My vocational road to missionary priesthood had many invitations, but one of the most important invitations to mission occurred near the end of my first year in the seminary. As a freshman seminarian, the desire to be a missionary priest was there but doubts still remained if this was truly what I wanted to do. As the year was coming to an end, I had to contemplate on what I was going to do in the summer. Our summers were free, and we were encouraged to take temporary jobs and/or get involved in a ministry of some type. I had heard of some seminarians doing a mission exposure on the Pine Ridge Native American reservation in South Dakota. I was curious about this and decided to approach the persons organizing the experience. What we agreed to was a five-week immersion experience.
During the immersion experience we participated in Sun Dances, cultural festivities, painted houses, visited with families, etc. I spent time with the Jesuits and listened to their missionary history. I spent time with Lakota people who were Christian but still identified with their Native American roots. I spent time with Lakota people who spoke about their painful history with Christianity. I was told of a small town who had to have two Catholic churches, one for Anglos, the other for Native Americans. They couldn’t mix. It was an eye opener for me.
The experience had a powerful impact on my missionary vocation. It made me look at the world with new eyes. When I returned to studies after the summer, I was sharing my experience with a faith-sharing group in Chicago. After, a young university student asked me how the experience changed me. I told her that as a child I was a fan of the old western movies, especially of John Wayne. After the experience, I couldn’t watch any such movies knowing the reality. The young woman looked at me with awe but painfully said, “That is why I could never do such an experience! I would love to, but I feel it would ask a conversion of me that I can’t make! I would rather be ignorant than know!” I was shocked by her answer but admired her honesty. Than I realized the reality of invitation to mission. As Jesus said, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22: 14)
I don’t know what happened to the young woman after, I never saw her again. I know she was a good person and wished no harm on anyone. Yet, I realized that she was at a moment in her life where she couldn’t make that leap to mission. However, I do hope the seeds were planted for the future when she was ready to do so. In my personal journey, I had received many invitations to mission prior to my commitment to be a missionary priest. Obviously, my journey was filled with not accepting the invitations until I was ready. A seed can be planted to bloom later. It is not for all, but we are all invited.