The beginnings of Br. Vincent’s vocation story are quite intriguing. As a young boy, he was first attracted to the priesthood because he believed that priests did nothing besides one or two masses on Sunday and nonetheless received respect and admiration from young and old alike! With age however, he began to realize not only how much priests actually do and accomplish, but that any respect they receive is well deserved.

The priest, as he came to see, is always involved at the most important moments of people's lives. When a child is born, there is a priest there to baptize and welcome him into the Church as a reborn child of God; when a child grows to maturity, there is a priest there at first Holy Communion, or the bishop at confirmation; when people get married, there is a priest there to be a witness for the Church and to confirm and strengthen the couple’s love before God; when people are sick, or in need of counsel or forgiveness, a priest is again involved; and when a person dies, there is a priest to offer the rites and consolations of the Church.

While usually we only see a doctor when we are sick, the priest is there for all occasions and all the truly important moments of our lives. In this way, Br. Vincent began to think of the priesthood as a vocation, being alike to Christ the High Priest and thus growing to true greatness according to God’s will and plan.

Although he began his studies for the priesthood as a diocesan seminarian, Br. Vincent found in the depth and beauty of community life an invitation to consider the religious vocation. A shepherd after all does not work on his own; he has others besides him who, through likeminded devotion, make the difficult task of nourishing the flock easier to accomplish and to accomplish well.

Three essential attributes of the Dominican order attracted Br. Vincent to religious life: the great intellectual tradition springing from Saint Thomas Aquinas with its desire and drive for the truth; as well as the depth of spirituality and mysticism beginning with Saint Dominic. These aspects of the Order make themselves manifest in countless Dominican saints, who continue to show to men and women of all ages the splendor of a life lived in its totality with and for God. Finally, when the intellectual and spiritual formation of a Dominican are combined with the missionary nature of the Order, its emphasis on doctrinal preaching and zeal for the salvation of souls, one can truly become an excellent co-operator in evangelizing not only the ends of the earth, but our own country and our families that hunger for truth.

It is the great possibilities flowing from combining the scholarly and the pastoral, which encourage Br. Vincent as he continues his preparations for the priesthood and for service to the Church as a religious