When God is ‘nudging your heart’

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Above:  From left: Fr. Adam Rosinski, Sr. Amanda Matkovic DC , Jeremy Bobak, Sr. Rosemary Bell, seminarian Carlos Gonzalez, Jr. answer questions from the audience about their commitment to religious life.

Attendees at Vocation Picnic recall their defining moment to serve Christ

By Eileen Jevis, staff writer
Sun photos | Chuck Wainwright

Priests, deacons, seminarians, religious sisters, youth ministers and young adults gathered at Christ the King Retreat House on August 7 for the last event that would take place at that venue. The Bishop’s Annual Picnic is an evening of dinner, conversation, prayer and discernment for young adults across the diocese who are open to God’s call to vocations — whether as religious leaders, lay ministers or whatever purpose God plans for them.

Father Jason Hage, director of Vocation Promotion, kicked off the event, welcoming those assembled as well as keynote speaker Father David McCallum, SJ, a LeMoyne College graduate and founding executive director of The Program for Discerning Leadership. Fr. McCallum talked to the audience about making certain sacrifices in order to have a life of purpose. Whether deciding to serve the church, entering into marriage or committing to another vocation, Fr. McCallum said that it is through prayer and listening to God that you will know what is inside your heart. He encouraged those gathered to pay attention to the thoughts and feelings within them as they begin to discern what the voice of God and the Holy Spirit is telling them.

Fr. Adam Rosinski, SJ, Socius and assistant director of Novices at the St. Andrew Hall Jesuit Novitiate in Syracuse, participated in a panel discussion as part of the program. Fr. Rosinski said that discernment is all about gathering data. “God gives us all kinds of different data to help us see clearly and choose freely a particular life path that will bring us closest to Him,” he said.

Fr. Rosinski wants those contemplating religious life to know how great it is. He said the greatest benefit of his religious life has been his relationship with Jesus. His second benefit is his relationship with his religious community, specifically his Jesuit friends. “It is a deeper kind of friendship, one that is very explicitly rooted in Jesus.”

Father Rosinski said that he finds the general lack of understanding of religious life a challenge sometimes. He explained that for the most part, even people who are not married, “get” marriage and have a general understanding of it. And while people may think they “get” the meaning of priesthood, religious life is something different. “They question why I would voluntarily take these vows, live in a religious community, give up a paycheck and hand myself over in obedience to someone else,” he said. Father ascribes to the words of Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ, former Superior General of the Jesuits: “For me, Jesus Christ is all. Take Jesus out of my life, and it will collapse, as a body deprived of a skeleton without head and heart.”

His remarks resonated with Cole Wilson, a parishioner of Transfiguration Church in Syracuse. Wilson will be entering Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska next year. Wilson said that he once heard that when discerning a vocation, you should ask yourself three questions. What do you want to do with your life? What am I good at? What does the world need? “When I reflect on the third one — I know that the world needs priests,” he said. “We need more soldiers on the front lines, so to speak.” Wilson, who has been interested in philosophy since high school, chose it as his major at the University of Rochester. It was during those classroom reflections and discussions that he asked himself, “Why not me?”

Wilson said there are many good resources available when discerning a vocation to the priesthood. He recommends the book, “To Save a Thousand Souls” by Father Brett Brannen. He also said the Vocations Office at the diocese has many sources of information and a supportive, helpful staff.

Jonathan Hoole, whose home parish is Mary Mother of Our Savior in Utica, is in his second year at Mount Saint Mary Seminary and in his fourth year of formation. He said his defining moment came after high school when he attended a retreat at Notre Dame University. Hoole admits that some days are challenging, but the good days outnumber the difficult ones. “It is not an easy vocation to pursue,” he said, “but I know I am not alone. I have an entire diocese supporting me and so many people praying for me. I also have many seminarian brothers helping me, the Lord watching over me, and the saints interceding. I can’t ask for more than that.”

“Every day is not easy, and sometimes a week or even a month can be challenging, but we are called to persevere,” said Hoole. “It’s important that your readers know that everyone is called to a vocation — whether as husbands and fathers, wives and mothers, religious brothers or sisters, or as priests and deacons. We are called to be holy no matter where we are in life.”

For Sister Amanda Matkovic, a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in the Province of St. Louis, Missouri, there was not one defining moment in her call to religious life. “It was really many small moments when you’re aware that God is nudging your heart,” she said. Sr. Amanda, who grew up in Chester County, Pennsylvania, said her father encouraged his children to be engaged in civil society, and her mother, a physical therapist, inspired her interest in healthcare and her desire to be a nurse. She received her high school education from the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. “Their lives are full of joy and faith. They planted the seed within me.”

Sr. Amanda attended nursing school at Duquesne University, a Catholic university founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. While in college, she was part of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, whose mission is serving people in need by providing food, clothing, housing and other services. She said that experience taught her about Christ in a way she had never known before. “It was through them that I met Christ. While serving the homeless, I realized I was just as dependent on God as they were,” she said.

Sr. Amanda said that waiting for God to make His plan clear to us may take time. She suggests spending quiet time in prayer, practicing gratitude and being aware of His presence in your life. “In my experience, God is patient yet persistent — always waiting but never forcing us. God will keep showing up, oftentimes in little moments, to make His plan for you clear.”

For more information on vocations in the Syracuse Diocese, visit https://vocations-syracuse.org/.