My earliest vocation career was to be a trash collector. Every Thursday, I used to wait till they approached my house to help them. That quickly faded to being a policeman. I could drive fast, help people, serve and protect. Then I realized someone could shoot me.
This turned to wanting to be the person we saw every Sunday on the altar. That decision never waned but became better understood and more desirable. I tried to test God by asking for proofs that this is where God was calling me. God laughed and just kept wooing me according to God’s desires and plan.
All my grade school and high school buddies knew my desire. It was no surprise when I officially entered the seminary. It was not clear where I would go, until the very first day I entered high school when I was amazed at these some 30 priests, brothers and seminarians who were so genuinely happy in serving God through their service to others.
I was involved in school and got to work with many of them in extracurricular activities. Five of them served at our parish back then when we had 14 Masses on a Sunday! I was going to be an Oblate of Saint Francis de Sales, one of them, happy, holy and other-centered. I am still trying to perfect the holiness piece, but I cannot recall a bad assignment and any extended sad part of my life.
I taught in high school and at our university with great people and wonderful students. It was easy when our founder’s exhortation was center, “respect the soul of your pupil.”
My easiest ministry was being principal in our school in Wilmington of 1,100 boys. What a blessing to have so many “master teachers,” gifted administrators and good, talented young men. God gave me incredible grace to be pastor of them all.
Although I was on fire to teach the next class better than all that preceded, I felt life was “too controlled, too predictable.” The passive periphrastic in Latin never changes, nor do the factoring of equations. I wanted life to be out of control. I took a chance and moved to parish ministry especially with a Latino population who would really know my mistakes and my gringo pronunciation.
The assignment in Camden, the merging of parishes, the physically homeless (because to some extent we are all homeless), busted pipes, dangerous pipes of a different sort on our sidewalks, introduction to Narcan, debt and more debt, and a constant looking to the sky to say “really, Lord” gave me what I wanted, as God shouted back “I’m in control; you’re not. Happy now? Let go and trust. Live in the present moment Saint Francis de Sales constantly talked about.”
Someone wrote that the vow of obedience means that wherever you go there are people to love and be loved by. This is my life. I am a lover. I love to love and to be loved. Ministry is the arena to find this especially when nurtured by prayer and community life. What amazes me are the new avenues that continually open for me to learn more about God’s infinite love. Incredible, almost unbelievable. Could not be happier. Totally blessed. God gave me my vocation, my parents and five siblings nurtured it, and these wonderful, terribly charming and incredibly lovable 12 nieces and nephews give me the desire to live this vocation with intentionality, fidelity, open constantly to God’s grace and mercy. Parishioners teach me daily how to live the Gospel.
I never had much contact with diocesan priests save helping on weekends at various parishes. After five years, I can say the Diocese of Camden is blessed with their ministry. Religious sisters, brothers and priests, we get to paint the same Gospel through our own special spiritualities and charisms that help to show this all inclusive (yes, all, no arguments here) God who simply smiles, embraces, picks us up and hugs us like no other.
It is a call like no other though I am reminded my mother always said there is no vocation harder than parenting (I have four sisters).
So, if you are thinking you have a vocation to the priesthood and religious life, talk to someone, especially God. Not perfect, not worthy? Join us, you will be in great company. Be loved incredibly by God and open to amazing encounters of God’s love through others. “It is not you who chose me but I who chose you. Be not afraid. Come and see. Go, teach and baptize.”
Father John J. Fisher, OSFS, is rector of the Parish of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Camden.
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