The Lord’s call
When Jesus calls someone to become a brother of Saint John, he draws that person interiorly towards this particular community and gives him the desire to become one of its members. Jesus alone can do this.
Discerning a vocation is therefore something first of all personal, something you need to begin thinking about on your own preferably with the help of a spiritual director. Nonetheless, no matter where you are in your discernment, we would be happy to meet with you and help you discover our particular way of following Jesus in the footsteps of Saint John the Beloved.
Our life has four main aspects: prayer, fraternal life, study, and mission. We live a life of silent prayer and fraternal communion but we are also sent into the world as witnesses to God’s love and to the truth that his Word and love bring to all men.
If you feel that this form of religious life could be attractive to you, we would recommend that you get to know the brothers and their life together better. The best way to do that is through visiting either our Formation House or our Mission House both located in Cebu City. You could have personal meetings with the brothers and visit and help out on our apostolates. If youâre not ready to make the trip to Cebu, you may also have an online meeting with the Vocations Director or another member of the vocations team to see what is the best next step for you.
Whom should I contact?
If you wish to meet the brothers, inquire about entering the community, or have questions about your vocation, we encourage you to contact the Vocations Director, Fr. John of the Cenacle.
Phone number: 09399653283
fr.jeanducenacle@stjean.com
Delve a little deeper
What is a religious?
A Brother of Saint John is a religious. âReligiousâ means âfastened toâ or âbound toâ (from the Latin religare). A religious is someone who has received a call from Jesus to bind themselves to Him through vows and the common life.
He is thus bound to, or âfastened toâ God, by following Jesus in poverty, chastity and obedience, and by keeping His new commandment to âlove one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one anotherâ (Jn 13 :34-35). In order to live this relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters, we rely on the Church, founded by Jesus upon Peter and the apostles.
What are the 3 vows?
We take three vows: the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Life according to these vows corresponds to “that form of life which he, as the Son of God, accepted in entering this world.” (Vita Consecreta, 16)
That is why, as we make this promise to live according to the three vows, we rely upon Godâs mercy and the help of our brothers (Cf. Rite of Profession). We desire to unite ourselves as closely as possible to Jesus, choosing to live the form of life he himself chose in his earthly life and seeking a âgradual identification with the attitude of Christ towards the Fatherâ (Vita Consecrata, 65).