This year has been a reflective journey of self-discovery and re-discovery, an era of growth as a religious seminarian and as a human being. This year led me through a diversity of emotions and experiences. This reflection summarizes the various chapters of my pastoral year, starting with my time as a student chaplain at the Manila Doctors Hospital, followed by my assignment to a mission parish at Mayngyaway, San Andres, Catanduanes, my undercover work at the famous fast food in the Philippines, Jollibee, and finally, the culmination of this transformative journey. Each chapter has shaped me in unique ways, enabling me to understand the necessity and essence of pastoral care, the workings of parish life, the challenges of ordinary employment, and how it all links to form a rich tapestry of faith and humanity.
My journey began with clinical pastoral education, a program I took at the Manila Doctors Hospital, I was with Seminarians from different religious congregations as well as Diocesan seminarians from different Dioceses. Me and my companions assumed the role of a student chaplain in a hospital. We visited confined patients and the pre/post-operative patients who needed spiritual guidance as well as sacraments. This was my first taste of ministering to individuals through a psycho-spiritual perspective. I vividly recall my initial apprehensions, uncertainties, and self-doubt, I was asking myself on my first week as a student chaplain how would I connect with patients in their most vulnerable moments. How could I offer solace and support to those grappling with illness and suffering?
As time went on, through a series of verbatim, processing and introspections, I learned that pastoral care surpasses everything that I learned in the four corners of the seminary, it is about empathetic presence and an active ear for listening. My encounters with patients from different religious denominations and backgrounds, and the status between rich and poor showed me that spiritual needs are universal. Through open conversations and guidance, I was able to help patients find comfort and meaning in their experiences, and that Christ will never abandon us in times of difficulties.
After my time at the hospital, I was assigned to a mission parish (St. Padre Pio mission parish), at San Andres Catanduanes. This shift from the
clinical environment to a parish community was a stark contrast. The Parish has limited resources and a simpler way of life. Yet, it was truly in this simplicity that I discovered the richness of parish life. I became involved in parish activities and immersed myself in the liturgy, especially the Holy Week, which is the mother of all Liturgical celebrations. I witnessed the reflective impact of faith on people’s lives, despite their status in life.
My assignment at the mission parish has been a transformative journey that has forever altered my perspective on life, faith, and the true essence of simplicity. Looking back on my time there, I’m overwhelmed with gratefulness for the reflective lessons I’ve learned and for the strong bonds I’ve made with the parish community and the ordinary people around the area. I am overwhelmed with thankfulness. I am grateful for the chance to observe the beauty of simplicity, to engage in people’s lives, and to be welcomed as a member of their community. As a religious seminarian, this experience has enriched my faith journey and reminded me to redirect my life which is guided by the vows that I professed, poverty, chastity, and obedience, as Jesus Christ is.
My pastoral journey took an unexpected turn as I put on the uniform of a fast-food chain employee. This undercover experience was supposed to immerse me in the lives of ordinary employees, 
letting me to relate their joys and sufferings, which are much different from my own inside the seminary.
From the moment I entered the busy world of fast food, I was confronted with a very different contrast to my life in the seminary, I dealt with impatient customers, and the constant rush of orders, basing tables, mopping and sweeping the floors, throwing garbage and washing dishes. It was a world outside of my comfort zone, but I knew I’d have a lot of realizations and reflections in the midst of it all. And maybe the most profound discovery of my time as an undercover was the realization that Jesus appears everywhere, at everyday moments in the lives of the people I met. I found God in the laughter of my coworkers during break time, in the gratitude of a customer who appreciated our service, and in the small acts of kindness. Truly Jesus exists extraordinarily in the ordinary.
Working at the fast-food chain undercover was not just an exercise in empathy; it was a spiritual turning point that allowed me to see and experience Jesus from a different perspective. It reminded me that, as a seminarian, my calling is not limited to the four corners of the seminary but extends to the world outside, where I can find God in unforeseen places and the most unpredicted people. My experience has reaffirmed my commitment to my religious vocation as an Adorno, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have walked in the shoes of those whose lives I tried to comprehend.
In conclusion, as I reflect on my pastoral year, I am overwhelmed by the transformative power of these fruitful experiences. My journey from the hospital to the island parish and the fast-food chain has allowed me to see the many faces of pastoral care and the connections of all human experiences. I have come to realize that pastoral care is not limited to the walls of a church, hospital room, and the dining area. It is a way of being, a way of connecting with people on a reflective level, regardless of their situations, whether ministering to a patient in pain, sharing in the joys of a parish community, or working alongside colleagues in a fast-food kitchen, the essence of pastoral care remains the same, that is to provide comfort, support, and a listening ear, which is part of my vocation as an imitator of Christ in the Pascal Mystery.
My pastoral year has been a profound journey of self-discovery and growth. It has fortified me with the skills and insights needed to continue my ministry as a follower of Christ with a deeper understanding of the human condition. I carry with me the lessons of empathy, simplicity, and perseverance, and I will always carry my Religious Charism in every mission that I will venture into in the future, a religious who will be a Eucharist to others. This year has not only transformed me as a pastoral caregiver but has also enriched my faith and reaffirmed my commitment to this religious order and serving my community and the people of God with love and compassion, always for the greater Glory of the Rising Christ!
-Bro. Wilson Olea, CRM