My alarm sounded: 4 o’clock in the morning. I rolled out of bed, grabbed my bag and hopped on the bus with 18 other seminarians and two priests. By noon, our plane kissed the runway as we landed in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The chilly Washington air evaporated from memory as we stepped into the Caribbean climate. After some finagling through customs, we finally found our bus. A friendly man opened the door with a warm, Jamaican beckon: “Come-Yah!” (meaning “come here” in the local Patois dialect). Twenty-one grown men piled into the little bus, the door slammed and the troupe whirred off towards Blessed Assurance, our home for the week.

 Blessed Assurance is one of the 13 homes in Jamaica operated by Mustard Seed Communities, an organization dedicated to serving individuals with physical or mental disabilities. Blessed Assurance provides 31 children (many of whom were once abandoned or neglected) with a tender, loving, faith-filled home. As our bus came to a halt inside the compound, bright colors and smiling faces surrounded us. The community was beautiful; brightly colored houses, a chapel and a playground punctuated the rolling green yard, all illuminated by the mid-day sunshine. 

One of the full-time staff, Jasmin, greeted us and gave us a tour of the grounds. After a brief walk-through of the chapel and dormitories, we finally came to the children’s rooms. Immediately upon entrance, hugs were offered, hands grabbed, and high fives exchanged with the little boys and girls. I have never experienced such love and affection from complete strangers. These kids’ hearts were chock full of the love of God, and it was immediately evident to each of us. I sat down next to a boy who seemed unable to move or recognize me. Not knowing what to do, I asked him for his name. Though he didn’t respond with a word, he peered into my eyes with an unimaginable depth. I felt deeply understood and appreciated, and I knew that he felt the same. It was a powerful experience, especially for someone like myself who has never worked closely with children with special needs.

After our brief encounter with the kids, we celebrated Mass in the chapel. The poetry of the experience was not lost on us; though far from home, the Mass united us with each other in a setting all too familiar. In a particularly powerful moment, I saw one of the children receive Holy Communion; his face lit up immediately with giddy joy. Indeed, his joy was our joy, for even in this faraway place, the tender love of Christ remains our common bond, our true place of sanctuary.

Make sure to follow the rest of our trip on social media using the hashtag #SemsOnMission 

Off to Jamaica

Spring Break 2017: 19 Seminarians and 2 Priests head off to Jamaica to take part in a service trip with Mustard Seed!  Learn more about our mission by following Semantics: A Seminarian Blog, as well as on social media using the hashtag #SemsOnMission

Stop back every day to follow us as we spread the message of the Gospel!

Here is a picture of (most of) us at Dulles Airport.  A few were working through Morning Prayer!