We were happy to have the students from Bishop Carroll High School from Wichita for the week of March 16th. Several of them had come to volunteer last year and wanted to come back. They did many different services at Villa Guadalupe such as cleaning the walls in the kitchen, painting, card making with the Residents, exercises with the Residents, among other services. I feel the greatest service they gave to the Residents was just being “themselves,” talking with the Residents during the meal time and in-between.
The students helped the Little Sisters, but they also went to help at the Missionaries of Charity here in Gallup. There, they had the great grace of witnessing a Baptism of the one of the men that the Missionaries had served. They also all participated in our celebration of the feast of St. Joseph with Bishop Wall. During our Mass on the Feast of St. Joseph, the young people helped with the singing, the reading and two of the boys served the Mass. After the Mass, the bishop along with the priests donned their aprons and served the Residents their meal. When they finished Bishop Wall joined the young people and got to know them.
Several of these young people told us they were interested in the priesthood and religious life. I might also add that our chaplain, Father Tachias, told them at Mass one of the days they were with us that they should think of the priesthood and religious Life. He told them, “If you think you are not worthy, you aren’t; and if you think it will be hard, it will!” Several of the boys later went to talk to Father Tachias about the priesthood.
We pray for these young people in a special way, praying that God will bless them for their service to us here at Villa Guadalupe, but also that they will be open to where God may be calling them.
