How do you solve a problem like María?

Finding and embracing one’s true vocation

By Elisabeth Román

During his third year of college Jesús Alonso went to live in temporary housing provided by the Congregation of the Holy Cross while the university’s residences were being renovated. Alonso found it to be mysterious but comforting at the same time. “It was that sense of community. Sharing the Mass and meals with the brothers, speaking about different topics concerning ministries all over the world, and learning about their style of community life that helped me to understand what religious life meant,” says Alonso, who is now a brother of the Holy Cross.

His parents found it difficult to accept his decision, particularly when they learned the choice involved not getting married and accruing no personal wealth. “Like many parents, they wanted me to have a wife and kids. After a couple of difficult conversations my parents stated their true concern: They just wanted me to make the right decision,” he says.

His parents, like so many immigrant families, did seasonal work harvesting crops in the state of Washington. Alonso disliked the work and hated spending his summer vacations working on his hands and knees and often starting the school year in one state and ending it in another. When it came time to enroll in college, he received a scholarship through a migrant program supported by St. Edward University in Austin, Texas. Becoming a professional was all he and his fellow classmates, who were from migrant families, could dream of.

Not everyone in his family understands what religious life entails. “My 95-year-old grandmother still asks when I’m going to marry María.” Well, what about María? “We are still good friends, although the news of my vocation did cause her heartache.

In reality, it has been the love of María, the Virgin Mother, that has helped Alonso embrace his true vocation. He shares his story with others to encourage them to explore a vocation and not be afraid to pursue it, no matter how constricting or foreign it may seem. Let God be the one to guide your path and lead you to making the right choice,” he says.

Your turn

What would attract you the most to living in a religious community? What problems would it bring?
How would your family react?