After spending the last six weeks at our Short Experiment sites Kyle and I have landed safely back at the Novitiate. Over the past few days all eleven first year novices have been sharing our experiences and enjoying this time together before heading back out on the road.

Having just returned from our Short Experiments I am filled with a new energy that I received from an incredible time working at Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, CA.  I was working with previous gang members in the process of leaving behind their gangs and seeking a better way.   Homeboy Industries provided me the opportunity to step into a world where I did not fit the mold.  Most of my days were spent hanging out and trying to get to know a group of people that have been demonized by society as part of the problem.    What did I, a white guy raised in the suburbs, have to offer to gang members? At first glance not a whole lot.  In retrospect I found that I was not there to provide anything.  I was there to receive a sense of identity as a servant of Christ.  My previous paradigm of achieving a solution to everyone’s problems was quickly dissembled and replaced by a humbling realization that their problems were too big for this white suburban male to meddle with.

So what then was the point of being at Homeboy Industries?  This question stumped me for the majority of my time as I awkwardly roamed the halls of Homeboys desperately seeking a task to give me a sense of purpose.  The answer came to me as I found a niche helping a member of the gang known as  “The Cripps”.  John had just been given the opportunity to work in the housing department at Homeboys, one of the many services provided to help get people on their feet.  Since John had zero experience in an office position I stepped in to assist.  While on the surface this provided me a task and a purpose, underneath I began to learn about John’s false murder conviction and how that destroyed his life.  Through meeting John I gained trust and an “in” with other past gang members.  I soon found that my time at Homeboys was enriched by learning about their lives on the streets, the struggles of gang affiliation, and drug addiction.

While at Homeboys I was blessed with the opportunity to run the LA Marathon while pushing Alex, a “Homie” that has been paralyzed from the waist down due to a bullet wound to the head.  I was also asked to help lead a retreat for nine “Homies” that were selected from the group.  We spent a week learning about how to find God in our suffering and in the everyday circumstances of life.  Leading this retreat has been one of the most powerful experiences of my life as I felt Christ working through me to reach these young men.  On various occasions I listened to heart wrenching stories about a man so addicted to PCP that his wife and three children left him.  He has found his purpose to be a beacon of hope to other drug addicts from his neighborhood.  Another young man shared with the group his first prayer, begging Jesus to save the life of his best friend as he coddled his lifeless, bloody, bullet ridden body in his arms.  As the retreat wore on these men left behind the heaviness of their suffering and received a sense of their true identity as beloved sons of God.  I too was filled with a sense of being a beloved son open to the work of the Father.

Over the past few days there is a nervous energy at the Novitiate as we prepare for our impending Pilgrimage.

Pilgrimage is one of the more hard core aspects of the novitiate, allowing us to truly learn to trust in Christ and seek His companionship as we embark on the different journeys that we have been discerning over the past few weeks.  The rules are $35.00 and a one way bus ticket to our first destination.  We will spend 30 days traveling, begging, and learning to deal with the discomfort of seeking lodging and food.  We are to rely on the generosity of those we encounter along the way and to trust in God’s loving care.  This part of formation derives its roots from the Jesuit Constitutions created by St. Ignatius of Loyola as a way to encounter Christ through a sense of discomfort in begging for basic necessities.

I will be setting out for Spokane, WA and plan on touring some of the Northwest.  My goal is to touch base with my cousin David, whose ordination back in 2006 was key to guiding me towards discerning my calling to the priesthood.  Kyle will be heading to San Antonio, TX seeking solidarity of  an immigrant’s journey and the many struggles they face in a foreign land.  Some of our brothers plan to go to Haiti and assist in the relief efforts there and the rest will be well scattered around the United States.

As Kyle and I prepare for our pilgrimage we thank you for the support and prayers.  I am confident that despite the difficulty of the upcoming journey, this pilgrimage will help open our eyes to the unconditional love of the Father.  As we go out we remain in union with our pilgrim family at St. Xavier Church.  Let us recall that we are all on this journey together!