The Vocation of Living

It’s been a long time since I last talked about my own life here.

Obviously, there was a whole lot of journalling when Francine and I walked the Camino, but since then not so much.

When I started this blog, I was discerning whether God was calling me to the Diaconate. Since the Archdiocese of Seattle currently has no plans to call for new Deacons, the answer to that question would seem to be no – or at least, not yet.

We cannot discern these things in a vacuum – that way lies madness – but we must rather discern from within the Church and according to the mind of the Church.

My friend Rev. Bryan Dolejsi currently serves as the Archdiocesan Vocations Director, and he’s told me in no uncertain terms that he’s focused like a laser right now on the Priesthood, not the Diaconate. Obviously this needs to be his focus, for without the Priesthood our Sacramental life would fail.

So for now, I’ve placed this nagging feeling as much in the back of my mind as I can. Sometimes, however, it comes out to the forefront and I roll it around in my heart and mind for awhile.

I prayed a lot about it on the Camino. It particularly came to mind as I prayed in choir with the monks of San Salvador de Monte Irago in Rabanal.

The best answer I have is: “Perhaps. But not yet.”

Meanwhile, I continue to volunteer in our parish.

I’m a teacher and facilitator in our parish’s program of adult catechesis, something I find both rewarding and energizing. We have a lot of work to do to bring our RCIA program in line with what the Church expects, but it’s a job I look forward to tackling after Easter.

Back in January, Father Maurer asked me to coordinate our Altar Servers in the parish.

This means I’m now responsible for the recruitment, training, and scheduling of the Servers. As part of that, I’m on the parish worship committee. We’re already planning for Holy Week and Easter.

To help learn the Altar Server gig, and also to provide some instruction and example, I served as a junior Altar Server throughout Advent and the Christmas Season. I’ll reprise this role somewhat during Lent, as well as serve as MC for Holy Week and the Vigil.

It sounds like a lot, but all of it is a joy. Sure, there are frustrating moments – it wouldn’t be life, otherwise.

There’s much more, of course. How could there not be? After our life-changing Camino, there’s still the business of life to attend to – the vocation of just being alive.

Francine and I continue to hike, though not nearly enough.

I continue to work at a venerable Seattle law firm five days a week.

With a lot of help from our friends, we built a new chicken coop (aka Paradise Towers), and we painted the garage.

We have a frenetic new kitten, who is running us ragged and starting to get on the last collective nerve of our other two cats.

We play board games and RPGs with our friends.

I run a popular, though sporadic, PBeM.

I write, though again not nearly enough.

And I pray. And I read. And I continue to discern.