The outset of Advent is always marked by the hectic time of the semester coming to a close before exams. On the last day of classes, TC traditionally offers a privileged moment of respite in the form of the annual holiday dinner party, eagerly anticipated by seminarians, faculty and staff — to catch their breath, regroup, and enjoy each other’s company. Seminary rector Fr. Brown helped all assembled to put this moment in proper perspective during the Mass with which this celebration began: “We are accustomed to hurrying, but during Advent we need to hurry up…and wait! Jesus is also waiting – He is waiting for us in the darkness of the season, of our lives, and of all the recesses where we might least expect Him.” This message of hope carried into the reception afterwards as everyone mixed and mingled and staff introduced family and friends to the seminarians and faculty whom they serve on a daily basis. The dinner of duck confit and carved roast beef flowed richly along until it was time to visit the dessert table, where all were astonished to find a four-foot chocolate Christmas tree and other masterful confections. Later, the seminarians who arrived at TC for the first time in September did their brilliant best to tease their confreres in a live production—interspersed with video footage—that surprised and regaled all. The “New Man Show,” an annual favorite, ended the evening on a high note of levity. Indeed, the entire evening celebrated the positive reality of Fr. Brown’s assertion: “What we are waiting for is the Light.”
