I was thinking of a great way to arm Catholics with apologetics material that is concise, simple to use, and portable. Then I came up with this idea: apologetics cards. Basically they are flash cards with Scripture references on one side and Tradition references on the back. I made sure to choose the most helpful verses and early Father citations to feature on the cards and then include other references in smaller print on the bottom. The cards are color-coded by category (e.g. Church and Papacy, Saints and Mary, Sacraments), and each include a Catechism of the Catholic Church reference in the bottom right corner of the Scripture side (for further reference). I think these are awesome! I’m thinking they could be printed on card stock for that durable card feel and then laminated for protection. Finally, one might hole punch them and hook them together on a keychain ring to keep them together. Here is one card I made on the Eucharist. (The image is of the front and back of the card viewed together.) I have only made five cards so far :(

4. Seminarian Duties. On top of these, ehem, little hobbies I have going on, I am a seminarian for the Diocese of Dallas and have other things to focus on—things that should be and are priority. (I never put this off.) I am currently assigned to a parish for my summer assignment, and when that is done I will go right back to the seminary for my second year. This isn’t really a project so much as it is my duty as a young man in preparation for the Catholic priesthood.

So you see, I have a lot on my plate. But as many of my friends know, I always have been a big eater. God bless everyone.

Seminarians for the Diocese of Dallas are given a summer assignment sometime towards the beginning of summer. This year, I was assigned to Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Dallas. The following are my thoughts going in.

Obviously this is a totally new experience for me. I’ve been at the seminary for a year now, and I guess you could say it’s similar to that in various ways, but this is definitely different. For one, I’m a bit more independent here and there is a greater sense of responsibility. You really couldn’t say that I’m living “in community” because the two priests live in a separate rectory, so I basically have the entire building to myself after a certain hour. (As such, I am indadvertedly also in charge of locking up and turning out lights.) I’m not really accountable to anyone but God and myself if I skip out on daily prayers or slack off during my free time (whereas at the seminary I have formaters who keep track of a lot of that).

One of the greatest differences is that here I survive on my Spanish. Blessed Sacrament is a predominantly Spanish-speaking community, which includes the priests, and unless I want to force many people to struggle with their English in conversation, I must use my Spanish. (Don’t get me wrong, many people here know English very well, but it is simply assumed that everyone knows Spanish and Spanish is the “default”.) While I’m a ways off from being fluent, I think I have a decent grasp of the language. It’s sad because this is the language I first learned as a child, but after having learned English I stopped using my Spanish and over the years it has degraded. Not to mention I am Hispanic and should know this. In any case I’m finally putting it to use again and I intend to be fluent in a few years.

I’m excited for this new opportunity to grow and I am ready for the challenges that I face. Click Here to go to a public album with pictures of the Church.