My own heart
"What are you actually studying?" is the first question I get from the other students in Rome. They ask the question because the answer easily summarizes a whole set of different experiences of Rome. Canon Law students have the longest course of studies yet seem to be the most at ease. Once they master Italian and Latin they have an easy run until their thesis. Dogmatic and systematic theologians are often found in the hallways urging about some very pressing topic like where to get the best caffè in town. On the other hand, the poor scripture scholars are seldom seen out of their rooms. Sometimes you might get a rare glimpse of one scurrying around the library conjugating Hebrew verbs under his breath.
"Why I am studying?" is a better question because at Centro Interdisciplinare per la Formazione dei Formatori al Sacerdozio e alla Vita Consacrata (CIFS) at the Gregorian University; Spirituality, Psychology, Pedagogy and Canon Law is what we study. Why 40 people from 25 countries who speak 15 languages (with me the only English speaking one) have been set to Rome to study is easier to answer: namely the formation of priests and religious.
Pastores dabo vobis called for "pastoral charity" to be the mark of the priesthood today. Many strong ideals were laid out in the document to foster pastoral charity but central to them all was the importance of the personal connection in formation. Not just rules, laws and norms but formation that is personal and connects to the whole person. Therefore, at the request of Pope Benedict, the Congregation for Education created the CIFS program at the Gregorian University.
My class is very diverse yet one thing connects us all: a great love for ministry in the Church and the desire to walk with others in their formation. Our goal is not the mastery of theology, spirituality or psychology for its own sake, but to gain the tools and skills to help others on their journey. One of the students from Uganda put it best when he said in broken Italian, "My heart will always be in the mission field… my body, on the other hand, will be stuck at the seminary!" God bless you in the mission field.