HEART BURN...Were not our hearts burning within us?... Luke 24:32

Transcription

1 HEART BURN...Were not our hearts burning within us?... Luke 24:32 Volume 1, Issue 2 Vocations Office The Archdiocese of Newark June/July 2011 of Rev. John D. Gabriel Director of Vocations A letter from the Vocations Director Once again the Center for Applied Research in the Apos tolate (CARA) conducted their annual survey of men ordained to the priesthood throughout the United States this year. Most of the 480 men ordained nation wide responded to the survey. I wanted to share some these results in this issue of our Vocation E Newsletter Heart Burn. The average age of those ordained this year is 34 years old (slightly younger than those ordained in 2010). The average age when these men first began considering priesthood as a vocation was 16 years old. More than two thirds of them were encouraged by a priest to consider priesthood: seven in ten received encouragement from a friend, parent, grandparent or other relative, or a fellow parishioner.. Half of them were discouraged by someone in this vocational choice (usually by a parent or friend). One third of those ordained were born outside of the United States with most coming from Colombia, Mexico and the Philippines. Half of those ordained were altar boys or lectors in their parishes before entering the seminary. Almost half of them attended a Catholic grammar school, one third attended a Catholic high school, half were part of their parish youth group. Seventy percent prayed the rosary regularly, and sixty five percent attended Eucharistic Adoration regularly. These results can be helpful as we focus our vocational efforts and seek to encourage young people who are open to the Lord s initiative in their lives. I share them today in the hopes that each parish and institution in the Archdiocese will reflect on them and discover new and creative ways they might reach out to receptive youth in the places where they are and within those experiences that most inspire them. Of course, the Vocation Office is most willing to offer any help we can provide. As parishes, schools, youth and young adult groups begin planning for next year, please remember that we (priests, religious, seminarians) are available at your invitation to come and encourage your young people along with you. Together may we work to build a local Church where the vocations of our youth are a priority in our prayers and in those activities which give witness to our faith. Have a blessed summer! Fr. John D. Gabriel Director of Vocations IN THIS ISSUE Letter from the Vocations Director.. 1 Emmaus Days Discernment camp.. 2 An excerpt from a Homily by Bishop Marconi on Vocations.. 3 Family prayer for Vocations.. 4 Spotlight on Seminarians: Fr. Paul C. Houlis 5 Spotlight on Seminarians: Fr. Marco Pacciana 7 On Mt. Tabor s Heights St. Theresia Maria 9 Family Vocation Day 11 It was God s will that I should leave everything that was near and dear to me. I thank Him for having called me to religious life where I have found such peace and joy as I could never have found in the world. My plan of life is chiefly this: to love and suffer, always meditating upon, adoring and admiring God s unspeakable love for His lowliest creatures. -St. Conrad of Parzham Feast April 20th

2 EMMAUS DAYS VOCATION DISCERNMENT CAMP AN INVITATION TO HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS AND SENIORS AND COLLEGE MEN TO JOIN US ON THE BEAUTIFUL SHORES OF LAKE HOPATCONG FOR THIS TIME OF FRIENDSHIP, FUN, AND PRAYERFUL REFLECTION ON CHRIST S CALL IN OUR LIVES. JULY 5-8, 2011 FELICIAN RETREAT HOUSE MT. ARLINGTON, NEW JERSEY EMMAUS DAYS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: Eucharistic Adoration and Prayer Swimming and Sports Sharing with Seminarians of the Archdiocese of Newark Meals and Accommodations COST: $ PER PERSON (ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE) FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER CONTACT THE OFFICE OF VOCATIONS gabriejo@rcan.org

3 The Harvest is Great, but the Laborers are Few Taken from a Homily by Bishop Dominic A. Marconi From a Holy Hour for Vocations When I was assigned to St. Anthony s Parish in Union City, I learned that my pastor came from a family in northern Italy, of thirteen children. He informed me that he had three brothers who were priests and two sisters who were religious. They were all Salesians, an order founded by St. John Bosco who was dedicated to serving youth. When I inquired why so many vocations from such a small village, he said the secret was the devotion of the mothers to the Eucharist. Each week, they would spend an hour of adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament praying for vocations. In fact, at that time in the history of the village, they had the largest percentages of vocations throughout the world. The power of prayer and no doubt the wonderful family example resulted in this amazing number of priests and religious women and men. My dear friends, you and I are gathered here to pray for vocations for the priesthood and the religious life. Recall on one occasion, Jesus asked his followers to pray that God would send many more spiritual leaders to care for the people. Using language and an example understood by the people of his time, Jesus said: The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Pray that the Lord will send more laborers to reap the harvest. If Jesus were to appear here at this very moment, would he not make the same plea? You and I are well aware of the declining numbers of priests and religious women and men, not only in the United States, but throughout the world. There are not enough to care for the spiritual and pastoral needs of our growing Catholic population. Those of you who live in Jersey City and the Hudson County area are well aware of this painful reality, especially with the closing and merging or linking of some of the parishes in this area. While the aging buildings, financial issues and shifting population are major reasons for this sad situation, the decreasing numbers of priests and religious is also a factor. There are many reasons that have led to the declining numbers of priests and religious. Smaller families, the material and social benefits that various secular professions offer and even the growing numbers of lay ministries that are possible for our lay people in our parishes in this post Vatican II period. But what about those young folks who might still be searching for what their vocation is in life? How can parents provide the appropriate home environment to assist them in this important matter, particularly if Jesus is inviting your daughter or son to be a religious, a priest or brother? Recall, as I stated at the beginning of my homily, that it was the family environment and the devotion of the mothers to the Eucharist in that small Italian village that produced the extraordinary number of vocations. There is no question that family life is experiencing many challenges today. The Judeo Christian marital values of fidelity, commitment and generosity are ridiculed as old fashion and out of date. Today s emphasis on material possession, social standing, sports activities and financial difficulties, to mention just a few, negatively affect our families in many ways. This has led to a decline in Mass attendance, and to the increasing number of Catholics who have left the Church. There are others who while claiming to be Catholics, fail to live out the gospel teachings in their daily lives. There is no question that these and other issues have led to the decline in vocations. Finally, from time to time, discuss with your children what might be their future choices in their young or adult life. They need and certainly will value your advice and encouragement. And don t hesitate to ask if they ever thought about serving Jesus and the church as a priest or religious sister or brother. They may be looking for this kind of support, especially if in their thoughts and prayers, your son or daughter may have been thinking of this possibility. If there is any young person who has ever thought, or is still thinking about a religious vocation, I urge and encourage you to seek out a priest or a religious for advise and encouragement. May I suggest that our parents, by their example and prayers, provide that loving and truly Catho-

4 lic/christian environment that will nurture in the souls of your son or daughter, their future call in life, especially if Christ is inviting them to the priesthood or religious life. The reading and the discussing of the scriptures, recitation of the Rosary, the display of the Crucifix or some of your favorite saints or those of your sons and daughters, will keep before their mind the love of Christ for them and the models of men and women of all walks of life who have lived out their love for Christ in their particular ordinary circumstances. Those of you from various ethnic backgrounds have, I am certain, as my Italian family did, have those particular religious practices or traditions that can help make their love for Christ and their faith important and meaningful. I remember my grandfather had a little room which he called his small chapel. In it he had the Bible he had brought with him from Italy, a beautiful portrait of Our Lady and his favorite saints. This made a lasting impression on me as a young boy. Encourage and support your sons or daughters to be altar servers. Not only does this provide a necessary service to the parish, but also can be the seedbed for a future vocation. It certainly was for me when I was a youngster growing up in the city of Newark. I have been a priest now for fifty five years, and a Bishop for thirty two years. As I look back over this time, with difficulties and challenges in my various assignments, I will be the first to admit my human mistakes and failures, Yet, I have never regretted the decision I made with the encouragement of my parents in the eighth grade of St. Joseph s grammar school in Newark. These past fifty five years have been a grace-filled and joyous experience for me. Do I miss not having a family of my own? Humanly speaking, yes. However, in addition to a younger sister and brother, I am a proud uncle of seven nieces and nephews and granduncle of thirteen grandnieces and nephews whose baptisms, first communions and weddings I have had the privilege to perform and since becoming a Bishop, whose Confirmation I have celebrated. Of course, I cannot even begin to list the vast number of friends and families whose friendship and love have nourished and supported me throughout these fifty five years, I am certain that each priest or religious can recount this same experience. We are gathered here to pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life so that the Good news of God s love may be proclaimed and experienced in all parts of the world. We have been indeed blessed by our Catholic/Christian heritage. May our prayers and our continued faithfulness to our own particular state in life, help realize the desire that Jesus expressed in his lifetime: The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Pray that the Lord will send more laborers to reap the harvest. Family Prayer for Vocations Written by the mother of Monsignor James Burke O Jesus, you desire that we pray to the Lord of the harvest, that He send zealous laborers into His vineyard. Deign to hear our prayers and raise up in Your Church and especially in this Archdiocese, numerous Priests, Brothers and Sisters who, taking Your Divine Heart as their model, will in their holy work, promote the Glory of Your Heavenly Father and the salvation of those souls whom You have redeemed with Your Precious Blood. Amen. O Mary, Queen of the Apostles, pray that we may have many priestly and religious vocations. Amen. Lord, if it should please You to choose one from our family to be a priest, brother or nun, we would thank You will all our hearts, now and for all eternity. Amen...when we look at the lives of those who have faithfully followed Christ, we are inspired with a new reason for seeking the city which is to come. St. George - Feast April 23

5 Hey, it d be pretty cool to be a priest. SOS Spotlight on Seminarians: In this, the second issue of our enewsletter, Heart Burn, we would like to introduce you to, two men who have just been ordained priests this past month. The first to shine under the spotlight is Rev. Paul C. Houlis. Here is Father Houlis story in his own words: I graduated high school in the year 2000 and didn t enter the seminary until the fall of I did many different things in that 5 year span, but some of the most memorable moments were in NYC and in Los Angeles trying to make it in the entertainment business. I wanted to be a famous comedic actor. I actually performed stand up comedy for over a year in all of the major comedy clubs in New York and even one out in Holly wood. When I was 18 years old, the most exciting thing I ever did was to be selected to be a hip-hop dancer on an MTV show. It was a good fun time, but as I look back at this fast living, it wasn t good for me morally or for my formation as a person. Certain events, such as the tragic 9/11 attacks and my grandfather dying helped to direct me in a more positive direction. The Lord s call was not something that I experienced all at once. It was a process that took place over many years. Before I experienced the call to the priesthood, I first had to experience the call to be Jesus friend; to be His disciple; to accept Him as the Lord and Savior of my life. I felt Him working on that for me ever since my junior year of high school, in In the Fall and Winter of , I went through what was absolutely the darkest time in my life. It was a time filled with utter fear and anxiety. However, as I look back, this anxiety turned out to be one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. It caused me to take a huge step back from my crazy way of life at that time, and turn to God and His Church. I remember being in so much fear for myself one night while I was praying in my parish Church and I looked up at the Crucifix and I said to Jesus, If you get me through this, I will dedicate my life to helping your children. I had no idea what that meant at the time, but I meant it. I m so grateful He called me in a bigger way than I could ever have imagined to fulfill that promise. There is so much strength and comfort in our Lord s Cross!!! It is from there that I get the strength to push forward. When I finally surrendered and allowed Him to be my EVERYTHING in 2004, it wasn t too long after that when He started whispering in my ear that He d like me to be one of His priests. I first experienced the call when I began going to daily Mass in All of a sudden during Mass, I heard this inner voice say, Hey, it d be pretty cool to be a priest. The rest is history! Before coming to the seminary, the two priests that have influenced my vocation are Fr. Michael Joly, originally from the diocese of Paterson, and Msgr. Paul Bochicchio from the Archdiocese of Newark. Fr. Joly because he was the first person to ever invite me to a Catholic retreat during my junior year of High School and it was at that retreat where I first really got to know who Jesus Christ exactly was, and meet Him in a very personal way. During the rest of my High School career, Fr. Joly was such a positive influence for me and he helped me to start seeing myself and the world as we really are. Msgr. Paul because without this man I truly would be lost in life and maybe not even found. This man knew me better than I knew myself. After Fr. Joly had sparked the fire within me, this priest has helped to keep it lit ever since. He was my pastor at Our Lady of Mt. Virgin in Garfield, and he soon became one of my closest friends. I was going through a LOT during my senior year of high school and I went to him for help. I had 1000 questions for him about life, God, you name it! He was ALWAYS there for me at any time; all the time! This priest brought a peace and comfort to me that I never knew before. It was the peace and forgiveness of God. During this time of him helping me, (I was 17 years old at the time), I interrupted him in one of our conversations and thanked him very much for what he was doing for me, but then told him to please never try to talk to me about becoming a priest. See, I didn t know it at the time, but his priesthood was so attractive that I started to think about it myself and this scared me. He respected my request, though he told me he thought I had the qualities to be one. It was four years later, when I was driving with him to see a movie about St. Therese of Lisieux, when I said to him, Do you remember four years ago when I asked you to never talk to me about the priesthood? Well now you can. He immediately told me about a dinner that the Archbishop was having for men

6 discerning a call. He came with me to that dinner, and I was well on my way. My family was taken aback at first when I told them I was thinking about the priesthood. I guess you could say that they weren t too supportive in the very beginning, but they never did anything to stop me. They always came to all of my seminary functions and now my parents go to Church more than they ever have before. In fact, my father wasn t even Catholic at the time.. Now he is. For a year and a half before I entered the seminary, I was actually working part-time at Paramus Catholic High School, (where I myself attended High School) helping with the Campus Ministry office. I was the assistant to Justin Fatica who had also begun Hard As Nails Ministries while at Paramus Catholic. I traveled around with Hard as Nails all over New Jersey and New England helping out as their skit coordinator. I wrote most of and directed all of the ministry s skits at the time. My time at Paramus Catholic and with Hard as Nails was so formational for me that there is no way that I d be in the seminary right now without that experience. 12:32 when Jesus says, Fear not little flock, for it is your Father s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. I love that passage and it helps me because it reminds me that I m serving a God who WANTS me to make it. He WANTS eternal life for us so He is going to help us get there; we don t have to do it alone. Cardinal McCarrick once said to me: once the Lord calls you, He walks with you! St. Paul is one of my heroes because of all that he s done for the Church. He challenges me more than any other Saint, and I love him for that. He s also my patron Saint. But I must tell you that the Saint that I ve come to be closest with most is the mother of our Lord, and truly my mother. My relationship with Mary has grown more since I ve been in the seminary. Without her motherly love and feminine touch, there is no way that I can be a priest. I need this intimate relationship with the purest of all women. Life at the seminary is an adjustment. Each year in the seminary has had its different challenges. I could complain about a bunch of different things that I ve struggled with, but at the end of the day, the main person and thing I ve struggled with is myself. Most particularly with growing pains. You see, you can t really grow unless there is some type of suffering or dying to self ( Unless a seed falls into the ground and die.. ) and one thing that I ve definitely done here at the seminary is grow. I ve grown into a more mature man in the area of human formation, which is essential to the priesthood, and believe me, it hurt. It continues to hurt, but it s all been worth it. One of my favorite Scripture passages is Luke Last, but not least in heroes is Pope John Paul II. I think it s actually because of his life, his work and his witness that I am able to be the man who I am today. I m most grateful to him for two things: Be Not Afraid and for his Theology of the Body. Without each of these teachings, I would not have made it in the seminary as long as I have. Some exciting things that have happened to me since being ordained a Deacon, I was able to write a Theology of the Body rap (with the Holy Spirit) and then be able to perform it live for Christopher West and everyone at the Theology of the Body Institute. I was also asked to go down to the EWTN studios in Alabama and be interviewed on one of their TV shows as an ordained Deacon of the Church. My favorite way to pray is to be in front of the Blessed Sacrament and just sit there with him or prostrate myself on the floor and let his presence consume me. I ve learned that praying is more about just being with Him than saying much. It might sound cliché, but I m most looking forward to giving Jesus to people as a Priest. To being Jesus for them in the Sacraments. I want to give people hope. I want to help God convert people s hearts to Him.

7 What I want most of all is for people to truly know the love God has for them and for them to truly love Him. If everyone loved God, I d be happy and at peace. If you think you re being called to the priesthood or religious life, please ask (in a spirit of Faith) for the Holy Spirit to give you clarity about this call, and then also for the courage to respond once the clarity comes. Both are essential!!! Pray, pray, pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament daily!!!!!!!! Especially where the Lord may be exposed in a monstrance! Remember God loves you! If He chooses you to be His priest, then you have nothing to fear because he s going to take care of you and everything!!! You just have to show up, pray for knowledge of His will and the power and courage to carry it out! Keep on keeping on! Let it be done unto you like Mary. Don t worry so much about doing Let it be done unto you! BE NOT AFRAID! God speed and Good Luck! Love and prayers!!!! Father Paul C. Houlis GOD BLESS YOU FATHER PAUL IN YOUR LIFE AS A PRIEST!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Archdiocese of Newark Office of Vocations 171 Clifton Avenue PO Box 9500 Newark, NJ Rev. John D. Gabriel, Director Sr. Theresia Maria Holtschlag, Associate Director Barbara Kelly, Secretary Rita Maggio, Vocations Assistant Rev. Matthew Dooley, Assistant Vocation Director Rev. Charles Kelly, Assistant Vocation Director Rev. James Worth, Assistant Vocation Director Rev. Juan Carlos Vargas, Assistant Vocation Director Phone: Fax: gabrieljo@rcan.org SOS Spotlight on Seminarians: Next we would like to spotlight a man from Italy who was also ordained this past month, Rev. Marco Pacciana. Here is Father Marco s story in his own words: My name is Marco Pacciana. I was born in Bari, Italy in 1975 and grew up in a small town named Ginosa in the province of Taranto (Puglia). Like many of the youth in Italy, I left the Church when I was a teenager, before receiving my Confirmation. In those years I also fell into the cycle of sins typical of teenagers; even though, God preserved me from many of them. Those were also the years immediately after the fall of the Berlin Wall and together with my friends, I shared the ideas of universal freedom and coexistence typical of those years. In 1992 during a vacation in Buffalo, N.Y. to visit some relatives, I read a book by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Strength to Love, where I rediscovered the message of Love for the enemy preached by Christ, this time presented in a concrete historical people. It was an eye-opener: I understood that if Christ had preached this message, he must have been God, since no man, not even the greatest of philosophers, had ever spoken of it and because I knew that man cannot love in that dimension. After this experience I went back to practicing my faith, even though it was only at Sunday Mass. My relationship with God was slowly growing, but it was only two years later, when I felt the strong need to deepen my relation with God and I asked the advise of my pastor. Let me get through today, and I will not fear tomorrow! St. Philip Neri ( ) Feast May 26

8 He suggested I take some catechetical courses which were about to begin at my Parish. In the meantime, my life had undergone a tremendous change: in November 1993 my mother had lost her clothing store and few months later, in March 1994 my father suffered a major stroke and became bedridden, reduced to the level of a child (he would eventually die in 1998). The following year, 1995, my only brother, who has a physical handicap, lost his job as journalist and had to come back home. On top of all this I passed through some love disappointments that brought me close to the idea of suicide. In a word, my world was completely shattered and, finishing high school, I found myself with no direction for my life. This is the situation I was living when I encountered the Neocatechumenal Way in 1994, a reality that made me enter into the Church from the front door and that, after a few years, would bring about a radical, unexpected and at that moment unimaginable change in my life. Through the Neocatechumenal Way, I started to realize that God was calling me not only to deepen my relation with Him, but to live it in an exclusive way. Little by little, God started to rebuild my life and to reconcile me with these sufferings. Through this charism I also experienced the Church as my Mother, healing my wounds with the balm of the sacraments and fellowship. In 1997 in Paris, during a vocational meeting held by the initiators of the Neocatechumenal Way, just following the World Youth Day with the Holy Father John Paul II, I felt God calling me to the priesthood. I started a time of discernment helped by the team of Catechists of the Neocatechumenal way responsible for vocations in Puglia. I was struggling a lot with this call, especially because I had in mind a totally different plan for my life: to get married with the girl I was in love with, to have a family and children. Though, God was stronger than me, my sins, and my rebellion. After three years of alternate moments between acceptance and rejection of this call, I eventually finished my studies in the year 2000, and got a license degree in Foreign Languages and Literature. In September of the very same year, I was sent to an international vocational retreat in Porto San Giorgio (Ascoli Piceno, Italy) where I was assigned to the Missionary Seminary Redemptoris Mater in Kearny. Three weeks later I arrived at the seminary. During these years I have served in the parishes of St. Anthony of Padua in Union City, NJ and Our Lady of Mt. Virgin in Garfield, NJ for the summer. As part of my missionary formation I have helped with the New Evangelization in Israel for one year and in Pacific Islands (Guam, Hawaii, Saipan, Kiribati) for four years. I have most recently served as deacon in the parish of Holy family, Nutley, NJ. During all these years God has proved Himself faithful both in taking care of my family and giving me the best years of my life. GOD BLESS YOU FATHER MARCO IN YOUR LIFE AS A PRIEST!!! CONGRATULATIONS!

9 Lord, it is good for us to be here! (Mt 17:4) Do you pray all day? This is one of the questions that is frequently asked to Religious and to Sr. Mary Catharine whose vocation story we can read on the following page. Sister is a cloistered nun, from the Order of preachers: Dominicans. So do Religious pray all day? In a way we can say yes and at the same time we can say no. If we understand prayer as time spent in the chapel or church where the community of Religious comes together to pray, then we should say no, Religious do not pray all day. They have special times set apart for prayer, but they have a whole lot of other activities during the day. The schedules of most religious communities share basic similarities. A typical daily schedule may look something like the following; 5:00 AM, Rise 5:30 AM, Office of Readings (Matins) / Morning Prayer (Lauds) 6:30 AM, Holy Mass 7:45 AM, Breakfast 9:30 AM, Morning Chores / Classes 12:50 PM, Mid Day Prayer (Terce/None) 1:30 PM, Lunch (with spiritual readings) 2:30 PM, Free Time / Siesta 4:30 PM, Vespers, Meditation 6:00 PM, Private Study 7:30 PM, Supper / Free Time 8:30 PM, Night Prayer (Compline) 9:30 PM, Lights Out Typically, orders that are more "contemplative", such as the Benedictines, tend to allot more time to community prayer, and have a more fixed schedule, as shown above. Conversely, orders that are more "apostolic", such as the Dominicans, tend to allot more time to an apostolate (serving the community in some capacity). However, whether a religious community is more apostolic or contemplative, they all share this fundamental component, that is; the heart of their life is prayer; dedicated to a life of self-conversion and renunciation for the sanctification of the Church. Every religious community in the world recites the same prayers of the Divine Office each day, breathing together in the same rhythm of prayer. According to Saint Therese, the existence of religious communities are so vital that, if one were to draw an analogy to the Mystical body of Christ, they would be considered the heart. Saint Faustina confirms this reality; "I learned that the world's existence is maintained by chosen souls; that is, the religious orders." -diary 1431 On the other hand, if we understand prayer in the light of our Baptismal vocation and the vocation to Religious life, then we should say yes Religious do pray all day. Let me explain. Through the Sacrament of Baptism every Christian has a personal vocation- a call from God - to holiness and service. This call to Holiness means: an invitation to enter into an intimate relationship of love with God. Marriage is like an icon that expresses in human terms what this intimate relationship is like. There is no special sacrament for Religious Life because the Church considers Religious Life to be a fruitful deepening of the Consecration received in Baptism. A call to Religious Life therefore is a call to leave everything behind and enter into a deeper and closer relationship with Jesus. If we say that marriage is like an icon that expresses in human terms what this intimate relationship is like, then we should look at the communication, the dialogue between two spouses in order to understand what prayer, which is the dialogue between God and the soul, should be.

10 Vocation Story You might say that Our Lord and I were childhood sweethearts! Spouses will communicate to express their love, to deepen their relationship, to get to know each other more deeply and to share their everyday life. This communication or communion is ongoing. It s a communion that can be lived in silence. You are in my heart; in my heart I accompany you wherever you go. If we look at prayer as this ongoing dialogue, communion with the Lord Jesus, yes then we should say that Religious pray all day. Because this dialogue of love, this communion of hearts is always present, no matter the place or the activity of that moment. This is what Saint Paul means when he writes: With all prayer and supplication pray at all times in the Spirit (Eph 6:18). It is good to highlight though that all baptized are called to this continuous prayer. Sr. Theresia Maria Holtschlag, Associate Vocation Director, Archdiocese of Newark. With all prayer and supplication pray at all times in the Spirit (Eph 6:18) I was blest to feel called by our Lord to a life consecrated to Him ever since I was about five years old. My early years were filled with Sisters Poor Clares on Saturday when my mom brought me and my sister with her to Mass, then later, the Sisters who taught me in school. When I was seven, a group of postulants entered and well, yes, I followed them around any chance I could! I wanted so much to be with them! Every night I would go to sleep asking our Lord to let me enter tomorrow! There were ten years of tomorrows: three weeks after my high school graduation, at age eighteen, I entered the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the small congregation of Sisters that had taught me for twelve years. I spent two years with them in their novitiate but somehow it wasn t right and I was very unhappy. I knew God was calling me and I so wanted it to be there but He had other plans! A visit to a teaching congregation of Dominican Sisters became the catalyst toward my contemplative vocation. I became aware that the cloistered life of the novice year would only last one year and I wanted it for always. Where to find that? A cloistered monastery! But I wanted to teach! Slowly I began to see that while I liked teaching my deepest desire was to live a life of praise and adoration, loving Christ alone and interceding for the salvation of souls. Not two years later I entered the monastery of the Dominican Nuns in Summit, NJ. I, who loved the countryside and not cities (even small ones), who loved children and teaching, who admittedly had no desire to live in New Jersey, found myself at the enclosure door on January 6, As I passed over the threshold I knew that here is my resting place forever! I had found the place God had picked out for me for all eternity where I could love and adore Him, and flourish in holiness and happiness! -Sr. Mary Catharine of Jesus Perry, OP Meditate well on this: Seek God above all things. It is right for you to seek God before and above everything else, because the majesty of God wishes you to receive what you ask for. This will also make you more ready to serve God and will enable you to love him more perfectly. - St. Paschal Baylon ( ) - Feast May 17th

11 Mark your calendars! OCTOBER 2011 Family Vocation Day! Saturday, October 1st, :00 am to 3:00 pm At St. Thomas More R.C. Church 12 Hollywood Ave, Fairfield, NJ Come celebrate a day of prayer, workshops, and fun for families together and in different groups: children, youth/young adults, and parents. For more information, please call or Family Vocation Day! To coincide with the Feast of St. Therese Of the Child Jesus St. Thomas More R.C. Church More Information to Follow!