Seminarians Share Summer Experiences

This summer I had the opportunity to work at a hospital as an interfaith chaplain under the Clinical Pastoral Education program (CPE). The goal was to have exposure to those who suffer from accidents or sickness, some of whom pass away, learning how to walk with them and their families, supporting them both spiritually and emotionally.

Throughout my life I’ve participated in various mission trips, allowing me to interact with many who were sick or in difficult situations. However, I had never been with someone dying, not even in the context of my family. 

I didn’t know what to expect and this CPE program looked challenging. When I picture my vocation as a future priest, I desire to walk with those who suffer and to console them. However, I didn’t know what that was going to look like when encountering a wife that lost her husband, or a dad that lost his son, or when someone is surprised with the news that he doesn’t have much time left. Those are scary moments, which not only challenge their faith but mine too!

One particular day, I visited a family whose father unexpectedly deteriorated and was passing away within the next few hours. His children had lost track of him because of his addictions, and he had been living a life away from God. They had lost their chance to reestablish a relationship with their dad, and in the back of their minds was the question of his salvation or condemnation. Their suffering was so intense that they wouldn’t talk among themselves. I felt useless and unprepared for the situation. I stood present for them for more than an hour, barely talking, just praying and asking God to please help them. Only after that, one of them decided to talk to me, and from that moment the whole family began to connect to one another and even smile. We prayed together and asked for God’s mercy over their loved one.

From this encounter and many others during this program, I reflected on three key things. First, on the importance of learning how to be and not just to do. It was in my inability to find words of hope or comfort that I realized that my presence was enough. With only my presence, they found they were loved and that their existence mattered. Second, I was amazed by God’s ability to give grace to those who were truly desperate. While I may give up on their situation, God’s providence always always finds creative ways to renew and shed light. Third, that as a Christian and seminarian, I was the living sign of God’s presence. 

Beyond sickness or aging, people are most of all dying of thirst for God. They are walking without purpose and have lost hope in life. My visit with this family represented God knocking on their door one more time, giving them the chance to receive Him in their hearts. This awareness motivated me to pursue more intensely my vocation to save many souls for God. 

This is my petition today, recalling Saint John Bosco’s prayer upon his ordination, “Give me souls, take away the rest.”