Update

Follow my formation by blog...

It has now been 6 months since I officially announced my next step - entrance into the Capuchin Franciscan Religious Order - and asked for the financial support of the Mir Movement community to help make that step possible.

Since that time, and due in large part to the Mir Movement community's overwhelming support, the debt standing between me and religious life has been cut, unbelievably, more than in half!

While the full financial goal has yet to be realized, the progress made to date has been significant enough that the Capuchin vocation office has decided to grant me admission to their religious formation program starting January 1, 2010 (less than 4 weeks from now!). They have done so because:

• The feel that I should begin formation right away
• They feel confident that the outstanding amount will be raised by next August (i.e. by the time I enter the "Postulancy" period of my formation and, therefore, the Capuchins assume all of my financial obligations

So what does this mean in terms of My Next Step?

Well, first of all - praise be to God! - it means I am days away from beginning religious life. On January 2, I will move to Toronto, Ontario and spend the next 6 months living with a Capuchin community at St. Philip Neri Parish.

During this time, I will become acquainted with the Capuchin way of life by joining the friars in their daily routine of prayer, work and study. The primary goal of this period is to discover if I am a "fit" for the Capuchins and if they are a "fit" for me. If, at the end of this 6-month "pre-Postulancy" period, both parties agree that we are a good "fit" for one another, I will proceed to Postulancy (which takes place in Milwaukee, WI and I will discuss later).

This is an incredibly exciting development for me! I thought for sure that I was at least one - maybe even two or three- years away from pre-Postulancy. But because of the unimaginable support of the Mir Movement community, I will be able to begin serving God, His Church and each and every one of you as a religious starting in less than a month.

Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you for making this possible. In particular, I would like to thank the following groups and individuals for supporting My Next Step:

• Anonymous benefactors
• Arnold & Joanne S.
• Bill & Maureen M.
• Kim & Rick P.
• St. Christopher (Forest) Mission Committee
• Our Lady Help of Christians (Watford) Catholic Women's League
• St. Benedict (Sarnia) Catholic Women's League
• St. Michael (Ridgetown) Knights of Columbus
• Maureen D.
• Christen P.
• Joseph & Elisabeth P.
• St. Joseph (Sarnia) Bingo Group
• Fr. John C.
• Patty & Marshall K.
• Irena K.
• St. Anthony of Padua Fraternity
• The Rosary Apostolate (Sarnia)
• Georgette M.
• Patrick & Kristyn G.
• Corunna Knights of Columbus

This also means, however, that I must still come up with approximately $10 000 before next August (i.e. before, as I have already said, I proceed to Postulancy and, therefore, the Capuchins assume all of my financial obligations).

To this end, then, I must ask the Mir Movement community anew to support my vocation in the following 2 ways:

• Read the letters from my vocation director and spiritual director
• Take 5 minutes to pray - to Jesus through Mary - on whether or not you should support my vocation. If the answer comes back "YES," continue reading about how you can help My Next Step...

I, for my part, will join you in your prayers by continuing to petition that the LORD's will be done. Specifically, I will continue to ask that if it is the LORD's will that my religious formation continue uninterrupted, He will make that known by providing the necessary funds and if His will is otherwise, He will make that known by doing the opposite. In either case, I will find peace knowing that His will is done. Amen!

Sharing Medjugorje and encouraging "peace, peace, peace - and only peace!"