Is prayer important? I say it is ESSENTIAL, especially to find one’s call in life. Allow me to share a rather common outline of a vocation story. (Not particular to any one person, but a collection of very common themes in both my life and in the lives of men I talk to discerning a…
Category: Discernment
How to hear God’s call in your life
Why not Choose a FRANCISCAN University?
Today’s world offers so many choices, how can one possibly know what major to study in college? Life is a journey. Each step on that journey is a choice; what do I want to do? Where do I want to Go? Also for many, we begin on that path with many influences; our parents, friends,…
Faith: The Courage to be Uncomfortable!
Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone… This last weekend, we had our parish festival. One of our musical groups invited me to play the opening song with them. I have played guitar for years now, but mostly in church or by myself. A few times I have had the opportunity to play secular songs with real…
Pope Francis, St. Francis, Jean Vanier show us how to Heal Violence.
Each time we pray the Our Father, we say “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. With all the recent news of violence in our world, it is easy to lose Hope, that this prayer will ever be answered! Someone recently shared with me a link to an…
Initial Formation Series: Postulancy
Most discerners want to know what the first few years in the order look like. In this post and following posts, I will try to describe the first years in the order. These first years are often referred to as “Initial Formation” Principle and Purpose of Initial Formation: Since our entire life is a process…
Initial Formation Series: Novitiate
The second year of Initial formation is the Novitiate year. It begins with the Investiture ceremony, when a young man first receives his habit, and becomes a member of the order. If we look at the experience of Francis, in particular at the years of his conversion, we notice that they were decisive moments of…