“As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Matt. 25:40)

The goal of seminary is to form men to be priests in four aspects of the human person. These four pillars of formation are intellectual, human, pastoral, and spiritual. A priest needs to be a balanced person with all the areas of formation complimenting one another. This has been very helpful for me as I tend to put an obsessive importance on school and then neglect the other three parts of formation. Sometimes this means that I need to step back from school to pray or exercise, even if it means I will not be able to get all my homework done perfectly. It is also a reminder that we do not have to be perfect and that Jesus can use us in our imperfections. 

One of the main ways we are formed pastorally is through something called apostolates. Apostolates are a yearly assignment designed to help us encounter those in need in our community. We are usually sent in groups of four or five seminarians to be with those who are living some kind of poverty. I have had different apostolates each of my years of seminary. My first year I was at Matt Talbot Kitchen in Lincoln, Neb. We served here firstly by helping in the kitchen to provide food for those who needed it, many of whom were homeless. Secondly, we would go and talk with the people coming to get food if we were not needed in the kitchen. One way I liked to start conversations with people was to invite them to play a card game with me, usually cribbage. By doing this, it took pressure off the conversation and allowed them to share whatever they wanted about their life with me. It was a gift to be able to listen to their stories, many of which were filled with much suffering, and show them that people are interested in them and care about them.  

My second year of seminary my apostolate was at a nursing home in Seward, Neb. My group ran a bible study for the residents every week, and it was beautiful to see how much it meant to them for us to spend time talking about our Lord with them. There is a poverty of human connection experienced by many who are in nursing homes because they do not have many people to visit them. It was a blessing to be able to be someone who they looked forward to seeing, and it also was a blessing for me to have someone look forward to seeing me every week and be excited when I was there with them. 

My third year I helped at People’s City Mission. People’s City Mission is the largest homeless shelter in Lincoln, Neb. We helped here by doing whatever work they needed done either around the building or to help prepare for upcoming events. It was a great opportunity to do very definite things that help to support the homeless in the Lincoln area. 

This year I am at Catholic Social Services in Lincoln. We have been helping in their thrift store and going on street walks in downtown Lincoln. For street walks, we walk around downtown and speak to any homeless people that we meet and see if they need water or other necessities. It has been humbling to hear their stories and to see their vulnerability in sharing their struggles and in asking for our prayers. I am very thankful for the opportunity to witness to Jesus’ love and to grow in seeing the humanity of those looked down on by our society.