In the summer of 2021, the Office for World Mission facilitated an immersion experience for seminarians from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to travel to La Sagrada Familia Parish. During their two months there, they were able to learn about and experience life in our sister parish in the Dominican Republic. Below is a reflection from a member of the trip.
My experience of the Dominican Republic was unlike anything I have experienced in my life. There are many reasons for this and I could write multiple pages detailing all the adventures, challenges, and encounters my classmates and I had while down there. However, this short reflection will try to highlight the overall spirit of my trip and why it was such a formative experience.
I went into this summer thinking that I would be doing great missionary work, building all kinds of structures for those who needed them, and learning some Spanish along the way. While all of these things were accomplished in some way or another, what I found to be the most surprising thing was how tangible God works in our lives through seemingly mundane and ordinary encounters. This was especially seen in the daily conversations I had with parishioners and locals. It was seen through the children who always wanted to play with us and of course the (many) times when I didn’t understand anything because of the language barrier. All these situations were ordinary and happened every day. There was seemingly nothing special in and of themselves. Yet, I left every one of those encounters with something more. We were simply living our lives down there, which is exactly what God was calling us to do. He didn’t expect, or even want, us to have grand expectations of “fixing” problems.
What I discovered by simply living my life in charity, faith, and patience was that everything is grace-filled if you are open to it. Those mundane and often-times challenging conversations were grace-filled. Playing basketball with kids was grace-filled. Not knowing what to do in a situation was grace-filled. I didn’t need to accomplish anything in order to experience this. The opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic with the help and guidance of the Community of Saint Paul and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee allowed me to receive this grace. Coming back to the United States, I now feel more disposed and open to the working of the Holy Spirit in my everyday life and encounters with others.
Oliver Niles
3501 South Lake Drive St. Francis, WI 53235