May - A Month in the Life of a Seminarian
Philip Mayer
Greetings,
I hope that you're doing well. I'm sitting in our living room as I write thinking over the past month or so since we last communicated. As you know I have been keeping busy interning as a chaplain at the local hospital this summer in a program called Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). The program was founded back in the mid nineteen-twenties when a man named Dr. William A. Bryan, the Superintendent of the Worcester State Hospital in Massachusetts watched pastors come into the hospital to see patients and then leave again without ever talking to one another. He thought to himself, "How much more effective they could be if they met together, rather like the doctors and nursing staff, to discuss their experiences and the patients and to learn from one another." So was birthed what I believe is probably the best program in pastoral training. Over eighty years later, the program has grown into an international organization for the training of pastoral ministry.
My days at the hospital are spent under the supervision of a nun named Sister Claudia Blanchette. I would guess that she's in her seventies, has a Ph.D. from Boston University and is an amazing woman with incredible interpersonal skills. This woman could stab you with a corkscrew about twenty times in a row and you would never feel a thing. I'm hoping to obtain some of her skills during my four hundred hours under her careful guidance. So that's my life right now, working in the hospital from nine to five each day. Between lectures and group sessions I can sometimes be spotted walking through the hospital with my little official name tag that says, "Philip Mayer, Chaplain Intern," though most of my clinical time is spent visiting with patients and listening to their stories, their hurts and pains, anger and grief. I am constantly amazed and feel blessed to have those I encounter share the inner depths of their lives with me. It has opened my heart to a new compassion and a true empathy. I am beginning to understand what Jesus must have felt when viewing those in pain and suffering and begging for the healing they needed to bring them back to wholeness. I may never have the chance to see the outcome of the struggles of these patients yet I am grateful that they have allowed me to be a part of their lives, even for a few moments. It is my prayer that I will be an instrument of God to bring peace, comfort, joy and love to those I meet everyday.
Melissa has also been learning some great lessons. She writes: "The past few months have been pretty busy, but also very fulfilling. I am only three classes away from completing my Master's in Religion, which I hope to complete a majority of the coursework before we move to Wisconsin in August, and I will be able to officially graduate in May. In preparation for our cross-country expedition, I have been trying to go through all our books and belongings in order to downsize our possessions. You never realize how much stuff you have until you need to get rid of it! We have collected a lot of "we might need this some day" goods over our two years in Massachusetts. I have also enjoyed looking through pictures and other keepsakes that remind me of God's provision and leading in my life. Looking back, I can see how far I have actually come and am encouraged to continue trusting that God is guiding Philip and me through the path that he has laid for us.
"When we arrived in Massachusetts two years ago, freshly married and oblivious to the struggles that were before us, I would never have anticipated the outcome of our journey. I am beginning to see why God brought me through this challenging and difficult experience in my life and why he has laid specific things on my heart, which at the time were incomprehensible and unclear to me. Now I see that my obedience in changing my degree program from an M.Div. to a Masters in Religion has enabled me to branch out my field of study to concentrate more on spiritual development and opened my heart to a more contemplative lifestyle which has strongly influenced the course of my future ministry. With the help of my spiritual director I have been attempting to figure out what the course of that ministry will look like and I ask for your prayers as I continue to pray and discover God's direction for my life. The Lord be with you" ~ Melissa
As I mentioned last month, Melissa and I were able to make our trip to the Cape to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. We had a great time walking on the beaches, riding our tandem bike down twisted paths, eating at mom and pop restaurants viewing spectacular scenes of lighthouses and old homes against the rocky coast and experiencing life in Cape Cod. It was a wonderful time to connect with one another and celebrate the love and companionship God has given us for our life journey together.
So, with those things in mind we appreciate all of your prayers. Between CPE, working on the weekends, taking a class on church history and spending time with family and friends time is pretty tight. Also, as Melissa mentioned we'll be soon packing all of our earthly belongings into our two cars in preparation to traverse half-way across the country to Nashotah House Theological Seminary where I'll be completing my last year of graduate work and then hopefully, God willing, onto the priesthood. There's lots happening and we would never be able to make it without all of the prayers and encouragements of our family and friends. We miss you.
Grace and Peace,
Philip & Melissa Mayer
philipmayer.blogspot.com
989-798-3955