The Catholic Standard and Times

From the Brook

A Weekly Profile of Members of the Ordination Class of 2005 from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Wynnewood

By CHRISTIE L. CHICOINE
CS&T Staff Writer

Rev. Mr. Augustus Charles Puleo

Age: 51

Where baptized: Holy Saviour Church, Norristown.

Parents/Siblings: Anna E. Puleo and the late Louis J. Puleo.
Deacon Puleo is the youngest of two children. His sister is Catherine Strauss.

Home Parish: Holy Saviour, Norristown.

Current Diaconate Assignment: St. William Parish, Northeast Philadelphia.

Grade School/Year Graduated: Marshall Street School, Norris-town, 1965, and Stewart Junior High School, Norristown, 1968.

High School/Year Graduated: A.D. Eisenhower High School, Norristown, 1971.

College/Year Graduated/Major/Degree: Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., 1975; bachelor’s degree in linguistics and Spanish, also, in 1976, master’s degree in linguistics. Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vt.; 1982, master’s degree in Spanish; and the University of Pennsylvania, 1990, Ph.D., Spanish.

Employment before entering St. Charles: Spanish professor at Columbia University, New York City.

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary entrance date:1999

What was the deciding moment that led you to enter the Seminary?
I had a sabbatical year as a professor and toured the world. I spent a month in Rome, and visited St. Mary Major Basilica daily. When I returned to the United States, I decided to enter the Seminary.

Who influenced you the most in your decision to enter the Seminary, and how?
Family and parishioners at Holy Saviour Church in Norristown, and the examples of holiness given by Blessed Pope John XXIII and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

Were there any particular moving or grace-filled events in those beginning days or years at the Seminary? This last year?
My first summer as a seminarian was very memorable and grace-filled. In the South Bronx, N.Y., I lived, worked and prayed with the Missionaries of Charity, the religious order founded by Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. I was a camp counselor there for 10 weeks. Neighborhood children would come for free to St. Rita’s grade school where we had classes for them — “Getting to know Jesus,” cooking classes, athletics, woodshop, arts and crafts, music, as well as trips to the Museums of New York City, the Bronx Zoo, and to eucharistic adoration at churches in the Bronx.

The sisters ran the camp, and Ilived with them in a homeless shelter above the residents. We fed the homeless every night, and prayed with them.
My last year has been very special, as I have spent it as a deacon at St. William Parish in Northeast Philadelphia. The Easter triduum was a great experience for me, as I preached in English and Spanish every day, and prayed with the parishioners of St. William.

My last year at St. Charles Seminary was a unique year. We were with Cardinal Justin Rigali the very day John Paul II died. Also, the Philadelphia seminarians served the Cardinal’s Mass immediately before he left for Rome for John Paul II’s funeral Mass and to participate in the election of John Paul II’s successor.

At the Seminary, we watched the very beautiful and moving funeral Mass of John Paul II on a wide-screen hook-up monitor. It was wonderful for all of us to be together that day, as we all said goodbye to the Holy Father, who had been our spiritual leader for over 25 years. It was also wonderful to see … Cardinal Justin Rigali at the funeral Mass. He received a round of applause from us as we saw him on television that morning.

Also, we, as a Seminary community, watched the announcement and installation of the new Pope, Benedict XVI. It was quite an experience for me, seeing history unfold and the participation of our Archbishop in it.

It is a great year to be ordained to the priesthood, because of all the graces being offered by Jesus Christ to his Church.

How has the late Pope John Paul II influenced you or served as a role model for you?
Pope John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II have all influenced me in my vocation. It was John XXIII who opened Vatican II and rejuvenated Catholicism. He threw the doors of the Church open to the world. Paul VI continued the work of John XXIII, and courageously defended life as he condemned abortion and contraception. John Paul I, in his short pontificate, established new avenues into the world.

John Paul II, by his mere name, showed us how indebted he was to the three previous popes as he carried out their initiatives as well as his own.

John Paul II was a “missionary” Pope, who regularly visited the people of God in their own lands. He evangelized them by his presence and by communicating with them in their language. During the pontificate of JP II, I have seen the Church flourish in Africa and Latin America.

He had a unique charisma as he connected with all, regardless of their age, race or even creed. He showed us how to live a Christian life and how to die with dignity.

What was your reaction to the April 19 election of Pope Benedict XVI?
I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Cardinal Ratzinger was chosen. He will make a wonderful Pope, because he is a consummate scholar and a very pastoral priest. He also seems to be a very humble and unassuming priest.
He has been a great inspiration to me, as I have read all of his works through the years. His book, “The Introduction to Christianity,” is one of the fundamental texts that every Catholic should read.

In the Church, Pope Benedict XVI has been a strong, driving force who has defended and defined the faith for us. I look forward to his future writings, since he has a natural talent as a teacher to disseminate information in a very concise and clear way.

This peaceful transition to the papacy of Benedict XVI shows me how the Church is clearly guided by the Holy Spirit. We are blessed.

I believe that we will now see the pastoral manner of this prelate during his pontificate.

What will you miss most about St. Charles Borromeo Seminary?
The convenience of having the chapel and library at my fingertips. I will also miss the great rapport among professors and students, and the wonderful camaraderie and fraternity among seminarians.

What advice would you give to seminarians who will enter St. Charles for the first time this fall?
Make time for a holy hour each day and pray the rosary daily. Become involved in Seminary activities such as the Legion of Mary, intramural sports, the house shows, Christmas concert, etc.

What do you do for recreation?
Read, travel, go to movies and attend basketball games.

What are your favorite devotions and why?
My home parish, Holy Saviour in Norristown, is unique in that we have three processions each year in honor of Holy Saviour, Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Therefore, my favorite devotions are the rosary, the Miraculous Medal novena and the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

How are you personally celebrating the Church’s Year of the Eucharist?
I am trying to do a holy hour-and-a-half each day. I have also tried to make my homilies more “eucharistic” in theme by promoting adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.

What passage from Scripture is most meaningful to you and why?
John 19:28: “I thirst.”
These two words, “I thirst,” are charged with meaning, as we see how Jesus Christ is both God and man, as He hungers and thirsts just like each one of us.

However, on a deeper and more spiritual level, Jesus Christ on the cross shows His love for us as he “thirsts” for us even though we are sinners. He still calls us to have a relationship with Him. “I thirst” can also be applied to us, as we should also thirst for Jesus Christ as He thirsts for us. We should make loving God our highest priority.

These words are also very meaningful for me personally, as they remind me of the deep love for God and for others that the Missionaries of Charity have, because “I thirst” is written near every cross in every convent throughout the world founded by Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

What does the priesthood mean to you?
The priesthood is one of the greatest gifts given to us by God. The priesthood is a unique sacrament, in which a man acts in persona Christi, in the person of Christ, celebrating the sacred mysteries, especially the Eucharist; preaching the Word of God, and walking pastorally and humbly with the people of God.

What might the faithful do to promote vocations to the priesthood?
They should first pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. All should encourage the boys to seriously consider the vocation to the priesthood, and girls should be encouraged to consider the religious life.

If parents would speak to their children about the option of being a priest, brother or religious sister, we might have more vocations.

What will you, as a priest, do to promote vocations to the priesthood?
I believe that priests should personally invite young and even mature, single men to consider becoming a priest. I am especially concerned about vocations to the priesthood from the Latino community, since the topic of my master’s thesis was this particular subject: “Latino vocations to the priesthood.”

What are your feelings as ordination approaches? How do you envision ordination day?
I am very excited, and look forward to that special day with great enthusiasm and prayer. May 21, 2005, will be a glorious day for me, my family, friends, the other ordinandi and their families, my parish family at Holy Saviour in Norristown, and for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

What is your greatest hope for the Church?
That in this new millennium of the Church, we will renew our commitment as people of God to love and adore Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament more, and truly love and cherish our neighbor as our self. This can only be accomplished through the mediation of Mary, our Mother and guide.

— Compiled by Christie L. Chicoine, CS&T Staff Writer