My Vocation Story
One of our saintly and venerable Brothers from Ireland, the late Brother Pat O’Rourke, MSC (the first Brother candidate for the MSC-USA Province), asked his fellow Brother John Rose, MSC (the first Brother candidate from the USA): “Did you ever wonder why we stayed in the congregation, while so many others left?”
I am sure this question often comes to mind to most who have seen people come and leave the congregation, including myself. Of course, one’s vocation is a grace from God, who calls us to fidelity to his will. However, reflecting on this prompts me to share my experience of becoming a Missionary of the Sacred Heart (MSC).
My first inclination to a Religious vocation came when I was 10. I did not, however, take it seriously until I was in high school. And I always wanted to be a teacher. It was in high school, through a friend, that I first heard about Religious Brothers. I remember being quite surprised by this particular vocation. I thought that only priests could live the Consecrated Life. (As a Brother, I could live the Consecrated Life and teach without ordination.) It also happened that the Church I attended on Sundays had a statue of the Sacred Heart in the center of the altar. I had a preference honoring Our Lord under the title of the Sacred Heart. This statue is how I envisioned Jesus. Likewise, I had a deep devotion to our Blessed Mother and her husband, St. Joseph. (Jesus’s first call)
I was not brought up in a prayerful environment after my father passed away when I was 6. (Mother had passed away 4 years before my father.) The orphan’s court decided to have my maternal side take my 2 older brothers and me into their home. We lived with our maternal grandparents and an unmarried aunt. They were Lutheran and did not have love and use for the Catholic Church. And they let us know this frequently. Ironically, my maternal great-grandmother was Catholic. But the court ordered them to raise my brothers and me Catholic. And so, we went to Mass each Sunday and Holy Days until we made our Confirmation. Attending Mass was made optional, but my two brothers left the Church. But thanks to my paternal grandmother, I continued to attend Sunday Mass. But I had to learn about the Catholic Faith on my own. A friend of mine, who attended Catholic School, gave me two catechism books. These gifts were the primary tools for my religious education. (Jesus’s second call)
Another sign of my vocation was that the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart would come and celebrate the Liturgy on Sundays and hear confessions on Saturday afternoons. I remember their homilies, always devoted to the Sacred Heart, pointing to the reality of God’s mercy and love for his people. It was also the MSC that I chose for confession because they always exercised the compassion and love of God for the sinner and never went through the tedious list of questions for the penitent. In fact, an MSC informed me that there was no need to go to confession each week; monthly was sufficient. (Jesus’s third call)
The seed had been planted previously, and the Sacred Heart began to let it grow, although I did not fully understand this grace. I began searching for religious communities but was still not sure which one to apply to enter.
One day, I was playing baseball in the street when my friend mentioned that a priest was knocking on the door of my home. Panic immediately set in since I was still living with my Protestant family. I quickly rushed home and discovered it was Father Robert Tobolski, MSC. Fr. Tobolski frequently helped at the parish that I attended. I invited him into the house (somewhat nervously), and we talked. Several weeks later, I received vocational materials and a visit from the Director of Vocations. (By the grace of God, my Protestant family remained silent.) I then applied to be an MSC Brother, and on June 10, 1965, on the morning of my high school graduation, I received my acceptance letter to enter the community. (Jesus’s fourth call)
When one first enters a formation program for Religious Life, the person is filled with much idealism about his vocation. Over time, through God’s grace of perseverance and living the vowed life, idealism begins to take on a clearer and more realistic vision of the vocation. And so, at age 17, I entered the Postulancy program of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart during the last session of Vatican Council II.
There is no need at this time to compare the idealism and the hard-core reality of the plight of the MSC Brothers. However, my venerable Director of Novices, Fr. Willie Gies, MSC, asked this newly homesick and angry candidate to try to “stick it out,” no matter how difficult it might be. In my formation training, I learned that our Founder, Jules Chevalier, MSC, did the same. He faced many obstacles from his Church, country, and MSC. Through his courage, he never lost hope, and the strong conviction that God was calling him to a unique task within the Church. With the Holy Spirit walking with him, Jules Chevalier could press forward in his faith journey despite the barriers. (Jesus’s fifth call)
Another valuable counsel came when I was preparing for my first vows. Fr. Willie told us novices that it should be with the desire and resolve of professing perpetual vows when we make our first profession. Jules Chevalier did the same when he took his vows on December 25, 1856. They were with the intention of a life-long commitment. (Jesus’s sixth call)
While I was committed to the above counsels from Fr. Willie, the greatest grace of perseverance comes from my firm belief and commitment to living the gift of Jules Chevalier’s vision, spirit, and charism. These transcend personal, communal, and institutional weaknesses. The gifts of Jules Chevalier, given through the Holy Spirit, help to maintain the idealism, which we must never lose; they bring about inner peace that God truly called me to be His Missionary of the Sacred Heart, to live in communion as brothers in the compassionate love of Christ and to be His Heart within this fragile and broken world. (Jesus’s confirmation of my vocation)
Returning to Brother Pat O’Rourke, he was a prime example of how we can fully live our spirituality and charism in day-to-day living. He was an inspiration for all Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Brother Pat had no hidden agenda. He was a “fountain of humility.” I never felt fear when approaching him. He had a charitable, generous heart and a sense of humor. I remember his reassuring smile that things would eventually work out for the better. He was a deeply spiritual man and a true friend of both young and old. His exemplary life touched everyone.
I thank God for the gift of my vocation. I pray that I may grow more each day, nurtured with the Heart of Jesus’ love sentiments and that I may never tire of proclaiming this love and kindness to God’s people. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere! Now and forever!
Brother Warren Perrotto, MSC
First Profession of Vows: March 19, 1967
