Ponderings

The call to priesthood is ongoing, deepening with each new step

By Fr. Russ Sampson, S.F.M.
January 2004

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The word "pondering" holds great significance for people who are discerning future direction. This word is given to Mary in Luke 1:29: "Greetings, favoured one! The Lord be with you. But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be."

Luke used the word "pondered" because Mary had to make a crucial decision in her life, a decision in faith. She had to weigh the angel's words, assess them and bring them in prayer. Whatever decision she made, it was important that she be at peace with that decision.

Each of us will come to stages in our lives when we have to ponder major life decisions. I had to ponder such a decision in the 1960s: "What should I do with my life?" I wondered. A vital component for my decision was and is my faith and the faith of others. I was helped by the fact that I was blessed with an attentive family and solid example from the priests of the Diocese of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, my hometown. The priests were connected with the youth of the parishes and many of us got to know them quite well.

Although the appeal towards the priesthood was there, I sensed another dimension inviting me – that of overseas mission. Certainly the basis for this was the spirit of St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish. Added to that was the wonderful work of the Coady International Institute, a centre of excellence in community-based development. Only of late have I been able to piece together these threads of the fabric forming the roots of my vocation to the missionary priesthood.

During the 1960s, with the help of discerning people like Bishop William Power, then bishop of Antigonish, I was able to pursue this dimension of the priesthood. Over the years, I have come to realize that the call, the invitation, is ongoing, deepening with each new step of this amazing journey.

Once I agreed to come to Scarboro Missions, the call was far from complete. It became more focused with each new assignment.

My first appointment was to the Caribbean islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Here the Holy Spirit began to mold me on another level. It was a formation far different from what I had received at the seminary. In the villages of Marriagua and in the marketplace, the people shaped me more in the image of what God desired of me.

The call unfolds with my recall to Canada in 1990. During two years in leadership as a member of the General Council, I came to love Scarboro Missions even more. I discovered the giftedness of the priests and lay people, men and women, who make up our mission community.

In 1992, I was assigned to Guyana, to the Essequibo-Pomeroon parish. This was a time of adapting to change, to a new mission and people.

Today, I continue to serve in Guyana, now in Demerara on the east coast. In an amazing way, I have experienced the presence of our Scarboro priest and lay missioners who served here before me since the 1950s. I am able to re-live the wonderful stories I heard of their life in mission among the Guyanese. And my call continues...

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