Holy Family's Vocation Day a Huge Success

While Holy Family students are familiar with pastor, Fr. Dennis, they may not be familiar with his journey to become a priest.  Although the students attend a Catholic School, many are unaware of the vocation process.  On Thursday, March 13th Holy Family set out to impact the student body’s knowledge of vocations when they hosted an informative event called Vocation Day.  Students welcomed the opportunity to learn more about various religious vocations through guest presenters.  Eighteen featured speakers included:  Most Rev. Bishop Joseph M. Siegel, Fr. Dennis Paul (Holy Family), Fr. Tuan Van Ngyuen (St, Mary’s Minooka), Fr. Burke Masters (Vocation Director, Joliet Diocese), Br. Rob Veselsky (Lewis University), Fr. Merkelis (Providence Catholic High School), Fr. Tim Andres (St. Joe’s, Joliet), Sr. Gesuina (Sisters of St. Mary Immaculate), Sr. Sheila Lehmkuhle (Franciscan Missionaries of Mary), Fr. Bill Bucciferro (Salesian priest), Sr. Rose (Mission Sisters of the Holy Family), Sr. Betty (IBVM), Sr. Claire Vandborg (IBVM), Sr. Jude Marie (Mt. Assisi), Sr. Mary Terese (Mt. Assisi), Sr. Theresita Donlach (Holy Family of Nazareth Sister), Sr. Beth Ann Dillon, (Daughter of St. Mary of Providence), and seminarian Shaun Cieslik (Holy Family). 

After a prayer service led by Bishop Siegel in the Church, students broke into their faith families.  These faith families are groups of students that include school children of different ages, who join together to support one another while they experience a lesson outside of their typical classroom work.  Building special bonds with other Holy Family students enhances their school experience and builds a strong sense of community.   In preparation for Vocation Day, these faith families met with their leaders and chose a name that would represent their family.  Some examples of selected names include:  Those Who Walk with Jesus, The God Squad, Hands of Faith, Holy Believers, Awesome Angels, The Saintly 16, and Evangelizing Eagles. 

Once the prayer service was complete, faith families were directed to locations throughout the school and church to hear a specific guest describe his/her individual path taken to become a sister, brother, priest, seminarian, or bishop.  Students asked the Religious presenters questions after hearing the details about their chosen vocation and initiated wonderful conversations before rotating to their next assigned location.  Before the event was complete, each group heard three different personal perspectives describing the route the presenter took in order to dedicate his/her life to the Church. 

Some students shared how the experience impacted them.  “I really enjoyed listening to Fr. Tuan and his story about how he escaped from Vietnam and his journey to America.  He realized that God saved him so he became a priest.” – Jack Brick, gr. 7.  “It’s not like anything we have done before.  This really made a lot of people think about their vocations for the future.” – Emily Jones, gr. 8.  “Sr. Gesuina was interesting and funny and I didn’t think nuns were funny!” – Grace Korbar, gr. 2.  “Vocation Day helped me to learn more about my faith.  It helped me to realize how much my faith really means to me.” – Conor Kovas, gr. 6.  “I liked the story of how Fr. Merkelis got to talk face to face with Pope Francis!” – Logan Kalafut, gr. 4.  “Vocation day was a wonderful experience.  It was great to see how each person decided to become what they are today.” – Abby Phillips, gr. 7.  “I learned that the nuns wear different color habits for different orders.” – Maddie Moran, gr. 1.  “It was interesting to learn how each person chose their vocation.” – Mary Kate Dzurney, gr. 5.    

After sharing their valuable stories, the honored guests enjoyed a catered lunch in the gym.  Vocations Day was an exciting event filled with sharing, learning, and prayer!