"Come & Pray" Weekend

It was Friday, September 8, 2023, the feast of the Birthday of Our Blessed Mother that eight young men gathered at our Guest House in Ephrata, Pa., for our ‘Come and Pray” weekend. Five of the men; Darren, Steven, Michael, Alan and Ziping arrived by car from our parish, Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, New York. They are part of the Chinese community there, are involved in the youth ministry and work alongside Fr. Song You, C.Ss.R. who is associate pastor. Of the other three, Johua flew in from Florida, Aaron drove from Ohio and Tuan flew in from Texas.

We had ideal weather as our weekend got underway. We always try and have a Redemptorist brother or priest speak to our candidates on Friday evening. So, after a sumptuous dinner of pizza and soda, Fr. Ed Faliskie spoke to our candidates at 7:00 p.m. Fr. Ed just recently arrived to the Redemptorist community as Rector. The rectory houses the parish priests and also our elder confreres in need of assisted living. The Redemptorist community consists of 10; three priests assigned to the parish and seven Redemptorists in need of assisted living.

In his vocation story, Fr. Ed shared about growing up in a coal mining town in Pennsylvania and his introduction to the Redemptorists through our former Retreat House in Tobyhanna, Pa., where he made men’s retreats with his dad. From there he made inquiry into the Redemptorists and eventually entered our pre-novitiate program. His journey continued with novitiate and his profession of temporary vows. In time he made his Perpetual Profession, Diaconate Ordination and Ordination to Priesthood. Fr. Ed shared the joys and challenges of community life as well as his ministry in the inner city, his work as Vocation Director and his missionary labors in the Caribbean, especially in St. Lucia. Following his story and during our question/answer period, many were grateful to Fr. Ed for encouraging them not be afraid to see if this calling is for them. He told them that you do not have to have it all figured out in your mind before taking a further step in their discernment. You may find out in entering the pre-novitiate program that this is where God wants you to be. You may also discover this in not your calling from God. Fr. Ed told them that he was not sure when he entered if this was his vocation, but he had to give it a try and find out. Otherwise, he said it would have always gnawed at him during his life for not giving it a chance.

Our “Come and Pray” weekend centers around prayer and quiet time for reflection. On Friday we closed out the day with Night Prayer in the Redemptorist house chapel. The men are free after prayer to get together back in the Guest House for conversation or quiet reflection. Saturday morning brings us back to the house chapel for Mass at 7:30 followed by breakfast in the Guest House. At 9:15 Fr. Denis and Fr. Ed did a role play for our eight candidates that centered on the discernment process. Through the role play we stress the need of a good spiritual director and also what we call the Four A’s in Discernment. They are AWARE in your life that the Holy Spirit is at work within you. ARTICULATE through parents, spiritual director, friends what you are feeling. ACCEPT that discernment is a process and takes time. ACT with the willingness to give it a try and see if this is God’s call.

Saturday began with Morning Mass in the house chapel and during the day time for Holy Hour, Rosary at the Grotto, individual interviews with the candidates, dinner at an Amish restaurant and Evening Prayer in house chapel. On Sunday we went to the 7:30 a.m. parish Mass at Our Mother of Perpetual Help and Fr. Bob Harrison called on the parishioners to pray for these men, for Redemptorist vocations and for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life.  Following our breakfast we were off to Philadelphia and the Shrine of St. John Neumann, C.Ss.R. Our candidates had the opportunity to visit the beautiful upper church, to kneel in prayer before the body of our Redemptorist Saint and hear a bit of his life story from his beginnings in what is now the Czech-Republic to his setting foot in New York and his ordination to the priesthood, to his ministry in western New York and his eventual acceptance into the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists). The museum that we walked through with our candidates unfolds the story of his life, his untiring ministry as diocesan priest, as Redemptorist missionary and as Fourth Bishop of Philadelphia. His most beautiful motto at his ordination: “Give me Holiness.”

Departure time came upon us. There were car rides back to Brooklyn and Ohio and drop-offs at the airport for Texas and Florida. We prayed the powerful intercession of St. John Neumann for these men of the 21st century who are discerning a Redemptorist vocation. Let us all continue to pray for them and for many others to hear the call of Jesus.

On a separate note, Fr. Peter Linh Nguyen is presently at home in Vietnam. His dad, Lai, passed away on Wednesday, September 6, after almost a six-year long battle with cancer. His father was buried on Saturday, September 9. May he Rest In Peace!!! Let our prayers be for his father, his mother, his three sisters, his brother and for Fr. Peter Linh.