by John Paul Legare
Archdiocese of Baltimore
Second College, St. John Paul II Seminary
It would be hard to spend a week in Jamaica and not notice the surrounding beauty. From the first day, I fell in love with the mountains and the ocean. But as the week went on, I noticed a different kind of beauty. The more I had the opportunity to interact with the residents at Jacob’s ladder, the more I noticed their childlike trust and love.
by Kyle Vance
Second Pre-Theology, St. John Paul II Seminary
Near the end of our exciting last full day in Jamaica – which involved a morning spent with the residents, a trip to Kingston, and a short interview on Mustard Seed’s Kingston neighborhood radio station – the fact that our trip was coming to an end was inevitably dawning upon us.
by Thomas Showalter
Second College, St. John Paul II Seminary
One morning I found myself at Jacob’s Well, recalling that last Sunday’s Gospel reading was that very passage. I was over looking Corinth and the foundations of Damascus with Antioch behind me. Needless to say I was disoriented. I didn’t remember going to the Holy Land, and I was positive that Damascus was more than a stone’s throw from Corinth.
by Connor Schmidt
Archdiocese of Baltimore
First College, St. John Paul II Seminary
Greetings from Jamaica! I am Connor Schmidt, a first-year college seminarian studying for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Right now, it is spring break for the seminary, and a group of us are down in Jamaica serving at Mustard Seed Communities, a Catholic mission that serves persons with mental and physical handicaps across the world. We are all blessed to be here, but it’s been a strange journey so far.
by John Windsor
Diocese of Bismarck
Third College, St. John Paul II Seminary
The beauty of the Mustard Seed Community here at Jacob’s Ladder is like a breath of air to someone who has forgotten to breathe for a few minutes. Having just completed midterm examinations, many of us were somewhat worn out going into Mission. But upon arriving at Jacob’s Ladder Monday afternoon, every care was swiftly carried away by the simple beauty of this place.
by Conor Hardy
First Pre-Theology, St. John Paul II Seminary
Bathing our cabin before dawn was a vast cloud of morning dew resting gently upon our mountain ridge. Walking through the small dancing beads of mist to the chapel for morning prayer, I looked to the east and was stunned! Shining faintly through, outlining the silhouettes of trees jaggedly peaking from the crest of the mountain across us, was our glorious star awaking life in Jamaica.