Father Don Bolls was at the head of the class at Clergy Formation Day at St. John the Baptist Catehdral in Munhall, Pa. on March 7. And he was happy so many chairs were filled with 30 priests and deacons eager to hear his presentation on writing homilies. “I actually had to run off extra copies of some of my handouts. I thought if I got 15 that would be huge,” he said. Clergy Formation Days are held regularly throughout the year for priests and deacons of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh.

“It’s an opportunity for the men to get together and have some fellowship. We do worship as part of this and usually someone will present something. It could just be reflections on a Bible passage or two. “I enjoy them. I think they’re helpful. I always have a good lunch,” he said, with a laugh. Bolls teaches homiletics at the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of SS.

Cyril and Methodius and serves at Holy Trinity in Wall, Pa. and Church of the Resurrection in Monroeville. Pa. Bolls said he discussed different aspects of writing homilies. “I sort of did a little refresher course but also to give them some different ways…things that might be helpful sometimes when they were in a rut or needed a new approach. “(I presented) some of the things I’ve discovered over the years, either from my own homiletics professors or just the experience of doing this. Some do’s and don’ts; there were a lot of those. Mostly mistakes I have made many times and continue to make.”

Bolls said part of his presentation centered on writing out sermons before Sunday liturgies. “Some of our clergy do and and some don’t…some preach from an outline, some write everything out. I was encouraging them to write sermons out and then perhaps take a stab at memorizing them. “The guys had some good feedback about things that were helpful to them and contributed to the conversation. Some of them had a few questions based on my presentation.” Bolls said everyone enjoyed the day, which helped everyone grow in their faith. “I thought it was a good event. I enjoyed it. I was very gratified with the response.” Continue reading →

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Father Marek Visnovsky recalls the first time he saw his wife, Miriam. The moment occurred on a bus ride when they were coming back to the Faculty of Theology in Slovakia following Christmas break. “I saw this beautiful girl in a packed bus. It was about a one-hour drive. We just kept looking at each other and that girl happened to be Miriam,” he said.

“When I got out of the bus at the stop at the Seminary, I kind of winked at Miriam and she winked back at me. Then
I could not sleep. Something sparked there and the next day I could not wait to go to University where we studied together.”

Marek who serves St. Mary Parish in Cleveland, Ohio, and Miriam visited the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of SS. Cyril and Methodius on Feb. 8 as part of its Seminary Seminar series to discuss the life of a married priest and family.

Both were born and raised in Slovakia and married in 2004. Marek was ordained into the priesthood in May 2004 and
two month later, they moved to Cleveland., where he began his ministry at Holy Spirit as an assistant priest.

Miriam said she initially turned down Marek because of her classroom duties.

“I wanted to study and I focused on studying…I had a group of girlfriends and we just wanted to study. We didn’t pay attention. He was in a class with us and we had a respect for all the seminarians. They were sitting in front of us; we were in the last pews.” Marek said it was a “little like being thrown in the water” when his family moved to the United States. He was preparing homilies and eulogies in English and struggling to understand the peculiarities of the language. “I wasn’t prepared for that. In nine months, we buried 45 people,” Marek said.

“Sometimes you have three funerals in a week. It is a shocker.” “He said, ‘I came to America and people are ready to go and see God,” Miriam said, with a laugh. Marek said one of the best pieces of advice he received was to listen and simply observe. “That’s what I try to do because I believe, and I can see it after 13 years of being a priest, a young seminarian or Continue reading →

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