Recently, a group of seminarians from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in the USA spent two months visiting La Sagrada Familia, Milwaukee’s sister parish in the Dominican Republic, run by members of the Community of Saint Paul. Upon returning to the USA, one of them wrote this reflection, that we now share.
Over the last two months, my name was neither Craig nor Jeffrey, my first and middle names. Instead, it was Gregorio, a much more common and easier to pronounce name for a native Spanish speaker. The name change is a funny and lighthearted memory of the two months spent at La Sagrada Familia in the Dominican Republic. It is also a reminder that God used the experience to change me for the better. Although I could write pages about how my time there has impacted me, there are three which I especially want to highlight: greater zeal to go out and preach the Gospel, a deeper realization of the joy of the priesthood, and greater trust in the Lord to bear fruit from my life
I often feel the need to have everything planned out, especially when it comes to matters of faith. Without all the answers, I worry that I will miss the opportunity to give a convincing testimony for the Gospel. This summer, God has reassured me that no matter where I go or how prepared I feel, He is present and is at work. One morning, for example, I walked over to watch a youth baseball practice in town. I sat there for nearly an hour, talked to the coach and some of the players for a bit, and then headed home. As I was walking down the street back home, one of the young players started walking alongside me. I asked him if he knew the Our Father and, for the next five minutes, we walked with our hands folded at our chests praying the Our Father as people on the street watched and listened to us walk by. Baseball practice turned into an opportunity to lead others in prayer, an opportunity which would not have come about had I stayed put until I felt totally prepared to communicate the Good News. God not only gave me the chance to spread the Gospel but the words and actions to do so.
While I have gotten to know priests and spent time at parishes, I had never spent as much time with priests outside of the seminary in a parish setting as this summer. Daily, we spent time with Fr. Javier, the pastor, and Fr. Bob, a priest of the Archdiocese assisting for three months, celebrating the sacraments, eating together, traveling, and sharing conversations. In addition to Fr. Javier and Fr. Bob, we spent time with priests and bishops from the local diocese, priests from Antigo, WI, Virginia, the rector of the minor seminary, Fr. Luke Strand who came to visit us from Milwaukee, a Cuban priest who serves at the cathedral of Santo Domingo, and seminarians from the local diocese. The priests I had the chance to meet and spend time with had different personalities, backgrounds, and years of priesthood, but the love and joy they shared with my classmates and I for the priesthood and the mission of the Church was undeniable. It was, in a word, convincing that my life as a priest will be full of joy and fraternity.
Lastly, I am more convinced that the Lord will bear fruit from the seeds which He asks me to sow in the lives of others (Matthew 13). In forty years, the parish has grown from a few chapels to more than fifteen, and some of the communities have grown to the point of becoming parishes themselves. The parish has established health and nutritional centers where people can receive basic healthcare and bring their young children for education and food respectively. I heard parishioners talk about the impact past priests have had in their lives and priests with us explain how they have seen parishioners there grow in their service to the Church. As we all are, I am called to sow seeds in the lives of others and trust that God will bring the growth (Mt 13). My time in the Dominican Republic, seeing the growth God has brought about over forty years, is a convincing witness that God will bring the growth He desires from the seeds He asks me to sow.
I am Craig, and I am Gregorio, and my life has been changed because of the two months I spent in the Dominican Republic. Praise be to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for the graces of confidence to go out and spread the Gospel, conviction that my vocational call is full of life and joy, and a renewed trust in the power of God to bring growth from the seeds He asks me to sow.
