Vocation Story - Justin Ferguson '06
	May His Will be Done Be faithful to your time with Jesus." These words spoken to me by my mother during my college days well express where I came from and how it is that I am in the seminary now. My parents, by their own personal witness to the faith, have always encouraged me and my siblings to discern the will of God through our faithfulness in prayer to Jesus through Mary. When I was a child, my family came together every evening to pray the rosary, read Sacred Scripture, and offer up our own personal prayers of thanksgiving, petition, and repentance. Some of my childhood memories consisted of acting out the Passion of Christ with my brothers, playing Mass, visiting a local monastery for monthly confession and spiritual direction, and attending daily Mass. These family practices helped me ease into realizing and accepting my vocation to the priesthood. As I grew into my later teens, I led a prayer group that met weekly in our parish's Blessed Sacrament chapel. I also actively participated in the youth group, while constantly being asked by girls I wanted to date, if I was going to be a priest. Naturally, I responded as most teenage boys would, with a firm "No!" Although the priesthood was often on my mind, I continually asked God to not let this be my call. During my last year of high school and following, I worked at a Catholic book and gift store associated with the local monastery I visited as a child. I quickly became the purchasing manager of goods and within a year found myself on an airplane heading to Rome for a business transaction and a bit of vacation. While doing a lot of sightseeing and purchasing many religious articles, I encountered Christ, in a very profound way, calling me to His priesthood. Taken aback in Rome by the greatness and beauty of His Bride the Church, I remember hearing within my heart Jesus asking me, "Why do you continue to ignore me?" After returning from Rome, I began to make certain decisions in my life to respond to this question. Within four months I had resigned from work and was heading back to Rome to begin discerning the priesthood by studying philosophy at the Angelicum University. However, this time I returned home within five days after learning the valuable lesson that I no longer make the decisions for my formation. He who has called me will show me where and how He wants me to become His priest. After about four months of praying and waiting for God to show me where to go, Jesus revealed to me His plan, and I found myself applying to be a seminarian for the Diocese of Savannah. Almost four years later, I returned to Rome to begin major seminary and theological studies. This time I found the peacefulness that comes from following His plan and not mine. Justin R. Ferguson Diocese of Savannah Class of 2006