EWTN TRIP NEWS!

DTS National Conclave 2002

Thirteen of us left our humble little town Tuesday, June 11, 2002 and trekked 13.5 hours to the hot southern destination of Birmingham, Alabama!  There we spent the week at the 1st DTS National Conclave at the Eternal Word Television Network with many of the other chapters from around the country.  IT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME!  We had a blast meeting all the other DTS people from around the country!  Mike Barone and Eddie Cotter were there along with a big group from their chapter.  They are really cool! 

Thursday, June 13th, the whole Conclave took part in the live show Life on the Rock with Jeff Cavins, the host of the show on EWTN. 

Check out the whole thing below!

THE TRIP DOWN

Tuesday, June 11, 2002

The trip started out just fine.  We left bright and early at 7:00 am from our church parking lot.  (Ok, it was 7 am, so there was some complaining...)    Everyone was bright-eyed and ready for the trip!

The drive was fine, the weather was mild, and we made great time, but after 13.5 hours in the van, with 13 people, things were dragging.   We tried anything to keep our sanity. 

We tried sleeping.

   This is Matt catching some Z's. (Note the comfortable seating arrangement!)

Vanessa and Katie crashed right where they sat.

To stay awake, we even tried crazy antics.

          Andrew, Austyn, and Matt disconnected from reality.

Andrew's view of the world

Matt looking for sanity!

Ok, so not everyone lost their marbles on the ride down.  Some actually enjoyed the lovely scenery!

Here's Maribeth (2yrs old) with Sarah.  Maribeth handled the ride better than anyone (at least as well as any of us could at her age)!

Here's Vannessa and Matt during one of Matt's more sane moments!

There was plenty of joking on the way down.

But of course no one was as cool at Mike and Joleen Aberer!

Once we made it to Irondale, Alabama and made our way to the hotel, we ran into Mike Barone at the front desk at check in.  We hooked up with his group and got to meet Eddie Cotter and their Core Team members that came along.  Our people immediately began mingling and talking with theirs.  It was great to see the Mystical Body of Christ coming together as brothers and sisters!   We spent a lot of time laughing, talking, and sharing with the other groups.  DTS really is just a part of something even bigger - the Church!

Mr. Aberer telling everyone to get to bed for crying out loud!

The 2002 DTS Conclave Begins

Wednesday, June 12, 2002

Morning felt like it came really early the next day.   After breakfast, we piled into the vans and headed over to the EWTN studios.   It was beautiful there and everyone one was so nice and seemed really happy!

 Yep, that’s where we were….

(But watch where you park!)

And be sure to do your penance!

All of the our group soon after we first arrived

To begin, we were taken to a room where we had our first talk of the Conclave with Fr. Ray (Real) Bourque, an internationally known author and lecturer at EWTN.    It was cool!  Check out the talk by clicking on the link below:

 Father Ray's Talk #1

 Here’s Father Ray discussing a question with Matt, one of our seminarians. (That’s his sister Hannah sporting the double pony-tail ensemble!)

Eddie Cotter in deep thought!  

 The talk was awesome.  Father Ray has a real gift of communicating the faith!  After Father's talk, we all went to Holy Mass at noon, then piled back into the vans and headed to the home of the area's best hamburgers -- Hamburger Heaven!  The burgers there have been voted the best in the area for many years.  After eating, we sat and talked for a little while.

Mike and Matt talk with other DTS people.

We then headed back to EWTN for a second talk by Father Ray.  Click below to see a summary:

Father Ray's Talk #2

Once Father Ray's talk was concluded, we headed back to the hotel where Mike Aberer and a couple of the Core Team met with Mike Barone and Eddie Cotter in their room.  They talked and shared DTS stuff (and joked around a little).  Most of the younger people just hung out or went swimming in the hotel pool.

Day 2 -- 2002 DTS Conclave

Thursday, June 13, 2002 - Live on Life on the Rock with Jeff Cavins

This morning, after breakfast, we once again headed to the EWTN studios.  This time we were put into the Guadalupe Room.  Father Ray spoke to us again.   Click below for his 3rd talk:

Father Ray's Talk #3 [no link]

After his talk, we all went to Holy Mass at noon, with Father Ray celebrating.  After Mass, we headed into scenic Irondale to partake of lunch at

his is the original cafe that the movie Fried Green Tomatoes was based on.  The food was good, the fried green tomatoes were great, and the company was cool!  After filling up our tummies, we headed back to EWTN for Father Ray's last talk to us.

Hey – it’s us!

Father Ray’s last talk was about the political and financial condition of the world.  He talked so fast and gave so many details and facts that we couldn't keep up with the notes.  He's incredible!

  Sarah, Ashley, Eddie Cotter, Vanessa and Katie share a moment between talks.

John Martignoni spoke to us next.  John is an Apologist that answers questions on the national DTS homepage.   He gave us a talk about the Protestant idea of "The Rapture".  If you or anyone you know have been asked questions about the "Left Behind" Book series and movie, and you missed John's talk, it was a great chance to hear the True Church’s teaching on why the "Rapture" is not good theology.  John clarified the Catholic stance on the end times and he showed us how to defend the catholic position on this issue.  It was excellent!  Click below for a summary of his talk:

John Martignoni’s Talk

When John was done, we took a quick tour of the television studio.  It was incredible!  The studio itself was much smaller than you might think.  They have some really amazing equipment!  Some people were working on graphics stuff while others were manipulating audio—Whoa! It was cool!

Life on the Rock Live Show

After the tour we headed back to the hotel to freshen up for we were all about to become TV stars on Life on the Rock !

We arrived at the studio around 6:30 pm.

Time in prayer before the show

Even 2-year-olds know you’re supposed to be on your knees!

  Or not…!

After prayer, we headed into the studio.  The set was cool (I mean cold).  That’s so that their cameras can operate properly.  Father Ray came in and spoke to us and gave us a blessing.  Mike Barone gave us instructions and then Jeff Cavins spoke to us briefly.  The studio people were very professional and were rushing around getting last minute stuff ready.  The lights were bright, the crowd of DTS people were excited, and then the brother who coordinated the set with the control room yelled out “30 seconds!”  It was really cool!  Once the show started, many of our people were panned with the cameras and made in on the air.  Vanessa Seiter, Sarah Korte, and Mike Aberer all got to answer a few questions from Jeff Cavins.  It was exciting!  The show just flew by!  Check out EWTN’s web info on the show:

Life on the Rock with DTS

Jeff Cavins, Mike Aberer, and Maribeth on the LOR set.

All the Conclave attendees in the studio audience.  (Hey, where do you think all that clapping comes from?)

Pre-show prep by Mike Barone and Jeff Cavins  

  Mike Barone’s pre-show pep-talk (check out the gestures!)

Poor Jeff ! 

(Hey, who’s that good-looking guy in the back?) 

Sarah and Eddie Cotter on the set – Hmm, maybe they could host a few…?

 Hopefully EWTN will put the audio on the site or maybe even video that you could see.  Check back in and see!  Everyone was able to be on the set, except Mrs. Aberer.  She had to keep Maribeth (their 2 year old) out of the studio during the show so that she wouldn’t interrupt it or anything.  She got to stay with Maribeth back in the control room.  She said the guys in the control room were really nice, getting her a chair and making her comfortable.  They even filled in an empty space in the credits at the end of the show with Maribeth’s name.  She’s now a “jib cameraman” – whatever that is!!  The whole LOR experience was incredible!  It was so exciting!  Sarah and Vanessa did a great job, and of course Mr. Aberer was excellent!  (Did you expect anything less?!) 

We left the studio and drove through a winding, curvy, tree-lined parkway (in the dark, which was fun).  We ended up at Dreamland Barbecue, one of the finest rib restaurants in the world!   We feasted on ribs, baked beans, and potato salad!  It was truly heavenly! (Ok, not really heavenly, but they were sure good!)  Mike Barone warned us long before we came: Do not spill any barbecue sauce on your arm because you may bite your arm off!  (HEY! Has anyone seem my thumb?!)  After we were finished eating, we removed the bibs, and crawled our way back to the vans and headed to the hotel.

Final Day – 2002 DTS Conclave

Friday, June 14, 2002

Friday morning, we packed up, ate breakfast (at least those of us who were hungry after that rib fiasco…), then checked out of the hotel.  We followed the other groups and caravanned to the new Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, located at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, approximately an hour away from the EWTN studios.  It  was really located off the beaten path!  It seemed like we drove forever into nowhere, when you hit this stretch of road with white fencing on either side.  You wind along on the road following the white fencing, when suddenly, you find yourself looking at a scene right out of St. Francis Assisi’s life!  There is this beautiful monastery that looked like you just stepped into old Europe!  There is even a medieval castle! 

It is so cool!

When we unloaded, we headed to the Castle San Miguel, where the gift shop and meeting rooms and concessions were located.  We spend to time (and money) in the gift shop, then roamed around looking at stuff.  Mike Barone rounded us up and we headed to the Shrine (it’s the big church in the middle of the above picture).  He took us downstairs to the lower chapel, where we listened to a talk by Father Joseph Mary Wolf (who happens to have gone to the seminary with our pastor, Father Vince Rogers! We asked him about Father Rogers, and got to hear a few stories…..Whoa! And that’s our pastor?! Cool…!)  Father Joseph Mary is a very holy priest, you can tell by just seeing him and hearing him talk.  He truly loves the Eucharist and the priesthood.  His gentle, loving style really soothes the soul.  His stories of the saints and other things grabbed the attention! 

After Father Joseph Mary’s talk, we headed back to the Castle San Miguel for lunch.  We had brown bag lunches.  Oooh, they were good! 

After lunch we had free time to wander around looking at the beautiful architecture, chatting with our new friends from the other chapters, praying in the Shrine before Our Lord in the Most Holy Sacrament, or praying by ourselves in the great piazza (that’s like the big round courtyard out in front of the Shrine). 

Ashley and Katie talking with one from the Ohio group in front of the Castle

There was a healing service going on in the lower chapel where Father Joseph Mary spoke to us, and some people went there.  Mike Barone told us that he talked to some people and there was a slim chance that Mother Angelica might come out and say hello to us, so some of us waited in the area she would likely come out if she did.  She didn’t end up making it out because it had rained earlier in the day and it aggravated her health (we found this out later).

At the end of the free time, we headed back to the lower chapel where we assisted at Mass (that’s another way of saying that you went to Mass) concelebrated by three priests.  Father Joseph Mary was the main celebrant.   His homily was excellent! The reverence and dedication to the Mass was awesome!

Many of the Conclave Attendees

After Mass it was time to say goodbye to all our new friends from all the other chapters.  We said our goodbyes, then headed for the van. 

Vanessa and Katie with Mike Barone (that’s Barone in the middle).

We drove for what seemed like forever, late into the night, arriving at a hotel just east of St. Louis. 

TO THE CATHEDRAL-BASILICA of ST. LOUIS

 We stayed the night there, then got up, packed, checked out, and headed into St. Louis to see the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis.  Whoa!  It was so cool!  Of course we get there and there’s a limo marked out front and a wedding party going in!  We thought we weren’t going to see the Basilica after all, but we followed our trusty leader, Mr. Aberer.  We went in, and sure enough, we could tour it just fine, even though the wedding was about to start.  We could be in there and they would barely notice. The place was that big!  The ceilings and walls were covered in mosaics.  Mr. Aberer and Andrew Modlin were telling us what they knew of the mosaics.  There are 83,000 square feet of them! There are some 41.5 million pieces!  Incredible!  If you check out the web page for the Basilica, you will see that

“This is the largest mosaic collection in the world created by 20 different artists and covering 83,000 square feet. The installation, containing 41.5 million pieces of glass tesserae employing over 7,000 colors, began in 1912 and was completed in 1988 by the Ravenna Mosaic Co.”

 We continued to tour the place, and spent some time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament as well. 

Sarah near the Papal Chair that the Pope used when he came to St. Louis.  (Those are mosaics all around her!)

We found out that the wedding was of a local TV news anchorman, so it was kinda like we were at a celebrity’s wedding!  A few of us even caught a glimpse of the bride.  (Mr. Aberer said she just looked like any other woman, so what’s the big deal…?!)  We were only at the basilica for an hour or so, before heading out before the wedding really got going.

Ashley and Sarah (that’s Alex in the back)

THE TRIP HOME

We hit the road again, and drove home.  We did see something exciting on the way home (heaven knows, there’s not much exciting between St. Louis and St. Joseph!)  We were on our way out of St. Louis, kind of off the beaten path (probably because Mr. Aberer took a wrong turn or two, although he probably wouldn’t admit it…), and were driving along on a divided highway when we came over a hill and saw what we thought might be an accident.  There were a couple of police cars at the next intersection, with their lights flashing.  As we approached, we realized that they were waving people through and stopping the traffic on the other lanes.  One of the policemen was rolling out a spike strip, like they use to stop high-speed chase cars.  He was dragging it across the road right when we were coming through with the van and angrily waving at us to hurry through, as if he expected a fugitive to come racing through the intersection at any moment.  We hurried through and kept on going, our minds racing with what could be going down.  Of course everyone was poking fun of Mr. Aberer’s driving and saying that they were probably trying to stop a van going too fast full of young people….! We never did find out what happened or what was going on. 

We arrived back at St. Joseph around 3:30 (although Mr. Aberer swears it was exactly 3:30 pm—just like he told some of the parents by phone earlier to expect us). 

The trip was awesome, what can we say.  We now have a ton of work to do, with lots of good ideas, and a better sense of our DTS family growing by leaps and bounds across the world!

  Isn't Maribeth sweet!?

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Written by Mike