In 2016, I embraced the continued call to engage more deeply in ministry and the Catholic Christian faith, pursuing theological studies at Saint Meinrad as a weekday lay student, unknowing of where it would lead. The opportunity to be physically present, to encounter the faith in community with the Benedictine monks and seminarians from around the U.S. and world, and to enrich my life spiritually, experientially, intellectually, and relationally brought peace and hope for God’s calling. It was a journey of journeys within the larger pilgrimage of earthly life and a surrender to the eternal now of life.
The earthly pilgrimage and living the eternal now, then and continuing today, are full of challenges, suffering, and joys. It is in living in expectant hope, walking with one another, God, and self that we move forward, transform, and share the love and hope of Christ’s salvation with the world. In leaning not on my own strength, but on the intercession and prayers of the Saint Meinrad community, the seminarians, monks, campus personnel, and benefactors, and the Holy Spirit, I’ve been privileged to experience and be enriched by journeys around the world, such as celebrating the feast of El Cristo Negro de Esquipulas in Guatemala and offering logistical support and spiritual reflection for global pilgrimages.
During my studies and discernment of my theological concluding exercises, I continuously sought to encounter and experience the culture of the people and faith and what brought an inner smile to my soul for an embodied outer smile. I was offered the opportunity to pursue these in deep ways through coursework, independent study, and the concluding thesis. Through perseverance, hope, and trust in Christ and the grace of the Holy Spirit, the experiences and learning are bearing fruit through engagement with a pilgrimage apostolate, a chapter publication with a portion of the thesis, and other formational communication and reflective experience offerings.
Robin L. Murphey, Graduate Theology Program Alumna (2018)
Robin is a member of the Body of Christ on pilgrimage, walking in accompaniment with others on the journey as a journey & leadership collaborator, currently living in Owensboro, KY.