Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2010 / Seminarians plan for Holy Land pilgrimage
Seminarians plan for Holy Land pilgrimage
by Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published April 30, 2010
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Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic
Among the seminarians preparing for a trip to the Holy Land and Rome are (back row) Louis Lapeyre, Andy LaFramboise, (front row) Paul Erickson, Jared Johnston and Patrick Gonyeau. |
DETROIT — After a group of seminarians wrap up their classes and final exams this semester, they'll head to the place that's the foundation for their future ministry.
Some 16 seminarians and two professors will be heading to the Holy Land and Rome for an annual pilgrimage, the Desert Formation Experience, with the intent of bringing them closer to their faith.
"I hope they encounter Jesus there in a new way," said Fr. Daniel Trapp, a Sacred Heart Major Seminary spiritual director and associate professor of theology, as well as pastor of SS. Augustine and Monica Parish, Detroit, who leads the trip.
The group, made up of students just finishing their first year of theology studies, leaves Wednesday. They'll be chronicling their journeys online:
Desert Formation Experience Blog: http://shmspilgrimage.wordpress.com
While the seminarians are excited for the entire trip, most of them are looking forward to visiting pilgrimage sites throughout the Holy Land. Paul Erickson, of the Diocese of Lansing, said he was most looking forward to going to and praying at Cana, the site of one of his favorite Gospel passages, where Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding. "Jesus makes known his divinity by performing a miracle," he said. "His time for ministry was ushered in by Mary, and she has a special role in my prayer life."
Other sites the seminarians were looking forward to visiting were Capernaum, where Jesus called the disciples to follow Him, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Church of the Nativity. "That's where it all began," said Anthony Lezcano, a seminarian from Seattle.
Other places they'll visit include the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Capernaum, as well as places in Rome. Seminarian Charles Russell, of St. Anthony Parish in Temperance, explained that the trip is known as the Fifth Gospel in the seminary's course listing because it's how the other four Gospels carry over into real life. "It's no longer just these facts in a book," he said. "I've touched the place where Jesus came back to life. I've walked down the streets that Jesus walked on."
The seminarians are currently busy with the end of the school year, they leave only a few days after finals are over. "For me, it comes up during prayer, in particular if a Gospel passage mentions a site I'll be visiting," said seminarian Andy LaFramboise, of the Diocese of Saginaw, of his preparations.
Lezcano has also been preparing for the trip by praying in thanksgiving: "I'm asking the Lord to show me what He wants me to take away," he said.
At each site the group visits, a seminarian will be assigned to give a presentation, giving them a chance to put into practice some of the things they're learning in Scripture and through their own research and life experiences. The experience is not a tourist trip, but a prayerful and pseudo-academic trip, the seminarians agreed.
Long before the seminarians pack their bags, a Desert Classic golf outing raises funds for the trip, and seminarians participate in Desert Meals at their home parishes. For donations at the Desert Meals, seminarians send a postcard from somewhere in their travels.
Fr. Trapp explained that the program started decades ago at the former St. John's Provincial Seminary, with the idea to help seminarians develop into better preachers. Joining them this year will be vice-rector and dean of students Fr. Michael Byrnes, and rector/president Msgr. Jeffrey Monforton is scheduled to meet up with them later into their trip, as well.
Seminarian Louis Lapeyre, of Assumption Grotto Parish, Detroit, said the key to the formation experience will be how they grow in their faith. "I'm thankful for the opportunity to go to the Holy Land," he said.
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