By Father Alex Fry
Special to The Texas Catholic
In the Judeo-Christian worldview, the wilderness has always been a place of divine encounter. Think Moses and the burning bush, Elijah on Mount Horeb, Jesus in the desert. Often God leads his people into the wild places in order to reveal himself in a new way and to strengthen them for mission.
And He is still doing it today.
Every summer, the Trinity-COR backpacking program takes young seminarians out of the familiarity and relative security of Holy Trinity Seminary and leads them into the wilderness, where they can encounter God in a new way and be strengthened in their vocation.
The result of a partnership with Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyoming, that began in the summer of 2017, the Trinity-COR program is a backpacking trek into the lakes, floral meadows, and summits of the mountains of Eastern Utah that offers seminarians an opportunity to grow in skills important to priesthood such as leadership, team building, and conflict management. It enhances what already is a focus of seminary formation, namely, fostering fraternal communion, especially important in diocesan priesthood.
For 10 days this past July, 11 seminarians, led by two wilderness guides and their fearless chaplain, traversed the Uinta mountain range, deep in the backcountry, carrying everything that they needed on their backs. The seminarians were challenged every day to grow as friends, as disciples, and as leaders. While braving thunderstorms and climbing mountain passes was certainly intense, much of our time in the backcountry was spent in wholesome conversation and laughter. On the trail, set free from the distraction of cell service, we were able to simply be with one another and with the Lord. When the noise of modern life faded away and we were immersed in the symphony of the created world, prayer came easier and was often filled with peace and delight. It’s no wonder that Jesus often got away to secluded places to pray.
For Holy Trinity seminarian Jack Graves of the Diocese of Austin, the expedition was “a challenging but empowering experience.”
“The heart of the trip is to increase our understanding and confidence in our own identity as beloved sons of God,” Graves said. “The Lord indeed blessed me with that grace and much more while we were on those mountains.”
Expressing gratitude to his brother seminarians, Graves said the entire trip was “an exercise in surrendering our hearts, fears, and burdens to the Lord and receiving his love and mercy.”
“Towards the end of the trip, Jesus blessed me with a deeper understanding and confidence in myself as a man and as a warrior for the kingdom,” Graves said. “I walked away from Trinity-COR with a newfound sense of purpose, inner strength, and immense gratitude for the gift that this experience was.”
Diocese of Dallas seminarian Khanh Tran, a parishioner of St. Peter Vietnamese Catholic Church in Dallas, said his experience in the Uinta Mountains came with three main graces.
“First, the importance of community life,” he explained. “The fraternal support and encouragement I received from brother seminarians was a source of strength for me while on the trail.”
The second grace, according to Tran, was witnessing the beauty of the Lord’s creation.
“I can’t help but remember the times throughout those ten days in the mountains at our respective campsites staring out into the stunning rivers, lakes, and mountains in silence,” he said.
“After the exhaustion of hiking for hours, we were able to sit together as friends and enjoy the view with each other. It was perhaps those moments of silence, more so than the endless humorous moments, that brought us closer and deepened our love for one another.”
The final grace Tran said came with the opportunity to surrender himself daily to God’s providence.
“The vulnerability that one experiences in the wilderness amidst the lightning storm and heavy rains, makes it abundantly clear that only the Lord ‘is my rock and my salvation,’” Tran explained. “It is only His grace that sustains and gives life to our souls.”
Days on the trail provided the seminarians with some of the most difficult experiences of their lives, experiences which will hopefully strengthen them for the challenges of being a priest in the modern world. Sanctity is, after all, a lot like hiking: it requires perseverance, deep trust in God, a willing spirit, and of course, good friends to walk the path with.
These men have a way to go before ordination, but if their strength on the trail is any indication of the kind of priests that they will become, then the Church has bright days ahead.
Father Alex Fry, who was ordained along with seven other men as a priest for the diocese on May 20 at St. Jude Catholic Church in Allen, accompanied the seminarians on their Trinity-COR expedition. Currently a priest in residence at Mary Immaculate Catholic Parish in Farmers Branch, Father Fry is scheduled to return to Rome this fall for further graduate studies.
