Saint Vincent College students find a spiritual home away from home at St. Mary Holy Protection in Trauger, Pa.
by Father Paul-Alexander Shutt, OSB
St. Mary Holy Protection, Trauger, Pa.
This past academic year, a number of students from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. found a little bit of a spiritual home away from home at St. Mary Holy Protection Church in Trauger, Pa.
Most are from the Western Pennsylvania area — Elizabeth Hall, Helen Kish, Anthony Pouliot, and Thomas Syphan, a member of the parish — but two are from Hungary: Bazil Kaplar and Bertalan Papp!
Below are a few words from Bertalan:
I am Bertalan Péter Papp. I am from Budapest, Hungary. I came to Saint Vincent through a program between the Benedictine Archabbeys of Pannonhalma and Saint Vincent, after I finished my studies at the Benedictine High School.
For most of my life I went to Roman Catholic masses, only when I became older and gained a greater appreciation for religious life, did I start going to the Byzantine Divine Liturgy.
As such, when one of my friends here at the college told me about a Byzantine church near here, I jumped at the opportunity. For me, Divine Liturgy was always more spiritually deep.
I always appreciate the symbolism that is behind every part of the liturgy. It is kind of hard to put it into words. But Divine Liturgy for me is simply special and I am extremely happy that I finally had the opportunity to attend regularly glorifying God.
Front row: Thomas Syphan, Elizabeth Hall and Helen Kish. Back row: Bazil Kaplar, Father Paul-Alexander Shutt, OSB and Bertalan Papp. Not pictured: Anthony Pouliot.
Bazil Kaplar, Father Paul-Alexander Shutt, OSB and Bertalan Papp
