Seminarians Bring Community & Communion to the Sick

Meet Michael Axiak.

He joined Holy Spirit Seminary in 2016 and has already hit the ground running, by means of serving the community, being installed as an acolyte and undergoing rigorous intellectual formation.

Michael was born and bred in Westmead. His father is Maltese and his mother is Dutch.

Like Tom, every Friday, Michael visits state schools to provide catechises, scripture classes and prayer instruction to young students. Sharing one lovely experience, Michael said “I remember around Father’s Day, one of the students who didn’t have a father, came to me and gave me a Father’s Day card. I was moved because this young person saw me as a kind of role model”.

Visiting the sick and the housebound, especially to provide communion for those who cannot attend Mass, is also part of Michael’s volunteer work.

For Michael “visiting the sick is very important because it gives those who are housebound a sense of being connected to the Church community. Bringing them Holy Communion is also very humbling, as it allows for God’s grace, peace and

love to be channelled to those suffering. It’s a work I very much enjoy and allows me to serve others”.

When asked why Michael joined the seminary, he said, “It wasn’t until I was 24 or 25 where I started to do some mission work in Ireland, which is where the thought first came to me. I met some Diocesan Priests in Ireland, who had a love and fervour for their vocation. These men just loved the Mass, the people in their parish, their ministry and the Eucharist, all of which inspired and challenged me to pursue the vocation”.

In addition to studying philosophy and theology, Michael has also studied some psychology to better understand the human mind and a person’s emotional experiences. This will complement his ministry and pastoral work, now and in the future.

Thankfully, it’s the generosity from parishioners across the Diocese of Parramatta, that Holy Spirit Seminary is able to provide the formation and education required to adequately prepare our seminarians for the priesthood.