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Now in advanced formation with the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, James Smith, C.PP.S., was temporarily incorporated during an August 11 liturgy in the Chapel of the Assumption at St. Charles Center in Carthagena, Ohio.

Fr. Hemmelgarn accepted Smith’s commitment during the liturgy, at which Fr. Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S., was the homilist. Community members, Companions and friends filled the chapel.

The Gospel message included the story of James and John, whose mother asked Jesus to give her sons seats at his right and left hands. Jesus, after telling their mother that those places were not his to give, turned to James and John and said, “Can you drink from the cup that I am going to drink?” (Matthew 20: 22).

“I’ve always wondered what gave James and John the strength to say, ‘Yes, we can.’ Even though they knew it would be dangerous and difficult to drink from that cup, they still said yes,” Fr. Kirch said in his homily. “One thing that allowed James and John to say yes was their life in a community of disciples. Their relationship with Christ and with one another gave them the strength to say yes even in the face of death.”

Smith, 27, said he has seen many Missionaries of the Precious Blood who have said yes to God’s calling, especially when he was on his special formation journey that took him to visit many C.PP.S. sites across the country.

It was that experience that gave him a greater sense of community with the C.PP.S., he said. “Traveling and observing the Missionaries in their natural habitat, getting to know them through what they’re doing and who they are, gave me a better perspective of what the Community is. I felt that I could really get to know them and see what they’re about,” he said.

What they are about, he said, is a passion for service to God’s people. “I see them really engaged in ministering with and among the people. Whatever ministry the guys are in is a reflection of their own gifts, and also meets a tremendous need within the Church and the Community,” he said. “At the same time, they are not consumed by their ministry. It’s not the only thing that defines them. They’re not the kind of people who don’t exist beyond their work. They know it’s okay to take in a movie now and then.”

Text and Photo: Jean Giesige, Cincinnati Province[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]