being thankful- a priest that made my life different

Part2 of my week of gratitude for religious persons (part 1 was about a favorite sister). I make it a week because there are many sisters and priests in my life, and even some pastors..
Today I would like to introduce you Father Vincent.

Father Vincent is a wonderful priest whom I met during my third year of college. He was officially in charge of students at the university, and he was doing a great job at it.
Now I had met priests before in my life. But it never occurred to me that they were existing longer than an hour on Sunday mornings, or that they would ever wear something else that a alb and chasuble...
Well Father Vincent was different from any other priest because he talked. He was not only recitating prayers and preaching, he was simply talking with anyone who was there. The student room was a great place where we would share lunch and chit chat in between classes.. The more time I spent there, the more I wanted to go back. I met some of my best friends, and I learned so much about God, Jesus, community and fraternity.
I'm very thankful for Father Vincent because he is a wonderful priest. He simply follows Christ's example of humanity: joyful, prayerful, deep in wisdom and knowledge, and very caring. I don't know any other priest who makes you feel like you matter, for real. I've met many great persons and religious ones, and I know how good they take care of their "flock". But he was not only taking care, he was caring.
Father Vincent is the one who made me understand what fatherhood is about.
There is this one verse of the letter to the Corinthian that always comes to my mind:
"Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel." (1 Cor 4:15)

And indeed I may have dozens of priests that I met since and know by name, he is the one who brought me to a living faith. :)

Sunday was the good Shepherd gospel. The Good Shepherd knows his sheet, and they listen to his voice.
Because a priest took time to talk with me, I took time to listen.
I'm so happy that Father Vincent is now a seminarian teacher. If there is one person to pass down his joy and passion of being a priest, he is the one!


My last year of college he went to Roma to study and get a PhD and I was very honored to read his thesis about the Holy Spirit (about GS 22,5). I'm very glad we kept in touch anyway, he always took the time to follow up on my discerning, to make sure I found some other priest for direction etc. And when we started the marriage preparation I asked him to celebrate in France and he made sure he even gave us skype appointement to receive marriage counselling (more personnal than the diocese group class).

When I pray for vocations I pray that God send us priests like him, who are taking the time to go beyond the shaking hands after service. People who can shake your life with the Gospel.