A religious vocation is a splendid thing. It comes from God. There’s no telling when or how an individual will hear the voice of the Lord calling them to a particular mission in life. Even then, the voice first must break through our wounds, our past sins, our feelings of inadequacy, and at times, even the stubborn attitudes we have formed throughout the years.

I never thought I would be a priest, let alone a Franciscan priest. Given the relationships I had been involved in, I always thought I would get married. There was love there, but also a void that nothing except the Divine could fill. An accident that should have killed me, coupled with several amazing and linked events, led me to a new joy in praying on my own, in my room. Prayer was not new to me—in my family, we would pray the rosary daily—but praying alone was new.

Suddenly, I heard it … the voice of the Lord saying, “I am calling you to serve me at the Altar, and then the fruits will abound.” Yet, I was perturbed by these words.

Many prophets in the Old Testament were reluctant to heed God’s call, too. Moses, for example, tried to deny the Lord’s call because he had a speech impediment. And Saint Paul the Apostle spoke of a “thorn” he had in the flesh and prayed three times that God would remove it. The Lord commanded Paul to ask no more and told him that his grace would be sufficient.

As for myself, I asked for confirmations from God that the words I heard were real. Two clear confirmations came from a spontaneous opening of the Bible (Ephesians 4:1, Acts 15:22), which led me to give a more wholehearted “yes” to God, return to school, and continue my journey. Still, something drove me to ask for just one more confirmation from God—without opening the Bible. Lo and behold, a priest I had never met said to me: “The Lord, standing right beside me, said to me: I am calling this young man to serve me at the Altar.” As these were the exact words I was hearing in the depths of my soul, I have since never asked for another confirmation. God had used others to help me discern. 

I became a friar in 1996, made my solemn profession in 2003, and was ordained to the priesthood in 2005. How amazing to think that I will soon be ordained twenty years, and a friar for thirty. Having been assigned to Rome as formator of our temporary professed friars on their way to solemn profession and possibly to Holy Orders, I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on my own journey thus far, my own formation throughout the years, and on the people who have helped me get here.

From my family to the friars and formators I have encountered, to the benefactors who believed in me and were patient even with my flaws, I have always been grateful for the people the Lord has placed in my life to help me unite more closely to him and try to do a little good in the world, especially among his people.

The support and kindness you have all shown us friars plays a vital role as well. That support and kindness contribute to helping a candidate explore and discern God’s call and respond with a generous “yes.” That “yes” would never be possible without people like you, who are indeed a part of God’s wonderful plan.

His grace is sufficient for us, if we but embrace it and cooperate with it. And no matter how a vocation emerges, there are others who make our journey a little easier and who make God’s plan for us more accessible.

May your own journey be blessed and endowed with grace upon grace. May you continue to see that you are a child of God destined for great things, and eventually for eternal life. Thank you for all you do for our friars in the missions and for all the prayers you pray for our friars in formation. 

Currently, we are blessed with temporarily professed friars in Rome, Italy, novices in Assisi, Italy, and postulant candidates in Brooklyn, NY. Yet, we need many more! Ask the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers into his vineyard, which will mean renewed blessings for his beloved Bride, the Church, and for the world at large. 

May our Blessed Mother, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, invoke our Lord Jesus to send his Holy Spirit upon us, to protect and illuminate our journey.

Franciscan priests and brothers follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus and St. Francis. They accept the gift of poverty as a way of life. They have nothing of their own but share equally as brothers whatever God provides through your generosity.

To educate and support a seminarian in his studies costs more than $10,000 a year. Show your support for our Franciscan Brothers by making a donation today.

Thank you, and God bless.