Vocation Story

The genesis of my call to Consecrated life was passed to me from my parents, Joseph Torma and Leonie Gagnon. Both were strongly rooted in their Catholic faith and called to evangelize the world through the Church’s missionary effort. Both had attempted the Consecrated life, and they were asked to return home for various reasons. Mom had entered the Convent of the Sisters of St Joseph, Erie, PA. Ironically, Mom left the convent for health reasons. Being a strong woman in will and body, she did not let her health deter her from giving birth to and raising eleven children. Dad had attended St Mary College, the seminary of the Redemptorist in Northeast, PA.

Every night after the family rosary, the whole family prayed for vocations. I was well aware that Mom and Dad hoped that at least one of their children would answer a call to religious life or priesthood. When I asked to enter the Minor Seminary of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, there was no hesitation since, by this time, my two older brothers were in the MSC Minor Seminary and my oldest sister was in the convent. Soon my youngest sister would also enter the convent. Of the eleven children, five attempted a call to a religious vocation.

Another influence in my life was my Dad’s oldest sister, Sister Mary Stephen, HM. We often visited her at the convent and met many other Sisters with whom my parents were friends.

Dad had pointed out to me the custom of the French-Canadian families who had many priests and Religious in their families. In fact, through the years, several of my Mom’s cousins, who were priests or religious, would visit her or have her visit them with us in tow.

From this family background, the most appealing aspect of the call was being Missionary to the world. The stories of Priests, Brothers, and Sisters engaged in missionary efforts around the world developed in me the adventurous spirit and challenge that attracted my desire to serve in the Church’s mission to spread the Gospel and do good works as a lifelong call.

During my childhood, I encountered the story of St. Isaac Jogues and St. John Brebeuf, both Jesuit Missionaries. Their lives impressed me with the fruitfulness of personal sacrifice. These missionaries of North America left their home in France and faced danger and sacrifice to evangelize the peoples of the Americas. They belonged to my ancestral French peoples. All the missionaries of North America established the presence of the Church, a gift given to me to fulfill my Catholic inheritance.

No one dramatic event attracted me, just an ordinary progression of living witness to God’s invitation to engage in the lifetime commitment as a Missionary in the Church. When I was invited by my parish assistant Pastor to consider the diocesan priest vocation, I could not imagine myself spending a lifetime in North Eastern Ohio. The Church was worldwide, and my vision for a life of service to the Church had wide boundaries. At age 14, I went to Sacred Heart Mission Seminary, 450 miles away, following the footsteps of my two older brothers, Joe and John, leaving home to follow Christ.

The immediate advantage of this High School Seminary was meeting and living with other people beyond the borders of my hometown and individual state while meeting the academic challenge of College orientated studies. Also I learned a life lesson.  I slowly learned that there was no ideal safe place from the harassment of bullies and others who made life difficult. The reality of human nature tempered the idealism of Christian values. But it was a fulfilling adventure to make friends with others from faraway places, such as the states of Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. The hardships of living with others in the High School community matured my emotional life while the academics demonstrated my ability to excel intellectually. I graduated High School Seminary, May, 1967.

My college career began September, 1967 as a freshman at DePaul University. After spending four years restricted to the boundaries of the High School Seminary, this was an adventure to commute into Chicago daily to attend DePaul University beginning my Bachelors in History, with a minor in Philosophy which was required to qualify for a Masters of Divinity in Theology. Before the year was complete, the student body received the information that the MSC College Seminary Program will move to Center Valley, PA. So, in September 1968 I began my sophomore year at Allentown College of St Francis DeSales. Since our residence was still under construction the Freshman and Sophomore, non-professed classes, resided in Tocik Hall with the other College students. The juniors and seniors, professed members, resided at the Oblates of St Francis DeSales, Brisson Seminary. Finally, in January 1969, all four classes resided together in our new residence, Sacred Heart College Seminary.

At that time the four years of college was interrupted for one year of novitiate at the MSC Major Seminary in Shelby, OH. During this year we concentrated on spiritual life and the spirit of our founder, Fr Jules Chevalier. Our Novice Master, Fr Eugene Trainor, focused our attention on consecrated life and the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, living in community. Once again I was challenged to clarify my Vocation to the Ordained Life, understanding that ordination is within the first calling which is to Consecrated life. I professed my temporary vows, August 15, 1970. Returning to the College Seminary at Center Valley, I completed my BA in History, May 28, 1972. A unique innovation to the Seminary lifestyle was having a part time job. In the former program each seminarian had a job to support communal life. To contribute to my upkeep and support I worked 15 hours a week as a salesperson at Sherwin Williams Store in Allentown. During the summer, my hours were expanded to forty hours. That was a wonderful experience of the working world.

The final four years of Education was in the Formation Community at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, in Hyde Park near the University of Chicago. I was living in the big city. One challenging aspect of this stage of formation was the annual evaluation. Each student was evaluated not only by the Director but also by one’s peers. This process helped to mature one’s emotional life as each person faced the concerns of the Formation Board as well as one’s peers. Another aspect was being evaluated in one’s pastoral experience. During these four years I served in three different parishes. After ordination to Diaconate I served at Assumption BVM parish in Chicago near the Chicago City jail. For one semester I helped the inmates with their continued education in English and spelling. My first public homily was at Assumption parish. The Staff of the Pastor and Sisters were very supportive. The summer after my ordination to Diaconate I served at Holy Family Parish, Nazareth, PA.  Also the practice of contributing to one’s support continued during these four years. For three years I worked part time at the Jamaica Tourist Board as the mail clerk sending out brochures about Jamaica. When the commitment to that job became too demanding of my time, I washed dishes at CTU dining room.

The most significant innovation to the Seminary Formation Program was the three month summer experience in our Mission at Santa Margarita Parish in Bogota’ Colombia. This was a very productive way of spending the summer months. Just as my horizons were expanded as a teenager by moving away from my parents and family, so my identity as a consecrated person called to a missionary identity was concretized with this three month experience with MSC missionaries and living in another culture. Immediately after returning to the United States, I entered my 12 week program of Clinical Pastoral Education at Hospital, Milwaukee. Once again the formation as a Pastoral Person was helped by evaluation by peers and a supervisor. CPE became a requirement of the Theology program.

My thirteen years of education and formation was completed June 19, 1976 with my ordination at St Columba Cathedral in my home diocese of Youngstown, OH.

Fr. Andrew Torma, MSC