Sebastian Gomes - Witness

Sebastian grew up in Perth, Ontario and moved to Collegeville, Minnesota after high school where he played varsity soccer and earned a BA and MA in Theology and History from St. John\u27s University. During the 2010-2011 academic year he taught at both the university and prep school, and also worked in the Residential Life program. Sebastian moved to Toronto in the fall of 2011, and has been working as an associate producer at Salt and Light since January, 2012. Sebastian\u27s love for history is evident in his work where he often helps to shape a contemporary Catholic perspective by commenting on current world issues in light of the intellectual and spiritual traditions of the past. In particular, Sebastian enjoys studying the Second Vatican Council and how its teachings are being used at all levels of the Church to focus the New Evangelization. The writings of G. K. Chesterton, Christopher Dawson, Thomas Aquinas, and the Church Fathers are also a source of strength and inspiration to him. Sebastian attributes his formation to the Benedictine monks of Collegeville, Minnesota, where he spent all of his young adult years until finding a home at Salt and Light. He continues to play soccer and golf and is an avid sports fan. His favorite professional team is the Toronto Raptors

Fr. Michael Patella, OSB - Witness

Join Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB for this Witness interview with Fr. Michael Patella, OSB, a Benedictine monk of Saint John\u27s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota and a professor of New Testament at the Saint John\u27s School of Theology-Seminary. Both Fr. Rosica and Fr. Patella grew up in the diocese of Rochester, New York, and both studied Scripture during their years of formation in Rome and Jerusalem. Over the past decade, Fr. Patella has played a key role overseeing the creation of the Saint John\u27s Bible, the first Benedictine-commissioned, hand-written, hand-illuminated Bible in 400 years

Abbot John Klassen OSB - Witness

Saint John\u27s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota is one of the most well-known Benedictine centers in the world. The Collegeville Abbey played a key role in the implementation of the liturgical renewal following the Second Vatican Council. It is a living witness to the great Benedictine tradition of ora et labora , prayer and work. St. John\u27s University theological school and the Collegeville publishing house have nourished countless thousands of women and men for decades. Join Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB for this WITNESS interview with the current Abbot John Klassen, OSB, a native of Central Minnesota and a former professor of chemistry. He is the tenth Abbot of Saint John\u27s Abbey and the current Chancellor of Saint John\u27s University, which was founded by the Benedictines in 1857