GLory Story: Volunteer to vocation
December 2021
This past summer, we interviewed Brother Joseph Teresa of the Discalced Carmelites. He is a former volunteer of ASJB during the College Nights and the scholarship he received through our organization played a major role in him being able to enter the Carmelites so quickly after he graduated college. We are honored to share his story and privileged to play a part in his vocation.
Todd Steger, a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, thought that he was going to become a Dominican. Yet, he is now a professed Carmelite brother with a new name- Brother Joseph Teresa OCD. Through the scholarship that he received through ASJB, he was able to enter the Carmelites as quickly as possible and is grateful that he did not have to think about the burden of student loans after graduation. Brother Joseph Teresa shares that in volunteering during the summer, the work in the apostolate prepared him for the ministry work he would eventually participate in as a Carmelite. The community of ASJB volunteers was also vital in Brother's life in between semesters at college.
He knows just how crucial it is to maintain a prayer life and create community in college. Even having experienced a vibrant Catholic community at Franciscan, the advice he would give to college students is exactly the reason why ASJB exists. He shares, "Having a daily prayer schedule and a Catholic community that you can fall back on is vital for retaining your faith in college."
Prayer and community- two of the pillars of the ASJB and what we desire to give to the students each summer, hoping that cultivating both will lead them to deeper union with Christ Himself and ultimately their own vocation.
This is one witness of the countless glory stories that we encounter. Through this crucial apostolate, seeds are sown that will always bear good fruit- here on earth and in Heaven.
