Brother discerns his vocation as he lives his faith

Courtesy Photo Br. Michael James Rivera

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Brother Michael James Rivera completes his residency at Saint Catherine of Siena Parish and Newman Center working as the staff liaison to the student leadership team.

SALT LAKE CITY - The life and ministry of Dominican Brothers is exciting, challenging and life-giving because it is imbued and driven by the power of God’s Word.

Brother Michael James Rivera is an example of that life. He is completing his one-year residency at St. Catherine of Siena Parish/Catholic Newman Center, where he is the staff liaison to the student leadership team. As part of his job he works with the three part-time student interns on student-oriented programming.

In addition to working with college students, he also works with younger people in the parish.

Two weeks ago, Br. Michael James and 11 college students went on a fall adventure in which they hiked, camped, had talks, and celebrated the Eucharist.

“This was the first big trip away,” Brother Michael James said. “We went to Bear Lake and it was great.”

Not all of his work is with students.

“Much of a brother’s responsibilities can depend on the needs of the community at the time and his skills and talents,” said Dominican Father Carl Schlichte, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish and Newman Center. “For example, Br. Michael James is an excellent cook, so he has made refreshments a couple of times for after the Candlelight Mass, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. But this isn’t part of his official job description.”

Br. Michael James is, in a way, following Fr. Carl’s footsteps; the priest also spent his one-year residency at the Salt Lake Newman Center while he was a brother.

“Br. Michael James is a wonderful asset to the community this year and all members of the community, not just students, have responded very positively to him,” Fr. Carl said.

In Utah, Br. Michael James has found that young Catholics are mostly looking for answers and guidance through their religion; he thinks this is because of the Mormon dominance in the state.

“I think there is a desire for a strong background,” he said. “The young people want to know more about their faith, they want to talk about it and they search for people to answer questions.”

Br. Michael James grew up in Union City, Calif., about 45 minutes from San Francisco. Raised in the Catholic faith, he began to hear a calling to the priesthood during his senior year of high school and now, in his residency, he is discerning his vocation.

“Right now I am actually discerning if I am going to remain a brother or become a father,” he said. “If I go on to the priesthood it would be another four years of studies, but if I only choose to remain a brother it can be just a few more years.”

Although he’s not yet sure what road he is going to follow, he does know that he enjoys and loves his ministry and he lives in response to the needs of his community and the Church.

“Although I do not know exactly what God has in store for me, I trust that as I continue to contemplate his will, he will show me his purpose for my life,” he said. “And if ever I begin to stray, I know the Blessed Virgin Mary will be there, interceding for me, and leading me back to her son.”