From Our Seminarian

05-19-2019Weekly ReflectionConnor Companik

Dear Parishioners of St. Benedict,

As I near the end of my first year at St. John Vianney Seminary, I want to update you on how this semester has been, and the many blessings I've received during my time here. First of all, thank you for all the prayers you've offered for me—I've met many of you the few times I've been home throughout the year and I was overwhelmed at the number of people who not only recognized me, but told me they prayed for me every day. It means a lot and helps me to feel connected with the parish while I'm away, especially during this "Spirituality Year" when we have limited access to the internet, e-mail, and most forms of communication.

This semester has been incredible! The first-year seminarians started with a 30-day poverty immersion where we were sent in pairs all throughout the country to spend a month serving the poor. Many of us ended up working with the Missionaries of Charity (the community founded by Mother Teresa) in some of the poorest parts of the country. I was blessed with the opportunity to spend 30 days in a hospital setting praying with the sick and suffering, most of whom were not Catholic. It was a very freeing experience being sent out with no money or cellphone, where I had no choice but to rely on God's Providence to carry me through.

Other highlights from this semester include the 5-day silent retreat we had in February, a time for us to allow ourselves the mental space to hear the Lord's voice more clearly as we prayed through St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises. The retreat required five hours of prayer each day, which was at times exhausting, but in the end proved to be a very fruitful experience. Also, this year my class spent all of Holy Week at the seminary and had the chance to make an informal "retreat" as we experienced the liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday at the cathedral here in Denver. I'm typically not a very emotional person, but I was moved to tears during the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper, when the priest washed the people's feet as the choir sang the antiphon "I give you a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you." It was a powerful experience that I think allowed me to enter more fully into Good Friday/Holy Saturday, and ultimately Easter Sunday.

Again, I'm very grateful for the support I've received over the past few months, and I would invite you to pray for me in these upcoming weeks as my brother seminarians and I travel to South Dakota for our 30-day silent retreat. We head out on Monday, May 20, and return on Wednesday, June 19. This retreat is the highlight of the Spirituality Year, and can be a really profound experience for some people, where they hear God's voice more clearly than ever. I invite you to join me in prayer as I seek to better understand my vocation and the ways in which God is calling me both to holiness and to the priesthood. May God bless you and your families this Easter season. I can't wait to be back home in July!

In Christ,
Connor Companik