Fr . Lac Pham ( center , second row ) with members of his training class at Mercy Center
Sabbatical : A Time of Transition by Fr . Lac Pham , c . pp . s ., Director of Initial Formation
I am grateful to the community and province leadership for having granted me a year of sabbatical , which began in July 2015 . A sabbatical was what I badly needed to repair the body , regain some mental balance , refill some spiritual vacuum , and catch up with some readings — a routine that I had long abandoned . During a visit with the provincial in 2014 I requested a sabbatical — though was willing to stay a couple more years in the Vietnam Mission until the native c . pp . s . members returned , as they had only one or two more years to complete their studies in the United States . However , I barely had enough physical and mental energy to maintain the status quo of the Mission . The provincial and I mutually agreed that I would take the sabbatical starting in 2015 . The goal was to self-introspect so as to assess my thus far lived-experiences , in order that I could be refreshed and energetic enough to transition into a new assignment .
After the 2015 Provincial Assembly , I preached several mission appeals in the Kansas City-St . Joseph Diocese on behalf of our Vietnam Mission . In the latter half of July , I went to the Mercy Center in Colorado Springs , Colorado for a two-week workshop for vocation / formation providers . ( At this time it was not quite clear what my next assignment would be .) Then the three-month sabbatical program followed . After Christmas break I returned to the Mercy Center for a three-month training in spiritual direction . The gathering of c . pp . s . Formators in Salzburg , Austria in the last week of July 2016 capped off my year of sabbatical .
In hearing that I was returning to the u . s . for sabbatical , some friends e-mailed to congratulate me — and extended their long standing invitation to come visit them since I “ will have a year long furlough , free of responsibilities , free to travel wherever my whims desire , and free to do nothing .” It was not so ! Events planned for the sabbatical year were full and structured enough to keep me from free-floating .
Following the 2015 Provincial Assembly I began reintegrating back into u . s . living . It should have been a breeze . Since 1996 I had been returning to the u . s . for all annual provincial assemblies but one . So I was not really completely estranged from the u . s . culture . And I thought I did very well adjusting back and forth all those years , while maintaining sufficient movements back and forth . But up to now , I am still in a slow progress of reintegration . I see , hear , and act in different ways than I remember of myself . I used to prize myself as a “ bridge ” between cultures . Now I find myself in the middle of an unidentifiable culture ( s )— or , no known culture in particular , if you will .
During seminary days I heard stories of missionaries who in returning to their original cultures had difficulties adjusting back . I could not understand that . For a continued on page 7
February 2017 • The New Wine Press • 5