Page 12 LAFAYETTE VOCATIONS

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1 1 Volume 3, issue 2 Page 12 LAFAYETTE VOCATIONS Fall 2016 U P C O M I N G E V E N T S : S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F I N T E R E S T : Vocation Briefly Supper highlight your point of with interest here. Briefly highlight your point of interest here. the Bishop for Young Briefly highlight your point of interest here. Men Briefly highlight your point of interest here. October 12, :30 pm St. Ben s Come and See Vocations Retreat November 4-6, 2016 St. Joseph Seminary Covington Free Transportation Provided from Lafayette National Vocation Awareness Week November 6-12, 2016 Runnin Revs vs Slammin Sems Basketball Game December 19, 2016 Cathedral-Carmel Gym 6:30 PM Transitional Diaconate Ordination May 27, 2017 Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist 10 am Priesthood Ordination June 10, 2017 Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist 10 am L e a d S t o r y H e a d l i n e Caption describing picture or graphic. M a r y, M o t h e r a n d M o d e l o f V o c a t i o n s Every aspect of priestly formation can be referred to Mary, the human being who has responded better than any other to God s call. Mary became both the servant and the disciple of the Word to the point of conceiving, in her heart and in her flesh, the Word made man, so as to give him to mankind. Mary was called to educate the one Eternal Priest, who became docile and subject to her motherly authority. With her example and intercession the Blessed Virgin keeps vigilant watch over the growth of vocations and priestly life in the Church. -Pope John Paul II, I Will Give You Shepherds, 1992

2 2 L a f a y e t t e v o c a t i o n s B i s h o p D e s h o t e l o r d a i n s F r. a l e x a n d e r a l b e r t, F r. J o e l f a u l k, a n d F r. M i c h a e l r i c h a r d j u n e 1 1,

3 3 V o l u m e 3, i s s u e 2 S e m i n a r i a n M i c h a e l R i c h a r d r e f l e c t s o n w h a t p r i e s t h o o d m e a n s b e f o r e h i s o r d i n a t i o n o n j u n e 1 1, In the Eucharistic Prayer we pray for all those who, holding to the truth, hand on the catholic and apostolic faith. As I prepare for my priestly ordination, I have reflected on this role of passing on the faith. Over my six years of seminary, I have been formed to lead others to Christ. This is, of course, central to the mission of the priest and the pastor: to bring souls to Jesus Christ and to bring Jesus Christ to all peoples. But my preparation for ordination has also led me to see how many faithful witnesses have passed on the faith to me. For 2,000 years the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been passed down from generation to generation. I am a recipient of that tradition, that handing on of the faith. I think of my faithful ancestors, of the Acadian people, of my grandparents and parents. It is the faith of all of these which has come to shape my life in this catholic and apostolic faith. My time in seminary has also been a time of great growth for me. In these years, I have learned from priests, professors, and parish families who have all encouraged me and formed me towards the priesthood. But I can even look further back to my childhood at St. Bernard, my high school years at St. Thomas More, my friends, and my teachers over the years. Knowing that without them, without their example, I would not have been willing or able to answer God s call to the priesthood. R e f l e c t i o n o n m y s o n s o r d i n a t i o n b y c a r l a R i c h a r d One day your son walks into the room and says I m thinking about entering the seminary. Maybe he s hinted at that before, but he went to college, had a girlfriend, had a large circle of friends and seemed to be quite satisfied with his life. But there was something missing and the more he searched, the call to the priesthood grew louder. How do I respond to his statement? Am I filled with joy or sadness or anxiety? Being a parent of a seminarian, I think I ve experienced all three. I believe that true happiness can only be found by following the plan God has for each of us. There is such joy and peace within my son as he journeys toward ordination. His smile radiates with joy. But priesthood is a vocation which very few people experience and therefore a mystery to most of us. Society is quick to judge every action and criticize what is unfamiliar. I realize that his life will not be easy. I worry how he will be accepted in the places where he is assigned. As a married person I have my spouse to lean on and support me in the troubled times. Who will be there for my son? The answer is all of us. He will always be a son, brother, nephew, uncle and loved by our family. His brother seminarians, who are experiencing the same trials, support each other along the journey. Diocesan priests are there to mentor him. His large circle of friends includes him in their lives. Parishioners send messages and prayers. Of course, nothing compares to the grace that God bestows on his chosen ones. I am proud of my son and all the young men who choose this path. I am humbled and envious of their devotion to God. As ordination approaches the excitement grows. Any anxiety in the past has been replaced with an inner peace knowing that he responded to God s call. I m also thankful of the support of other parents of seminarians, especially the veterans whose sons are now priests. If you know of someone who is considering a religious vocation or pursuing one now, please pray for him/her. Encourage in any way you can. Give thanks to God for the blessing this diocese with so many vocations and thank you for praying for my son.

4 4 L a f a y e t t e v o c a t i o n s C h r i s t o p h e r c a m b r e, M a t t h e w H e b e r t, r e n e P e l l e s s i e r a n d d a v i d r o z a s o r d a i n e d t o t r a n s i t i o n a l d i a c o n a t e m a y 2 8,

5 5 V o l u m e 3, i s s u e 2 D I O C E S E O F L A F A Y E T T E P R O U D L Y S P O N S O R S 4 9 S E M I N A R I A N S F O R F A L L Diocese of Lafayette Seminarians Transitional Deacons David Rozas, Rene Pellessier, Matthew Hebert and Christopher Cambre with Fr. Kevin Bordelon, Director of Vocations. New seminarians: Dexter Thibodeaux, Nick Ware, Calvin LeMaire, Philip Domingue, Alex Hargrave, Luke Kirk, Andrew Furka, Jace Gyles, Cameron Domingue, Alex Lancon, Jonathan Harris and Hayden Lacour.

6 6 L a f a y e t t e v o c a t i o n s H i s t o r i c f l o o d s On March 11 floodwaters from the Bogue Falaya inundated Saint Joseph Abbey and Seminary College with up to two feet of water. Most buildings were affected, including the Abbey Church. Then on August 27th, water once again rose and this time flooded much of Southeast Louisiana including the Acadiana area. Our Notre Dame seminarians jumped in and came to the aid of victims of the flood in St. Martinville, helping to clear debris and deconstruct water-soaked homes. They put into action the beautiful words of recently canonized St. Teresa of Calcutta: The fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace.

7 7 V o l u m e 3, i s s u e 2 S e m i n a r i a n s v o l u n t e e r t o a i d c l e a n u p a f t e r f l o o d i n g i n s t. m a r t i n v i l l e

8 8 L a f a y e t t e v o c a t i o n s S e m i n a r i a n s h o s t s e c o n d a n n u a l r e t r e a t f o r f a m i l i e s a n d f r i e n d s The second annual Retreat for Families and Friends of Lafayette Diocese Seminarians was held July 23, 2016 at Our Lady of Wisdom Church on the UL campus in Lafayette. Hosted by the seminarians and coordinated by 3rd Year Theology sem, Brent Smith, the day included speakers Fr. Jim Wehner, rector of Notre Dame Seminary; Dr. Jennifer Miller, NDS professor; Fr. Clinton Sensat; Fr. Bryce Sibley; and Ben Harrington, father of former seminarian-now priest, Fr. Brian Harrington. The retreat which culminated with holy hour, benediction and Mass, was enjoyed by all.

9 9 V o l u m e 3, i s s u e 2 E M I L Y B Y E R S A T T E N D S C L O S I N G O F T H E Y E A R O F C O N S E C R A T E D L I F E A T T H E V A T I C A N Caption describing picture or graphic. Emily Byers, a consecrated virgin in the Diocese of Lafayette, recently traveled to Rome to attend the closing ceremonies of the Year of Consecrated Life, which concluded with a papal audience and Mass for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2. This celebration of the diverse forms of consecrated life present in the Church included an international gathering of the Ordo Virginum, the ancient "Order of Virgins" that was renewed after the Second Vatican Council. This is only the third such gathering to happen since Approximately 500 consecrated virgins representing six continents, along with over 30 bishops and priests, attended the international meeting to hear talks by expert theologians and testimonies from women living as consecrated virgins in diverse cultural contexts. There are currently over 4000 consecrated virgins living in the world in at least 78 countries, including 235 in dioceses across the United States. While in Rome, Emily visits with DOL seminarians, Ben Pitre and Joseph Boustany, who attend the North American College just a few blocks from St. Peter s. Emily describes summarizes her experience by saying, "Being in Rome with so many other women living as consecrated virgins was a powerful experience of community for me. It deepened my desire to live my vocation with wholehearted joy as Pope Francis has encouraged us to do! here in the Diocese of Lafayette."

10 10 L a f a y e t t e v o c a t i o n s T h e j o y s o f b r o t h e r h o o d

11 V o l u m e 3, i s s u e 2 11

12 12 L a f a y e t t e v o c a t i o n s R e l i g i o u s g a t h e r f o r l u n c h e o n On Saturday, August 27, 2016, forty religious from around the Acadiana area gathered for a special morning at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Lafayette. Hosted by Sr. Uyen Vu, RN, MSN, NFA, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady, and sponsored by the DOL Office of Religious, Deacon Jim Kincel and Jamie Prejean, the day began with Holy Mass celebrated by Father James Hund, OFM. Sr. Uyen says, "It was a joyous gathering for Religious Members in the Lafayette Diocese at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center. The group started with the Thanksgiving Mass, and then joined at brunch for conversations. The purpose of the gathering was that the Religious Members get to know one another, to share with each other the different ministries, and to be connected. This gathering gives Religious an opportunity to work together as Brothers and Sisters and to support and strengthen one another to best serve God s people in the Lafayette Diocese."

13 13 V o l u m e 3, i s s u e 2 T h e F l o o r o f t h e B a s k e t b a l l C o u r t i s t h e W o o d o f t h e C r o s s f o r t h e S e m i n a r i a n " --.. s o m e i n c r e d i b l y i m p o r t a n t s a i n t b y S t e p h e n P e l l e s s i e r While I don't think that anybody actually ever said that, I don't think it's a bad thought altogether, and at least I have your attention. For us here at Notre Dame Seminary, basketball is one of the treasures we hold dear to our formation. Through it we grow in health, discipline, virtue, and community: all things necessary for the seminarian to become more fully configured to the humanity of Christ, and in an incredibly fun way. We then made every effort to play the sport regularly and form a good team not only to compete against each other, but against other seminaries around the country. To do this we held try outs to choose our best ten players, practiced regularly for months, and in the process raised funds to travel to the Josephinum, the only Pontifical seminary in the United States in Columbus Ohio. After the seemingly long time of preparation, we went into the tournament our second year running with a highly talented crew that could take down any opponent. We traveled the furthest of all the teams to get there, and upon arrival we discovered that we were the only team to come by plane. The weekend tournament became an opportunity for us to grow in sincere fraternal charity and to come to know seminarians from across the United States. As far as the competition, we were impressed. There were certainly teams that had an immense amount of basketball talent, and we ourselves felt that we could take on anybody. Down 15 points in the first game, we ended up taking the game into overtime and losing by a mere four points. We went on to win our next game handily, and went it got time for the elimination games we lost our best player to a torn Achilles tendon within the first quarter and so ended up losing. As it turns out, many teams thought that we would be the ones to take the trophy, and the seminary that we took into overtime our first game went on to win in the championship against the team we lost against. Regardless, Notre Dame Seminary is a better seminary for having journeyed to the Josephinum. This was our second time going and will be definitely playing next year, so please support us in 2017 so that we can bring home the gold!

14 14 Diocese of Lafayette Office of Vocations and Seminarians Rev. Kevin Bordelon, Director 1408 Carmel Avenue Lafayette, LA WE RE ON THE WEB! lafayettevocations.org LAFAYETTE SEMINARIANS FALL 2016 Matthew Ardoin Reed Bellingham Donald Bernard Payton Bourque (Brother John Joseph, cjc) Joseph Boustany Brice Cambre Rev. Mr. Christopher Cambre Randy Courville Noah Delatte Brent Didier Cameron Domingue Phillip Domingue Blake Dubroc Casey Dugas John Dugas Adam Fenstermaker Sean Fontenot Andrew Furka Jace Gyles Alexander Hargrave Jonathan Harris Rev. Mr. Matthew Hebert Nicholas Hebert Sal Istre Andrew Killeen Luke Kirk Hayden Lacour Joshua Lafleur Alex Lancon Korey LaVergne Cade LeBlanc Calvin LeMaire Seth Lemaire Brent Lyons Riley Maturin Scott Mitchell Rev. Mr. Rene Pellessier Stephen Pellessier Ben Pitre Matthew Pitre Connor Poirrier Rev. Mr. David Rozas Peter Sahuc, Jr. Andrew Schumacher Brent Smith Dexter Thibodeaux Michael Vidrine Nicholas Ware Kyle White F a m i l i e s a n d V o c a t i o n s "Christian revelation presents the two vocations to love: marriage and virginity. In some societies today, not only marriage and the family, but also vocations to the priesthood and the religious life, are often in a state of crisis. The two situations are inseparable: "When marriage is not esteemed, neither can consecrated virginity or celibacy exist; when human sexuality is not regarded as a great value given by the Creator, the renunciation of it for the sake of the kingdom of heaven loses its meaning". A lack of vocations follows from the breakdown of the family, yet where parents are generous in welcoming life, children will be more likely to be generous when it comes to the question of offering themselves to God: "Families must once again express a generous love for life and place themselves at its service above all by accepting the children which the Lord wants to give them with a sense of responsibility not detached from peaceful trust", and they may bring this acceptance to fulfillment not only "through a continuing educational effort but also through an obligatory commitment, at times perhaps neglected, to help teenagers especially and young people to accept the vocational dimension of every living being, within God's plan... Human life acquires fullness when it becomes a self-gift: a gift which can express itself in matrimony, in consecrated virginity, in self-dedication to one's neighbor towards an ideal, or in the choice of priestly ministry. Parents will truly serve the life of their children if they help them make their own lives a gift, respecting their mature choices and fostering joyfully each vocation, including the religious and priestly one"." Guidelines for Education within the Family, Pontifical Council for the Family, 1995 Becoming a priest or a man or woman religious is not primarily our own decision... Rather it is the response to a call and to a call of love. Pope Francis, Address to Seminarians and Novices, July 6, 2013