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SPRING 2007
American Priest Teaching in Australia
Appreciates Hospitality and Solitude
When he came to OMSC in January 2007, Lawrence
Nemer, S.V.D., was looking forward to spending time in solitude and
reflection. Four months later as he prepares to depart, he will cherish three
aspects of life at OMSC:
"First of all, the hospitality was
outstanding. Everyone was willing to help me settle in from the day I arrived.
The staff was most generous and patient, but outstanding were the two host
couples. They (David and Natalie
Eastman and Frank and Irina
Brown) not only responded immediately to any requests made, but
they often anticipated my needs. Their kindness and gentleness did much to
create an atmosphere of hospitality."
Second, the "community life with the
other residents was so enriching. I have lived most of my life in a
multicultural community, but this is the most time I have spent in an
ecumenical community," says Larry, a Roman Catholic priest and an 
OMSC
senior mission scholar in residence for the spring semester.
"Our bonds through a common faith led
not only to stimulating discussions but also to inspirational prayer,"
adds the Chicago native who now lives in Australia.
"Our bonds through a
common faith led not only to stimulating
discussions but also to inspirational
prayer," says
Lawrence Nemer,
S.V.D., a lecturer in mission studies
in Australia.
He was a senior mission scholar at OMSC
for the spring semester.
"Finally, I appreciated the large
amount of time I had on my own to pray, to read, and to write. Even the very
cold weather for almost two months turned out to be a blessing since it forced
me to stay home and attend to my reading."
Larry came to OMSC from Melbourne, where he
is a lecturer in mission studies at Yarra Theological Union, a Catholic
college that is part of the Melbourne College of Divinity. He was president of
the Missionary Institute London (1999–2005).
After ordination, he traveled to Rome and
studied missiology at the Gregorian University and liturgy at San Anselmo
Institute. When he returned to the United States Larry continued studies at
the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., obtaining a master’s
degree in modern church history before leaving America once more to study at
the University of Cambridge for a Ph.D. in mission history.
Since 1991 Larry has been called on to give
workshops in Vietnam and Papua New Guinea and to take part in meetings in
India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan.
At the time of his ordination Larry’s
superiors told him that training others for missions would be his mission.
Larry says that it was a vow of obedience that first led him to be a teacher
of missionaries, and not his own choice. However, looking back he says he has
no regrets for the path his superiors chose for him. He loves teaching, which
is something he looks forward to doing back in Australia. —Omar
Khan
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