Last evening Bishop Etienne joined nine young men for mass, prayer, dinner, and to guide them as they consider God's call in their lives. The readings for the mass aptly captured the liberating urgency of God's call, "But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out..." (Jn. 10:1-10) Jesus continues to call each of us by name to the fullness of life through a particular vocation: to the priesthood, religious life, marriage, the diaconate, or the single life. What was particularly amazing was that we were hearing the Gospel from
our Good Shepherd, Bishop Etienne! Bishop Etienne earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Gregorian university in Rome with a specialty in Spiritual Direction. He offered some very helpful suggestions to the men who attended after he shared his own vocation story.
The Bishop assured us that every time we pray, even if we are not aware of any feelings of God's presence, that God is in fact with us. The challenge and the call is to remain faithful to a personal life of prayer. Basic keys to prayer are a regular time for prayer, a consistent location for prayer, and perseverance in prayer. Also important are reconciliation and mass, especially daily mass as often as possible. These are the regular channels of grace for us. The bishop mentioned that each vocation is unique and a mystery. God calls us to look for the places where His peace is noticeable to us and to be aware in the everyday of the ways that God tugs at our hearts. Adoration can be a very important encounter for us with God.
It was a real blessing to have the Bishop share his discernment journey with us and to offer encouragement for the times when discernment or saying "yes" to God's call can be a real trial. He mentioned that the cross is at the center of every vocation and that the presence of trial, anxiety, difficulty may in fact be a sign that we are on the right track! It was so obvious that the Bishop is truly joyful at being a priest and also at being a bishop. He repeatedly told the young men that the priesthood is absolutely a life of joy and fulfillment! What good news! To hear from Jesus and our bishop that the journey of discernment will ultimately yield the fruit of peace and joy!
Last evening Bishop Etienne joined nine young men for mass, prayer, dinner, and to guide them as they consider God's call in their lives. The readings for the mass aptly captured the liberating urgency of God's call, "But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out..." (Jn. 10:1-10) Jesus continues to call each of us by name to the fullness of life through a particular vocation: to the priesthood, religious life, marriage, the diaconate, or the single life. What was particularly amazing was that we were hearing the Gospel from our Good Shepherd, Bishop Etienne! Bishop Etienne earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Gregorian university in Rome with a specialty in Spiritual Direction. He offered some very helpful suggestions to the men who attended after he shared his own vocation story. 
The Bishop assured us that every time we pray, even if we are not aware of any feelings of God's presence, that God is in fact with us. The challenge and the call is to remain faithful to a personal life of prayer. Basic keys to prayer are a regular time for prayer, a consistent location for prayer, and perseverance in prayer. Also important are reconciliation and mass, especially daily mass as often as possible. These are the regular channels of grace for us. The bishop mentioned that each vocation is unique and a mystery. God calls us to look for the places where His peace is noticeable to us and to be aware in the everyday of the ways that God tugs at our hearts. Adoration can be a very important encounter for us with God. 
It was a real blessing to have the Bishop share his discernment journey with us and to offer encouragement for the times when discernment or saying "yes" to God's call can be a real trial. He mentioned that the cross is at the center of every vocation and that the presence of trial, anxiety, difficulty may in fact be a sign that we are on the right track! It was so obvious that the Bishop is truly joyful at being a priest and also at being a bishop. He repeatedly told the young men that the priesthood is absolutely a life of joy and fulfillment! What good news! To hear from Jesus and our bishop that the journey of discernment will ultimately yield the fruit of peace and joy! 
