Encountering the Lord in the Parish

By TOM FALLATI- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Rom. 12:15). St. Paul’s words took on a special significance for me this summer during my pastoral assignment as a seminarian of the Diocese.

The summer assignment was for me another step on a long journey. Last August, at age 51, I headed off to seminary. After a career as a lawyer, I was now taking another step toward a new vocation.

After a fulfilling my first year in seminary, I had the privilege of being assigned to St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish in Schenectady, under Father Robert Longobucco. Seminarians spend some 10 weeks in their summer assignments. It serves as an immersion into parish life. That immersion includes living in the rectory and spending each day serving in the parish’s various ministries.

I had served for many years in various ministries at my home parish of St. Pius X, but now I had the opportunity to serve on a daily basis. To move into a summer assignment after so much time in study caused me to ask how well I would be received by the parish and how I would respond to the challenges of parish ministry.

The parish assignment turned out to be an occasion of great insight for me into parish ministry and ultimately a time of joy. Father Bob, as he is known, made sure that I had the opportunity to work with the staff in some areas familiar to me and some that were outside of my comfort zone. I served as an acolyte at Masses, baptisms, weddings and funerals, participated in parish faith-formation events, worked on various parish projects and overall experienced the daily, busy life of the parish.

Father Bob, the parish staff and the parishioners, for their part, could not have been more supportive. Words of affirmation are invaluable for me as a seminarian, a way for me to hear the Lord speak words of encouragement to me on this journey.

What moved me profoundly was being able to encounter parishioners in so many different contexts, in rejoicing and weeping.
I was able to visit patients at Ellis Hospital. There, I encountered those suffering in some form of sickness. Leading wake and graveside services, I encountered those in grief in a time of loss. Leading a small men’s group, I encountered men seeking a better understanding of how God is calling them in their lives. Participating in a youth service trip to the Boston area allowed me to hear what young adults value about their faith.

I came to see the truth in St. Paul’s words, reminding me of the call not merely to be with others, but actually to enter into their joy and sorrow. Pope Francis speaks of the summons to a “culture of encounter,” in which we are called to “not just seeing, but looking, not just hearing, but listening.” There is a gift in seeing how God is meeting others in their lives and in various circumstances. In some way, our encounter with others allows us to encounter the Lord more profoundly.

I have returned to seminary, but I bring with me the joy of my summer experience and a better idea of the privilege of parish ministry.

Tom Fallati is a seminarian of the Diocese and a parishioner at St. Pius X Church in Loudonville. He is studying at Pope St. John XXIII Seminary in Weston, Mass.