Colorado Mission Trip: Seminarians Learn Homeless Ministry

Bright an early on January 8, the second year seminarians of St. John Vianney, along with two of our beloved in-house priests, traveled to the MSP airport.

• Click here for a video of the trip

Few of us had a detailed idea of where we were going, what we were doing, or how any of it would go.  We did know, however, that we were travelling to Denver to learn homeless ministry with Christ in the City. 

When we arrived to their house, a re-purposed school, we immediately were met with a crowd of excited missionaries, all outside in the parking lot.  Amidst the adventure of the trip, a sense of the Lord’s calming grace flooded all of our hearts, assuring us that this trip would be both life-changing and amazing.

Our week consisted of learning practically how to go out and minister to the homeless, actually ministering, community time with the missionaries, and prayer.

Their focus at Christ in the City is a mission of encounter, stemming from their belief that the poverty of lonliness was the true problem of our homeless brothers and sisters. 

This reality was experienced deeply as we went out to talk to the homeless, and in  beginning to understand that they truly are not that different from you or I. 

The perspective change was palpable, the fraternity we grew in was powerful, and the whole trip allowed us as a class to grow and rest together. 

My deepest gratitude goes out to Nativity of Our Lord for sponsoring this trip. [Editor's note: Nativity donated to Brennan for his trip expenses.]

Experiencing in a very real way the Heart of Christ in the poor is something that will not only reshape how I treat and reach out to those around me, but also how I see myself before Our Lord. 

We are all the same, poor beggars in desperate need of Jesus’ mercy, but His love for all of us is so tangible. 

To try and share a sliver of my trip, I filmed and edited a brief video summarizing the trip the best I could.