Graces and Insights Abound as Pilgrimage to the Holy Land Returns for Sacred Heart Seminarians
SEMINARIAN FORMATION
Graces and Insights Abound as Pilgrimage to the Holy Land Returns for Sacred Heart Seminarians
Karla Dorweiler
Last fall , William O ’ Donnell tried not to get his hopes high in anticipation of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with his fellow Sacred Heart seminarians . The trip hadn ’ t happened since 2019 , and though plans were in the works , O ’ Donnell managed his expectations .
“ After three years of everything going on with the pandemic and the conflicts in Israel , I didn ’ t know what might happen ,” said O ’ Donnell , a seminarian with the Diocese of Gary . “ I was guarded in case we suddenly got word it was canceled .”
But the Desert Formation Experience — the pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Rome taken by seminarians upon completion of their first year of theology graduate studies — was not canceled . On May 3 , 18 seminarians , along with Msgr . Daniel Trapp and Father Pieter vanRooyen , departed for the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ .
The formative trip is funded by an annual golf outing , “ Desert Meals ,” hosted by parishes and individual donations . The first Desert Formation Experience took place in 1980 when seminarians studied at St . John ’ s Provincial Seminary in Plymouth . The objective of the trip was to help the men to know Scripture by immersing themselves in it , thus becoming better preachers to the people once ordained .
“ Over the years , another desire of the Archbishop and the seminary formation team was that the men have greater clarity , rooted in their prayer , about their vocations ,” said Msgr . Trapp , Spiritual Director and Associate Professor at Sacred Heart .
Before the pilgrimage , O ’ Donnell reflected on Christ as the mediator between God and his people , and how he , as a seminarian , could mediate for his family , friends , and benefactors back home . He gathered their intentions to pray for them at sites along his journey .
“ For the entirety of the trip , my main priority was to pray not just for my own discernment but to pray for all of them at these grace-filled places where Jesus and the Holy Family walked , where miracles happened . I asked the Lord to pour out abundant graces on them , on their lives , and their struggles ,” O ’ Donnell said . “ I felt my heart was being moved toward a priestly identity because I desired to care for them more than for my own needs .”
A third goal for the Desert Formation Experience is growth in virtue , the most important of which is charity , says Msgr . Trapp .
“ One of the seminarians from some years ago described the pilgrimage as ‘ a practicum in charity ,’” Msgr . Trapp said . “ We are in a foreign culture , in tight quarters , moving around quite a bit , and all of that pushes us to choose between focusing on our own needs or on the needs of others . To make the choice for others , we need Jesus , we need grace — the pilgrimage and retreat are places where grace leads us to stay with Jesus .”
20 Sacred Heart Major Seminary | Mosaic | Fall 2023
The view of one of the main traveling routes through the Judean Desert which Jesus and his disciples often traveled to escape from Jerusalem into Jericho or even up to Galilee