St. Joseph College seminarians work, pray, play
Summer well spent In various summer jobs
Building a wood shed. Playing with kids at summer Bible camp. Going on a pilgrimage or mission trip.
St. Joseph College Seminary students have spent this summer doing all this and more – going outside the classroom to do work designed to help them in their discernment for the priesthood. All of the young men’s experiences involved prayer and growing in their relationship with God and connecting with His people.
In their own words, here is a glimpse of what some of them have done this summer:
Matthew Harrison, pilgrimage to the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
We (Matthew and his brother John) started our journey in Greensboro, and walked up to the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Md. We walked the entire way, 325 miles, on back roads and a few times on highways.
Walking on the roads made the pilgrimage distinct from a hike because we were dodging cars, sleeping in side ditches and totally relying on the charity of others and in Divine Providence to have a place to sleep and a place to avoid any bad weather.
The entire time, people probably thought of us as homeless as opposed to hikers, which often resulted in looks of disapproval or disgust, but it gave us a very different view of the world. We were able to see the rat race of this culture through the eyes of those who have nothing, but we were also shown charity by so many people who had much.
We hardly spent a dollar the entire time because of the generosity of others, and by the end of the trip, we had plenty of leftover money which we were able to give to the shrine.
There were many hot days and plenty of times we considered calling a taxi or hitch-hiking to the next town, but pushing through made our retreat at the shrine so much better.
We read a book on the life of Elizabeth Ann Seton as we walked. She was such a warrior for our faith, and we quickly saw that God led us on this pilgrimage for reasons we did not expect and which we still don’t fully know. Her life is something worth imitating and learning about, especially since she had such a great impact on the spread of Catholicism in the United States.
This trip gave us an encounter with our American Catholic history and local saints, and taught us to rely entirely on God’s providence in very difficult situations while He puts people in the perfect places to help us and never abandons us who fully rely on Him, even when we are tempted to try and take control of things.
Anthony del Cid Lucero, Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James)
We (Anthony and fellow seminarian Andrew Templeton) started the Camino on June 18 and finished July 14. Throughout our pilgrimage, we learned the importance of offering penance and reparation for the Church in Europe and all over the world. Thanks to the pilgrimage, we learned to appreciate the small, simple things we sometimes take for granted in our daily lives like washing machines, dryers, cleanliness, air conditioning, etc.
We learned about Spanish culture and food, architecture, history and siestas. We met many people along our pilgrimage who were seeking truth, in search of answers for guidance in their lives.
We enjoyed our time listening to these people and helping them with what we have learned from our formation. We encountered convents and monasteries that received us with memorable hospitality.
We are thankful for all the people who supported our pilgrimage including the Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group, our priests and our bishop, and the great diocese that we are blessed to live in.
Luke Martin, St. Joseph Workers
This summer I participated in a work crew of seminarians called the St. Joseph Workers, a group started last summer by five college seminarians. The purpose of St. Joseph Workers is to live in community, to work manual labor, to pray together, and to reach out to the People of God.
I have grown in my leadership abilities this summer by having the chance to lead my younger brother seminarians for a few weeks out of this summer.
The experience has been filled with many joys as I have labored with my brothers and grown in my friendships with them. I am very thankful to have been able to participate in the St. Joseph Workers.
Kevin Martinez, St. Joseph Workers
This summer I was challenged with certain jobs that I had never had prior experience with before this summer. I grew up on a farm, so a lot of outdoor jobs just have come naturally ever since I was a boy. Working this summer, I learned quite a bit of the work that comes with carpentry and all that it entails.
Overall, this life is a good life. We model much of our work ethic based on the Benedictine motto, “ora et labora” (“prayer and work”). We always prayed before we worked, and we took breaks just for prayer throughout the day. Whether it was a rosary, the Divine Office, or just a quick prayer to St. Joseph, we made sure to offer up all of our work for the greater glory of God – “Ad maiorem Dei gloriam.”
Peter Rusciolelli, assignment at St. Mark Parish
I served at St. Mark Parish in Huntersville this summer. I spent most of the summer with Father John Putnam, pastor, learning about pastoral care of a parish: serving Masses, attending meetings and parish events, helping lead a book club, visiting nursing homes and bringing Communion to the sick, going on hospital calls and getting to know the parishioners.
Along with this I have done some odds-and-end jobs such as organizing relics in the reliquary, building a fire pit for the rectory, and some organizational work.
I have also spent time doing youth ministry this summer, assisting to run the diocesan vocational retreats Quo Vadis Days and Duc in Altum, being present during the Totus Tuus retreat at St. Mark Church and spending a week with middle schoolers at a Lifeteen retreat in Georgia.
These experiences have been beneficial to me in understanding how parish life works and the role of the pastor as a father and shepherd of the flock. I have also greatly enjoyed the Perpetual Adoration chapel at St. Mark and I have benefited from extended time with Our Lord, seeking to do His will more perfectly.
I very much enjoyed my time spent with the youth, learning how to be a role model for them and helping to lead them closer to Christ.
I have also benefited from living with priests who are in different stages of their priesthood: Father Putnam showing me the ways of an experienced pastor; Father Carter as he prepared to become a pastor for the first time; Father Becker as a newer priest but still with a couple years of experience as a parochial vicar; and Father Gamez as he began his first priestly assignment and observing him as he “learned the ropes.”
Through all of these different viewpoints I have been able to see the role of the priest at different stages in their ministry and their particular care for their parishioners. This was particularly enjoyable for me to observe and experience. It has showed me the great sacrifice a priest must make to bring his parishioners closer to God.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter