Fr. Hampton Davis and I have known each other for 20 years. He is a priest of the diocese of Lafayette and is “on loan” to Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. I love his passion and ZEAL. He has a great gift for engaging people. He is a good preacher and he “makes my soul smile.”

For the last few years (with the exception of 2005–Katrina), Fr. Hampton has invited me to Notre Dame to speak to the third year seminarians on how to preach to young people. I was a student there in 1984 and also taught an elective on youth ministry there a few times–odd to be on the other side of the desk in classrooms where I was a student.

That’s a high privilege because of the role of the priest and the impact of homilies and preaching. It’s also a high privilege because of Fr. Hampton’s skill in this area.

I got to see some ministry colleagues. Fr. Pat Williams is rector at Notre Dame and also a fine priest who I was blessed to work with through the TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) program. I got to see my “classmate,” Fr. Jose Lavastida who serves as academic dean. I am really happy these three men (Frs. Hampton, Pat and Jose) are still doing priestly formation—they are all fine examples of priesthood and good “walking advertisements.”

As always, it is good to go back to New Orleans…though now it is a little hard. I saw some of the neighborhood around the seminary and saw portions of it deserted–businesses boarded, houses gone or gutted, and some places looking and feeling like a ghost town.

I got to join the seminary community for morning prayer—that’s was a great experience because I feel a great energy there (when seminarians, religious men or women, or priests pray).

(Notre Dame Seminary Chapel)

I get so fired up (I gotta wonder what the students thought) when I talk about what it takes to speak with, preach to, share faith with, teens. And I drove back to Lafayette thankful that I get to do this “for a living.”