Rev. Deacon Adi Indra writes an update from Rome.

COVID-19
Italy was one of the first nations in Europe to be hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and by the beginning of March the entire country was in strict lockdown. As a result, many American students chose to return home, and within a matter of weeks, the College community shrunk from 180 people to 24. Seminary staff, the Carmelite sisters and Australian seminarians made the bulk of the remaining campus residents, who live in the surreal reality of their own lock-down bubble. As you could probably imagine, the seminary feels empty!” said Adi.

For the first time ever, Australians were the majority in North American College – and the running joke is to call North American College, ‘National Australian College’. Seminarians from Nigeria and El Salvador, who are studying for Dioceses in the United States, also remain, as they are unable to return home. Now, the situation has improved a lot, thanks be to God. Public Masses have resumed, people have returned to work and travels have resumed between regions in Italy and some European Union countries.

STUDIES
During the lockdown, I continued with postgraduate studies in Canon Law at the Gregorian University via online learning. To minimise any impact on our schedule, the University continued with the same lecture timetable until the end of Semester. This meant students who had returned to the United States had to keep ungodly hours to attend online lectures. Another reason to be thankful to remain in Rome.

ORDINATION PREPARATION
As I prepare to return to Australia on July 20, I ask for your prayers for safe travels and also for the preparation for Priestly Ordination. After having spent a week on retreat, I am grateful to God for his many blessings upon us all, despite the difficult situations that are affecting all of us.  Priestly ordination is not a right, but it is a gift from God given to us, unworthy and frail men, and that is why we always need your prayers so that we always be faithful to His call, to serve God and his people.

In Christ,
Adi Indra