Seminarians of the Catholic Major Seminary “Mary – Queen of the Apostles” share their impressions about their social practice in the Caritas Home for lonely and elderly people

First year seminarians of the Catholic Major Seminary "Mary - Queen of the Apostles" come every Saturday within their social practice to the Home for the Elderly in order to provide feasible help and leisure for the elderly.

Saturday is for the home residents a day of interaction with young people: sharing their favorite songs, reading poems, singing and playing guitar, walking and leading friendly conversations. These meetings are an important part of the formation and Christian life of the seminarians.

Here are some excerpts from letters of the seminarians revealing their feelings about time spent in the Caritas Home for Lonely and Elderly People:

"Laudetur Jesus Christus!

My name is Behbud (David) Mustafayev. I’m a first-year seminary student. I’m from Azerbaijan.

To be honest, I felt ill at ease, as I had first time come with other seminarians to the Home for the Elderly in Hartmut Kania House... I looked at the faces of the elder people who lived there and could not understand the emotions they expressed... I thought that they were not happy to see us and that they were bored with us.

After we had returned, I thought long and asked me how we could design our visits to the old people’s home such way that we not just get a tick in our forms, but our visits become a true work of mercy and love!

I prayed to Our Lady for help. Finally we came up with the idea of bringing joy to the elderly through music…

During the next visits, I looked at the faces of the home residents and I had the feeling again that they got bored and did not like to spend time with us. I talked about this to the nuns who run the nursing home and they reassured me by saying that we should not pay attention to the faces, because they do not always show the feelings they have in their souls...

With every new visit, I began to realize that in fact the elder people liked what we did. They began to smile more often, they remembered our names, and in general we became good friends with them. Every time we came up with new kinds of entertainment that the elderly liked as well.

The practice in Hartmut Kania House became for me a true Christian ministry. I felt that someone was waiting for me and that I could make someone happy, at least once a week. I do hope very much that in future we can bring small joys to older people as sincerely and wholeheartedly as we do now!"
 

"…On the one hand, we got a chance to interact with people who need our attention, to get to know them and understand their aspirations, desires and needs, to learn to help and support them.

On the other hand, it has been something bigger for us than just a social practice, which allowed us to gain the skills of social work. When we come into the Monsignor Hartmut Kania House and see happy faces of people who have been waiting for us, we understand what the true charity is. To be together with our neighbor and to love him regardless of his age and health – that’s what we learn here from each other.

We spend with older people not so much time together, just two hours per week. There are not only pleasant, but also mournful minutes, because sometimes one of them shuffles off this mortal coil. We try not to turn a blind eye to these losses, but to be near the home residents at such moments, to pray together, to remember the deceased and strengthen each other in the spirit of hope and love..."