It's been a tremendous blessing to be back in the beautiful suburb of Coon Rapids, among the people of Epiphany Catholic Church. As one of the good deacons from the parish noted, "most parishes have times when they 'slow down' a little bit. That is not Epiphany." I couldn't have said it better myself! The parish is so busy, so full of energy and life from dawn to dusk, making it the perfect place for a seminarian to spend not one, but two summers!
I am particularly grateful for the opportunity to spend both my summers (between Theology II and III, and between III and IV) at the same parish. Many of my classmates have been assigned different parishes in their respective dioceses', which means, of course, that they have to learn all about their new assignment - moving into a new rectory, meeting new parishioners, and learning new ropes. From day 1 back at the Big E, I have felt very strongly connected to the wonderful folks here at the parish. I had to take a peek at the parish directory to brush up on some names, but, by and large, I've been able to pick up where I left off! From spending time with the young families and their beautiful children, to visiting the parish nursing home and local hospitals, to tossing the disk around with the high-schoolers, there have been plenty of wonderful ways in which the Lord has already helped me to grow in these first few weeks of the summer.
I have received a great amount of joy and peace from my visits to the local hospitals - Unity Hospital in Fridley, and Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids - under the guidance of Fr. Peter, a priest of the Archdiocese who lives at the Epiphany rectory but serves full time in both those places. I have learned a great deal from him about how to compassionately and effectively minister to the sick and the suffering, wherever they might be in their own physical distress or in their spiritual lives. I have learned that every room the priest enters is (at least for a time) the home to an individual person, who is their for his or her own specific reason, and who carries with himself or herself so many different fears, anxieties, and desires. There is nothing more important than meeting that particular person at that exact place in which they find themselves, and then simply allowing the Lord to work through me in whatever way he sees fit. It might be a short visit and exchange of pleasantries, a longer sharing of joys and struggles, a moment of prayer in the presence of family and friends, or perhaps a chance to bring the person the grace of Holy Communion. Whatever the need might be, I have found such visits to be a continually humbling experience in my own spiritual life, since each of these encounters shows how little I really have to offer the person, but how much Jesus Christ has to offer - and indeed, wants to offer - to each person whom I encounter. Upon leaving each patient's room, I have been trying to take the advice of my priest mentor by calling the person to mind, recalling our conversation, their feelings and fears, and carrying this person with me throughout the rest of the day, especially in my praying of the Holy Rosary and in my recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours. I know that there is no greater gift I can give my sick brothers and sisters than the gift of my continued prayers!
Peace to you all. Please keep me in your prayers!
In Christ,
Colin
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