Dominican Vocations

	DOMINICAN VOCATIONS PROVINCE OF THE ASSUMPTION

Site map	Expected Twist: Vocations Testimony at St Dominic's Parish (12 November 2006)	Br Vincent Magat, O.P.
Home News -------------------------- Welcome Benedict XVI Master -------------------------- History Introduction St Dominic's gift Australia --------------------------- Order Discernment Formation Dominican habit Novitiate Studentate --------------------------- Life Introduction Four pillars Apostolate --------------------------- People Dominican saints Our brethren --------------------------- Resources Lectio Divina Links Prayer Reading --------------------------- Site dedication	The art of storytelling rarely progresses from the beginning to the end without some unexpected twist or delay. The hero is presented as a hero in his weakness. He gets lost in the forest, he forgets where he left his horse, or he manages to upset the fair maiden whose heart, we all know, he is destined to win. The story of my coming to be here has many such false turns, but I will spare you all of them except for one. That is, that the beginning of my interest in the priesthood was far from edifying. When I first contemplated it as a young boy in Slovakia where I grew up, I though of priesthood as the greatest cop-out in the world. One mass a day and then just chit-chat with people who love and respect you to fill out the time between the meals. But as I grew through the years and experienced more of the life of the Church, I came to see the priesthood not as the easiest, but one of the most noble callings in life. The priest, as I came to see, is always involved at the most important moments of people's lives. When a child is born, there is a priest there to baptize it and welcome it into the Church. As a child grows, there is a priest there at first holy communion, or the bishop at confirmation. When people get married, there is a priest there to be a witness for the Church and to confirm and strengthen their love before God. When people are sick, or in need of counsel or forgiveness, a priest is again involved. When a person dies, there is a priest there to offer the rites of the Church. While usually we only see a doctor when we are sick, the priest is there for all occasions and all the truly important times of our lives. In this way, I began to think of the priesthood as a vocation in which I can do the most good possible, according to God’s plan and will. The story obviously does not end there, as it often does in movies. There is no walking off into the sunset, no happily-ever-after, no quick thank you and good night. Rather, there is the reality of religious life, in all its sweetness and all its difficulties. I think you will be glad to know that we are all well fed and well clothed (even though some of us have habits two or three inches too short!). Through God’s grace we have been given the opportunity for seven years of study and growth in the spiritual as well as human dimensions of the person. We study matters as varied as philosophy and scripture, history and psychology and of course theology, the queen of the sciences. But we have been also given opportunities to work with the aged and the young, to work at schools, retirement homes and soup vans providing for the poor. After six years of formation I have, God willing, learned many good and useful things, but as the years go by my eagerness for work, priestly work increases and the apprehension and fears I once had disappear too. I will share with you one more story: When I was on the verge of entering the Order, I noticed that the friars have a school in Adelaide and I remember fearing that one day I should end up there, stuck in a job that horrified me back then. Three years later, when the time came for me to consider where I would like to spend 6 months working, Blackfriars Priory School was number one on my list. I loved my time there, teaching, working, coaching cricket and soccer. But looking to the future, it is clear that today as always we need shepherds of souls who will provide for the needs of the Church and with a kind word guide those who are lost and in need of counsel. We also need scholars, men who will defend and expound anew the great message of salvation to a world that has grown tired of hearing the truth. This Province has a proud tradition of producing good scholars despite our small numbers and in our studentate at the moment we are lucky to have a few gifted men. So please, pray for us: pray for us as we work towards the goal for which we entered, as we strive to realize the one great desire of standing here one day as a priest, offering the holy sacrifice of the Mass. All of us without exception want to preach the Word of God. Please pray for us that one day we may through God’s mercy become holy priests, good pastors of souls and true preachers of the Word.