Summer assignments allow glimpse into parish life as a priest

Much of seminary formation can seem similar to other college programs. From the middle of August to the middle of May, things are not that different from a non-seminary college or university. We spend much of our time sitting in classrooms, writing papers, and studying for tests. Most of the time is given to academic pursuits, what the Church calls “intellectual formation.”

During June and July, things change a little. Summer assignments can be quite varied, but are focused on more practical and hands-on activities than much of what we do during the academic year. Some seminarians might spend their summer in Omaha for a spirituality program. Others might be in St. Paul for a hospital ministry program. Many of us receive parish assignments. For these, we are placed in a parish for the duration of the summer, shadowing the priest and learning what he does. For the two months we’re there, we become a part of the parish family. If the parish has a joyous occasion, we celebrate with them. If they encounter a tragedy, we grieve with them. I completed one of these parish assignments two summers ago, and have been given another one for this summer. These assignments offer much to our formation for the priesthood.

On one level, these assignments show us the nuts and bolts of parish life. We could be tasked with anything from assisting with Vacation Bible School to helping the facilities manager with upkeep of the parish building. All of these show us first hand what it takes to keep a parish functioning and to minister to the people of God.

We come to see things on a deeper level, too. For example, we come to see that there is a purpose for the intellectual formation. We see firsthand how the knowledge we are tested on during the semester works its way into the teaching and preaching ministries of the priest. We see more clearly how the paper writing grind will help us to someday synthesize and communicate the truths of the faith to the flock of the Good Shephard. We see how the seemingly abstract concepts discussed in the classroom concretize in a person’s real life.

These assignments also allow us to experience the sort of thing that can’t be taught in books. No class can teach you what it’s like to walk into the room of a dying person to administer Anointing of the Sick. No test can prepare you for a phone call from a parishioner informing you a loved one has died. And no paper can help you figure out what to say to the grieving family. Our summer parish assignments expose us to these encounters. The example of the priests we are placed with models for us their way of handling these situations.

Parish assignments might not be school, but they provide opportunities for learning that can only be found through real life experience. They offer us a taste of what a priest actually does in a parish, and a taste of the life that, God willing, we will live some day as priests.