Reflections - Friars in Post Novitiate

Their Vocation Journey...

 

TIMOTHY ALLER, O.F.M., Cap.

It has been an adventure getting to this point in my vocation journey and I find it hard to believe. It is not the title or having the initials follow the name; but rather what they stand for. We are a brotherhood living Fraternity, Minority, Contemplation, Ministry, Justice-Peace-Ecology while living in-through-with God's Love. I know this as I see it and live amongst brothers who mentor me everyday in these areas. Occasionally, even I too, am able to express some of these charisms of our life. It is living, simple as that. What I thought was living and being successful and contributing to our world has drastically changed. No longer the titles, money, power, possessions, even though these things can be used and are sometimes necessary; they are not the measure of accomplishment. Today for me to be of value I affirm for myself that God came first. That in every encounter and everything given I saw Christ...the smile of a child, the warmth of the sun on my face, the cold nose pressed to the cheek by a neighborhood dog, this is wealth. Today I try to do that which God wills me to do, to become that which He made me to be. Just for today I am a success. As long as I try even when I fall or fail I am of great value... I belong to God.

My road has not been easy. Just before entering Postulancy our family companion, our dog Dalton, had to be put to sleep. A friend and extended family member, while pregnant and in her early thirties, was treated for a brain tumor. While in novitiate and just three days after my birthday, my Aunt Katherine passed away. Although I had problems and scares medically while in novitiate, God was there with me. My brothers stood by me and when I could not stand, literally, they carried me. I was never alone. Even when fear and doubt crept into this weak mind and body, my God was with me and my brothers guided me back to recognize His loving presence. Just two days after reporting to Boston for my first assignment as a simply professed student friar my father had a triple bypass. Several brothers have been kind enough to stop in and see the family and bring them the love and support of our Lord and our Capuchin Franciscan family. Anything is possible with God. For me I know this from experience. I know God loves me because "the Lord gave me brothers".

I guess the easiest way to say what I am trying to express is that I am an imperfect man, who at times sins, lacking in so many ways as to skills or education, and is a BELOVED CHILD of GOD. My life is now the pursuit of doing God's Will, maintaining a closer relationship with God and all creation; while trying to express love..."and the greatest of these is love".

To read more about our brother, Tim...




VICTOR GARCIA, O.F.M., Cap.

I continue this journey, focusing on Our Lord, Jesus Christ, His unconditional love for all, and my growing love of my neighbor. For the past year, I have gradually fallen even deeper in love with the Lord and have continued to search for ways to return this love.

To achieve this, I have to reconcile my sins and surrender myself to the Lord. For complete surrender to take place, it will be necessary for me, with the help of our Lord, to manage and eventually control all aspects of worldly allurements. I have realized that in order to continue and deepen my intimacy with the Lord, and eventually have perfect communion with Him, I must:

1) Have control over carnal desires;
2) Be independent and not be burdened of material possessions;
3) And fully understand where I truly and humbly belong in God’s creation.

And, to sustain what has developed and established, I must have:
4) A sincere commitment in living/observing the vows;
5) And a sincere commitment in living the Capuchin Franciscan charism(s) and facing their associated challenges.

What may lie ahead depends on how I successfully manage, with the help of our Lord, the difficult task of maintaining a “good balance” of these five “inter-related” or “co-dependent” points. This being said:

• My being a living testimonial to the Lord’s teachings, the Gospel, will be achieved
• My continued spiritual, intellectual, physical development, without losing my primary focus, Our Lord, Jesus Christ will be possible
• And, my living in this world with new experiences, new fuels and inspirations, as a Capuchin Franciscan will take place.

North American Pacific Capuchin Conference (NAPCC) has provided me with the proper bearings and sustenance to continue and survive this journey. I could now comfortably say that all that I will ultimately need or own, though subjective and abstract, would simply be the five inter-related or co-dependent points listed above. I am convinced that these will be enough to sustain me to continue my process of spiritual transformation, my subsequent communions with God, leading into my pursuit of purity of heart. I am, therefore, ready to make this commitment to observe the vows in freedom and without pressure from anyone or anything.

I am grateful to Our Lord for His unrelenting goodness, for providing me with this opportunity to express my love for Him and for giving me brothers and sisters that have aided in bringing me even closer to these realizations. I am also grateful to the intercessions of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints and to my family and friends for their continued support and prayers, to the NAPCC, most especially our formators and my spiritual director for their guidance, generosity and instilling in me the confidence of being a “steward of the Lord”, to the Capuchin Franciscans of the Province of St. Mary for accepting me as part of their fraternity and especially those in our province for continually supporting the NAPCC and the benefactors that have made the NAPCC possible.

The more I find out about our Order and the Province of St. Mary, the more I am proud to be a part of the Capuchin Franciscan community.

To read more about our brother, Victor...
 

 
MATTHEW GILES, O.F.M., Cap. 

The novitiate was an opportunity for me to grow in my understanding of the Capuchin Franciscan vocation. I greatly enjoyed the communal prayer life centered on the Eucharist and the Divine Office, as well as, the long periods of time set aside for personal, private prayer.  These experiences of prayer helped to nourish and to strengthen my relationship with Christ and to prepare me to make my vows with the Order.

As I begin my studies, I look forward to drawing on the foundations built in the novitiate and integrating them into the day-to-day life of the people I serve and the people who I study with here in Boston.  Christ has been very good to me in my two years as a Capuchin, and I trust that He will continue to guide me in His loving mercy.


MATTHEW JANECZKO, O.F.M., Cap.

For as long as I can remember, a search for transparency and authenticity has been an overriding priority in my life. I sought it in my friends, my family, and my work and most especially within my faith. This search ultimately led me to the Capuchins and subsequently into formation. I think I always heard God’s call to religious life with varying clarity. By my third year of college, however, my quest for transparency had risen in importance through events outside my own control. At that time doctors diagnosed my mother with a rare form of cancer and my family faced a fight for her life that could hardly have been expected. It would not to be accurate to say that I discerned a Capuchin vocation because my mother took ill and then recovered; yet it would be true to say that I might not have experienced God’s presence in the profound way I did if not for her illness. Thus, after a year as a youth minister in Maryland, I more fully discovered God’s Call to Capuchin life. While the journey has not always been easy, it has further challenged me to develop authenticity in my own life as well as challenged me to allow God’s love to shine through me transparently without counting the cost.

I spent the past year of my Capuchin formation at the inter-continental novitiate in Allison Park, Pennsylvania. Our community consisted of thirteen novices and five professed friars. We hailed from three different countries and eight different provinces and brought a variety of experiences of Capuchin life to the community. Our life consisted of extended periods of private and communal prayer, shared meals and collective work projects around the house. We also spent a day of each week working in a nursing home, visiting shut-ins and spending time with developmentally delayed adults.

During the coming year, I will be living at our house of studies, San Lorenzo Friary, in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. I will split my time during the fall semester by taking two philosophy classes in preparation for graduate theological studies and performing a direct service ministry. Aside from these two responsibilities, I will continue to grow in my Capuchin vocation as an active member of my fraternity, building upon the foundation of prayer that I laid in the novitiate.

ERIK LENHART, O.F.M., Cap.

In 2003-2004, I was blessed to have worked with Capuchin friars Carlos Hernandez and Fred Nickle as a Cap Corps volunteer at Capuchin Youth and Family Ministries. During that year, I adopted the Franciscan spirit or maybe a latent Franciscan spirit awoke within me. Either way, at some point, I remember entertaining the possibility of joining the Capuchins. I dismissed that idea at the time, but three years later, that little nagging whisper of “Capuchins” became too loud to ignore.

My experience of postulancy was one of question and transformation. The postulancy program is about asking questions. My primary question entering postulancy was, “Should I be a Capuchin Friar?” So far I’ve found that the ‘Capuchin Question’ orbits around other more fundamental questions. Questions about myself, my motivations, and my limits all came into focus during postulancy.

Entering a life of prayer, study, and ministry is like learning to ride a bicycle. It requires developing a balance, persistence, and can be painful and bruising, but learning to ride a bike is worth the effort. Bikes allow you to travel to new places and explore new questions.  

RICHARD MATTOX, O.F.M., Cap.

My journey as a Capuchin Franciscan began many years ago while I was still a Jesuit Scholastic studying philosophy at Fordham University. I began attending St. John the Baptist Church in midtown Manhattan. I was drawn to this church and to the friars working there. I was instantly impressed with Brother Sal Patricola, whose prayerful demeanor deeply impressed me. After leaving the Jesuits in 2003 I moved back to Miami, where I had grown up, and slowly started to build up the courage to contact the Capuchin Franciscan vocation office of the Province of St. Mary. I was nervous because I thought what if it doesn't work out? But thank God it did and it has! I was welcomed warmly by Brother Tim Jones, the vocation director, and every step of the process during my candidate year. I felt guided by the Holy Spirit. My candidate year was truly a special time where I met a lot of friars and other candidates also discerning and it certainly felt like it was the right fit. It was also a lot of fun. I have not regretted my decision to enter.

When I received the news that I had been accepted, it was one of the most joyous days of my life. The only day that has surpassed that one was when I made my Temporary Vows in December of 2007. There the love of the brothers was truly evident. There are certainly a lot of challenges in this life but there is also a lot of joy. To anyone who is considering this life, don't be afraid to take the plunge. If God is calling you to this life, you will know it.

To read more about our brother, Richard...

RONALD O'KEEFE, O.F.M., Cap.

My novitiate year was a great experience for me. I enjoyed the schedule of the routine. My ministry of visiting the homebound seniors was challenging, and spiritual direction was a time to talk and to grow in the new community context that I found myself living in with 19 other brothers. The formation staff was especially fair and transparent with a willingness to help me look at things in a different way. They offered me the space that I needed to change internally, and the space and time to do that in. As wiith all things in discernment, it took some time for me to get adjusted and to feel like this was where I belonged. It was very nice when this was affirmed by others who heard the same call that I did for this life and the challenges it presents. I am so very grateful to have made my temporary profession and love living back within the Province. I look forward to the challenges placed before me as new opportunities for change happen within my new life with the friars. I am so happy to be with the friars from this Province and happy to share this  journey among them. If anyone is discerning or thinking about joining, I would definitely encourage them to come to our weekends for discernment and to really get to know the friars. They are always well represented at these weekends, and it is just one of the ways that this Province has made becoming a friar so welcoming.


                
                                                                                                              
MICHAEL RAMOS, O.F.M., CAP.  

As a seminarian, I apply to my studies the words of St. Francis to St. Anthony regarding teaching theology to the friars.  "I am pleased that you teach sacred theology to the brothers provided that, as is contained in the Rule, you do not extinguish the spirit of prayer and devotion during study of this kind." It is this Capuchin Franciscan emphasis on prayer and contemplation which attracted me to the Order and now sustains me in my life in fraternity, my studies, and my ministry.  May the Lord give you peace!
 Bro. Michael                                             
                                                                  

                                                

             
                                                                           

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