I left Our Lady of Guadalupe in Austin last Monday, August 3rd. I had lunch with the staff in the rectory and it was difficult to say goodbye to them. I was only at the parish for ten weeks but I developed some really strong bonds with both the staff and the people of the community. My Spanish is almost tolerable and I learned a lot. I look forward to becoming fluent prior to ordination so that I can better serve the local church.
I was happy to arrive in College Station but was physically and mentally exhausted. I went to bed by nine and slept through the night (a rarity for me these days). On Tuesday, I went to Mass at my home parish, breakfast with the Pastor, lunch with the Associate Pastor and just relaxed for the day. It was certainly nice to be back in College Station around friends and family.
Wednesday was a pretty big day for me. My home parish was hosting a Mass of Thanksgiving and Farewell for Archbishop Gregory Aymond who will soon be installed as the 14th Archbishop of New Orleans. Two of my brother seminarians from Austin came into town to serve at the Mass and hang out with me. Even though it had only been a few days since I had last seen them I was overjoyed to welcome them to my “home.” The day was busy with rehearsals and last minute preparations. I was pretty stressed out leading up to the Mass but once the Mass began the stress melted away. I did not want the Mass to end. It was such a beautiful experience.
After the Mass we joined the Archbishop in the Parish Activity Center for the reception. I enjoyed catching up with many of my friends and parishioners that I had not seen for several months. I was happy to introduce my seminarian brothers to my parish family. I was happy to watch hundreds of people line up to greet, to thank, and to say farewell to Archbishop Aymond. We were able to take a few pictures with him and that was great. Afterwards, a few priests and seminarians were able to spend some quiet time talking casually with the Archbishop. For many of us, Archbishop Aymond is a friend, a brother, a father, and an amazing example of what it means to be a priest of the Church. I have included a few of the pictures here.
I teased a few people that the Mass for Archbishop Aymond was actually the vigil Mass for my birthday which was on Thursday. I was happy to spend the day with my brother seminarians as well as my friends and family here in College Station. It means a lot to me that people would take the time to come spend some time (even if just for dinner) to help me celebrate the day.
Over the next few days I got to have lunch and dinner with various friends. It was nice to catch up, hear about their lives, and share a portion of my life with them. I look forward to visiting with everyone when I come home but always feel guilty that I do not get to see everyone. I spent the rest of the weekend in the parish. I served at all the Masses and got to have some great conversations with parishioners. I am always overwhelmed by parishioners’ generosity and support of me in my discernment. I relished the opportunity to have some quiet time in the adoration chapel. One of my favorite things to do when I am home is to sit in the nave of the church starting at about 4pm on Sunday and pray while the youth band is warming up. We have a great crucifix in our sanctuary and it really lends itself to meditation as I sit there and gaze at it. To be honest with you, it is not always so easy to recollect and to pray so I enjoy these opportunities when they come.
I cannot fully describe every feeling that I had while in town this past week. I will say that there is no other place where I hear the call to priestly ministry than when I am here in College Station. It has nothing to do with the specific places or really even the people. It has everything to do with being able to build relationships with people where they allow you to share the crosses and the joys of their life and then take those things to God in prayer. I have come to realize that there is nothing I can do for someone more useful than taking their intentions to prayer and asking God to bless them and to comfort them. For the longest time that just didn’t seem like enough to me. I wanted to do more! Until I can absolve, anoint, consecrate, baptize, etc. and even after that, prayer will always be enough.
I leave today to head to Temple. I will spend some time with a priest friend before heading to our Seminarian Convocation. It will be great to gather with my brother seminarians from the various seminaries and to catch up on the experiences of summer. The few days will also afford us the opportunity to say farewell to our beloved bishop. After convocation I will be going to South Texas to stay with a priest friend for a couple of days. It will give me a chance to rest, pray, read, relax, and hopefully figure some things out before I return to seminary. I will return to College Station sometime around August 19th and will leave for seminary on the 27th. Many of my brothers at other seminaries have to be back sooner. I ask that you continue to pray for me, my family, and in a special way, please pray for my brother seminarians.
I hope you enjoy the pics. I will post again soon….I hope.
Pax Tecum,
Tom
