Reflections - Friars in Post Novitiate
Their Vocation Journey...
TIMOTHY ALLER, O.F.M., Cap.
It has been an adventure getting to this point in my vocation journey and I find it hard to believe. It is not the title or having the initials follow the name; but rather what they stand for. We are a brotherhood living Fraternity, Minority, Contemplation, Ministry, Justice-Peace-Ecology while living in-through-with God's Love. I know this as I see it and live amongst brothers who mentor me everyday in these areas. Occasionally, even I too, am able to express some of these charisms of our life. It is living, simple as that. What I thought was living and being successful and contributing to our world has drastically changed. No longer the titles, money, power, possessions, even though these things can be used and are sometimes necessary; they are not the measure of accomplishment. Today for me to be of value I affirm for myself that God came first. That in every encounter and everything given I saw Christ...the smile of a child, the warmth of the sun on my face, the cold nose pressed to the cheek by a neighborhood dog, this is wealth. Today I try to do that which God wills me to do, to become that which He made me to be. Just for today I am a success. As long as I try even when I fall or fail I am of great value... I belong to God.
My road has not been easy. Just before entering Postulancy our family companion, our dog Dalton, had to be put to sleep. A friend and extended family member, while pregnant and in her early thirties, was treated for a brain tumor. While in novitiate and just three days after my birthday, my Aunt Katherine passed away. Although I had problems and scares medically while in novitiate, God was there with me. My brothers stood by me and when I could not stand, literally, they carried me. I was never alone. Even when fear and doubt crept into this weak mind and body, my God was with me and my brothers guided me back to recognize His loving presence. Just two days after reporting to Boston for my first assignment as a simply professed student friar my father had a triple bypass. Several brothers have been kind enough to stop in and see the family and bring them the love and support of our Lord and our Capuchin Franciscan family. Anything is possible with God. For me I know this from experience. I know God loves me because "the Lord gave me brothers".
I guess the easiest way to say what I am trying to express is that I am an imperfect man, who at times sins, lacking in so many ways as to skills or education, and is a BELOVED CHILD of GOD. My life is now the pursuit of doing God's Will, maintaining a closer relationship with God and all creation; while trying to express love..."and the greatest of these is love".
To read more about our brother, Tim...
ERNEST BEDARD, O.F.M., Cap.
I professed Solemn Vows on September 1, 2007 at St. Pius X Church in Middletown, Connecticut along with my brothers James Donegan and Samuel Fuller. I then traveled to Cochabamba, Bolivia to continue my studies in Spanish at the Maryknoll Language Institute for a three month program. While in Bolivia, I lived with the Capuchin Franciscan Friars in their Post-Novitiate house in Cochabamba, and ministered at a local shelter for children called Casa Nazareth. This enabled me to develop my language skills in preparation for future ministry, while also giving me the opportunity to have a cross cultural experience.
Following the completion of my studies in Bolivia, I returned to the Church of the Good Shepherd in upper Manhattan to continue my work as a Pastoral Associate at the end of December in 2007. My work at Good Shepherd has entailed a variety of different ministries, including sacramental preparation, teaching at Good Shepherd School, classes in Franciscan spirituality, young adult ministry, home visitations, and preaching. I have definitely enjoyed my work at Good Shepherd, and am pleased with the experience. It has enabled me to develop some of the skills that I will need in future parish ministry. It certainly presented many challenges for me, which in turn helped me to both discover and develop some skills that I had been unaware of before this experience.
I also found living with the friars at Good Shepherd to be a very rewarding experience. Through their support and mentorship, I found my time there to be an opportunity to focus on growth as a friar in regards to my life of prayer, ministry, and fraternity, not only to the Friars, but to the parish as well. Ultimately, we are a brotherhood. We are called to be brothers for those that we serve and those that we live with in community. Saint Francis understood all of God’s creatures and especially those that he ministered to as his brothers and sisters, and his mission was to bring the message of God’s great love and mercy to a world in need.
I returned to Our Lady of Lourdes friary in Jamaica Plain, MA in August and in September I began theological studies at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry in preparation for Ordination. Although I enjoy my studies, I miss the friars and parishioners at Good Shepherd where I felt at home. The people were wonderful and a joy to work with and am deeply grateful for my time there.
SALVATORE CORDARO, O.F.M., Cap.
My vocation journey began many years ago and I am only now beginning to fully explore the state of life to which God has called me. The first phase of my faith life was one of a Catholic lived out only in a cultural sense, with no real encounter with God or the Church. This lack of a true faith led me away from the Church for several years. Thankfully, I had kept up an interest in comparative religion that I had picked up from a course at my college and from my personal reading. The stirrings of my conversion were being kindled at this time, due in large part to my readings in Christian mysticism, especially that of the Eastern Orthodox tradition, and Sufism, and some Hindu and Buddhist texts. The realization that God could be known and experienced in this life was a revelation to me and in fact brought me back to my original faith tradition, once I came to know the incredibly rich tradition of mysticism in the Catholic Church. Soon after, I came across the book the Seven Story Mountain, the autobiography of Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk and poet. Merton’s journey to God and to the monastery enkindled a deep desire in me to also give myself entirely to God by entering the religious life. My initial attraction was to the Trappist Order but for many years I was unable to make a decision about what to do. I had no one to talk to about my vocation and, honestly, I was afraid to make a commitment. It was only in 2003 that I seriously considered a Capuchin Franciscan vocation. The Capuchins I met at St. John the Baptist Church in Manhattan exemplified for me the life I was looking for...one of prayer and apostolate, each informing and strengthening the other.
I entered Postulancy in August 2005 and I took Simple Vows in December 2007. I am currently living in Boston and continuing my Post-Novitiate formation and working on my studies for the priesthood. I am enjoying my life as a Capuchin Franciscan more than I ever expected and although there have been a few rough moments; I feel that I am where I truly belong. I feel privileged to work with and minister to such good people. Being an older man in formation has been difficult at times, but my age of 43 years and my life experience has also made it easier in many respects. I used to regret that I entered religious life later in life but I now realize that God called me at the right time and I am only now ready to pursue this path faithfully and wholeheartedly.
To read more about our brother, Sal...
VICTOR GARCIA, O.F.M., Cap.
I continue this journey, focusing on Our Lord, Jesus Christ, His unconditional love for all, and my growing love of my neighbor. For the past year, I have gradually fallen even deeper in love with the Lord and have continued to search for ways to return this love.
To achieve this, I have to reconcile my sins and surrender myself to the Lord. For complete surrender to take place, it will be necessary for me, with the help of our Lord, to manage and eventually control all aspects of worldly allurements. I have realized that in order to continue and deepen my intimacy with the Lord, and eventually have perfect communion with Him, I must:
1) Have control over carnal desires;
2) Be independent and not be burdened of material possessions;
3) And fully understand where I truly and humbly belong in God’s creation.
And, to sustain what has developed and established, I must have:
4) A sincere commitment in living/observing the vows;
5) And a sincere commitment in living the Capuchin Franciscan charism(s) and facing their associated challenges.
What may lie ahead depends on how I successfully manage, with the help of our Lord, the difficult task of maintaining a “good balance” of these five “inter-related” or “co-dependent” points. This being said:
- My being a living testimonial to the Lord’s teachings, the Gospel, will be achieved
- My continued spiritual, intellectual, physical development, without losing my primary focus, Our Lord, Jesus Christ will be possible
- And, my living in this world with new experiences, new fuels and inspirations, as a Capuchin Franciscan will take place.
North American Pacific Capuchin Conference (NAPCC) has provided me with the proper bearings and sustenance to continue and survive this journey. I could now comfortably say that all that I will ultimately need or own, though subjective and abstract, would simply be the five inter-related or co-dependent points listed above. I am convinced that these will be enough to sustain me to continue my process of spiritual transformation, my subsequent communions with God, leading into my pursuit of purity of heart. I am, therefore, ready to make this commitment to observe the vows in freedom and without pressure from anyone or anything.
I am grateful to Our Lord for His unrelenting goodness, for providing me with this opportunity to express my love for Him and for giving me brothers and sisters that have aided in bringing me even closer to these realizations. I am also grateful to the intercessions of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints and to my family and friends for their continued support and prayers, to the NAPCC, most especially our formators and my spiritual director for their guidance, generosity and instilling in me the confidence of being a “steward of the Lord”, to the Capuchin Franciscans of the Province of St. Mary for accepting me as part of their fraternity and especially those in our province for continually supporting the NAPCC and the benefactors that have made the NAPCC possible.
The more I find out about our Order and the Province of St. Mary, the more I am proud to be a part of the Capuchin Franciscan community.
To read more about our brother, Victor...
RICHARD MATTOX, O.F.M., Cap.
My journey as a Capuchin Franciscan began many years ago while I was still a Jesuit Scholastic studying philosophy at Fordham University. I began attending St. John the Baptist Church in midtown Manhattan. I was drawn to this church and to the friars working there. I was instantly impressed with Brother Sal Patricola, whose prayerful demeanor deeply impressed me. After leaving the Jesuits in 2003 I moved back to Miami, where I had grown up, and slowly started to build up the courage to contact the Capuchin Franciscan vocation office of the Province of St. Mary. I was nervous because I thought what if it doesn't work out? But thank God it did and it has! I was welcomed warmly by Brother Tim Jones, the vocation director, and every step of the process during my candidate year. I felt guided by the Holy Spirit. My candidate year was truly a special time where I met a lot of friars and other candidates also discerning and it certainly felt like it was the right fit. It was also a lot of fun. I have not regretted my decision to enter.
When I received the news that I had been accepted, it was one of the most joyous days of my life. The only day that has surpassed that one was when I made my Temporary Vows in December of 2007. There the love of the brothers was truly evident. There are certainly a lot of challenges in this life but there is also a lot of joy. To anyone who is considering this life, don't be afraid to take the plunge. If God is calling you to this life, you will know it.
To read more about our brother, Richard...
ANDREW NOWAK, O.F.M., Cap.
I entered the Capuchin Franciscan Postulancy program in 2003 after working as an investigator for New York State Child Protective Services in Buffalo, New York. My job in Child Protection brought me into the lives of many desperate and broken people. The children and families that I worked with will forever be in my mind and heart. The Holy Spirit inspired me to do more; to serve the desperate and the broken as well as those on the margins. A phone call to Brother Tim landed me a vocation interview. I went to my first discernment weekend and knew that God was calling me to live the life of a Capuchin Franciscan friar minor and here I am. In the past five years I have had the opportunity to live, pray, work, and study with extraordinary men, men I am grateful to call my brothers. I am currently studying theology at Boston College and working with youth and gangs in Dorchester, MA. If you feel the Holy Spirit tugging on your heart, do something about it. You will not regret it.
MICHELE (MIKE) VRICELLA, O.F.M., Cap.
My vocation story is not as thrilling as St. Paul's or St. Augustine but like them, responding to God's Call can lead to many unexpected places and helped me discover many blessings.
I am the second and last child of Italian stock born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Faith was something that was present throughout my childhood so being in church was the natural niche for practicing that faith. I've worked as a sacristan, receptionist and parish vocation minister. In my vocation ministry what struck me most was the genuine kindness and down-to-earth nature the Capuchins manifested. I would say to myself "if I ever become a Religious I want to be like them"...apparently God heard and delivered!
The Capuchin life is one filled with blessings-those given and received. I have lived in Brooklyn, NY; Kansas and Wisconsin and in all those places and in-between I have discovered the meaning of being a friar minor or a "little brother", to act with justice and compassion, value people and make myself available to people through service and prayer.
To read more about our brother, Mike...