Pray for all our seminarians By Charles Macko
Seminarian, Diocese of Jackson
May the Lord be with you.
I have returned to the still scarred and struggling city of New Orleans and after two years, restorations in the neighboring area of the seminary are nearing familiarity. Other areas of the city, such as the Eastside (9th Ward) and the Westbank, remain ghostly; however signs of life are beginning to spring up.
I wanted to take this time to update you on my recent journey of formation. My summer assignment was nine weeks in Greenwood. For the first time I worked in the Delta. With the guidance and encouragement of five Franciscan sisters, the hospitality of a religious brother and a priest, my experience at St. Francis of Assisi was enlightening and filled with personal growth.
My experiences included helping the Franciscan order minister to three parishes in the Jackson diocese. Within these parishes I visited, shared God’s word and prayed with the congregations, the sick and homebound, prisoners and volunteered at the local food pantry.
In addition I learned more about the African-American and Hispanic cultures as well as the Franciscan way of communal life.
In the middle of August I returned to Notre Dame Seminary with the excitement of completing my final academic year. It is hard to believe I have been studying for the last five years.
In the beginning, the road of formation looked endless. The journey began as a narrow dirt road with deep ditches along both sides. The surface of the road was covered with many ruts, holes, and stones, making the ride very bumpy and there were few wooden signs that pointed the way. There were times, when traveling in bad weather, it was hard to see the road and I found myself taking wrong turns with not enough signs to lead me back.
A couple of years went by and the road changed from dirt to gravel. The sides were lined with guard rails preventing me from falling in the ditches. Most of the ruts and holes were filled in and the wooden signs were replaced with metal ones that were sturdier but still few in number.
Now the road is paved. There are painted lines that tell me which side to be on so that I will not get hit by oncoming traffic and bridges that carry me over the deep ditches.
The, now, numerous metal signs are bigger and clearer to understand. They tell me where I am at and how much further I have to go before I can finally exit.
However, even with a paved road, there is always new construction to improve its surface, causing heavy traffic. I patiently wait for the traffic to clear and it is during those times that I continue to need your prayers.
In the past five years I would like to say Thank You for your prayers, words of encouragement and gifts. Please continue to pray for patience, understanding, peace and trust in my life as I conclude my academic year here at the seminary and begin, in June, my internship.
I ask that you pray for our bishop, Bishop Joseph Latino, our vocation director, Father Kent Bowlds, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Pray for my fellow brothers who are also in seminary formation studying and discerning their vocation to the priesthood for the Diocese of Jackson: Scott Thomas, Grant Holzhauer, Patrick Jones (Notre Dame Seminary); Rusty Vincent, Luke Arredondo, Chris Buse (St. Joseph Seminary); Lincoln Dall, Bob Soukup, Greg Davidson (Sacred Heart Seminary).
May the peace of Jesus Christ be with you and may he continue to bless you.
