Youth ministry always has resonated with Deacon Richard M. Malebranche. “I’d have to say it absolutely played a role in my vocation story,” he said.
Deacon Malebranche, 37, is a native of the diocese, growing up in Dale City the youngest of three kids. His parents, Margaret and Jacques, raised their family in the faith, regularly attending Mass at Holy Family Church. Deacon Malebranche remembers his mom participating in the Legion of Mary and bringing the legion’s statue of Mary home for “house visits.”
“Whenever the Mary statue would come for a visit through Holy Family, (we had) a rosary every night for Mary’s visit,” he said.
He attended St. Thomas Aquinas Regional School in Woodbridge from kindergarten through eighth grade. “Because of that ‘joint effort,’ I was a part of two youth ministries,” he said.
Hints of a priestly vocation found him early on. In middle school, Deacon Malebranche experienced people asking him if he had thought about becoming a priest. “I took it as a compliment,” he said, but didn’t think too deeply about it.
At the end of his academic career at George Mason University in Fairfax, he went on a vocation retreat, thinking it would solve his vocational dilemma. But when the retreat came and went without any dramatic epiphanies, Deacon Malebranche thought, “Maybe I didn’t have a vocation to the priesthood.”
So, he took up a teaching position at Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Potomac Shores. He continued his love of youth ministry by participating and volunteering as a coordinator of youth ministry at St. Philip Church in Falls Church. But during this time, God built a desire for the priesthood within him. “The Lord was very gentle with me. He kind of just kept building (it in) me,” he said.
His career at John Paul the Great helped strengthen his faith life. “I saw the young people go to confession at lunch, Mass in the mornings, pray in their free time,” he said. “So, I felt the need to keep up.” That’s when he began feeling an increased desire for the priesthood.
But Deacon Malebranche felt conflicted. He had a stable job and had just bought a house with his brother.
The tipping point was when he completed a Marian consecration in 2018. “That summer at WorkCamp during adoration is where I heard the call,” Deacon Malebranche said. It was at that moment that he realized, “I’m ignoring you if I don’t do something to act on this.” From that point on, he had no doubts about his vocation.
Mary continued to walk alongside Deacon Malebranche through his years in seminary. He developed a special love for praying the rosary. He said he often pictures Mary “holding me, my guardian angel is on guard, and my Lord is leading me.”
After ordination, Deacon Malebranche will be parochial vicar at St. Agnes Church in Arlington.
In the weeks prior to ordination, Deacon Malebranche anticipates celebrating the sacraments. “I cannot wait to hear confessions,” he said. “Him using me to give (forgiveness) to people? I just can’t wait.”
