Forming missionary hearts in priests

    “Go forth, the Mass is ended” is something we hear every day in the chapel of Notre Dame Seminary.
    It signals the end of the Mass and also the beginning of our life after Mass. It is a constant reminder of the words of Blessed John Paul II, “The formation of candidates to the priesthood must aim at giving them the true Catholic spirit, whereby they will learn to transcend the bounds of their own diocese, country or rite, and come to the aid of the whole Church, in readiness to preach the Gospel anywhere.”
    When Archbishop Gregory Aymond was rector of Notre Dame Seminary, he desired to fulfill this directive through the Acompaño program.
    Originally, first-year seminarians were sent to Saltillo, Mexico, to work with missionaries. A few years later, seminarians began going to Granada, Nicaragua, to aid missionary formation of priests of the South. This collaboration began through a connection with the Teresian sisters in New Orleans, who have a community house in Granada.
    The Acompaño program is intended to give the seminarians an eight-day pastoral experience in mission. Mission trips are normally thought of in two veins: one, feed the poor; or two, build buildings for the poor.
    The Acompaño program blends both of these together to form priestly hearts. Seminarians further along in their studies act as peer leaders and witness how to begin living the missionary call while still in formation.
    The travel days there and back allow time for reflection. It is an image of our discernment for the priesthood, wherein we leave the comforts of our life in the world to discern a supernatural calling for the sake of the kingdom.
    The day after our arrival is a day to get to know and see the area. The leadership team invites the seminarians to ask, “How is this different from where we are from?” It is through those differences that we hear God speaking.
    On the most recent trip in December, seminarians spent two days in manual labor. We dug with shovels and pick axes into the mountainous terrain in the outskirts of Granada. The work is not for the sake of work but allows the seminarians to establish relationships with the poor of Nicaragua. The concept of “the poor” is replaced with faces and names, human persons who desire to be loved and shown love.
    Two days are also spent in pastoral visits. We connected with the homebound ministry of a parish by bringing the Eucharist to those who cannot attend Mass. Having multiple priests from the seminary staff on hand allows the homebound also to receive the sacraments of reconciliation and, if need be, the anointing of the sick.
    These pastoral visits are the crux of the program. Groups of five seminarians split up and walk, as much as 10 miles, to various homes, carrying the Eucharist, the symbol and heart of their ministry. These visits are humbling because we will be invited into houses the size of our 10-by-12-foot dorm room.
    Gratitude, compassion and maybe even sadness arise simultaneously within our hearts.
    This missionary experience helps form the men of Notre Dame Seminary to be other-focused, outward in their direction and active in their ministry. As diocesan priests, after Mass, we must go forth into our parish and witness the Gospel of Christ. We have everything we need in the seminary walls, but what we have is not our own. What we have is for our bride, the church.
    Deacon Kyle Sanders will be ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New Orleans in June.