Vocation Office Announces 2010 Events

NEW YORK — As a way to offer more varied events to men who may be interested in a life as a friar, the Province’s Vocation Office is introducing a twilight retreat this fall.

Vocation director Brian Smail, OFM, invites men to “join us for a quiet evening of reflection as you consider God’s call for your life.”

Brian invites men to “come pray with us as we reflect on God’s call in the scriptures in the stories of Moses, Jeremiah, Jesus’ first disciples, and St. Paul,” and to “listen to the vocation stories of some of our friars, and begin your own vocation discernment journey.” Pizza, soft drinks, and coffee will be served, he added.

Brian and his assistant, Carolyn Croke, have scheduled a variety of programs at a variety of locations to provide comfortable and appealing programs for men discerning a call to Franciscan life. 

Some men who are potential candidates are not able devote an entire weekend to a vocation event given busy work or study schedules. Others who are just beginning to consider friar life may not feel ready to commit to an entire weekend. Still others are looking for more of a retreat experience as they discern a possible call to Franciscan life. 

“I think it is important to offer a variety of experiences,” Brian said, “seeing that men find themselves in different stages of vocational discernment. Also, potential candidates have the choice of attend more than one event.”

Also new this year is the Transitus event, scheduled for the evening before the feast of St. Francis. Brian encourages potential candidates to “Enjoy dinner with other men discerning a vocation followed by the Transitus, a moving service commemorating the last hours of St. Francis of Assisi’s life.” The event is part of Francis Week at St. Francis of Assisi Church.

The current schedule of events planned for this fall is: