My Vocation Story
About The Labouré Society Why are we needed? • • • • • This is my Vocation Story There are an estimated 10,000 individuals discerning a priestly or religious vocation in the US annually 42% are blocked from pursuing this call due to educational loans* The average vocational ‘aspirant’ in Labouré owes $45,000 in educational loans Most religious communities cannot assume this debt Most dioceses will allow some debt but have a limited threshold for acceptance * (NRVC, Vision Study, 2010) JESSICA BLAS What have we accomplished? • • • • • Operating since 2003 Over 255 assisted into formation to the priesthood or religious life Over $3.2 million awarded, over 90% of aspirant funds received A network of thousands of praying singles, families, religious, priests, & bishops Efficient service: A modest staff of 3 employees in a donated office How do we do it? Our Aspirants: • • • • • • • • Discern a vocation & are accepted into a diocese or religious community Are blocked from entering or continuing vocational formation due to student loans Apply to Labouré & meet intake requirements Are trained in ethical fundraising - empowered with practical tools, personal mentoring, & accountability Share their vocation stories & participate in building a culture of vocations & evangelization Raise funds for Labouré to benefit many vocations Are awarded monthly payments towards their educational loans Receive final award payout after 3 years & enter freely into a lifetime of priestly or religious service The Labouré Society • Works with each aspirant to ensure all personal means are utilized to mitigate the loan amount (loan consolidation, asset review, financial counseling, employment, etc.) prior to acceptance into the program • Trains each aspirant in biblically based philanthropy • Forms a semi-annual ‘class’ of aspirants • Mentors each aspirant building a unified team; each individual works toward the collective goal • Provides ongoing accountability to ensure proper preparation & completion of personal fundraising plans • Equips each aspirant with an online fundraising platform for real time donation processing, reporting, assessment of goals & class interaction, marketing & communications tools • Facilitates ongoing communication & updates between aspirants & donors after formation entrance • Manages aspirant award payments while they are in formation • Completes award payout after 3 years active formation BRIDGE TO How it Began My name is Jessica Blas. I was born in Guam, the second of three children. I grew up in a predominantly Catholic family and community. My grandmother was one of the Christian Mothers who led Rosaries at our parish. My mom and I would go with her to family residences to pray the Rosary for the dead. I saw how selfless she was, freely giving of her time without expectation of payment (although she was without any income). I grew up wanting to be like her. My Faith As a child I participated in youth groups and other Church ministries, but as I grew older I was occasionally teased for being so involved in the Church. They would say that I “might as well be a nun.” I was offended at the suggestion because it was a life I’d never wanted for myself — I had always envisioned a family, a husband, and children that I could love and nurture. I began distancing myself from Church organizations, unwilling at that point to even consider life as a religious sister, let alone in a cloistered monastery. At 19, I left Guam. Preoccupied with school, work, friends, and family, I also fell away from the Church. I began to believe the lie the world told me—that to be in service to the Church was not as important as being successful. I thought I knew where my life was going and had become spiritually complacent. Still, I always had the feeling something was missing; no matter how I tried to fill that void, I was unable to find true happiness. Some years later, I returned to Guam where I was fortunate enough to hear an inspiring speaker at my “I decided to reconcile with God through the local parish. It was there I learned, for the first time Sacrament of Confession. I prayed for Him to ever, that God loved me as I was: He loved me as a direct me on the path He wanted me to take.” sinner. I decided to reconcile with God through the –Jessica Blas Sacrament of Confession. I prayed for Him to direct me on the path He wanted me to take. Although I thought I was open to His will, my prayers generally centered around asking for a husband to love me, with whom I could have a family. Having returned to the Church, I began attending World Youth Day pilgrimages (three in total). During these pilgrimages I visited a number of monasteries, including a Carmelite monastery where the sisters seemed to glow with a happiness I couldn’t explain. I wondered how these women, who lived completely sheltered from the world, could be so happy. MIRACLES 1365 Corporate Center Curve • SuitE 104 • Eagan, MN 55121 • LaboureSociety.org • 651-452-1160 The Labouré Society is a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible. Gifts solicited by our aspirants belong to Labouré and are dispersed upon board approved guidelines to ensure full compliance with IRS rulings. Aspirants who leave Labouré are not required to repay any funds disbursed but are strongly encouraged to support Labouré however possible. Funds granted but not dispersed to a former aspirant are reallocated toward current or future aspirants according to the aforementioned guidelines. LaboureSociety.org BRIDGE TO MIRACLES 651-452-1160 Called to serve The Winter Class of 2015 Discerning a Call I worked closely with the clergy while offering my services as a graphic artist to the Church, and began speaking to them about serving as an itinerant catechist or as a family in mission. Coming from a small island, I’d grown up with a great desire to travel and to see the world. I expressed to some of the clergy my belief that God wanted me to serve Him in this way. The following year, I began attending monthly meetings with a pre-vocation group, and was eventually invited to experience a month-long visit to a Carmelite cloistered monastery. I saw how truly happy the sisters were to be brides of Christ. I began to realize this vocation may not be as lonely as I’d thought, so I allowed myself to be open to the call. One night, during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, I changed my prayer from asking Him to send me a husband to helping me to be open to His will, whatever it may be. It was then that I knew the Lord was calling me to be His: I felt a joy and peace I had never felt before; I could hear His call clearly; and I allowed myself to fall in love with God. “...It was then that I knew the Lord was calling me to be His: I felt a joy and peace I had never felt before...” Shortly after returning home from the monastery, I stumbled across a bible verse which read: “But look, I am going to seduce her and lead her into the desert and speak to her heart.”(Hosea 2:16). After reading this, I felt that the call to serve Him was sealed in my heart. He had truly seduced me and I let myself go. Why I’m writing I am not only an aspirant to religious life; I am also a fundraiser for these vocations. A recent study confirmed that nearly 1 out of 2 aspirants have student loans and thus most communities and dioceses cannot accept them. It is the only thing that prevents many -including me- from entering formation to become a priest, brother, or sister. I am seeking to raise the average student loan amount of $45,000 before June 30 for a non-profit that helps aspirants like me — The Labouré Society. I will need donations from $10 – $10,000 to meet my goal for vocations. I am blessed to have this opportunity to share my love for God, my vocation story, and to ask hundreds of individuals to support vocations like mine by sharing our stories, remembering us in prayer, and financially investing in our future. At the end of my class, Labouré will issue awards based on individual effort and the funds available to Labouré. They will administer the award while I am in formation over a three year period (you can learn more about the program on the back of this letter). If I leave formation for any reason, I will resume my own payments. Plus, every aspirant in Labouré has been accepted by their diocese or community and is required to work and liquidate their assets to make their own maximum payments. At the beginning of our class, I met and participated in intensive 3-day training with my classmates on the ethics and spirituality of fundraising. We are learning practical skills that will help us now and in our future vocations. We have also developed as a team to learn from and support each other. You can see our picture below. Will you join our vocation journeys? Please partner with us and be part of my vocation team so we can answer God’s call! Called to Serve I feel that God is calling me to be His bride as a Discalced Carmelite Sister, and to serve the mission of the Church in this way. My history is paved with the need to serve others by living in a community, praying, contemplating, and serving the Church behind the scenes. Someone once said that the Carmelite is the flag bearer of an Army. I wish to bear this flag and to offer my entire life to Him. In order to pursue this calling, I have years of formation and training ahead of me. Winter 2015 Class to the and B R of I DAspirants GE TO M Priesthood IRACLE S Religious Life Invitation & Prayer At this time, one of the obstacles holding me back from living out my vocation is the student loans incurrred while trying to obtain my degree. With your help, I, and other aspirants, can fulfill our desire to answer God’s call. I invite you to participate in our stories. Through your prayers and your charitable gifts, you can help make our vocations a reality. Please pray for me as I continue on this journey to do His will in my life. If you would like to learn more, please contact me at [email protected]. —Jessica Blas BRIDGE TO MIRACLES Our vocations story videos are online at: www.LaboureSociety.org
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