THE PEOPLE WILL TEACH YOU

Listening attentively and respectively, we learn how God is present in the lives and hearts of the people

By Fr. Russ Sampson, S.F.M.
March 2002

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After I was ordained in 1970 and had completed that phase of my theology and missiology studies, I still did not have an adequate grasp of a spirituality for the missionary priest. The relatively easy part was complete. The reality was that my studies would be made concrete by the people I would meet in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and in Guyana.

As I look back and remember my encounters with Johnny Joe in Mespo parish, Tantie Dora on the beautiful island of Mayreau, Bella from Suddie in Essequibo, and Sylvan Morris of Siparuta, they gave meaning to my missionary work as a priest. It was through these special people that I began to formulate, for my own life, what the missionary priesthood is all about. They helped me name some of the essentials of a spirituality for the missionary priest.

I use the term spirituality to mean how I relate to God and to the people and cultures of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Guyana.

This task of relating was presented to me in this way: a need to discover the manifold ways the love of God is revealed in the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Guyana, and to see a face of God that I had not observed in Canada.

One of the greatest blessings God has bestowed on me, and this clearly stands out in my life, is the distinct privilege of working as a Scarboro priest in another culture.

The people will teach you, particularly the children, the poor, lay leaders and local clergy. This learning comprises an essential element for the spirituality of a missionary priest. All of these people will teach the missionary to understand and respect their history, way of life and how God is present to them.

The spirituality for a missionary priest will be formed by the children in the culture you have entered. They are the ones that show you that life and liturgy are connected. The gatherings with children are excellent opportunities for the use of the Eucharistic Prayers for Children. I recall Scarboro missionary Fr. Rollie Roberts and his interaction with the little ones at the Co-Cathedral of the Assumption, Kingstown, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The poor teach us and help to form us as missionary priests. They open our eyes to the fact that with globalization there are a growing number of new poor. This is content for prayer in the missionary priest's life.

The lay leaders (pastoral agents) and local priests form us from the time we arrive in a new country. The fact that we are to work side by side with them and ultimately be replaced by them and move on is an essential part of the spirituality for a missionary priest. In this process, the one thing we can remind them is that they, too, are missionary and often we see some of them go and minister in other countries.

As young Canadians, whether in high school or university, if you are energized by the richness of people from other cultures and backgrounds, if you see in them another dimension of goodness, God may very well be calling you to be a missionary priest. Scarboro Missions has priests and lay missioners doing excellent missionary work both in Canada and in other countries.

Thanks and pray about it.

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