Ministry to Ministers, San Antonio, Texas USA Thomas Ovalle, OMI - Best Practices

Introduction of Presenter

Father Thomas Ovalle, OMI is a member of the Religious Congregation: Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He has been ordained for forty-seven years and has spent time in the ministries of Vocation, Education and Formation of seminarians. Presently he is part of the faculty of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas USA and is the director of the Ministry to Ministers Sabbatical program for the theology school.

Approximately forty-five years ago, after the close of the Second Vatican Council, the presbyterate of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas petitioned its late Archbishop Patrick Flores for some continuing Education conferences for the local clergy.

The major seminary in San Antonio, Oblate School of Theology, was educating and preparing the Archdiocesan and religious seminarians using the documents of the Vatican Council and the clergy felt as though they were not prepared to guide their people and put into practice the directives coming forth from the Council.

So, the clergy asked the archbishop to provide study weeks for them that would help them learn and understand the documents and spirit of the Council. Archbishop Flores enlisted the help and support of the faculty and administration of the Oblate School of Theology to accomplish the requests of the priests for ongoing formation and education.

These study weeks proved to be so successful that the religious men and women of the area sought to avail themselves of these studies. While the archbishop wanted something exclusively for the diocesan clergy, the administration of the theology school convinced him to allow the religious men and women to join in the instruction modules.

After several years and much success, the School of Theology further recognized the need for a Sabbatical program for priests who were transitioning in and out of ministry, some who were acknowledging their need for some ongoing formation and education and some who were hungering for much needed rest after many years in their ministry.

The theology school contracted Fr. James Sullivan, a priest from Canada that was already working with the ongoing education of priests, who agreed to put together and coordinate a sabbatical program that could address the needs that had been expressed. He and his team decided that the program would run for four months and would be comprised of priests and religious brothers and sisters and structured and designed as a program with a heavy academic emphasis. The first sabbatical class convened in 1981.

Each session thereafter brought in many participants and thereby the program outgrew the venue and had to move from one building to another in the San Antonio area, until the Oblate School of Theology decided to build a free-standing building on its campus for the sole use of the sabbatical program. We are still in this building today. It is a spacious twenty-six-bedroom building with living areas, chapel, kitchen with dining and laundry facilities

For forty-two years, we have had a steady enrollment of men and women from around the world have come through our doors for spiritual formation and enrichment and theological renewal.

The design and scope of our program has changed over the years, but the purpose remains the same – to extend the invitation of Jesus to come aside with Him to rest a while.

Ministry to ministers fosters the harmonious integration of body, mind, and spirit in service to Gospel witness emphasizing the four traditional sabbatical behaviors of ceasing, resting, embracing, and feasting.

The participants take leave of their active ministry for four complete months to fully participate and engage in this residential program.

As at its beginning, it is the faculty and staff of the Oblate School of Theology plus other specialists that engage in the academic courses, theological updating, workshops, conferences, and its wellness components.

The Oblate School of Theology has invested and committed itself to supplying the personnel, time, and finances so that the sabbatical program may succeed and continue for the health and well-being of our priests and religious.

Spiritual direction, faith sharing, and communal living are the pillars and essential elements for the creation of an atmosphere for personal growth and renewal. We have twelve seasoned spiritual directors and group facilitators that meet weekly with the participants.

The Ministry to ministers program is designed for a mature minister/adult learner who has had years in ministry who seeks personal, spiritual, and intellectual growth and renewal and who is willing to stretch beyond where they are and broaden their horizons and perspectives.

While we understand that programs, resources, and practices do not constitute on going formation, it has been amazing to me how many ministers of the Gospel have not had any time away to spiritually refresh and/or update theologically, lacking the time for integrating their identity, experiences, and skills at a relaxed pace for the sake of the mission.

One of the priests from our last session wrote in his closing evaluation: Thank you for this sabbatical opportunity. No matter how great our initial formation was and subsequent studies and or other programs, we always have more to discern and thus find ways to progress personally and in ministry. Here I have found the courage to look carefully at my forty years of priestly ministry and have found some healing and much grace. I trust that I can continue with what I have experienced and continue to seek out opportunities to grow for my betterment and the benefit of the people I serve.

As we have in previous sessions, presently we have twenty-three participants from around the world – Zambia, Uganda, Gambia, Kenya, Cameroon, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Philippines, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the USA, including a Canadian who was part of the first who attended one of the first sessions. These ten priests and thirteen religious men and women range in age from a young 49-year-old to a spry 83-year-old.

What drives those of us who are invested in the sabbatical program is again the Gospel invitation on the lips of Jesus to his disciples, after their first missionary adventure in the Gospel of Mark: “come away by yourselves with me to a deserted place and rest a while”. We pray that the participants at the end of the four months are rested, updated, and spiritually energized for their next ministerial adventure.