Discerners serve the hungry during Come and See Weekend

The Western Region of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Franciscan Vocation Ministry held a Come and See weekend at St. Boniface Friary in San Francisco the weekend of Nov. 14 to 16.  

Two men from California and one from Clemson University were welcomed by Br. Tony Luevano, OFM, western regional vocation director, and local friars Brothers Juan Jose Jauregui, OFM, Zeno Im, OFM, John Luat Nguyen, OFM, Joan Perez, OFM, Brian Trawick, OFM, Alberto Villafan, OFM, and David Gaa, OFM, of St. Barbara Province. Br. Greg Plata, national vocation director, assisted Br. Tony for the weekend. 

Friday night began with evening prayer, followed by dinner and introductions from the discerners. Br. Greg posed the question, “What do you hope to gain from this weekend?” and each discerner expressed a desire to experience the fraternity’s lifestyle and ministry to aid their discernment. 

After Saturday morning prayer and a pickup breakfast, Br. Tony took the discerners and Br. Greg to St. Anthony Foundation, explaining its history as well as its multi-faceted outreach to the poor in the area, commonly known as the “Tenderloin.”  

St. Anthony Foundation was founded in 1950 by the late Fr. Alfred Boeddeker, OFM, and offers a wide range of services including medical and hygiene services, a computer lab and a clothing program. The St. Anthony Dining Room has served over 35,000,000 nutritional meals in its 75-year history. After the tour, the discerners and friars donned aprons to assist with meals in the dining hall, which served more than 900 meals from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day. 

The discerners also had the opportunity to visit three iconic sites in the city: historic Fort Point, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of Fine Arts, built in 1915 to commemorate the Panama-Pacific International Exposition hosted by the city. Later that afternoon, the discerners sat down with the friars of St. Boniface, who shared not only their down-to-earth stories of discernment to the Franciscans, but the realities of community life, the deeper context of the vowed life, and the overall joy of being Friars Minor. 

“This weekend, especially with the friars sharing their stories, gave me a lot more clarity to this way of life,” said one discerner.  

Sunday included Mass with the parishioners of St. Boniface, breakfast and a presentation on the discernment and formation process of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  

As one discerner said, “Having experienced other Come and See events, this weekend just reaffirmed my desire to join the friars in the near future.”