Scripture came alive for the nine Desert
Formation Experience pilgrims as they
“walked in the footsteps of Jesus.”
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Seeking Wisdom and
Holiness in the Holy Land
“My heart is beating fast at the thought of entering the
land where Jesus was born, where he walked, where he
died, and where he rose from the dead. I can’t quite
imagine it yet in my mind’s eye.”
These were the thoughts of an elated
Bro. David Brokke, SOLT, as he and eight
Sacred Heart seminarians, all entering their
second year of graduate theology, were
packing their duffel bags preparing for their
long-anticipated Desert Formation Experience. The next day, Wednesday, May 4, the
men gathered in the seminary lobby and
received a praying over by the Sacred Heart
community. Then they boarded a plane for
Tel Aviv and a month-long journey of faith
to the Holy Land.
The goal? To visit the Holy Land’s sacred
sites and walk the same paths as did Christ
the Savior. As the men ventured out each day
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on this thirty-day spiritual pilgrimage—with
its highpoints and it “sandpaper” annoyances that every pilgrim experiences—they were
discerning if Christ is truly calling them to
serve the Church as “missionary servants”
through his holy priesthood.
Different Than a Retreat
The hill of Calvary, the Sea of Galilee,
the River Jordan, the Garden of Gethsemane—here and other holy spaces the
seminarians sought spiritual wisdom while
praying especially for Sacred Heart’s benefactors. Each evening, they drew insights
from their experiences, guided by expert
Sacred Heart Major Seminary | Mosaic | Fall 2016
formators Fr. Gerard Battersby, Sacred
Heart’s vice rector, and graduate spiritual
director Msgr. Daniel Trapp.
And the insights were many.
“This pilgrimage has taught me a lot
about my brother seminarians,” shared Perrin Atisha, Chaldean Eparchy of St. Thomas
seminarian. “The greatest thing I will walk
away with is knowing my brothers are in love
with the Lord and his Church. This brings
great hope to the future of the Church.”
On a sleepy morning when he discovered the hostel espresso machine was out
of order, Matthew Wagner of the Diocese
of Winona reflected (albeit glumly) how we
tend to take for granted the many gifts that
God provides.
“These gifts lose their value as we unconsciously receive them day after day. After all,
so much of our life is routine, and even the
smallest things which once we were able to
delight in, we become indifferent to; feeling
we are in some way entitled to such things.”
“I need to remember that a pilgrimage
is different from a retreat. A pilgrimage,
much like daily life, is more about walking with Jesus and receiving from him in
the midst of the hustle and bustle,” is an
insight expressed by Derik Peterman of the
Archdiocese of Detroit. “Yet, life demands
that we come off the mountaintop and
continue our journey. We must often keep
moving even when we would prefer to linger in those blessed moments.”
Experience the Journey
The pilgrimage ended on June 3 in the
Holy City of Rome and included a Wednesday Audience blessing by the Holy Father.
After a short break, the men continued
their summer of discernment with a thirtyday Ignatian silent retreat at the Broom
Tree Retreat Center in Irene, South Dakota, which concluded on July 22.
The Desert Formation pilgrims—Rodney
Abbasso, Perrin Atisha, Bro. David Brokke,
SOLT, Br. Romeo Cappella, CCL, Zaid
Chabaan, Matthew Montgomery, Adam
Nowak, Derik Peterman, and Matthew Wagner—invite you to share their experience at
desertformation.org. It could be like a spiritual pilgrimage for you, as well.