and Notre Dame's Main Building
As many of you already know, this past August, I began the Postulant Program at Moreau Seminary, located at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. I am discerning a vocation as a priest for the religious order of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the same congregation which founded Notre Dame in 1842.
Moreau Seminary Chapel
My hopes for this blog are many. First, I hope it allows friends and family a clearer image of what discernment looks like and the process of coming to understand God’s will in all of our lives, whatever our vocation may be. The blog will look at prayer life, academic life, celebrations, rituals, and traditions within the formation process, the Church and the Congregation.
Secondly, I hope it may be a source of information for those who may be considering a vocation to priestly or religious life. I have learned that in today’s fast-paced-interconnected-i-phone world, God’s call for us can often be overpowered by all that extra “noise” in our lives. Perhaps this blog will help break away some of that barrier and be helpful to someone who is wondering if God might be calling them to be a priest, deacon, brother or sister.
Finally, and most importantly, I hope this blog brings attention to God and the daily companionship He seeks from each of us. May this blog bring us closer to Him and open our hearts more to one another.
I thank you for reading and for your prayers and support.
Why Divine Providence?
Perhaps the best way to begin my first official blog post is to explain the meaning behind the title to my blog webpage. When selecting a title, I wanted it to be one that had personal meaning, while also related to my formation within the Congregation of Holy Cross.
My first week of seminary was spent at camp along with all of the other seminarians who are at Moreau Seminary this year. We met at the congregation’s retreat center for one week to learn more about the Congregation of Holy Cross, the programs we were entering as well as the academic year. Most importantly the camp week was about meeting others and beginning to form new friendships.
In Chicago for a "free day"
during Camp Week.
The theme for the camp week was, “Trusting in Divine Providence.” At the beginning, I didn’t think much about the theme and thought if anything, it was just something that was chosen because it sounded good. But I quickly came to realize its significance not only in the congregation’s history, but also in my own life.
The founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross was Blessed Fr. Basil Moreau, C.S.C. who was born in France in 1799. Blessed Basil Moreau grew up during the French Revolution where priests and religious were being killed for their beliefs. After his ordination in 1821 he had organized a group of priests to minister throughout the country. He would eventually bring his priests together with a group of religious brothers to form his new congregation, the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1837.
Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C.
Throughout the entire building up of the congregation, Blessed Basil Moreau always trusted in “Divine Providence,” meaning that if God wanted the congregation to spread and grow, He would lead it and guide it and bless its work. There were times where the congregation nearly fell apart or faced such financial troubles that Moreau wondered if it was God’s will. Nonetheless, he always trusted.
Today that very congregation he founded has a presence in 16 countries around the world on five continents, working in parishes, universities, missions and direct service to the poor. When Blessed Basil Moreau trusted in God’s Divine Providence, God was able to work in unbelievable ways.
So how does “Divine Providence” relate to my life or your life? First of all, it is by Divine Providence that I am where I am today. The Congregation has always played an important role in my life. My home parish in Michigan, St. Joseph Catholic Church, was founded in the 1800’s by priests from Notre Dame. Since that time, we have always had a visiting Holy Cross priest to say Mass and thus I first learned about Holy Cross as a child. It wasn’t at all uncommon to have a visiting Holy Cross priest from the missions in Africa or Bangladesh. Perhaps this is where I first got my desire to travel overseas?
Both my sister and I attended colleges founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross: my sister at Saint Mary’s College and myself at Holy Cross College. I was actually going to attend a public university in Michigan until my sister suggested I apply to Holy Cross College. The opportunity to attend a Catholic College founded by the Holy Cross Brothers, located across the road from the University of Notre Dame certainly played a role in my awareness of what the Congregation of Holy Cross was about and stood for. Many of my classes were taught by Holy Cross priests or brothers.
In 2007 I was able to travel to Ghana, West Africa, as part of a class at Holy Cross College. It was there that we stayed with the religious brothers from the congregation and it is there where I first began to think about joining the Peace Corps.
In Ghana, West Africa
In 2009 I left for Samoa to begin my Peace Corps service, while at the same time feeling deep in my heart that God wanted me to pray more seriously about a possible vocation as a priest. My nearly three years in Samoa were years of growth, prayer and joy, making new friends, learning about a new culture and serving people whom I really loved.
With students and faculty
at my school in Samoa.
Divine Providence can be seen throughout my entire life story. It is no secret that if Blessed Basil Moreau hadn’t founded the Congregation of Holy Cross, my life would have looked very different. The Holy Cross priests would not have founded St. Joseph Parish in Michigan; my sister wouldn’t have attended St. Mary’s and thus wouldn’t have been able to recommend a school for me to apply to. I wouldn’t have traveled to Ghana to stay with Holy Cross Brothers and thus wouldn’t have begun to feel that desire to apply to the Peace Corps. Most of all, there would have been no Moreau Seminary to even apply to, which is where I am today!
If we allow God’s Divine Providence to speak in our lives, we can never fall short of his will for us and his love for us. Trusting in His quiet voice which speaks within each of us and listening to those He places in our lives can allow our lives to follow new and exciting paths we never knew were possible.
Let this Divine Providence be the beginning of the conversation here within this blog, and I welcome you back in the days, weeks, and months ahead as we continue to trust.
