My Summer in Guatemala: Lessons in Ministry and Spanish Immersion
This summer was a unique experience for me as a Youth Apostles seminarian. I’ve been a seminarian for four years now, and I’ve enjoyed my different summer assignments. Typically, seminarians spend their summers in parishes where they get valuable pastoral experience. I’ve enjoyed my summer experiences in a number of different parishes.
Summer 2024 had a different twist—there’s a clear focus on growing and developing our skills with Spanish. I spent eight weeks with about forty other seminarians in Antigua, Guatemala in an intensive Spanish immersion program. The pastoral goal is simple—build up those Spanish skills! I think it has been a valuable experience for me.
The experience of living in Guatemala forced me to live outside my comfort zone in lots of unusual ways. We were advised not to drink the water, and also told not to use tap water for brushing our teeth. I stored my toothbrush on the far side of my bedroom as a reminder. There were numerous occasions where I went to the local grocery store to get different supplies. The organization is different from what I’m accustomed to, and sometimes I had humorous exchanges with store clerks who graciously helped me on my searches. For example, the fruits that we would call lemons and limes in the United States are both called lemons in Guatemala; I did not know this until a clerk helped me find some green “lemons” for some guacamole I was making. Similarly, I think most seminarians shared my experience of getting soaked a few times in an unanticipated rainstorm. I’d leave my room without my umbrella and figured I’d be fine because I wasn’t going to be out long and the skies were clear. After getting caught off guard and stuck in a couple intense rainstorms, one learns to carry an umbrella. Always.
There’s a learning curve involved in living in a new culture that requires some effort, but it’s a fun and rewarding experience as well. The town where we stayed (Antigua) reminds me of Williamsburg, VA, the town where I attended William & Mary. Both places are historically very rich; there are lots of “firsts” that happened in both places. At the same time, history has also “moved on” to other places like Washington D.C., New York, and Guatemala City. There were lots of very old and beautiful churches in Antigua. There is a canonized saint—Hermano Pedro—who did most of his ministry in Antigua. His remains were in the Church where I went to Mass most days. That was a fun experience, given that he is sometimes described as the “Mother Theresa” of Latin America.
The people in Guatemala were very good natured. The teachers who taught us will always have a special place in my heart. They are very patient, kind, and effective in the way they go about instructing us in the Spanish language. They show a great deal of charity insofar as they patiently listen to us mangle their native language on our growth adventure. Though it was many moons ago, I minored in Spanish in college. I began my adventure knowing that I would need to learn and also “remember” things that I had forgotten many years ago. I think the program was very helpful to me in this regard. I certainly feel like my Spanish skills have been refreshed.
Finally, I think my summer experience helped inculcate a certain sense of humility, particularly regarding my ability to express myself in Spanish. My Spanish teacher deserves a great deal of credit for pointing out lots of different ways where I didn’t represent myself as well as I could. Inevitably, I was substituting a Spanish word for an English word, but the words weren’t precisely equivalent. Once I remarked about how I had stupidly forgotten my umbrella, and my teacher told me that I shouldn’t use the Spanish word I had used for “stupid”; this word came across much stronger than I had thought. I really value that type of feedback. Much better to have a better grasp of the nuances of these words and to have a basic humility as a non-native speaker.
I have much to be thankful for regarding my summer adventure in Guatemala! I’m grateful for the experience. May God bless the people of Guatemala and may God bless our Church!
Eric McDade is a full member in Youth Apostles and a seminarian for the Diocese of Arlington.