Discernment Dinner with Bishop Etienne

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!

World Day of Prayer for Vocations: "Witness Awakens Vocations"

This weekend, April 24th and 25th, we celebrate the 47th annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations! The entire Church is called to pray that Jesus' call to "follow Him" will be heard in the hearts of the young men and women who God is calling to the priesthood, religious life, marriage, the diaconate, and the single life lived for the Gospel. The theme for this year is: "Witness Awakens Vocations" Pope Benedict wrote, "Every priest, every consecrated person, faithful to his or her vocation, radiates the joy of serving Christ and draws all Christians to respond to the universal call to holiness. Consequently, in order to foster vocations to the ministerial priesthood and the consecrated life, and to be more effective in promoting vocations, we cannot do without the example of those who already have said 'yes' to God and to his plan for the life of each individual. Personal witness, in the form of concrete existential choices, will encourage young people for their part to make demanding decisions affecting their future."

I have definitely experienced this to be true! I've been so blessed in my life to have strong, prayerful, wise, and passionate priests and religious women in my life that inspired me to become a priest! Among them is Fr. Carl Beavers. Pictured above on the far left, Fr. Beavers has mentored me for nearly half of my life and all my priesthood. I still have my class notes from his Senior Theology class in High School. Many people including myself consider him to be a hero. Doesn't hurt that he is a Denver Broncos fan! What I admire about Fr. Beavers is his prayerful dedication to the God, the Blessed Mother, and the Church. I've always known him to be a man with "fire in the belly" for the things of the Kingdom. He's spoken and written about topics that affect not only the parishes he's served, but have guided our diocese, influenced politicians, called all to deeper appreciation for the Gospel's power to influence for the better the common good. His homilies and witness have been a light and a call to holiness. I think also of Fr. Michael Carr my pastor during my High School and seminary years and his gentle wisdom that has taught me so much. Fr. Vernon Clark's wonderful vitality and generous pastoral ministry also were instrumental in my saying 'yes' many times to the seminary. Every priest, religious, and deacon I've know has been an encouragement in one way or another for me to "find (my) delight in the Lord, He will grant your heart's desire."

This year I've invited several religious orders of women to come to St. Paul's Newman Center to speak to the young women who are open and searching for a meaningful way to give their lives in service to God and the Church. I realized in years past that I cannot provide the witness they need as young women so I turned to those heroic women who are living that beautiful call. What a powerful impact that has had this year! Not only on the young women but on me!

As we enter this "Good Shepherd Sunday" let us be grateful to God for the priests, religious men and women, deacons, married couples, families, and dedicated disciples who walk with us and inspire us to find the way of service God has planned for us! Let us also be open to the way that our personal witness can guide and encourage our peers, our children, and others to "give it all for the love of God!"

Encounter with God's Call Weekend

Encounter with God's Call weekend was celebrated April 17-19, 2010 at Conception Seminary College in Conception Missouri. Five young men participated from the Diocese of Cheyenne. We drove 600 miles on Saturday morning, braving severe fog from Laramie to Cheyenne. Almost as a commentary on the spiritual journey of discernment, the weather got brighter and clearer the closer we got to Conception Seminary College! This weekend was very much an experience of "Annunciation". 140 young men from over five states chose to allow God to use messengers to speak to them of His divine will. These were members of the 100 + seminarians at CSC, Priests, the witness of Benedictine Monks, and their peers. God's call manifests itself in unique and mysterious ways in each of our lives but at some point we are invited to "follow me (Jesus)" and for men considering the priesthood that means the choice to discern entering the seminary.

An amazing aspect of this weekend was the discovery by our young men that they are not alone in their desire to discover God's will for them and to enter into discernment of the possibility of the seminary. They got to spend time in recreational activities, to enter into the rhythm of the prayer life of the seminary, and to experience what daily life might be for them as seminarians.

One of the highlights of the weekend was to celebrate Sunday mass and adoration with the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey in the Basilica. The beauty and enormity of the basilica of the Immaculate Conception provided an encouraging setting in which to experience the sacramental grace of the mass and the foundation of our spiritual life: relationship with Jesus and through Him relationship with the Father through the Holy Spirit.

Spring has appeared at Conception! The wonderful beauty of blooming flowers, trees, and the plethora of birds were signs of the fruits of the Spirit at work in each of these young men and in each of us. When we allow ourselves to brave the risk of answering God's call, new life always buds forth from silence, our active listening, and our cooperation with God's gentle hands molding us in His Son's image for service of the Church and humanity.

For (back row) Andrew Kinstetter, Lorenzo Maffin, Joshua Hewlett, Hugh Cook, (front row) Bob Rodgers, Jose Vigil, and Hiep Nguyen, Encounter with God's call was an opportunity to see what seminary life is like and to consider the profound call to serve the people of Wyoming after the example of St. Joseph and of Jesus Himself, the Good Shepherd. For me it was a homecoming and an opportunity for gratitude. 20 years ago I graduated from CSC after four of the best (not by any means the easiest) years of my life. As I reflected over all that I have experienced since then, and traveled with these young men, I rejoiced to rediscover the joy of Encountering God's Call and living it with the help of Grace and community!

1st Holy Communion and the power of the Eucharist

Last Sunday, Mercy Sunday, I had the privilege of celebrating my youngest niece's first Holy Communion at St. Mary's Cathedral in Cheyenne. Emily is the fourth of my brother's children that I have been able to "give" communion to. As a priest, I have been so amazed by the gift of celebrating the Mass and of being able to be an "altar Christus" for God's people. As I was reflecting after Emily and her classmates received our Lord in Word and Sacrament, I was

taken by the profound gift of God's life given to us through the sacramental life of the Church! I was particularly aware that it wasn't "uncle Ray" that gave Emily communion but Jesus Christ Himself! I was awash in gratitude as I saw my family, four generations, sitting in the balcony near the sanctuary: my maternal grandmother, my parents, my Godson and eldest niece Jazmine, and the next generation: my great nephew Santos. All of them given eternal life by the Lord that I get to serve and represent as a priest! I've been meditating about all the places

that I have had the opportunity to celebrate mass ranging from parishes in Wyoming: particularly in Lander as my first pastorate and Pine Bluffs as my second pastorate all the way to Vietnam, Rome, Lisieux France, Australia, and Canada. I can still remember my first Holy Communion at St. Joseph's Church in Cheyenne as I received our Lord with my brother through the ministry of the late Fr. Angel Ornelas. That day my entire life changed as I entered more

profoundly into the life of the Trinity and the Church. It was all I could do to fight back tears of joy, humility, and gratitude at the encounter that my niece now shares with me! Now she will have access to all the graces of the Eucharist as she matures as a disciple of Jesus Christ and as she discovers her own vocation. The challenge for me and for all of us is to live Eucharistic lives in the service of the Gospel and the people in our lives. This is not done with all the pomp and circumstance of dresses and veils but in the garments of the everyday-the invisible baptismal garment that we are clothed in. Most often in the ordinary trials, doubts, joys, and failures of daily life. I've always prayed that each mass and each communion be for me better than the first though I'm not always certain that this is my conscious experience. What a wonderful way to celebrate Mercy Sunday and finish the Octave of Easter! On April 25th my goddaughter Avery will get to share this experience though I will not get to be with her as I will be promoting vocations in Worland. Regardless of distance, new life continues to flow into the world through the Church and especially through the Eucharist!

T-day plus 8

It has been 8 days since we as a universal Church entered the Sacred Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday. For the most part life has returned to seeming normalcy here in Laramie. Mass attendance at daily mass has all but returned to pre-Lent numbers and stress levels are up due to the nearness of the end of the semester. I have been pondering what has changed for me this Lent and now into the first week of Easter. Initially I have been very moved and challenged by the generosity of Fr. Carl Gallinger, the Pastor of St. Paul's Newman Center, who allowed me to preside at Holy Thursday and at the Easter Vigil. As the Vocation Director I am based out of the Newman Center so I am not a pastor of any parish. I've been richly blessed by Fr. Carl and the Newman Center Community as I exercise quite a bit of priestly ministry here. This is humbling in that when I was a Pastor in Lander and Pine Bluffs I used to be possessive and really excited about these holy days! I hope that I can realize a wonderfully liberating truth: it's not about me but about God! I am only a humble instrument along with all those around me. So it is not so important that I "do" everything rather that I prayerfully allow God to work through me. The latter allows me to let go and let God. I am hosting the three seminarians from Vietnam this week. They are on Easter break and are not able to return home or take trips like the seminarians from Wyoming, with the exception of Brandon Halvorsen who is studying in Belgium. Hiep, Linh, and Duy are terrific examples of generosity, joy, and humble service to me and to all they meet. They remind me a lot of Jesus' incarnation: His willingness to "leave home" that is to become fully human that we might become one with the Father by baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, and lives striving for holiness. The Vietnamese seminarians are willing to serve in Wyoming the rest of their lives! As the Easter readings suggest to us, Easter is about new life! Nothing went back to the way it was after Jesus' resurrection, in fact in many ways things got more difficult and exciting! All but one apostle was martyred, the Church struggled for the first few hundred years with persecution and in coming to understand the mystery of God and the mystery of the Church itself. The days after Easter are called mystagogia, a time of profound reflection upon the mysteries of our faith as we encounter them anew in the renewal of our baptismal promises. These are vocation days too, days to be attentive to God's call to us and to be generous in our yes! The foot washing was not a once and for all activity but marks the character of our lives as disciples. Lucky for us, we have almost 40 more days to celebrate Easter and to allow the Holy Spirit to help us grow in our faith and service to God and the Church!