Serving in West Virginia

This year, ten St. John Paul II Seminarians and our vice rector are spending our spring break on a service trip to West Virginia. We are working at the West Virginia Children's Home in Elkins, West Virginia, and staying at a retreat center not too far away. After driving over on Saturday and settling in, we spent Sunday visiting a parish in the area and visiting with some of the kids who live at the children's home.

We attended Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Mercy Parish and received a kind welcome from its pastor, Fr. Timothy Grassi, and the families of the parish. Nestled in the foothills of Parsons, West Virginia, the church was small and unassuming on the outside but resplendent on the inside. It was a delight to join this tight-knit community on this First Sunday in Lent to glorify God through a beautiful celebration of the liturgy. 

Afterwards, the people of the parish invited us to their social hall for a delicious potluck lunch. There was a spirit of warmth and kinship in which it was easy to feel right at home. We later learned that of the 48 families of the parish, on any given Sunday, about 45 are in attendance: not a bad ratio! The people's love for the Lord, each other, their pastor, and all of us was evident. Experiencing the life of this unique portion of the Body of Christ left us refreshed and encouraged in our vocations.

After leaving the parish, we headed for our work site for the week, the West Virginia Children's Home, a school and residence for adolescents who, for various reasons, find themselves in the care of the state. Before beginning our work, it was important to spend time with the ones it's meant to benefit. 

What struck me most about these middle and high-school age kids was their openness in accepting our company. We were barely in the door before they had us in the backyard playing basketball, softball and frisbee and getting to know them. Rather than having their guard up at us strangers, a natural response, they immediately took to us with open arms. Their noble simplicity of spirit and lack of pretension evidenced a capacity to give and receive love in tough circumstances, which is ultimately what the priestly vocation is all about. 

Visiting the parish and the children's home was an ideal way to spend the Lord's Day and begin our time in West Virginia. When it came time to reflect on the day, the predominant response was one of gratitude. We look forward to the rest of our week!