Baltimore's Royce Thomas Writes About His Pastoral Year in Denver Province
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October 28, 2021Arriving at the Redemptorist community in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 5 to begin my pastoral experience was somber due to the sudden passing of Fr. Anthony Judge, C.Ss.R., earlier that day.
Understandably there was a pervading sense of sadness and grief among the community and parishioners for the first few weeks. Nonetheless, observing the confreres wrestling with the sudden loss of a community member offered me the experience of a fundamental dimension of community life. After a beautiful celebration and home-going for Fr. Judge, the parish life slowly found its rhythm and began to pick up where it had left off.
Overall, I am blessed to be a part of this Redemptorist community during this stage of my formation. I consider the experience of theirjourney through such an intimate and challenging time as sacred. I admire how they worked, prayed, and are healing together through the ordeal.
Being a native of Trinidad and Tobago, the most diverse country in the Caribbean, I must admit that being in the parish of St. Alphonsus left me a bit nostalgic. It is truly remarkable and life-giving to see so many different cultures, nationalities, and languages worshipping and praying together. This leads naturally to a warm, friendly, hospitable parish that invites a stranger like me to be a part of such beauty.
Thus far, I have had the opportunity to give reflections on the Gospel at several Masses. For me, a moment of grace is the feedback from parishioners of words of affirmation, encouragement, and even their takeaways. An invaluable experience I am engaging in during this time is sitting in on pastoral council meetings and planning meetings to gain knowledge on the dynamic and the ins and outs of planning pastorally for a parish, particularly one that is so diverse.
Even though I am a Caribbean man, I am a lover of the cold weather. With the steady winter temperatures approaching, I look enthusiastically to the upcoming events in the parish during this season, such as the annual Advent retreat, Our Lady of Guadalupe novena, and Christmas bazaar. I hope to continue gaining priceless experiences here, not only from ministering in the parish but alsofrom living in community as sons of St. Alphonsus.