i observed a communal prayer life
that was rich and clearly meaningful
to the members of the community.
i saw playfulness and camaraderie
among the brothers that helped
me understand they were human
like me and not people who were
disconnected or out of touch with
the world around them. All of these
observations led me to believe that
i, too, could one day be a religious
brother.
After four years of discernment
as a college student, a six-month
live-in with one of the communities, and a few years working in a
diocesan religious education office, i
finally decided to formally enter the
novitiate with the society of Mary
Prior to meeting
the Marianists I had
never seriously
considered religious life,
most likely because
I wasn’t really sure
what it looked like.
“
Live a life filled with love, service,
commitment and dedication.
By extending our hands and
hearts in service to our African
American brothers and sisters,
we have been proclaiming
the Good News for over 140
years.
Have you felt a calling to
give your life to God’s
work in the African
American community?
Join us and
“Be Not Afraid.”
(Marianists). in all it was a seven-year process of building relationships
and embracing a call that took me a
while to admit was real and was not
going away.
Learn more! Email us at:
vocations@josephite.com
or call (202) 832-9100
A distinct and full vocation
www.josephite.com | 202.832.9100 | vocations@josephite.com
1200 Varnum Street, N.E., Washington D.C. 20017
As i learned more about church history, the vowed life, and the charism
of the community, the distinct role
of the religious brother within the
church became clearer to me. it is a
vocation that is often overshadowed
by the priesthood and misunderstood by clergy and laity alike. i have
Enter #192 at VocationMatch.com
lost track how many times i have
been asked, “so are you going all the
way?”—meaning: isn’t a brother on
his way to being ordained a priest?
At times in the history of the
church, a young man who did not do
well in seminary studies was “stuck”
in the vocation of being a brother.
often that is the misconstrued view
of this vocation. yet the fullness of
this distinctive vocation is mani-
fested in so many beautiful ways
VISION 2013
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