REFLECTIONS ON SELMA

Reflecting on time with fellow diocesan seminarians in Selma, Ala.

This summer Tom Fallati (back l.) and five other seminarians traveled to Selma, Ala., to serve the Edmundite Missions. Their story first was shared in the June 22-29 edition of The Evangelist.

With the end of the summer, I have had the opportunity to reflect on my time with fellow diocesan seminarians in Selma, Ala.  We served with the Edmundite Missions, which, as I wrote about earlier, grew out of an effort to serve the African-American community in the central region of Alabama. The legacy of racial injustice and poverty has left a community with many needs. Looking back on our time in Selma, I know that the experience has shaped me as a seminarian to serve the Church as a priest. 

Service as Formation

While seminary study rightly focuses on learning the content of our faith, we are also called to see Christ in the lives of those we encounter, particularly the poor.  Taking “the model of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who came ‘to bring glad tidings to the poor,’ ” the document governing priestly formation holds that seminarians should “have sustained contact with those who are privileged in God’s eyes — the poor, the marginalized, the sick and the suffering.” 

Our seven weeks with the Edmundite Missions allowed us to do just that. After Morning Prayer and Mass, we began our work at the Missions. We worked in the Bosco Nutrition Center, preparing and serving meals, and at the Bullock Recreation Center, a hub where all ages come for basketball, fitness and any number of classes, from nutrition to technology. We also undertook projects throughout the summer: leading soccer lessons for middle-school students in the summer camp, repainting the Bosco dining room and, in my case, leading a Bible Study three days a week focusing on Jesus’ parables.

The Bible Study turned out to be a unique gift. It was a joy to share that time with a group so appreciative of the Word of God, and it was an opportunity for me to reflect on my own living out of Jesus’ parables. As I reflected on the Parable of the Good Samaritan in particular, a line leapt out at me, the line about the priest who passed by to the other side of the road to avoid the robbers’ victim (Lk. 10:13). Too often have I recoiled in the face of poverty, uncomfortable confronting the needs of others.

My time in Selma allowed me to see how the Lord is calling me to be an instrument of mercy in the face of such need. Amidst the everyday activities, we had special opportunities to engage with those whom the Missions serve. For two days, we conducted a survey of those arriving for meals at the Bosco Center, giving us the chance to speak with them and learn about the role of the Missions in their lives. 

Especially poignant for me was a day when we traveled throughout Selma and the outlying rural areas visiting homeowners seeking assistance for critical home repairs. The conditions of the homes were disheartening, but amidst the need were people who shared their stories and witnessed to faith and hope.

And there was the message for me, what I take with me on my continuing journey as a seminarian. In bringing hope to others in their need, the Lord offers me the gift of seeing himself in them. They witness Christ to me. I saw Christ in those served by the Missions. I also saw Christ in the Missions’ dedicated staff, many of whom are Selma natives, as well as numerous volunteers who selflessly serve. 

As I continue this journey as a seminarian, I am reminded that in encountering those in need I am offered the opportunity to encounter Christ. I am called to be the “one who showed mercy” while also being the “one shown mercy” (Lk. 11:36).

Tom Fallati is a seminarian of the Diocese of Albany.