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Yes Catholic
Yes Catholic is focused on highlighting stories of people who rose up and started truly living as a Catholic. Stories are powerful. You really never know who could be inspired through listening to someone's personal story of conversion. As St. John Paul II said, "Remember that you are never alone, Christ is with you on your journey every day of your lives!" Join us every week as we invite a new guest to share their story. Real People. Real Stories. All Grace.
Yes Catholic
Embracing the Call with Br. Vincent Mary
Brother Vinny, a soon-to-be-ordained Capuchin Franciscan friar, enthralls us with his remarkable journey from a Texas layabout to a beacon of faith in Colorado. Through his story, we explore the life-altering moments that guided him to the path of priesthood, illuminating the transformative power of spiritual readings and the embrace of a supportive community. His reflection on "Abandonment to Divine Providence" by Jean-Pierre de Caussade, coupled with his own experiences, offers profound insights into the essence of faith and commitment.
Brother Vinny recounts his battles with fear and self-doubt, finding solace in scripture that fortified his spirit, ultimately leading him through discernment, religious vows, and the threshold of ordination.
As we draw this episode to a close, we delve into the robust tapestry of religious life, dismantling misconceptions and celebrating the jubilant journey it promises. If your heart is seeking guidance or if you're simply curious about the monastic existence, this dialogue is a treasury of wisdom and hope for anyone discerning their life's calling. Join us in embracing the adventure of faith, where every one of us is invited to respond to a universal summons with courage and joy.
Welcome to yes Catholic, the place where real people share their real stories and realize it is all God's grace on the move. I'm your host, David Patterson, and every week we hear a new guest share their story of how they came to give their yes to Jesus and His church. So let's get started.
Speaker 2:So I am taking over for David today from yes Catholic. My name is Deanna and I have the St Junkie Instagram account, and this is my friend, brother Vinny. He's going to come and share his story about his vocation and answer some of your questions about discerning your vocation. So, brother Vinny, why don't you share a little bit about yourself with everybody?
Speaker 3:first, yeah, for sure, thank you. Thank you again for welcoming me. My name is Brother Vinny. I'm a Capuchin Franciscan friar. I've been in the order since 2014. I entered into the Capuchin community, my Capuchin formation, right after college in 2014. And so I've been in formation for about eight years now. Right now, I'm a transitional deacon and just finishing up my diaconate formation, my diaconate years, um, and then I have my my priesthood ordination set for this coming June 15th. So, yeah, it's, it's exciting.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. And where are you from and where will you be serving in your priesthood?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm from close to Amarillo, texas, born and raised, and so, yeah, that community has been with me in my discernment, so you know it's been super helpful. After my ordination I will be probably somewhere in Colorado. I'm thinking because my provinces, you know, geographically we're set in Colorado, here in Texas, and then also parts of Kansas.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Okay, so before we start and you share your story and we go into the questions, we're going to do a rapid fire icebreaker. So I'm going to ask you some questions and then you're just going to respond kind of with the first thing that comes to your mind. Number one describe yourself as a kid in three words.
Speaker 3:Rambunctious. I don't know why that word came to my head, but it did. I was wild and I was curious.
Speaker 2:That's awesome, those are good ones. Okay, are you a morning person or a night owl? I am definitely a night owl.
Speaker 3:And a coffee drinker, if you could have any superpower.
Speaker 2:What would it be?
Speaker 3:Oh, definitely. I talk about this quite a bit, believe it or not. If I had a superpower, it would definitely be being in two places at one time.
Speaker 2:That's possible.
Speaker 3:That would be my superpower, super, yeah, okay we have a couple more go-to order at a coffee shop I always get the americano, um, with a, with a, with a extra shot of espresso. It's called the quad. And then, um, yeah, and that's what I get, like no sugar, no cream, just straight up and yeah, it's the bomb.
Speaker 2:I had to stop getting it, though, because it's a lot Okay. Order at your own risk, Okay, so I'm going to do two more. What is your favorite book of all time? Spiritual book.
Speaker 3:One of the books that was crucial for me in my discernment and also in my years in the novitiate was the Jean-Pierre Cascade book Abandonment to Divine Providence. That book was crucial for me in my spiritual life and also just like my discipline in the spiritual life, so that helped me out tremendously.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that, okay. And then the last question is if you could ask God one question, what would it be? Oh, that's, I love that, okay. And then the last question is if you could ask god one question, what would it be?
Speaker 3:oh, that's a good one, um, okay. So I kind of thought about this a lot too. I think it would be like, hey, let me just see, all right, like if I'm talking to god, this is what I would say, lord. Like let me just watch a film, maybe like a three hour long film of just everything that happened you know, like the like, the like, all of history. Right, probably longer than three hours. So yeah, just basically what happened in in biblical times, like the, the wars that all happened in the old testament. Like, like, I want to see all that, like in, like in real time, like, take me there, I want to see that, you know yeah, that's a really, that's a really good answer.
Speaker 2:That would be a cool question, like what really happened and like what it was like yeah well, thank you, brother vinny.
Speaker 2:Uh, we're gonna go ahead and get started. We'll start in a prayer and then, before I ask you some of the questions that we're sending for you, we'll just have you share your vocation story. So let's start with the prayer In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen, amen, come, holy Spirit. We thank you for being here and for bringing us here. We thank you for the witness of Brother Vinny and people that are totally committed to you, lord, in every vocation, but especially in a consecrated life and religious life. We ask that you would guide this conversation and that we would have a conversation that is edifying for our souls and for the souls that hear it. We ask this in Jesus' name, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother as we pray. Hail Mary full of grace. The Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, jesus.
Speaker 3:Amen, awesome. Okay, so we'll just get started with your testimony. But because there's different areas of my life that are very, you know, private and you know a lot of things that I don't really share, so I don't share my vocation story often, but I think, like usually, what I do say is like my vocation really started from a desire to serve the Lord and it came when I was young, when I was in high school, just wanting to serve, wanting to help people, and I really, really felt like that was what God wanted me to do with my life. And I mean praise God that I recognized that early on. You know, like early, early on. You know like I had gone to mission trips and like retreats and stuff when I was even in middle school, right, but I didn't recognize that it was maybe a possibility of God really asking me to do this for the rest of my life. Right, I'm in middle school.
Speaker 3:Once I got into high school, I started to take that more serious, like different retreats and different mission trips, specifically, that had really cultivated within me a desire to serve, one of those being it was right when Katrina hit New Orleans and that had a huge impact on my life, right, just just just getting like boots on the ground in terms of service. Uh, so we had got a group together, my youth group, and we went on this mission trip and we went to go help and and just do what we can. And so it was combined with with the live in you this, this um team of of people catholic musicians, speakers and they go to these cities who have been affected by natural disaster and they put on this conference, and so we went to the conference and we're, at the same time, we're doing missionary work, uh, and so that had a huge impact just on my, you know, sort of implanting the, the desire to serve god. So it was that one. And then, uh, I went on a mission trip to honduras with my diocese when I was like a senior in high school, you know, a junior.
Speaker 3:And that also had a huge impact on my life. You know, and so like and I had done all these like a lot of little things, because again, that's that started to be something that I started to recognize. You know within me that I got I want to serve God, Like I just want to help. You know, I just want to serve, serve God, serve his people, Right. And so we started doing little things, Like I remember getting my brother and even my cousins, um and, and we would go paint houses or like mow the lawn for like our neighbors, or like pull weeds from like the little old lady's backyard, right, Just little stuff. You know that really impacted my approach to service, right, and like I wanted to do that forever.
Speaker 3:Once I grew up older, like out of high school, I thought that it was like more organized missionary work, like service like Habitat for Humanity or like the Peace Corps, you know. So I was thinking like doing that Right. But I remember when I went to Honduras, that really became very crucial to me, because I remember going into the trip like I'm having all of this within me, right, Like my desire to serve, like I just feel like God is asking me to do that right. And so I go into this mission trip and we were there for two weeks living with the poorest of the poor. You know, Like these people are living in maybe a 10 by 10 hut with bamboo sticks all around, and like like, uh, you know some grass, a grass roof, you know, um, and we were building houses for them, and like it was just an amazing trip in the sense of like it helped me, like fall in love with simplicity, fall in love with poverty, like those early ideals.
Speaker 2:This is right. After high school, you said yeah, this is right after.
Speaker 3:And so I connected like with poverty, connect with simplicity, you know. But I remember being there and I asked God, like God, what do you want from me? What do you want me to do? How can I do this more? Like I want to serve you? How can I do this for the rest of my life? You know, um, and I remember like very clearly hearing in my heart, like you know, I want I want you to serve me with, with your hand, yes, but also with your heart as a, as a catholic priest, you know, uh, so those two things really stuck to me, like your heart and your hands, you know, wow. And so I remember being afraid like snap. You know how do I begin? How do I even start?
Speaker 3:to go on this journey, you know, just sort of fresh out of high school, I think I was in high school, but, yeah, I was like what do I do, you know, how do I start, you know. But I remember coming back and out of high school, uh, or I think I was in high school but, yeah, I was like what do I do, you know, how do I start, you know. But I remember coming back and telling my dad my dad actually went on that trip with me and uh, and I told him I was like I think I'm supposed to be a priest, you know. And he was like, like, yeah, you know, he was all for it and and to this day, you know, I've been, has been, uh, super supportive of him and my parents, you know. And so, like, back at home, we were always really Catholic, you know, like, but, but uh, just bare minimum, I would say, you know, like we didn't really pray the rosary together as a family, like we prayed before the meals, you know, and we prayed um, we, we prayed very minimum, you know, as a unit.
Speaker 3:You know, at the same time, like my dad had undergone his own conversion and that also began to shape my life and shaped, like my own view of living out the faith, like living out the faith where, like you know, I wasn't ashamed, so I saw my dad do that and that really helped me to live out that later on in my life, just like I had experienced simplicity in the poor and poverty in the poor. So I had seen this boldness of faith within my dad, because my dad had gone through his own conversion. Boldness of faith within my my dad, because my dad had gone through his own conversion, um, very powerful uh, conversion where he he was in a motorcycle accident, was dead for like seven seconds, was declared dead and then he came back. Yeah, yeah, it was crazy uh, and then he came back to life. And you know, since then, since then, you know, I was, you know, watching all this go down, but since then he lived the faith very boldly and I saw that in my family.
Speaker 3:You know the, the, the, the call, um I started to get, you know, more and more afraid and I think, from with a lot of men, um, that starts to to become, you know, more, more, more real, like, more tangible. You know, whenever you're you're coming to grips with with, with what God wanted, with what God is wanting from you. I think it's very natural for us to be like man. I don't know if this is for real. I don't know if I want to do this, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Which is what I had experienced, you know. And so I went to college after like a year, you know, and just gone through this period of desolation, huge desolation, because I thought that, you know, I was doing it for the wrong reasons, and so what I did was I put it on the back burner, what we say, right, I ignored the call and I didn't really. Yeah, I wanted to do my thing, you know, and some people ask, like, what would you have done if you were, you know, not entered the order? So, like, what I was wanting to do was do something with film, you know, like a movie director, or like some kind of video production, photography, different things like that, you know. But as that started to fall off the you know the cliff, I started to just explore my options, like, all right, maybe this is really what I want to do in terms of serving God, like, maybe that's what you know, I I want to do in terms of serving God, like maybe that's what, what, uh, you know, I'm called to do. And so I went to college in in Oklahoma, and I think at that point it was the, the, I mean like living the faith Once I was in college, like the faith was my own, you know, um, at least that was the challenge.
Speaker 3:You know it's like all right now. You know you have youth group, you have like these mission trips, you have all this structure. But like, once you leave that and go into, you know, living on your own in college and where you're influenced by all these people, you know that becomes a real test, I think the ultimate one really, where your challenge, like, can I live the faith on my own? You know, and for me it was, I was always struggling with the duality. You know I was always struggling with that. You know, living a double life, um, especially in college, you know where, yeah, it was like having fun on the weekends, you know, friday, saturday, just partying, and then, like sund, sunday, I go to mass and then help with like retreats and give talks for confirmation, um retreats, you know um, and like I did that for years, you know, all through college and just like I just struggled, you know, um, once I was in college I got popular really fast because I was like discerning, you know, and uh, yeah, I just got popular really fast because I was discerning. Yeah, it just got popular really quick and I fell into the wrong category, I mean, I wouldn't say wrong crowd, but I just fell into the wrong lifestyle, you know what I mean Of just everything that is right, yeah, and so it was just a big mess.
Speaker 3:But one of the crucial moments for me was getting into trouble. I was battling with just identity and the sense of like, who am I? What am I supposed to be? You know, like I was just battling those questions. You know, I want to have fun, I want to do my thing Like I want to, yeah, have a good time, you know? Yeah, and that's what I did. You know that's what I did. So I went crazy pretty much in college and, yeah, I was on my own and didn't really live the faith. You know, I would say that what saved me was the consecration to the blessed virgin mary, and so when I did the consecration, I was a freshman and I was with some buddies, right, and we did this whole consecration and, uh, like I always believed that those graces you know had had remained with me, uh, in the moments when, when I was sort of in the dumps and the slumps, you know, Amen.
Speaker 3:But one of the crucial times was, man, yeah, I was just having to, I was just living my life right, doing what I wanted to do, and I was getting in trouble with the law, like I had gotten arrested like two or three times, you know, while I was in college and, yeah, like I wasn't really proud right of who I was and what I was doing and who I was representing, you know. And so like one of the crucial, I guess, questions for me in college was who am I representing, you know? And I had to ask myself that because there were a lot of moments when I was not proud of who I was representing.
Speaker 3:It sounds like the Holy Spirit conviction, which is pretty powerful, yeah, and it sucked because I was like man, I didn't want to do this, I don't want to live like this, I don't want to represent evil in my life, I don't want to lead people to evil.
Speaker 3:And so it was that, with a lot of other things that had happened where I had gotten into trouble and basically some friends had to bail me out of jail, and it was just like a lot that was going on where I was battling a lot of shame, once that had once that happened, you know, yeah, and it was very damaging.
Speaker 3:And so I think at that point I realized, like, okay, I have to step away from what I'm becoming and really take seriously the faith that God is asking me to live, you know, and that came through the grace of, like just friendship that I had built by the Catholic life in the college, you know, where a lot of people came up to me and they had helped me. You know a lot of them I still talk to today, you know, and at the time they had to sit me down and tell me like straight up, like what are you doing and who are you? And like why are you living like this? Like what are you doing and who are you and why are you living like this, like we all know that you're called to this life?
Speaker 3:and and you're, basically, you're screwing it up. You know like you need to put your head on your shoulders and, you know, go in the way that you've been called, you know and it wasn't until that, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3:until that, yeah, yeah, absolutely. You know, and it, you know, it wasn't until that had happened that I realized that, you know, I wasn't just hurting myself but I was hurting other people. You know, and, and that's really been something that's been part of really all of my journey, even in, even in religious life, you know, um, just constant battle, constant, constant struggle, you know, with, yeah, just realizing like, okay, am I, I'm hurting me, but I am also hurting other people with what I do and what I say, and just all kinds of things. Right, and so my senior year of college was whenever, again, blessed Virgin Mary started to just really be a tremendous source of grace for me, um, through the consecration, um, and, and also Padre Pio came into my life at an amazing moment. Because around that time, padre Pio, you know, I got him, I got him up here, I got a relic of him, my boy, I got them up here, I got a relic of them, my boy up here.
Speaker 3:But yeah, like around that time, as I'm battling all of this shame and just anxiety and just like, yeah, battling, battling, like who am I Like? What am I supposed to do with my life, there was one particular moment, whenever I woke up in the middle of the night, I remember, and it was like maybe four in the morning, 5 am, and it was raining, pouring rain outside. And I hear like in my heart, like something, tell me something. Tell me like, drive to a lotton, oklahoma, and go to this chapel, right and uh, I mean it wasn't that specific, but I had gone to, I had gone to lawton before, okay, as I was in college going to oklahoma and I had gone there before. So in lawton, oklahoma, there's this pretty, there's an amazing chapel there. If you know the area, it's holy family catholic church at the time. I think they still have it, but at the time they had this chapel, perpetual adoration chapel, and so while I was in college, we would go there back and forth, right, okay, we would hike the mountains and then we would come down and pray at this chapel.
Speaker 3:So, anyway, at when, whenever this this happened, I woke up in the night, I hear like a voice tell me you need to go to this chapel. I just felt that Go to that chapel. I woke up and I was like what? No, it's 4 am, it's pouring rain, there's literally a thunderstorm. It probably could be a tornado out there. I tried to go back to sleep and it was like no, go to this chapel. Finally, I was like no, go to this chapel. So finally I was like, all right, fine, so I I get in my car and I'm driving to this chapel and uh like, and I just I'm just bawling my eyes out like just lord god, like it was just a tremendous amount of grace, you know, and I had, like my worship going on radio and uh like, yeah, yeah, just realizing like man like God is speaking to me right now and I need to do everything I can to answer. I remember feeling that.
Speaker 3:So I get to the chapel it was like 7 am at that point and thankfully, the chapel was unlocked, so I go inside and I just sat there. I just sat there. I just sat there. Like I don't remember saying anything, I don't remember hearing anything, like I didn't have a specific prayer. I just remember being there. I just remember being there like quiet and just, I think, just amazed at God and what he had done for my life up until that point. Uh was well, that's what was on my heart, you know. Um, and then all of a sudden, I can smell like these roses, like the aroma of uh yeah, flowers, and like I look up in the corner. I didn't even notice this ever before. I never knew to notice this, but there was a relic of padre pio there in the chapel and they have like a full relic of his glove, you know oh my gosh wow, yeah and uh like yeah, it was just a powerful moment of just being present to the Lord.
Speaker 2:Sorry, but you smelt roses that were not there, right Like it was like a spiritual gift, exactly yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there were definitely no roses there, but it was coming from the relic, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I remember that.
Speaker 3:And so, yeah, it was just this powerful moment and like I you, you know, to this day believe, padre pio had his hand, or like I mean, he was at least there with me, um, you know, praying for me and receiving, and so what had happened? Like in the next few days, like I had got, I went back to school, to my college, right, and uh, like over the next few days I'm hearing about this, like, uh, meeting that's gonna happen. This, this vocations night, that's gonna happen. Um, and it's gonna be a benedictine monk versus a friar and and you know, everybody's invited and it'll be like a, like a panel thing, um, and I remember just being very curious, right, and so, like the day came and I went and, uh, at the end I was talking to the brother and he was like, yeah, like I'm a, I'm a captain, like padre pio.
Speaker 3:And and so, as soon as he said pio, and I was like, wait, hold up, wait, back up, like what did you say, padre Pio? And he was like yeah, bro, you know, and had explained everything, the history of Pio and how he's in the order, and he was also a Capuchin. And I mean, at that point I'm like, okay, I'm all in, like God is definitely leading me, uh, into this community for a reason. And so, um, yeah, once I connected the dots, it was like all right, I mean I got to at least check this community out, you know. And so, yeah, I mean long story short, I mean from that it was like all right, let me come to the community, let me visit. And so I visited in Denver in 2014 and began my postulancy in 2015,. The following year, Wow.
Speaker 2:And so you finished your. You said you were a senior. So did you graduate or did you just leave like right away?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I finished up my school because at that point it was like March of my senior year, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 2:That's amazing, and so you entered, and since then you've been there ever since.
Speaker 3:I have. Yeah, so for some reason it's always October, like it's always October that, like you know, like it'll just hit, you know, uh, like desolation, like extreme desolation, but uh, there's been a few octobers that have you know been like, okay, you know, kind of knocked me off my feet but, um, yeah, so when we have posthumous city in colorado springs and then we do our novice year in california and it's where, like, all the brothers get together and for a year of formation, and that year is specifically more monastic, more monastic that year, and so there's prayer, there's work, and that's it, and you have the community there and you can't ask for your family or you're kind of cut off from the world.
Speaker 3:We're pretty much cut off. I think it's different now. This was six years ago when I was in. We were allowed an hour a week for email, media, phone calls. St Patrick's Day weekend they came out.
Speaker 3:But, yeah, you know, I guess all that to say like God has been very, very, very good and just the grace of living in the community and the grace of living out the vows there's been, I think, one or two times, like in that period of discernment, because once we're in, there's still that level of discernment, like, do I want to live the vows Right? Do I want to live this out completely with my whole heart, you know? And so what I had did eventually was profess my solemn vows August 1st of 2020, which is like a perpetual commitment, right, that you're going to live the vows Right. Perpetual commitment, right, that you're going to live the vows Right. Um, but I remember being very close to leaving um because of, uh, just coming to terms with love and coming to terms with, like, who I was and and how I could love, right, so I what, basically what I was doing? I was, I was doubting, like, my capacity to love and just doubting my capacity to minister, right.
Speaker 3:And so this is where, like, for me, the most crucial Bible verse for me was 1 John 4, 18.
Speaker 3:And it was really where it says perfect love casts out all fear. People have cast out all fear and, um, I guess you know, in that moment, in those moments, right, I realized too, like man, all of this time, in my, you know, I've once I had made simple vows. We have we have three years, right, um, but in that period of three years, just going through a lot of uh, fear, right, and a lot of that shame that I had experienced in college and before college, right, started to come up again. Um, and so there was a tremendous fear that the evil one, uh, was tapping into um, and and and uh, like making himself known in my life through those, through those wounds, you know, um, and so praise God that, yeah, like the blessed mother was, was very much around in my life. Um, even at that time, right, and, and, really giving me the commitment to say, like this is all fear, this is all fear, right, and like how the love of God really over overshadows that fear and cast it out.
Speaker 2:And so this is where that verse really came to life for me, you know, yeah discernment too, and I mean it makes so much sense because it's such a supernatural call, like of course you would question like can I really love this way, or am I called to love in this way? You know like I'm sure it resonates a a lot of people who are discerning their vocation to consecrate life or to religious life.
Speaker 1:So when did you?
Speaker 2:when you did solemn vows, brother Vinny. That's when you became a deacon, or forgive me if I'm wrong. Like when did you enter the transitional? Yeah?
Speaker 3:So so for me, it was my solemn vows in 2020. And then I was ordained a deacon in 2022. So two years later, once, once you're, once we're ordained solemn vows, we're usually in our first year, finishing up our first year of theology, because for this, the standard for priest, priesthood formation is two years of philosophy and then four years of theology. You guys have probably heard of this before. For religious communities like ours, we do two years of initial formation before we start school, start school, um, and so yeah and so um, when we're in theology one is usually around the time when we profess solemn vows, theology one or two. So for me, I had professed my solemn vows when I was in theology two, and this is already four years within the community, right?
Speaker 3:okay um, and then, two years later this would have been my third year of theology was when I was approved for for the acronym ministry, until I was ordained here in san antonio on the feast of saint joseph, which was a great grace too yeah, that's awesome, are you?
Speaker 2:is your new ordination or your priesthood ordination? Is it on an east day?
Speaker 3:no, I looked it up too. I looked it up. I can't remember the saint, but, uh, it's a saturday, it's june 15th. I can't remember, uh, the name of the saint, but I do know my first mass will be on father's day, so that's super exciting.
Speaker 2:That's awesome Wow.
Speaker 2:Well to see how the Lord and how he has been with you just through all of it, and it's really encouraging, I think, especially when we're called to do big things for God and we struggle with shame. Just your story is really powerful for people and that's why you know, just to see, like God doesn't what is that saying? Like God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies. Called. You know he didn't call you super holy, but because he knew who you could be and who you are becoming, you know and I, when it comes to discern, like, uh, there's, there's uh like coming to, uh, like a grip of that.
Speaker 3:I think is is very important, like god, god equips, know God really does equip and he consoles and strengthens and he purifies but also sanctifies. You know, and I think as a discerner for anybody, it's a man once, once you can, you know, really understand that and and believe that with your heart. I think you know discernment really comes to life you know, yeah, that's beautiful.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you so much for for sharing that. Um. I know that it's encouraging me, I'm sure, to everybody who's listening. Okay, so, before we kind of wrap up, I wanted to ask you a couple questions. You kind of answered some of them, but is that okay? Are you good on time?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got time.
Speaker 2:Okay, what is one thing that you're most afraid of about your upcoming ordination?
Speaker 3:No, that's, yeah, that's a tough one, I think as a priest, maybe honestly like, yeah, okay, To be honest, like my biggest fear is just messing up as a priest, like we have so many priests who get canceled. Nowadays we have so many priests who get you know, accused of things or you know and like the evil one is very much real, especially in you know he's after us. And so I think my biggest fear is just not being a good priest, not being a holy priest you know, yeah, that's really real.
Speaker 2:I feel like that's for every vocation, you know, but especially right, like I know that it's attacked, all the more so we pray for our priests. We need to.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:We need to, yeah, okay. So the second question um, what is the biggest, the biggest misconception about your vocation? And it could be the biggest misconception about being a Capuchin or just a priest in general?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I like that question. That's good, um, and I'm going to, if I can rephrase it, cause, like, yeah, I think I think a better question. I mean, I love the question, but I was doing a panel the other day and they asked me this question and it's very similar, right, and I love it because it's like, well, like what, what was something about religious life then that you wish you knew now?
Speaker 3:So for me, honestly, I think that, like, like if I would have known that religious life was so fun and it wasn't so boring, and it wasn't so like, like if I would have known how much fun it was um like I think, I think that I would have looked at it a lot sooner in my life, right, and I think that's a common misconception is that, like a lot of people think you know as a religious or priest, or you know a monk or a sister or a nun, right, like I think a lot of people see us and they say like, oh, that life looks boring, that life does not look fun. They do the same thing over and over. That person looks miserable, right, fun they. They do the same thing over and over. That person looks miserable, right.
Speaker 3:And I think that's a very common, uh, misconception because, like, right now it's it's so much fun, like it's just I, I have, like I love religious life, I love being in the order, I love being a capuchin, um, and, and there's just like a lot of adventure that happens within a day, you know, and I think any priest or religious will say that, you know, and what sticks out for me, right, there's a line in our constitutions that say it's like the very first chapter, and it says like, when you love Christ, it's a daring adventure to love and it's just so true, you know, it's so true because it's it's you're loving God, but like, what comes with that is this adventure and uh yeah, it's just so much fun, it's so much fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's beautiful. I definitely think that's a good one, because I feel like you and a lot of my priest friends and friends that are sisters, have taught me that, in your powerful witness in the world, um, that religious life is not boring and that you are, I mean, yeah, one of the most fully alive people that I know. So, um, okay, so the last question it's more of like an advice, um, but if you could give one piece of advice for people who are really discerning the vocation, whether it's to religious life, married life, what would it be?
Speaker 3:I would say, like, discernment is very key, right, and I know that, like from in my experience, like when I was growing up, every time I heard discernment it was like man, like I don't want to do that. It just seems like a word that's out there, right, um. Yeah, that's very abstract, right, um. But I think that what's important is like know that that that God has an amazing plans for your life, right, and for your life right, and whether that be raising a family, you know, having a great job, right, like I think those are all things that everybody strives for. You know, like you want to have a good job, you want to have a family, you want to have this, this legacy, right? I think that, when it comes to discernment, especially when you're thinking about a vocation, know that, like, god is part of that, like God is a part of your career, god is a part of your, your, your business, life, like your, your, your vocation, right, and so, if you think of it in that way, like God wants to make you happy in your life, god has a tremendous plan for you to be happy and he has put everything in place for you in order to to live a happy, virtuous and a holy life, right.
Speaker 3:And I think that when it comes to discernment, we have to really want that also, you know. And so an easier question is like, do you want what God wants for you, you know? Do you want to be holy, do you want to be happy, do you want to flourish in your life? And if you do, then think about following him, Think about, you know, living with him, making him a part of your life. Because discernment ultimately is figuring out where's God in my life. Where's God in my life right now? And that could be work, family, you know, gym, like those basic things that we do in our life. Yeah, like, if you can ask where's God in my life and how can I decide, you know where he's leading me, you know in the next moment, right. And and uh, discernment really helps us in, you know, deciding what we're supposed to do later in our life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay. So actually there's like one question that David asks everybody, and it's a really powerful question. It's what is your hope for the future of our church?
Speaker 3:It's helpful to know, like the gifts of the spirit, you know, and so I think my hope is that as a church, as a community, we really be united under those gifts of the spirit, you know, and part of that is just coming together and as one church, right, just like the apostles of love, you know where, like the book of Acts talks about the first community being one heart, one mind, you know, and I think that now more than ever, is really an invitation for us to to be united. My, my hope is that we all go back into the roots of, uh, that first community enacts, right, one heart, one mind, you know.
Speaker 2:Amen, beautifully said. All right, brother, vinny. Well, if people want to connect with you or learn more about you and your music and other things that you do and create, where can they find you?
Speaker 3:for sure. Yeah, yeah, so thanks a lot for plugging the music. But yeah, I have, yeah, I'm on instagram and I have a link tree also, um, where, like, a lot of the links are. So you can find me on Instagram, brvinmary. I'm also a worship leader here in San Antonio, texas, and so what we do is we regularly lead music and then, yeah, coming up, I'll be at the Eucharistic Conference, if you're there, helping lead music Also there with some special guests. Stay tuned. I don't know if I can say much more, but yeah, yeah, yeah, so super excited, thanks.
Speaker 2:That's awesome, brother Vinny. He is a very talented musician. Fun fact Brother Vinny did the music for our wedding and it's probably one of the things that people comment on the most about our wedding. Just that, you're really spirit-. So definitely check brother vinny out on spotify and we'll put all that in the notes and people can go to your account and click your link tree and everything but um awesome. Well, can you close somewhere before we end?
Speaker 3:yeah, absolutely. Let's do it in the name of the father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Good and gracious God, we praise you, father, we love you and, more importantly, god, we thank you for the life that you've given us, the yes that you've placed within our hearts, lord, the yes that you have placed within our voices, god, to commit to your life, to desire to follow you, and we pray God for deepening of our commitment to you. Lord, help us long for you daily, help us desire you every moment that we are alive. We ask for the gifts of your spirit, the spirit of your divine life, god, do grace us in following your will and your command, lord, and we make this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, your son, our Lord, amen.
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