Viatorians are doing vocation ministry nearly all the time, and during this National Vocations Awareness Week, we want to spotlight some of the most recent efforts.
Telling Our Stories
Car trouble often becomes a major headache and a colorful story to tell once the problem is solved. For Fr. John Eustice, CSV, when his friend’s car wouldn’t start at Midway Airport, it started a journey that’s still going over 25 years later – one he has vowed will go on perpetually.
In a new video, Fr. John, our Director of Vocation Ministry, comes to you from the top deck of the Midway Airport parking garage, planes and trains cruising through the background and busted ignition switch in hand. Here, he explains how a broken-down car helped fuel him down the road toward religious life.
Fr. John (right) with fellow religious.
His friend, Ryan, had been serving with the Viatorians for the summer, and Ryan invited John to fly to Chicago and drive his car back to Las Vegas with him. When Ryan’s car died at the parking garage, they got a tow out to the Province Center. “When I was there, I wasn’t thinking about becoming a Viatorian; I was just with a friend. But that’s when I met a bunch of Viatorians, wearing t-shirts and sandals and relaxing with a beer,” Fr. John says in the video. “Wow, normal people – I never knew priests and brothers could be that way.”
Bits of this story often come on the road with Fr. John, such as his visit this week to Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago for their special vocations assembly (right). This video is your chance to hear the whole story straight from the source:
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Fr. Juan Carlos addressed classrooms of students and also celebrated Mass for the community. (Photos courtesy Colegio Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Bethlemitas Norte)
A Broader Sense of Career Day
Last week, at Colegio Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Bethlemitas Norte in Bogotá, Colombia, their Career Day (Día de los Profesiones) included engineers, teachers, military, parents, and also religious women and men. Fr. Juan Carlos Ubaque, CSV, Coordinator of Vocation Ministry for the Foundation of Colombia, presented to groups of students about his Viatorian religious life and priesthood, and members of other religious communities took part, too.
This was part of the school’s Vocations Week (Semana Vocacional), which also included a Mass celebrated by Fr. Juan Carlos and the renewal of religious vows by a religious sister. For him, it’s a chance to nourish his vocation to religious life by spending time with peers as well as collaborating with them in ministry with young people.
“I have had the opportunity to accompany the Bethlemite Sisters on some occasions for their daily Mass as well as to celebrate Mass with their students. This has been very enriching because it has allowed me to stay close to the life of a religious community that shares our love for catechesis and teaching,” Fr. Juan Carlos said. “Last week’s activities were another chance to do something I strive to do often: present the distinct charism of Fr. Querbes to children and young people.”
Fr. Dan addresses the Year Two group.
Planting Seeds and Forming Youth
When working with younger people, vocation ministers seek to help them understand what religious life is like, how it serves God and the Church, and how it can be an attractive option for one’s life.
On Sunday, Fr. Dan Belanger, CSV, worked with Year 2 Confirmation students at St. Viator Catholic Community, where he serves as Parochial Vicar, and talked about religious vocations. Fr. Dan told a bit of the story of how he became a Viatorian, reaching back to what he was like as a kid, the small signs God offered, and the joy and purpose he finds today.
“Your vocation is where your joy meets the world’s need,” Fr. Dan said to them. “Start paying attention to what makes your heart come alive.”
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Viatorians believe that God continues to invite men to Viatorian religious life and continues to invite people to Viatorian association. Is God inviting you to be a Viatorian? Reach out to Vocation Ministry to start a conversation: email vocations@viatorians.com; DM @ViatorianUSA; or text or call (847) 894-8537.