A summer well spent: Seminarians spend summer immersed in culture and wisdom
Seminarians listen to instructor Terry Hostler (left) during a weekly Spanish class on June 6, 2024 in the St. Mary of the Assumption pastoral building. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)
FORT WORTH — In addition to summer parish assignments, seminarians dedicated six weeks to participating in one of two new programs initiated by Bishop Michael Olson: a Spanish immersion program and a series of visits to retired priests.
Immersed in a culture of faith
To minister to the ever-growing Hispanic community, nine seminarians were assigned to practice their Spanish at least four hours a day, four days a week with native speakers at their assigned parishes via afternoons spent with parish families, volunteering at community outreach venues, or working with office staff.
“Some of the seminarians already speak some Spanish; others know their basic Spanish,” said Deacon Rigoberto Leyva, the diocesan director of Hispanic Ministry and head of the immersion program. “This is going to be very helpful for them because they are not just going to learn Spanish and practice their Spanish, but they’re going to see another perspective of family life.”
In addition to weekly immersion requirements, seminarians attended three Spanish classes with Terry Hostler at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Fort Worth.
Hostler assessed the seminarians’ aptitude at the beginning and end of the six-week program.
“Whatever proficiency level they’re at, they were really only going to improve by being confident and putting themselves in situations where they need to speak Spanish. They had to learn coping skills as well,” Hostler said.
“A goal of mine was getting better with listening,” seminarian Jacob Zimmerer said, a gently worn Spanish-to-English dictionary in hand. “That’s definitely something that I feel like I’ve gotten better with.”
Seminarian Quang Nguyen began the program looking forward to improving his fluency in speech.
“I’m not fluent, but I think if they speak slowly, I can converse,” he said, just before he entered his assignment at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Fort Worth. “I would love to be able to keep up with the pace of native speakers.”
Five weeks into the program, Nguyen already recognized his growth amid the challenging experience and shared gratitude for the three Hispanic families he and Zimmerer had the opportunity to visit on a weekly basis.
“The families we’ve been with have been so generous and patient with us,” the seminarian said.
Built on experience
To learn from retired priests who served the diocese before them, 13 seminarians, in groups of three, visited six retired priests residing in the diocese.
“I just think it’s a win-win for the seminarians and for the retired priests, just to have conversations,” Nancy Eder said. The diocesan nurse consultant became the supervisor of the retired priest rotation program due to her responsibilities monitoring the retired priests’ health care.
During a visit to Monsignor Joseph Scantlin’s house, located across the street from his former parish, Most Blessed Sacrament in Arlington, transitional Deacon Isaac McCracken and seminarians Carson Kitaif and Robert Weisberg joined him in his living room. They asked the retired priest questions about his vocational journey, the joys and challenges he’d encountered, as well as his favorite moments in ministry.
“I always enjoyed the places I was, and I always had a good time with the people. I always liked people and being with people and listening to people,” Msgr. Scantlin told them as he described the many different places he had been assigned, including his time seeing St. Philip the Apostle Parish’s modest beginning, his rural assignment in Ranger, and more.
Weisberg inquired about Msgr. Scantlin’s love for baseball, as well as the Texas Rangers’ recent World Series victory.
“I was in ecstasy for weeks,” Msgr. Scantlin enthused. “I waited my whole life [for] our hometown being world champs.”
Asked to provide advice for the young seminarians, the 92-year-old priest gently told them: “Just be yourself. Be yourself and let people get into your life, be a part of your life. Don’t be afraid of people much … you’re one of them, doing a very special and a very needed job with them, for them. And be glad to do it, happy to do it. That’s the only advice I have: be yourself.”
Near the end of the hour-long visit with Msgr. Scantlin, who’d been a priest for 65 years, the seminarians crowded around his armchair for a photo before leaving to return to their respective parish assignments.
“Please hang in there,” Msgr. Scantlin told the three in farewell. “The Church needs good people that have good hearts.”
Lessons learned
Standing outside Msgr. Scantlin’s front door, the seminarians reflected on the value of participating in the retired priest rotation this summer.
“The biggest thing that I’ve found is that even after the priests have served their duty, it’s almost like, now [is the time that] we get to serve them. We get to come visit them. We get to spend time, let them almost receive the care that they pretty much gave their whole life,” Kitaif said.
“With the different priests, we see the promises that they take at ordination being lived throughout their entire life. “It’s like you’re not a pastor, but you’re still a priest,” Dcn. McCracken said.