A short time ago before the Summer Holidays, my parish priest, Fr. Stan, invited me to attend a Salvatorian reflection day for young males considering their vocations. I was soon put in touch with Fr Greg at a WYD meeting, where I was officially invited to the reflection.
So why did I take this opportunity up? Well, this year is my first year out of high school. And so I have thousands of questions flying around about what I am supposed to be doing next in my life; about how I am supposed to make a difference in the world; about how I am supposed to respond to God’s calling; and seemingly the most important question ‘what is my calling?’ At the moment I feel that life could take many different turns and directions and not being sure about what they are, and how confident I am in those directions, I wanted to explore them. The Vocation Reflection Day seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to begin to listen to God, by sharing with people all considering their vocations as well.
The weekend of the 6th and 7th was my first ever Vocation Reflection Day, so everything was a new experience to me. We spent time together in prayer, at Mass and with the Blessed Sacrament, reflecting throughout the retreat on our individual callings. It was quite special to discover the importance and power of prayer. Fr. Leonard also shared with us his experience of becoming a priest. I was also introduced to the highly anticipated Vocation Reflection Day Ten Pin Bowling Championships which were awesome. So too was the delicious Polish cuisine and constant games of ping pong.
It was great to share in the laughter and fun of activities and also the experience of reflection with like-minded people and the Salvatorian Fathers. I met some very cool like-minded people discerning their own vocations and spent time trying to be open to God. As I said before, spending time in prayer was a very special experience and reminded me of the importance of prayer in everyday life. So often I forget prayer, because ‘I have other things to do’. Leaving the retreat, I found it exciting to have taken a step forward in my journey of understanding what my calling is. I was also very full (I ate too much). I will definitely be returning to the next Vocation Day Reflection! And thank you to the Salvatorian Fathers for creating this event.