“When three people walk together, there must be teachers among them.” (Chinese proverb)
During a recent retreat for diocesan priests, I met several foreign priests and heard about their very interesting and inspiring experiences, so I would like to share them with you here.
One priest came from Ivory Coast in Africa. He had spent seven years serving in Nova Scotia. At the time, the parish he served was a vast expanse of 300 km, so each Sunday he would spend 6 to 7 hours on the road. During winter one year, as he was passing a turn in the mountains, his car hit a moose and subsequently flew into a ravine. The car was a totalled loss but miraculously he only had minor injuries. He is now studying dogmatic theology at the University of Toronto.
Another priest was a retired Maltese in his eighties. One day when he was five, he was riding the bus with his dad who was the school bus driver. As he got in, an old man kissed his foot and told him: “You will become a priest one day”, and then left. When he went home, he told his mother that he wanted to be a priest one day. His mother told him: “If God really chose you, then you will surely succeed.” Eventually, he entered a minor seminary at the age of twelve.
A priest who came from Columbia in South America was chaplain in the air force for 10 years. For a higher ranking, he studied very hard. Later on, he became tired of glory seeking. After a period of reflection, he accepted an invitation to come to Toronto to participate in pastoral work.
The last one was an Irish priest who began to serve in Uganda not long after his ordination. He eventually joined the Augustinians and came to the Archdiocese of Toronto. Even though his is already 76-years old, he still involves in youth pastoral work planning and has even applied to enroll in doctoral studies in Education at the University of Toronto.
Let us learn from the virtues of these priests, their zeal in life-long learning and their courage to continue their progress.