Ongoing Vocations Awareness

There is a corrigenda for yesterday's blog. The web site for the Institute of Our Lady of the Annunciaiton ends in .org, not in .com. Thanks for your patience. I was able to access the site by using the correct address.
I mentioned that our Founder, Blessed James Alberione, also started the Institute of Saint Gabriel the Archangel for single men. Like the Annunciationists, the Gabrielites are called to live their vocation "in the world" but not "of" it. When I attended the Course of the Charism of the Pauline Family in Rome, one of my classmates was Francisco from Mexico City. Paco, as he is called, is a lawyer. He took time off from his work to attend the beatification of Blessed James Alberione in April of 2003. Then he stayed in Rome to hone his Italian skills. In late September of that year he joined 27 of us Sisters and priests of the Pauline Family to begin an intense academic year of study. We began our Cpurse at the retreat house of the Society of St. Paul in Tor San Lorenzo along the Mediterranean. There our group had time to pray, eat and share with one another. We were from 14 different countries, representing five of the ten branches of the Pauline Family. France, Korea, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, the USA and the Philippines were some of the countries represented.
After the first week at the shore, we moved back to Rome where we atended class every morning at the Church of the Divine Master on Via Portuense. The Sister Disciples of the Divine Master have a large community at that location. There they have The Divine Master Conference Center built in the same complex as the church. Our classroom was state of the art with white boards, projectors and a computer for our use. When we began our day with prayer, we used Power Point presentations to project prayers or songs rather than use paper.
Paco was the first member of our secular institutes to complete the Charism Course. He told us that he did not tell many people that he was a professed secular institute member. His style was more of silent preaching by good example. However when others wondered why he was not dating, then he would let them in on the fact that he is a consecrated lay man. Paco and each member of the Pauline secular institutes have a solid prayer life which includes regular sacramental reception, the rosary and the Liturgy of the Hours.
If you know of a single lay man who desires a deeper spiritual life, and the support of others who desire to evangelize with their lives and as much as possible with media, contact the Institute at: www.instituteofsaintgabrielthearchangel.org.
If that link does not work go to alberione.org.