“My name is David and I am 28 years old and have been in Emmanuel for four years and have made a step in the Fraternity of Jesus. I first met the Community through a woman who told me that the Holy Spirit had prompted her to share about this with me. Since I was 19 years old, I have felt a call to be a “universal brother” and am currently discerning the consecrated lay vocation.
After this encounter with this lady, I decided while on mission in New Mexico, to start flying to the monthly gatherings in Minnesota to discern the Community. I was then asked by the North American delegate to spend some time in mission in Salvador da Bahia Brazil to discern Emmanuel and vocation. Since then, I’ve lived in St. Paul, Minnesota in order to participate in the Community Life. I’ve recently was able to meet with the consecrated brothers in France and was invited to do a year of discernment with them since I am the first man in the Americas to discern and therefore don’t have any other brothers near me. I will be in discernment and formation from July 2017-August 2018.
This year of discernment and formation will consist in living in the residential fraternity which the consecrated brothers have in Bondy, France. I will share life with them, praise and adore every day, volunteer with migrants and refugees through Le Rocher, learn French, and do some ecumenical outreach with local Emmanuel members. Additionally, I will be studying theology in order in the future to write a thesis for the Community on the complementarity of the laity and priesthood in the mission.
I am grateful to the Lord for the Community and the ability to discern this call. I’m especially eager to be a part of what the Community can offer the Church in North America and am excited to see what the Lord does through Emmanuel in the coming decades.”
Merci David. I will include you in my prayers.