After years of ‘book learning,’ experience an important part of priestly discernment

Detroit —The seminary is a place for learning, personal reflection and discernment. But studying the academic side of ministry is one thing; it’s quite another to put it into practice.

That’s the reason seminarians complete parish internships as another tool in learning all that goes into being a priest.

“We have younger guys, in the prime moment of their discernment of their vocation, living in a parish and getting first-hand experience and getting involved,” said Fr. John Vandenakker, CC, director of graduate pastoral formation at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. “Internships run through the summer and the main thing is how they feel at the end of the summer. Do they feel the grace called to the job by the Lord?”

There are two kinds of internships, he said: ministerial and diaconal. Ministerial internships occur after the second year of theology for seminarians. It is a time for discernment and figuring out if the seminary is right for them and if they are ready to further their journey to becoming a priest.

“I tell the seminarians at this stage it is the most important part of the process,” Fr. Vandenakker said. “The seminary wants to see if they have gained some clarity before they go into their third year of theology, before they get the call to orders. To make sure they are genuinely at peace with what they are called to do.”

During diaconal internships, the seminarians gain experience preaching at the altar, witnessing marriages, baptizing babies and officiating at funerals.

“This stage is more like an apprenticeship,” Fr. Vandenakker said. “It’s about gaining the day-to-day skills that will be needed. It’s about getting used to the Sunday ministries and getting into the rhythm and flow of parish life.”

Deacon Dominic Macioce is completing his diaconal internship at St. Hugo of the Hills Parish in Bloomfield Hills before he is ordained in May 2016.

“Every day is different during the internship,” Deacon Macioce said. “Some days, I’m in the office writing the bulletin articles and doing administration stuff. Other days, I’m out administering Communion to the sick and visiting students. There is so much going on, especially during the school year.”

Deacon Macioce earned a degree in marketing from Oakland University and is comfortable with the business side of being a parish priest, but said the biggest shock came from how people approach him when he’s wearing a collar.

“What amazes me the most is how much people you talk to are looking for a real faith experience,” Deacon Macioce said. “They are seeing you as a priest already. When they see the collar, they see Jesus. Hopefully, we’re serving as the bridges to Jesus.”

The internships also comes with its fair share of surprises, things not covered in the seminary but that can only be experienced when working at a parish and dealing in person with the faithful.

“I thought working with the sick would be a challenge,” Deacon Macioce said. “They are struggling and having a tough time. I was thinking, ‘Wow, I have to bring Christ to them.’ I was kind of nervous at first, what if they were having a bad day, but I found it to be really rewarding. To see the joy we bring when we visit.”

The biggest lesson seminarians learn during the internships is about themselves, said Fr. Vandenakker.

“The biggest takeaway I hope they get is that they know they don’t have a vocation to the seminary,” Fr. Vandenakker said. “The seminary does a fantastic job forming the men. But it can drag and be a bit of a grind.

“When they get out to a parish, they see what all this training is for — being a minister to God’s people. So the takeaway is to see if they are excited about that. And my job is to see if you can sense that feeling within them.”

Mark Livingston, a ministerial intern at Holy Family Parish in Memphis, said the biggest thing he’s learned about himself during his internship is how much he can’t control.

“I’ve learned how much I need to rely on the Lord,” Livingston said. “I’ve come to appreciate how much I rely on other people to do daily tasks. I realize I don’t have all the ideas, and every day I keep learning my limitations. But I love everything about the seminary and the internship; it’s about bringing the joy of God to others.”

Deacon Macioce agrees everything about the parish internship is a learning experience and another phase of discernment, but nothing can completely prepare a person for the life of priesthood.

“You can never be fully ready to be a priest,” he said. “Once you see the people you are going to be working with, you finally start to get it. As Pope Francis said, ‘You need to have the smell of the sheep on you.’ In the seminary, you have all the book learning. But nothing in the seminary can get you completely ready for the day-to-day life and challenges of being a priest and preaching the word of God to his people.”