I’ve been in seminary for over six years now, and as I near the end of my studies, it’s common for people to ask: “Are you excited it’s almost over?” While it’s true that my time at seminary may be wrapping up, my vocation, the journey the Lord has called me to, won’t end until death. Learning that piece of information, and more importantly living it, has shaped not only my time in seminary but also my vocation as a whole. I know this is true not just for seminarians and priests, but for everyone who follows Jesus Christ. That being said, I also know I can only speak from my own experience, and so I want to share some of that with you now.
If I had to distill my time at Sacred Heart— or that unending journey of following Christ I mentioned earlier—down to a single word, a top contender would be “communion.” All recent popes have reminded us that a priestly vocation does not sprout and grow in isolation; rather, it is lived in varying levels of communion.
I had the privilege of growing up with Catholic parents, so my family provided this first community; later, it was the weekly and daily Mass attendees at the parishes my family went to. Next, it would be the men and women taking classes at the seminary to serve in parish ministry. After this, it was, particularly, the older seminarians who helped me navigate my first few years in seminary. And most recently, it has been the communion of priests and deacons who support me in my ordained ministry.
There are many examples of this communion that God has used to confirm and strengthen my vocation. For example, the yearly Chrism Mass at the cathedral, where I saw for the first time all the priests of the archdiocese gather around their archbishop; or at the various ordination Masses I’ve had the honor of serving, where I see the men I know lay down their lives for Christ.
I could go on, but a favorite is the pilgrimage we make as part of our time at seminary. First, that pilgrimage wouldn’t be possible without the generous assistance of those who support Sacred Heart. The more I reflect on this, the more I see this theme of communion— different parts of the body of Christ assisting and enriching one another. Thank you for your support, and may God bless you all.
Second, the pilgrimage brings together those traveling in a very particular way. The good Msgr. Dan Trapp would always say, “About halfway through the pilgrimage, you finally learn what you hate about the rest of the group.” But when that happens, it’s a great thing because then we can love them even more. And more than growing in love toward those we know, pilgrimages allow us to see the communion the Church shares across the whole world. We in southeast Michigan are not alone in trying to follow Jesus while everywhere else the world is covered in darkness. Rather, through the Eucharist and through Holy Communion, we have a stronger union with Christ and, thus, with one another.
Realizing, recalling, and meditating on this communion that I share with Christ and with all those who are baptized is a beautiful thing. It means that being part of the community here at Sacred Heart never stops. Nor does the community at the parishes to which I’m assigned ever stop. The vocation, the journey the Lord has in store for me — and He has one in store for you, as well—will always be bigger than I think it is. This is because the communion to which we are called is not even limited to our time and places here on earth, but extends to the all the saints in heaven.
Our seminary being named after Jesus’ Sacred Heart is a great testament to this. It is loving as Jesus loves us—loving with the heart of Jesus—that strengthens this communion. It is the love of Jesus’ heart that shapes, guides, and directs my vocation and my journey of following the Lord. I pray this love and the communion that comes from it does the same for all of you.