"Filled with the Holy Spirit": Discerners experience the joy of friar life
Author: Br. Greg Plata, OFM
Date Published: October 15, 2025
Thirteen men participated in three “Come and See weekends” held by the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Franciscan Vocation Ministry in the Central region of the United States.
From Sept. 5 to 7, the friars of Gary, Indiana, hosted three men, who stayed at the residence of St. Joseph the Worker Parish, one of four parishes served by Brothers Ed Shea, OFM, Aaron Richardson, OFM, Loren Connell, OFM, and Michael Surufka, OFM.
Besides listening to my presentations on Franciscan life in the 21st century and our formation process, the participants joined local Secular Franciscans to provide lunch for Gary residents on Saturday. Members of the local community gave witness talks, and later that evening, the friars hosted a dinner that included our brothers studying in Chicago: Brothers Joshua Richter, OFM, Richard Phillip, OFM, Dalton Machado, OFM, of Brazil, and Francis Kang, OFM, of Korea.
On left, two discerners serve hamburgers to residents of Gary, Indiana. On right, a discerner serves the dessert line, as he and other discerners assisted area Secular Franciscans in preparing lunches in Gary. (Photo courtesy of Br. Greg Plata, OFM)
'Seeing the charism lived out between brothers was beautiful’
Five men came to Cincinnati from Oct. 3 to 5 and met not only local friars, but also members of the Second, Third, and Secular Orders during the Transitus and feast of St. Francis. The men came from Jackson, Southfield, and Kalamazoo, Michigan; Columbus, Ohio; and Cookeville, Tennessee.
“The experience was really helpful in my ongoing discernment,” said a discerner from Kalamazoo. “There's a depth of sincerity, care, and joy between the friars. Seeing the charism lived out between brothers was beautiful. I was especially grateful to be there on St. Francis's day, having the chance to talk to other friars and nuns about their lives and ministries.”
On Saturday, I took them to the former St. Francis Seminary of the legacy St. John the Baptist Province, now a retirement community, where they had an opportunity to meet with Brothers Larry Dunham, OFM, and Robert Seay, OFM. Br. Robert has reproduced a detailed rendition of the Portiuncula there, and I presented the chapel’s significance to the discerners.
The discerners also toured St. Francis Seraph Ministries given by Executive Director Mary Pat Rapuch. The men were impressed by the various ministries sponsored by our new province. Not only are these services provided to people experiencing poverty in downtown Cincinnati, but some come over the bridge from Covington, Kentucky, where there are insufficient resources to help them. These vital resources, ranging from meals served in the dining room to providing adequate foot care to the homeless, made a deep impression on the men.
"My ‘Come and See’ visit was a great opportunity to spend time with the friars and see their fraternity in action," remarked a discerner from Ohio. "It was great to celebrate the Transitus and feast of St Francis with the friars and to see that Francis's charism is thriving today. I came away more resolved to live out that charism in my daily life and in the vocation the Lord has placed on my heart."
Discerners from the Cincinnati Come and See Weekend stand in front of the model of the Portiuncula, along with Brothers Larry Dunham, OFM, left, and Br. Robert Seay, OFM, the project’s creator. (Photo courtesy of Br. Greg Plata, OFM)
'The weekend was filled with the Holy Spirit’
San Antonio, Texas, and the Franciscan missions provided the backdrop of the most recent “Come and See” during the weekend of Oct. 10 to 12. Here, five discerners from Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma, and Detroit not only learned the legacy of the friars who came to San Antonio beginning in 1718 but had the opportunity to meet and talk with local solemnly professed friars, along with our brothers in simple profession at Duns Scotus Friary. On Friday night, the discerners were warmly welcomed by recently solemnly professed friar Br. Adolfo Mercado, OFM. After a meal and vespers, Brothers Ricky Madere, OFM, Tyler Harris, OFM, Juan Luis Guerrero, OFM, Joan Perez-Lombera, OFM, and Richard Gaunt, OFM, shared their vocation stories and answered questions from discerners in the San Diego Chapel.
On Saturday, Oct. 11, Franciscan historian Brother Jack Clark Robinson, OFM, gave a daylong presentation on synodality and the Franciscan tradition during the annual Fiesta Franciscana. In attendance were Conventual, OFM, and Capuchin friars, both solemnly and simply professed, as well as Third Order sisters, and many Secular Franciscans from throughout central Texas. Br. Jack provided the historical and social context on how the Franciscan family has been synodal since the beginning, responding to the needs of the people they served through dialogue and listening to them. He concluded the day's event with the challenge to "continue to listen to what the Holy Spirit is telling us today, and to respond."
"I had a great experience on that weekend," said a discerner from Mississippi, "especially talking about the history of the Franciscans, hearing the stories of the various friars and other Franciscans, and how they serve the people."
On left, discerners participating in Come and See in San Antonio pose in front of a statue of St. Anthony, namesake of the city. On right, hundreds of young Catholics march in procession with the Blessed Sacrament in downtown San Antonio. (Photos courtesy of Br. Greg Plata, OFM)
Later that day, Br. Tony Luevano, OFM, vocations director for the Western Region of the U.S., and I gave discerners a tour of the San Antonio missions. Afterward, the friars of San Miguel Friary hosted a traditional Texas BBQ for the group, and an opportunity to talk with Brothers Joe Rozansky, OFM, Jim Hickey, OFM, Albert Haase, OFM, Terence Santiapillai, OFM, Herb Jones, OFM, and Provincial Councilor José Rodriguez, OFM.
As with all the Come and See weekends, I provided a presentation on the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s discernment and formation process after the group celebrated that Sunday's Eucharist with the people served by the friars in that area.
A discerner from Oklahoma described the weekend as "incredible."
"I felt the weekend was filled with the Holy Spirit as we were immersed in the companionship, life, and history of the Franciscans,” he said. “To me, this weekend was the equivalent of taking my first steps, setting out on a great new journey with Jesus and Our Lady."
Finally, to conclude the weekend and give more Franciscan witness among young Catholics, both Br. Richard and I joined with hundreds of youth that Sunday evening in a Eucharistic procession in the center of San Antonio.
Are you interested in becoming a Franciscan friar? Would you like to join an upcoming “Come and See” weekend? Contact our Franciscan Vocation Ministry to begin your discernment. We look forward to hearing from you!
-Br. Greg Plata, OFM, is vocation director for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.