Vocation Festival Showcases Diversity of Opportunities in Religious Life

Eager to help young people discern a call to religious service, representatives of 13 Catholic congregations gathered in the D’Angelo Center plaza for St. John’s University’s fourth annual Vocation Festival.

The October 23 event celebrated the diversity of vocation options within the Church. Possibilities ranged from priestly service within the Diocese of Brooklyn, NY, to service in missionary orders such as the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters and the Idente Missionaries, who both serve around the world.

Representatives from all 13 congregations fielded questions from St. John’s students about a life of service to God. Among those in attendance were Pedro Williams, a first-year student, and senior Ka’lei Kaai, who are both pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy in anticipation of joining the Redemptoris Mater Diocesan Missionary Seminary after graduation from St. John’s.  

“I remember going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and being super touched,” said Ka’lei, a native of Guam now living in Queens Village, NY. “We were asked to stand if you have ever felt the call to be a priest. Something inside me said, ‘If you do not stand up, you will regret it.’”   

Like Ka’lei, Pedro also made a spiritual pilgrimage, but not to a destination as distant as the Holy Land. “It was at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY,” the native of Jersey City, NJ, recalled. “I decided I wanted to do whatever God wants me to do. If he wants me to work locally, that is fine. If he wants me to evangelize in Africa, I will pack my bags. If he wants me to stay here and study, that is what I will do.”          

The Vocation Festival was organized by the Rev. Luis Romero, C.M. ’14C, Vocation Director for the Congregation of the Mission of the Eastern Province. St. John’s Vincentian heritage was represented by the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity. 

“We bring to people the good news of the Gospel,” Fr. Romero said. “But St. Vincent de Paul also helped the poor with their needs. In his first missions, he saw people in need of physical and spiritual health.”   

Sr. Helen Sanchez, M.P.F., was younger than a typical college student when she joined the Religious Teachers Filippini, a teaching order based in Morristown, NJ. Now, as the Director of Formation, she hopes events such as St. John’s Vocation Festival inspire more young people to consider the consecrated life.

“I joined at 15—back then you could do that,” Sr. Helen said. “It has been such a rewarding experience. I have visited all our missions around the world and have loved teaching high school. The love you encounter from God and the community is like nothing you can expect.”