Serving, Studying, Safeguarding

Three “S” verbs for reflection: Serving, Studying, Safeguarding.

No. 1: Serving. As I write this article in mid-October, I have been ordained a priest for about four months. The ordination on June 19 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was a turning point in life, something that I had been working and praying toward for several years.

As is usual following the ordination Mass, my classmates and I received our assignments to begin ministry as parochial vicars in a parish and I was blessed to serve at Blessed Sacrament Church in Bolton Landing on Lake George. Not a bad place for the summer! The area was ripe with summer residents and tourists visiting family for a weekend or two, enjoying all the natural beauty that the Adirondacks and lake have to offer.

My placement there was full of many blessings and challenges as I learned how to serve as a priest: homily preparation, experiences in the confessional, home and hospital visits, leading faith-sharing sessions, etc. This was the “serving” I had been waiting for; leading people to deepen their faith through the Eucharist, the Sacraments and belonging to a vibrant parish community.

I loved the serving. I imagine that serving as a priest is similar to serving as a parent in some ways: the priest and the parent are both available to their families. Just as the parent wakes up to comfort a crying child, so does the priest as he makes the nighttime drive to the hospital to anoint a parishioner. Just as the parent sacrifices leisure time to help a child with homework, so does the priest make himself available for confession and conversation. Just as the parent prepares food for their family, so does the priest stand at the altar, praying the prayers that invite Jesus to become present as spiritual nourishment for his family. Jesus put it best: “… the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” (Matthew 20:28)

No. 2: Studying. Typically after priesthood ordination, the new priest begins his assignment assisting the pastor and learning the ropes of parish ministry. In some cases, however, priests are sent to continue their education in a particular area of study and earn an advanced degree called a “licentiate.” This degree, this license, is in a specialized field and can be used in various ways such as teaching on that topic in a seminary or university, or offering training or classes in the parish or diocese. For me, this meant a flight back to Rome to begin year number five in the Eternal City. Now a priest, but still a student.

This year, I moved to a new building called the Casa Santa Maria, about two blocks south of the Trevi Fountain. The Casa is a house (aptly named) with 60 priests from across the United States (and a couple from Australia) who are all in the process of earning an advanced degree. The subjects include canon law, scripture, philosophy, history, sacraments, patristics, morals, dogma, liturgy, spirituality and seminary formation. My area of study brings me to my third “S” verb.

No. 3: Safeguarding. Admittedly, when I first heard this word, I asked myself what this had to do with church or religion. We may think of safeguarding our rights, safeguarding our finances, or safeguarding our privacy. So, when the Diocese asked me to begin this Licentiate in Safeguarding, I had to educate myself on what this really meant. This degree falls under the Pontifical Gregorian University’s Institute of Anthropology: Interdisciplinary Studies on Human Dignity and Care (IADC for short). The IADC originated as the “Centre for Child Protection” based in Germany in 2012 before moving to Rome in 2014.

As I conclude my fourth week of classes, I am learning that the term “safeguarding” in much of the world means more than money. We are learning how best to safeguard one of the greatest resources in our Church and world: children. What does this mean? Well, each time we hear about a case of abuse, in or outside the Church, we realize that more should have been done to safeguard the lives of children. When we learn about how a person has been taken advantage of when they were in a state of weakness, we learn that we need to safeguard all those who are vulnerable, both children and adults. The Office of Safe Environment is instrumental in carrying out this sacred responsibility in our Diocese.

This Licentiate in Safeguarding takes anthropology from a Christian point of view, namely that each human being is a child of God and deserves to be treated with dignity and care. Through this lens, we are learning about childhood, sexuality, various forms of abuse, institutions and preventative measures, all from the perspective of a victims-first approach.

If it sounds like a heavy topic, that’s because it is! I am blessed to be supported by colleagues from around the world who are dedicated to this work. My class includes 22 students: two lay students, nine religious sisters, and 11 priests, along with a team of four teachers (a lay woman, two religious sisters and a priest). The mission of the IADC is to make the world (not only the Church) a better, safer, more dignified and respectful place for all, especially the most vulnerable among us.

Serving, studying and safeguarding. When it comes down to it, the studying and the safeguarding are still serving. Serving Christ who is our ultimate example of a servant leader, and in turn serving those whom he loved to death: every human being.