VOCATION NEWS

Did you know…

• Thanks to the de Sales Crossing Community in Cincinnati for hosting Kevin Smith, a recent inquirer, for Eucharist and dinner.
• Rollie Bunda gave a vocation talk at Palmas High School in Salinas, Calif. Rollie spoke about the vocation of a religious priest. Thanks, Rollie!
• Welcome to our most recent member of our Contact Program, Matt Bogner, from Austin, Texas. Matt is a graduate of Nolan Catholic High School. Welcome, Matt!
• Dennis Bautista and I recently visited Blessed Sacrament School in Belleville, Ill., for their school-wide "Vocation Day." As you can well imagine, we were very good!
• Did you lose your Marianist cross or lapel pin? If you need any more, please let me know!
• Many thanks to all of those who helped with the most recent Aspirancy Retreat held in St. Louis: Brian Halderman, Dennis Bautista, John McEnhill and especially Jack Ventura, who was the presenter for our weekend. Thanks also to the Marybrook Community for hosting our Saturday night social. Special thanks to the Chaminade-Waldron Community for joining us and meeting these possible aspirants. The retreat included: Ray Dominguez, Chris DeGetmon, Ken Barrett and Brandon Alana.
• Do you ever think about the future and vocations to The Society of Mary? If no, why not? If yes, please just don't think about it – do something about it! INVITE! Ask someone you know whether he has ever thought of being a Marianist! It doesn't hurt – promise!
• I met with Contact Joe Melendrez (UD student) during his recent spring break visit to St. Louis. Joe came back to the Lindell Blvd. Community and helped Mike O'Grady cook 40 pounds of corned beef in celebration of St. Patrick's Day!
• Congratulations to our jubilarians! I hope that jubilarians associated with a school or parish might celebrate their anniversary in a public ceremony with the community they minister to. It is a very fine witness to our call and way of life. Thank you!
• I visited Contact Tom Fox in Houston a few weeks ago. Tom has a Ph.D. in math and is presently teaching at the University of Houston. I also met with Regional Vocation Director, Mike Sullivan, for a business lunch. Mike left me with the check!
• I recently drove to Chicago for a very fine workshop on candidates and issues of sexuality. The workshop was sponsored by the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC).
• Did you see my recent video interview in FamilyOnline? My beard is coming back! I like a gray beard more than I do a pudgy face!
• Is your community still using the weekly vocation prayer service? I hope each community makes an effort to pray for our candidates.
• Thanks to Charlie Wanda from the Dayton vocation office for responding to many of our on-line inquirers.
• Thanks to Emmanuel Parish for sending me a recent parish bulletin. On the back were pictures of all those from the parish who have entered religious life or the priesthood.
• John Habjan (from the Office of Education) and I recently visited the Province of Meribah. We had a very fine time. We visited both communities and the three schools. Thanks to Tom Cardone!
• Robert Tupaz from Guam found out about us from our vocation website – buildingcommunity.org – and has started some initial discernment with us.
• Who helped you with your vocation? Have you thanked them? If they have passed away, do you pray for them? Who have you helped?
• Thanks to Tom Wendorf for taking time out of his construction/gardening business to help me with some vocation activities.
• Special thanks to the communities who host "live-ins" during the year – Trinity Avenue, Stonemill-Kiefaber, Casa Maria and the Marianist Center in Hawaii! I am grateful.
• Special thanks to all those who helped with the recent Campus Ministry Meeting. Our speakers included: Mike O'Grady, Joe Kozar and John Habjan. Thanks to those who helped with transportation and socials: Brian Halderman, Dennis Bautista, Brian Zampier, Joe Markel, Oscar Vasquez and Stephen Glodek. Thanks to Tim Kenney for celebrating the Sunday Eucharist for our group. Thanks to Leo Willett for his ministry and to Armando Añeses for driving Leo to St. Louis. Thanks to all of the participants: 12 schools were represented. SM representatives included: Edwin Johnson (Chaminade West Hills), Reinaldo Berríos (Colegio San José), Roy McLaughlin (Moeller), Sean Downing (Chaminade-Julienne), Len Rudy (St. John Vianney), Kevin Whalen (Chaminade-Madonna), and Richard Thompson (Nolan). Thanks to everyone!
• Best wishes to Novices Armando Añeses, Dennis Bautista, Alfredo Chavez and Andrew Kosmowski! Vows are on May 20!!
• The San Antonio regional office hosted another High School Seminar weekend. Thanks to Mike Sullivan, Cris Janson, and Evangeline Escobar! More details in our next newsletter!
• Special thanks to the Brothers at Maryland Avenue for hosting many, many vocation guests. Special thanks to Art Cherrier for his hospitality and patience with me. (And he doesn't get angry when my guests take Maryland Avenue keys home with them!)
• Thanks to Tom Schroer who administered some psychological testing for our new candidates. Thanks, Tom!
• Thanks to John Thompson for meeting and interviewing a possible candidate in the Miami area.
• This newsletter is rather long. If you need a break, please take it now. (pause) Okay, you may now continue.

WEBSITE NEWS:

• Brian Halderman would like to thank the following people for their help with the new website:
  
  • Thanks to Novice Armando Añeses and Aspirant Luis Gamboa for their work in composing the Spanish text.
  • Thanks to Bert Buby for his assistance with copy and text.
  • Thanks to Stephen Glodek and Tom Wendorf for their assistance with writing and editing copy.
  • Thanks to the Province Office of Communications – Diane Guerra, Joan Suda and Dennis Bautista for their assistance and cooperation.
    
  I would like to thank Brian for his work on the new vocation Web site. The site will soon be online. Brian has also done a great deal of work to help Ireland, Mexico and the Philippines to come up with their own web pages. Thanks, Brian.
• Dennis Schmitz reports:
  
  "The LA Congress once again hosted about 30,000 people for a weekend of prayer and renewal. The Marianists were there in force. Marianist presence was especially centered in a vocation booth in the exhibition hall.One of the specialties of the booth is the creation of a "living room" environment as a means of visually presenting family spirit. In this warm, welcoming environment, representatives from the SM, FMI, the Marianist Lay Communities and the Marianist Volunteer Program spent many hours talking to hundreds of people about the many possibilities within Marianist life. Over 50 people took the time to fill out cards and want to receive more information to help them in their discernment process."
  
• I would like to thank: Dennis Schmitz; Ken Templin; John McEnhill; Aspirants Tom Farnsworth and Luis Gamboa; Contact Ray Dominguez; Evangeline Escobar; Fausto Sanchez; David Betz; Dan Richter; and Kay Stone. I apologize if I missed anyone.
• The LA Congress is very important for our vocation efforts. I must once again give a special thanks to Jim Wisecaver. Again, Jim steals/borrows the living room furniture from the West Hills Community and helps to create this welcoming environment. I thank Jim even more so because this year his foot is in a cast, yet he was able to make the trip. Thanks also to the West Hills Community for sitting on the floor for the weekend. Thanks also to Jim and John McEnhill for calling some of these inquirers and inviting them to the Discernment Retreat in May.
• Almost done…you only had to read this newsletter, I had to type it. Special thanks to Donna Tucker who takes my typing and makes it look nice.
• Did you receive your Chaminade icon? I believe that this icon can be a very important vocation resource. I would like to thank everyone who has commented about the icon and is giving it a chance. A lot of time and effort went into the icon and its production and I am happy that many people like it and are already using it in their prayer life. We sent a large icon to every community, school, parish and province institution and every member of the province received a small one. Special thanks for packing and mailing the icons goes to: Mike O'Grady, Jack Ventura, Bob Resing, John Habjan, Brian Halderman, Dennis Bautista, Brian Zampier, Oscar Vasquez and Donna Tucker. Several people have already requested information about buying the icon. Please contact Bob Resing or me for details. Holy cards will soon be available.
• Last item: Special thanks to Dennis Bautista for working with me these past months during his second-year novitiate experience. Dennis did an excellent job; he was fun to be with and challenged me when I needed a little pushing. Thank you, Dennis – you will be missed! Aloha! P.S.—Dennis also taught me never to beep my horn in Hawaii!

That’s it! Please send me any vocation news so that it may be shared with the Province. I am on the road for almost three weeks – so I will have more news when I return.

Peace!