The Diocese of Corpus Christi Vocations office, in partnership with the Office of Consecrated Life and many of the religious congregations in the diocese, sponsored a three-day vocation awareness retreat to provide young adults the opportunity to "listen to God’s whisper (1Kings 19:12)."
The retreat attracted more than 40 young adults from all over the diocese, including 18 men and 23 women, ranging in ages 17-32. They gathered together to pray, to hear talks, to participate in panel discussions and to try to encounter God.
Prayer included morning, evening and night prayer. It also included the celebration of the Mass, praying a rosary for vocations and a holy hour to know one's vocation.
The retreat did not aim at recruiting these young men and women to the priesthood or consecrated life; the aim of the retreat was to allow each individual participant to take the time and quiet themselves to have a real encounter with God and begin to discover his unique divine plan for their lives.
Father David Bayardo gave a presentation on “Invitation and Call” and Father Emilio Jimenez spoke on “Discernment”. Father Bayardo stressed to the group that each and every one—by virtue of baptism—is priest, prophet and king. He also pointed out that people's primary vocation is to love.
“How we love and how that works out in our lives is how God is calling you to live out that love. It’s up to you to begin discovering that call through prayer and spiritual direction,” Father Bayardo said.
Father Jimenez addressed aptitude, constitution and desire. He said these three characteristics were very important in determining to which vocation God is calling a person.
“If Christ is the only person with whom you desire to be with, then you are certainly right to discover a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life. If your desire is to love another human being, then you are certainly right to discover the vocation to marriage,” Father Jimenez said.
Bishop Michael Mulvey spent some time with the retreat participants on Saturday in which he invited them to ask questions about his own vocation story and his own discernment process. Bishop Mulvey entertained questions ranging from, “Did you ever think you would be bishop one day?” to “What is the most challenging and most rewarding moments of your priesthood?”
Participants were also given an opportunity to engage in two different vocation panels. The young adults heard vocation stories and asked questions of the different members of the panels.
The panel on “What is it like?” included Msgr. Seamus McGowan, Father Peter Martinez, Father Paul Hesse, Sister Helga Leija, IWBS, Sister Milagros Tormo, MJMJ and Sister Mary Elizabeth Rougeau, DCJ.
The panel on “Formation in Your Vocation” consisted of Sister Agueda Oviedo, IWBS, Sister Mary Mediatrix of all Grace Paterson, SOLT and Ramiro Regalado, Jr., seminarian for the Diocese of Corpus Christi.
Bishop Mulvey returned on Sunday to celebrate the closing Mass for the retreat. In his homily, Bishop Mulvey commented on how “alive the Spirit is in the group.” He told the retreatants how important it is to get to know the Master.
“The first two servants knew the master so well that they were not afraid to invest their talents to bring in more talents. The third servant was afraid of the master because he didn’t know the master like the first two. So he buried his talent out of fear. To dispel that fear, get to know the Master,” Bishop Mulvey said.
The Vocations Office expressed gratitude to the Pax Christi Sisters who hosted the retreat and to the Serra Club and the different Knights of Columbus Councils for providing the meals throughout the weekend.