Six Vocation Discerners Enjoy Their Time With Franciscans in Maryland

In the back row from left to right we have Friar Vincent, Nick, Riley, and Esteban

In the front row also from left to right are Jeremy, Oshane, Luciano, and Friar Eric

This past weekend when temperatures around Washington, D.C. at one point breached the 70-degree mark, six men from across the United States East Coast visited the Franciscans’ St. Bonaventure Friary in Forestville, Maryland to discern their vocations with the friars. Nick, Esteban, Oshane, Jeremy, Riley, and Luciano – the six discerning men – immediately clicked with Franciscans who call the friary home.

Everyone enjoyed the festive dinner prepared by Friar Nicholas Dragone's family as well as the excellent conversation

During their time in Forestville, Nick, Esteban, Oshane, Jeremy, Riley, and Luciano discussed religious life and Franciscan history with vocation directors Friars Eric de la Pena and Vincent Gluc. They also got a taste of student life at Catholic University of America where they toured the campus and ate lunch. At Washington Theological Union they visited the library and chatted with a few students.

Franciscans and discerners strolling along the National Mall in Washington, D.C. with the Washington Monument in the background

Daily prayers, Mass, communal meals, and socializing allowed the discerners to get a sense of what it is like to live life as a Franciscan friar. While touring some of Washington, D.C.’s sites, the men expressed their delight with their Franciscan Live-in experience.