On the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena, Sister Liz Sjoberg of the Daughters of Charity challenged 1,400 students attending the eighth grade vocations Mass to heed the words of the saint.
“We are all called to greatness,” said Sister Sjoberg, speaking to an overflow audience at All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas April 29. “St. Catherine said, ‘Be who you’re meant to be and you’ll set the world on fire.’ Greatness doesn’t happen all at once. A blaze has to start somewhere and it starts and sometimes it starts as a small thing and little by little it grows. As Christians we’ve got to start that match a little bit.”
The atmosphere was upbeat with lots of laughs during the pre-Mass program, but students were asked to seriously consider the call to holiness. “That’s the whole point of this Mass,” said Father Noah C. Morey, diocesan vocations director. “We all have the call to become saints and that’s lived out in different ways. It reminds students of that openness to wherever the Lord is leading.”
Father Richard M. Malebranche, parochial vicar of St. Agnes Church in Arlington, shared his painful testimony of suffering the death of his best friend who had mentored him in the faith.
“The Lord had brought sorrow into my life,” he said. “But, every single day, my Lord is insistent, saying, ‘I need you to follow my will in all ways,’ and when you do that, it will bring you joy and peace, through the suffering.”
As he scanned the room that had grown quiet, Father Malebranche assured the students that God has a calling on each one of them. “I just want you to understand right now that you’re sitting in his presence, even if you are not sure what you are doing, understand that his goodness is working on you,” he said. “By being here, you are giving him the opportunity.”
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated Mass and during his homily, he encouraged the eighth graders to “live in the light.” “Don’t give up, persevere, stay the course,” he said. “And you can only do that if you give small yeses every day — yes to God’s ways and commands — yes to living a life of goodness, compassion, kindness and integrity. … God knows where he is leading you. He has a plan for you and he knows what profession he wants you to choose and what your vocation will be.”
After Mass, students poured into the All Saints gym to enjoy a Chick-fil-A lunch, ice cream, and fellowship with hundreds of their peers from throughout the diocese. “I think it was great,” said Kwayera Teltier of St. Ambrose School in Annandale. “I’m really glad that Catholicism is all about supporting each other and loving each other as God supports and loves us and I’m very excited to find out my vocation.”
“They made me think more about vocation and how I have different options,” said Anna Gramling of Sacred Heart of Jesus Academy in Winchester. “I can be a religious sister or go into married life and have kids.”
Bishop Burbidge told students to savor their final days in the eighth grade. “There’s still some time left to be together,” he said. “So, keep both feet planted. Enjoy the blessings God still has in store for you and continue to be leaders in your school.”
“We are wishing you much happiness at this new and exciting moment in your life,” he continued. “But that’s only possible if you do not rely merely on yourself, but on the Lord and the help and grace and promises to give you the one who just said to you today, ‘Come to me and you will find rest.’ He will lighten your burdens. He will carry you exactly to where he wants you to be and in Him as you move forward.”
