Urey Patrick Mark
Lafayette, Louisiana
 

Not long after my arrival at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish (IHM) it seemed as though the parish family and I had known each other for many years. “Hospitable” is the right word to describe the pleasant and affectionate attitude of the people. Their love, hospitality and generosity have made the transition from the classroom at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago to the mission field in the Southern U.S. very smooth for me.

As Divine Word Missionaries we learn to warmly welcome others when we are hosts and to be sensitive to the cultural values of our hosts when we are guests. This two-way process is a way of forming healthy relationships. To be cross-cultural and pastoral is to be in healthy relationship with the people we serve. It is to be open to their culture and to develop a love for their language or their dialect. To do this we need to cultivate an interest in the people and their way of life. This is one way we as missionaries can show hospitality to our host.

Doing my Cross-cultural Training Program (CTP) at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Lafayette is part of my training as a Divine Word Missionary. Depending on the language and culture of the place where a seminarian is sent, CTP could last for one, two or three years. In my case it is a one-year cross-cultural and pastoral experience.

IHM is a large parish with about 2,500 active families (about 6,000 parishioners). It is a historic parish for both the African American community and the Divine Word Missionaries because it was the place where the first African American priests worked—the four Divine Word Missionaries who were ordained at Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, on May 23, 1934.

My experiences so far have been gratifying as I move into the network of relationships in the parish, school and Southern culture. Providentially, when the principal of the school heard that I play soccer and chess, the coaches quickly found a place for me in their program. In chess I try to incorporate technology by using PowerPoint for teaching chess. I also teach a spirituality course that I designed to help the seventh and eighth graders develop skills for spiritual friendship and discipleship. The kids seem to love these activities and they are delighted to hear me talk about my vocation journey or share some stories from Africa.

In the parish I assist at Mass and teach CCD to the tenth and eleventh graders. The pastor, Fr. Thomas James, a Divine Word Missionary, has been very supportive. He keeps me busy with school liturgies, preaching, parish office work, youth ministry meetings and social work at the Lafayette Catholic Social Service Center. I have discovered that I love to teach and, from the feedback I have received, it seems that I do it well. Finally, I have come to realize that the key to successful parish life and ministry is a sound spiritual life, finding time to rest or reflect and forming good and healthy relationships. I am grateful to the parishioners of IHM for their hospitality and love.

Urey (back row, far right) helps to coach the
soccer team at Immaculate Heart of Mary.