This weekend (Jan. 20-21) is Called By Name Sunday in the Diocese of Austin. Our pastors are encouraged to share their vocation stories with us to foster awareness of vocation to the priesthood and religious life (and, might I add, the diaconate). In light of that, I wanted to share briefly my own vocation story.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), the definition of vocation is:
"the calling or destiny we have in this life and hereafter. God has created the human person to love and serve him; the fulfillment of this vocation is eternal happiness. Christ calls the faithful to the perfection of holiness."
Therefore, our vocation is a "calling or destiny" that comes from our relationship with God, our Creator. He breathes life into us so that we may "love and serve him," not out of obligation or servitude, but of our own freewill through a loving relationship between Father and His son or daughter.
For me, I first encountered Jesus as a young boy at St. Brendan School (pictured below), in New Heaven, CT, where I attended kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. The Dominican sisters who were my teachers in first grade (Sr. Maria Pia), second great (her name evades my memory but I believe it was Sr. Juanita), and the principal (Sr. Marie Antoinette) made a lasting impression on me. I love getting glow-in-the-dark Rosaries, attending Mass, kneeling at the Communion rails, and gazing upon Christ Crucified on the Cross. I remember Easter Egg Hunts on the grounds of the school, the convent, the rectory, and the church.
My time at St. Brendan would forever form my faith and idea of God because, interesting enough, when I prayed (even as a Buddhist growing up), I would have the image of God and Jesus in my mind. From third grade until I met my future wife in college, I did not have a lot of exposure to Christianity or the Catholic Church besides knowing a few of my friends in high school were Catholics. However, my experience at St. Brendan would stay with me throughout my early years and even now.
[Picture of the former St. Brendan Church, Whalley Avenue, New Haven from https://staedan-stbrendan-parishes.org/our_history (1/18/2024).]
My Vocation Story (Part 1) - St. Brendan https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2024/01/my-vocation-story-part-1-st-brendan.html
My Vocation Story (Part 2) - Call to Conversion https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2024/01/my-vocation-story-part-2-call-to.html
My Vocation Story (Part 3) - Growing in Faith https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2024/01/my-vocation-story-part-3-growing-in.html
My Vocation Story (Part 4) - Call to the Diaconate https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2024/01/my-vocation-story-part-4-call-to.html
My Vocation Story (Part 5) - Servant of the Suffering Servant born of a Lowly Servant https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2024/01/my-vocation-story-part-5-servant-of.html
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