home. The orphanage was specifically for
abandoned children who were disabled
and handicapped by the damaging effects
of the area’s volcanic ash.
“These teens from Detroit sat with kids
their own age and fed them. It was a re-
minder to all of us how much we take for
granted as Americans, even poor Ameri-
cans,” said Deacon Adam.
The nursing home also impacted the
high schoolers, as one of them remarked,
“It made me think—how often do I make
an effort to see my own grandmother?”
On both his trip to Tanzania and Ecua-
dor, Deacon Adam believed these experi-
ences convicted him of the universal need
for priests and the deep desire for faith.
“Faith transcends language,” he said.
SURRENDERING TO
GOD’S WILL | India
Seminarians Richard Dorsch and Corey
Bilodeau set off to Calcutta to serve at the
Nirmal Hriday (Immaculate Heart), where
Mother Teresa first opened her home for
the dying and the destitute. There, they pre-
pared meals, did dishes and laundry, and
cared for patients.
“It is absolutely amazing when you allow
yourself to be completely emptied and sur-
render to the will of God, what He can
accomplish through you—giving you so
much strength and grace to encounter and
serve even the poorest of the poor,” said
Richard.
Other international, seminarian-led mis-
sion trips included Iraq, attended by Fr.
Fadie Gorgies, Fr. John Jaddou, Marcus
Shammami, and Kevin Yono, and China,
attended by David Pellican.
RELISHING THE CHALLENGE
Philadelphia
Seminarian Andrew Smith stayed closer
to home than some of his Sacred Heart
counterparts, as he accompanied the youth
group from St. Peter Parish in Mount Cle-
mens, Michigan on a mission trip to Impe-
rial, Pennsylvania.
“The challenges of mission trips—working
on a crew with people you don’t know, sleep-
ing on the floor, stepping away from our reg-
ular routines and comforts—push us out of
our comfort zones. But in these moments of
challenge, we learn to rely on God more fully
and put our trust in Him,” he said.
Deacon
Adam
Nowak
Unleashing the Gospel Around the World
Archbishop Vigneron’s call in his 2017
Pastoral Letter “Unleash the Gospel,” while
specific to the Archdiocese of Detroit, has
no geographic boundaries.
“Today, no less than two millennia later,
there is no limit to what the Lord can do in
our midst. His part is to clothe his Church
with ‘power from on high’ (Lk 24:49) for
the accomplishment of her mission. Our
part is to give him our wholehearted ‘yes’—
to let ourselves be transformed, guided,
and sent forth by the Holy Spirit, who is
the ‘principal agent of evangelization,’”
wrote Archbishop Vigneron.
This wholehearted “yes” and Christ’s
limitless grace that accompanies it, is clear-
ly reflected in Sacred Heart seminarians’
formation experiences and global mission
work. The people, culture, and communi-
ties they encountered and served, returned
grace to them twofold.
This year’s trips may have ended, but
the experiences, lessons, and deep growth
that occurred for each seminarian will
continue to echo through their work in
the years to come, as they study, preach,
and shape Christ’s living body on earth.
Maggie Fischer is a Catholic freelance writer and
editor based in Omaha, Nebraska.
shms.edu
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