As Salesians, we often encourage young people to come to know about who we are and our spirituality by joining us in our works, prayers, celebrations, etc. This invitation was most recently accepted by three remarkable young men as they joined us for a Young Adult Discernment Weekend. These young men, Anthony Pinto of Miami, FL- Ivan Gemio of Port Chester, NY- and Namir Warmack of Orange, NJ- participated in the Come & See weekend on September 18th to 20th as a part of their discernment journey. The entire community of the Don Bosco Residence was on hand to welcome these guests which helped to give this discernment retreat a warm familial feeling.
The weekend was faith-filled and fun-filled opportunity for the participants to experience a bit about Salesian life through many experiences. Thankfully due to his early arrival from Miami, Fr. Dennis Hartigan and Br. Rafael Vargas were gracious enough to show Anthony what a day at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey held for the students and Salesians there. He was able to see the importance of fraternity amongst the students and the Salesian community which he had come to learn about when he first met Fr. Matt DeGance at camp this past summer. Later on, when the remaining participants joined the program, they were able to participate fully in the Friday activities of the community which included sharing their initial vocation story, enjoying a pizza dinner, and joining in with members of Seton Hall University’s DOVE program who volunteer at the youth center at Our Lady of the Valley.
On Saturday, the participants were further welcomed by the larger Salesian family at the Jubilee Celebrations at Stony Point honoring those Salesians who have devoted themselves for significant years to the service of the Lord in the spirit of St. John Bosco. I believe that getting to share in the camaraderie and joy of this special celebration helped our young adult discerners to see how being called to be a Salesian is not a solo event, but rather that it means being part of a great and beautiful family every step of the way. The remainder of the weekend went on to include some recreational time with the community in a game of soccer, discussions and reflections on vocations, and an opportunity to spend time journaling in the hopes of helping them to discover, understand and map out their vocation.
Our Come and See weekend drew to a close with Liturgy with the parish community at Our Lady of the Valley wherein Fr. Steve Dumais’ homily highlighted for our participants and the church community that we’re all called to hold on to the innocence of faith that is often modeled by children and believe in God’s awe and wonder with unabashed virtuousness as they do. All in all, this past Come and See weekend provided the young men with a comprehensive understanding of the Salesian way, the lived community experience, and a chance to see how they fit into all of it. They will continue to be accompanied to find if this is where they are being called to give their lives to the Lord. Let’s pray with them and for them that they may find their path to discipleship in the Lord Jesus. 