by Mike Snyder | Oct 10, 2018 | Vocations - Blog, Vocations - Events
Finding God
What if God was beyond my constrained Imagination
Not limited by lofty words of mindful expression
Nor kept in a guarded box of theological debate
But free to roam amongst the slightest doubts and strongest fears
That come from the hearts and minds of all
Across the expanse of a multitiered Multiverse
What if God whispered to children and prophets alike
And found expression in the butterfly as well as the pen
Would not the butterfly express the divine best
By Dancing about in its three-dimensional and holy form
Far clearer than a pen which can only illuminate
A dimension or two at best before stopping where the paper ends
What if God was found in that pen as well
Enlightening far more than acid-free paper with lead
But supple minds that can transcend our three-dimensional prison
Into the far-off limits of our cosmic creation
What if God was found beyond our limitations
Hiding not only in the fields of what is known
But in the trenches of guesses and shadows
Of what we think we comprehend
Is God then to be found in our rigid ideologies
Surrounded by deep moats and mossy walls of unyielding belief
That keep God tame to our mind’s imagination
And protects our Orthodoxy from severance or breach
Perhaps God is Only found beyond my rocky walls and muddy moats
Out in the vast and forbidden fields of the Unknown
Where pilgrims stop for fear of life and death
And the sea monsters and dragons of our past still roam
+Jonathan Hill, M.M.
by Mike Snyder | Oct 10, 2018 | Vocations - Blog, Vocations - Events
Seminarian Matthew Sim reports: the Spirituality Year candidates started their Inter-Community Novitiate (ICN) program at Techny Towers, home of the SVD novices.
Maryknoll joins 12 other communities of novices at ICN to share and exchange the spirituality and charisms of the various groups. The communities of novices are made up of various religious congregations of sisters, brothers and priesthood candidates.
At ICN, we pray and worship together and have workshops, run by various experts around the United States, on topics ranging from human formation to spirituality development. It is an enriching experience brought about because of the great diversity of participants in this program.
by Mike Snyder | Oct 10, 2018 | Vocations - Blog, Vocations - Events
My most recent assignment in Africa took place in the city of Dar es Salaam on the shores of the Indian Ocean where I served as Catholic chaplain at the national medical university. Out of a student body of 1600, 800 were Catholic. We enjoyed a vibrant Catholic community. The university was adjacent to the large national hospital that had 1200 beds. In addition to serving the needs of my students, I also occasionally visited patients in the wards. I would bring them Holy Communion and the sacrament of the sick. So often, these people were in great discomfort and pain. Patients could wait days, even weeks for the results of testing (blood, X-ray, whatever). The hospital was so overcrowded. But, it never failed. Whenever I visited and patients received the sacraments they would smile and, at least for a few brief moments their bodies would relax and the pain would seem to cease.
One year, on the feast of Corpus Christi, it had been a busy day. In Tanzania there is not only Mass on this day, but a long procession outside carrying the Blessed Sacrament. I wasn’t able to leave church until dusk and just as I was leaving some students came asking if I could visit one of the wards where an elderly woman had asked that morning to receive Communion on this special feast day. So, off we went. We entered the ward; visiting hours were over so things were very quiet. Patients were settling in for sleep. The woman I came to visit was sitting on the bed. She was an elderly slight woman with silver hair, the image of a typical Tanzanian grandmother. She had fallen at home and broken her hip. When she saw me coming from the distance she raised her voice: “I knew you would come. Today is the feast of the Holy Eucharist and I knew that you would bring me Jesus.” She began to sing an old song (originally a Latin song translated into Swahili) about the Body & Blood of Christ. I gave her Communion and suddenly many of the patients in the ward asked to receive. Despite all of their problems and discomfort, there was so much joy in the ward during this precious moment as everyone sang and rejoiced.
We Catholics talk about the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. I can testify to this through the many experiences in Tanzania where I witnessed Jesus’ presence in the faces of people like this old grandmother.
by Mike Snyder | Jun 20, 2018 | Vocations - Blog, Vocations - Events
Maryknoll recently accepted three new seminarians and one Brother’s candidate to our Initial Formation Program and it is with pleasure that we welcome them to Maryknoll!
Paul Augustine Khiet Tran is 24 years old and comes from Garland, Texas. He joined us in January 2018 as a candidate for the priesthood and is now completing his bachelor’s degree in philosophy at St. Xavier University in Chicago.
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Victor Mutobera is 28 years old and comes from Kakamega, Kenya. He has earned a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in econometrics. Presently studying philosophy in Nairobi Kenya Victor will come to our Initial Formation Program in Chicago in early 2019 as a candidate for the priesthood.
Diego Ramirez is 29 years old. Born in Eagle Pass, Texas, he was raised in Morelos, Mexico. Diego has studied at St. Joseph’s College Seminary in Covington, Louisiana where he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. He will join us this coming fall as a candidate for the priesthood.
Paul Shultz is 23 years old and comes from Forsyth, Illinois. He has earned an associate’s degree in applied science from Richland Community College with a specialty in sustainable agriculture. Paul will begin the Initial Formation Program this coming fall as a candidate to become a Brother.
by Mike Snyder | Jun 20, 2018 | Vocations - Blog, Vocations - Mission Reflection
Many people used to come to my office door at the Catholic Chaplaincy of the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The university shares its campus with the national hospital with 1200 beds and over 1000 day patients. There is also a large slum called Jangwani situated not far from the hospital. The news must have spread that Fr. Michael will help people in need. That was nice, but it resulted in a steady stream of people coming to my door. I was getting a bit overwhelmed.
Many of the cases were genuine; but others were con artists; and still others, while poor, they pretty much would say anything it takes just to get some assistance. For so many, giving them money was just not the answer to the problems facing them. Poverty is such a horrible disease! I was getting discouraged. Sometimes I felt I needed a social worker that could listen and direct people to places where they could find the proper assistance. My own background as a social worker years ago came in handy.
I think the news also spread that Fr. Michael asks many questions and often does not give money; so the numbers at my door eventually reduced. Nevertheless, one day a lady came to the office. She was ill, stricken with AIDS. Her children and husband had died. She was told to vacate the room where her husband was renting. She had no money and felt it was time to return to her parents’ home in Mwanza, a city situated on the other side of Tanzania about 900 miles away. Her name was Rehema, which translated to English means ‘Compassion’. I tried to console her and direct her to the local parish. Already she was receiving medicine from the Archdiocesan AIDS outreach program named PASADA. She seemed lost, her spirit broken.
I decided to give her 50,000/= shillings ($50 US) for the bus trip to Mwanza. She thanked me and began to shed tears. As she stood to leave she said she would board a bus that very day. Rehema extended her hand to me and then went down on one knee thanking me so much for helping her. I took her hand into both of mine and prayed for a safe journey. As Rehema left the office, it occurred to me that this had been a precious moment. I had just been in the presence of God. Jesus had come to me as Rehema asking me to never harden my heart to those who come to my office in need. Jesus doesn’t say that we will not have trials and tribulations. Rather he says these will not overcome us, these will not destroy us.
Rehema felt blessed for my assistance, but in reality I was the one being assisted and indeed blessed! Later that day, I was the one on bended knee, grateful for such a precious moment.
by Mike Snyder | Jun 20, 2018 | Vocations - Blog, Vocations - Candidates Corner
Seminarian Jonathan Hill shares a reflection having completed two years of overseas training in Tanzania, East Africa and now residing at our Formation Residence in Chicago where he is completing his Master of Divinity studies at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
I am in the 8th year of my formation with Maryknoll, and I still have one more year to complete. I know, it sounds insanely long. I knew it would be this long when I entered. It’s not easy to see the light at the end of the tunnel nearly a decade away. And I know what you are thinking: if you have a calling to be a missionary priest or brother, you just want to get out there and serve the people! Why are we wasting time sitting in the snow in a formation house in Chicago? Trust me, I hear you. It sounds like a big commitment, and it certainly is. But after eight years, I’ve learned a thing or two, so hear me out.
- You need to grow. Yes, you. You are not a perfectly formed human being. You might make a good priest, but there is still some need for growth. We all have it and will have it for our entire lifetimes. So welcome the opportunity for a focus on formation.
- You need to learn. I have discovered that each stage of this journey is vital to becoming a better me. Philosophy taught me how to think more critically about God, and well, the world. The Spirituality year taught me about this group that I am joining, our history, our work, our spirituality and our Maryknoll family. Theology expanded my horizons about God and people, and has drawn me closer in my relationship to God and others. The Overseas Training Program prepared me to be a minister. I learned how to teach and preach, to meet needs and expectations. Every new day on this journey brings new opportunities for growth and learning.
- You need to reflect. This is when you really begin to listen to the voice of God in your life. Are you called to be a missionary priest or brother? What are your deepest desires? Do you really know yourself? These questions are vital in our walk with God and to help us to be mature, healthy men who are able to give of themselves in an authentic way.
Sem. Jonathan Hill is the second on the left
I am now finishing my last year in formation. I expect to be ordained a deacon in the near future and to take my final oath to Maryknoll. These years of formation have been vital in preparing me for this step. Am I perfect? No, but I have been more perfectly molded over these past years, and I cannot thank Maryknoll enough for giving me that gift.
by Mike Snyder | Jun 20, 2018 | Vocations - Blog
As men discern their futures and look at the possibility of embracing the missionary life several seek out opportunities to get their feet wet and experience the life firsthand prior to making any decisions. Fr. Shaun Crumb, now serving in China, first went there as a Maryknoll volunteer and taught English in a Chinese university for one year. Later he entered the seminary. In the photo above, as a seminarian, Peter Latouf traveled with a team to North Korea to provide medical aid to tuberculosis victims. Now a priest Fr. Peter is serving in Hong Kong. During the summer of 2016 Paul Shultz went to Tanzania. He has just been accepted to begin training as a Maryknoll Brother.
The message of God’s love for all people is so important. It needs to be preached not only in words but in the actions of our daily lives. Each of us is a messenger wherever we go and in whatever we do. But, we still need to take some steps in the direction that will fulfill the dreams of the missionary life. If you are thinking o becoming a priest or Brother with Maryknoll consider a short term commitment to mission as a step along the way. It will change your life!
For more information contact Fr. Mike (msnyder@maryknoll.org)
by Leah Diaz | Apr 5, 2018 | Vocations - Blog
Beginning Holy Thursday March 29th, we conducted a mission discernment retreat for men and women contemplating becoming priests, brothers, lay missioners and short term volunteers.
There were 20 in attendance including three Maryknoll seminarians and four men interested in becoming priests and brothers. These men came from across the country – California, Colorado, Louisiana and Minnesota. Talks and discussions about these missionary vocations were accompanied by moments of prayer and the liturgical celebrations of the Sacred Triduum. The retreat ended with the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday night followed by a morning Mass on Easter Sunday.
The next vocation retreat will take place at our Initial Formation Residence in the Hyde Park section of Chicago sometime in October. The final dates are still to be determined.
Contact Fr. Mike Snyder at msnyder@maryknoll.org for further information!
by Leah Diaz | Apr 5, 2018 | Vocations - Blog
By Jonathan Hill
What if God was beyond my constrained Imagination
Not limited by lofty words of mindful expression
Nor kept in a guarded box of theological debate
But free to roam amongst the slightest doubts and strongest fears
That come from the hearts and minds of all
Across the expanse of a multitiered Multiverse
What if God whispered to children and prophets alike
And found expression in the butterfly as well as the pen
Would not the butterfly express the divine best
By Dancing about in its three-dimensional and holy form
Far clearer than a pen which can only illuminate
A dimension or two at best before stopping where the paper ends
What if God was found in that pen as well
Enlightening far more than acid-free paper with lead
But supple minds that can transcend our three-dimensional prison
Into the far-off limits of our cosmic creation
What if God was found beyond our limitations
Hiding not only in the fields of what is known
But in the trenches of guesses and shadows
Of what we think we comprehend
Is God then to be found in our rigid ideologies
Surrounded by deep moats and mossy walls of unyielding belief
That keep God tame to our mind’s imagination
And protects our Orthodoxy from severance or breach
Perhaps God is Only found beyond my rocky walls and muddy moats
Out in the vast and forbidden fields of the Unknown
Where pilgrims stop for fear of life and death
And the sea monsters and dragons of our past still roam.
A poem by Seminarian Jonathan Hill. He comes to us from Ft. Meyers, Florida. Jon has completed two years of overseas training in Tanzania, East Africa and now resides at our Formation Residence in Chicago where he is completing his Master of Divinity studies at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
by Leah Diaz | Apr 5, 2018 | Vocations - Blog
By Br. Ryan Thibert
Hello, my name is Ryan Thibert I have been with Maryknoll now over 6 years. I currently reside in Cochabamba Bolivia in active mission working with the Missionaries of Charity assisting Men with HIV and AIDS. I cannot believe how the past 6 years in Maryknoll has passed ever so quickly. My time spent in Bolivia has taught me many things about myself, most importantly what God is asking of me in my Vocation; namely to be present and vulnerable as a brother missioner. In my missionary experience I have learned about the importance of being present through listening, living and being connected through friendships. I am being called to bring hope and love to the marginalized and suffering. And I have discovered how much I enjoy working in foreign cultures, having the opportunity to be with the poor and the marginalized and serve God and his people as best I can as a missioner. I feel very strongly that I am doing what I am meant to do and, that by the grace of God, I will continue to do my very best with the skills I have been given to help my brothers and sisters in the developing world, always keeping in mind the words of Jesus, “whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do to me.”
Although I have had the opportunity to get a good education I have discovered that the real education is out there in real life Mission. I have learned so much from the people that I have worked with and have also discovered that it is through entering into relationships with them, accompanying them and listening to them and most importantly being present to them on a daily basis that I learn so much especially about myself. All of this is enhancing my spiritual journey, and each day I offer it all up to God in prayer.
I am a Maryknoll brother candidate and have been overseas in mission here in Bolivia for the past three years. Bolivia is the poorest country in Latin America but has a very rich culture and despite the poverty of the people they are very welcoming and kind. The great challenge for a newcomer of course is learning the language, and I continue to take lessons by means of a private tutor.
During my time here, I have worked with children at an after-school program, assisting and teaching elementary school students in art and academic studies. I have also worked at a Franciscan Senior Center, assisting the elderly with their meals and their daily exercises. By simply being “present” to them and “accompanying” them on a daily basis I soon discovered that loneliness and depression was a daily challenge for these people. They so appreciated the companionship and just having someone there who would talk with them. I prayed for them daily and for the strength and patience to be of assistance to these my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Presently I am working with Mother Teresa’s, Missionaries of Charity. They are running a home for people afflicted with HIV/AIDS, here in the city of Cochabamba. At the center we also have people suffering from various respiratory problems, alcohol addiction and drug addiction. Others are mentally challenged and a number of the men have suffered terrible accidents with broken limbs and need someone to help them recover. For the most part, the majority of these men are abandoned, and for those who suffer from HIV/AIDS, there is a terrible stigma here in Bolivia against the disease, and it makes things all the more difficult.
I talk with these men daily and listen to them very carefully trying to be a part of their lives and just “Be Present”. It is through this “accompaniment” that I feel I am part of their lives, especially since they have no one else to visit them. I also know from speaking with the sisters how the patients all suffer from depression from time to time, and how important it is to spend time with them. I am grateful for the skills I have learned, and am able to share with the patients my skills in art, music, and cooking. From my time here in Bolivia I have learned that I have been called to be a missioner of hope to these men encouraging, supporting and caring for them were they are at. It has been a humbling experience for me. And it has been an honor to enter and be a part of their lives and to share in their joys and sorrows.
As I finish this cross-cultural mission experience in Bolivia, I have made many close friendships and I will remember them through the time shared together. I am looking forward to finishing my studies, and then returning to Mission as a Maryknoll brother, to help the poor and marginalized and respond with all my heart to the call of mission.
Student Br. Ryan Thibert hails from Strathroy, Ontario. He is presently participating in our Overseas Training Program in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
