The St. Leonard Vocation Walk is an actual walk (approximately 400 yard long) on the Retreat Center property, flanked by ponds.

Twelve "stations" guide the participant on this reflective vocational walk. A booklet, available upon request even for large groups, contains the text below.

Each station presents an outline of St. Leonard's face, a St. Leonard quote, and a reflection question set on a plastic board mounted on a plastic pole.

The booklet, in addition, presents for each station a short reflection ("A Thought"), a quote from St. Leonard's writings ("St. Leonard's Word"), some "Practical Considerations", and "The Voice of John Paul II".

Beside the 8 stations reported below, the actual walk offers a credit station, an invitation station, as well as an opening and closing prayer station.

The walk can be completed by individuals as well as by groups.

The space between stations is generally walked in silence to allow for personal reflection.

The Congregation of St. Joseph invites you to pray this walk with St. Leonard Murialdo, its found, and to consider with him the awesome gift of religious vocation.

Note: All the quotations in this walk are taken from St. Leonard’s writings.

Here am I, Lord!

Lead me on this walk with St. Leonard.

Awaken me to your voice within me gently calling my name.

Nourish to life the seed you have planted in my heart.

Allow no fear to cripple my response to you.

Amen!

"Should I be proud of the gifts I was born with, like a spirit of devotion, a sweet and tender heart, a natural attraction for the things of God? Not at all: all these are simply gifts from God"

What natural gifts has God crowned me with from birth?

A Thought...
Every vocation story begins at the very foundation of one’s life. God works with whatever God gives. No matter how humble or extraordinary the gifts showered upon a person, God nurtures an awesome dream for each human being. With much or little, God can work miracles with our lives!

St. Leonard's Word...
"God overwhelmed me with his blessings from my very birth. I came from a respected family which enjoyed a certain measure of wealth. My father was an honest exchange banker and a practicing Catholic. My mother was a very religious person, very loving with her children. I myself possessed a character naturally drawn to goodness and prayer. My intelligence was not above average, but good enough for me to succeed..."

Practical Considerations
Do you wonder what gifts may be “required” for religious life? Or whether you might have what it takes to even begin the extraordinary experience of giving yourself totally to God? Here are some basic “requirements”:

• Good health, mental and physical
• Normal intelligence
• A genuine and sincere faith
• A desire to give one’s life totally to God
• Ability to share life with others in a community
• Love for young people (for those drawn to the Congregation of St. Joseph’s way of life)

The Voice of John Paul II...
"Humankind in the third millennium needs young people who are strong in faith and generous. It needs young people who are in love with Christ and his Gospel!"

"As a boy, I nourished dreams of becoming a military officer. In secondary school, law became my passion. Later on, I contemplated a future in the engineering fields."

What dreams for my life continue to recur in the depth of my heart?

A Thought...
No one “hears” God’s voice. God does not “speak”. He sows subtle clues along the path of our lives. He sends veiled signs. His messengers can be people, events, circumstances or the dreams and aspirations he stimulates from within our hearts. If you wish to “hear” God’s voice, listen carefully to the deepest longings and hopes and desires of your heart.

St. Leonard's Word...
At 17, St. Leonard expressed his deepest dreams in these words:
“Listen to and understand the voices of the universe around you. Surround yourself with everything that is beautiful, good, true and holy. You have nothing to lose by choosing to be generous, noble courteous. Nourish your soul with loyalty, justice, integrity. Learn to find God by reading the signs of the times.”

Practical Considerations...
You nourish many dreams in your heart. What would life be with no dreams to live for? The big question is: which dreams to follow? Which dream within me is God’s dream? Here is a challenging suggestion, a key to discover God’s dream for you: Whatever dreams recur within you with a certain frequency or consistency, go for the noblest, the highest: the one that would cost you the most! For God desires only one thing of you: all you’ve got!

The Voice of John Paul II...
"It is the nature especially of youth to seek the absolute, the meaning and fulness of life. Be not content with anything less than the highest ideals!"

"The thought of the priesthood had never crossed my mind. In my family, it was my brother Ernest who seemed made for the priesthood. He was wiser and more religious than I. Yet God chose me"

What are God's most loving dreams and desires for my life?

A Thought...
One of the most important tasks of young adulthood is to find one’s vocation in life. The various fields and careers are narrowed down to a few, until the final selection is made: then a dream comes true! But it is often that individual’s dream that is realized, not God’s dream for that person. The question - the most important to ask- of what God may want or dream for me, often does not even enter the picture...

St. Leonard's Word...
“The call to religious life was totally unexpected, practically forced on me. I would never have dreamed of becoming a religious some day! I consulted my confessor, and he advised me to follow what seemed like God’s plan for me.”

Practical Considerations...
How do you know “God’s most loving dreams and desires for your life?” Here are two “windows” into God’s project for you:

1. Think back two months: when did you feel most alive, most complete, most fulfilled, more at peace? What were you doing? (God was clearly with you at that time!)
2. In the last two months or so, what compliments did you receive? What did people seem to appreciate the most in you? What qualities did they seem to admire in you?

Combine these two “windows” and you will possess some important clues for what God may want of you.

The Voice of John Paul II...
"The Lord will help you to know his will. He will help you to follow your vocation courageously."

"You called me by name, 'Leonard, Leonard, where are you?' But I was fleeing from your presence. I did not want to have anything to do with you! And you? Like a scorned lover you came searching for me, shouting your invitation to me."

What are some signs that God is pursuing me, calling out my name?

A Thought...
Adam’s name resounded in the Garden of Eden. God was calling him, but he was hiding. Samuel’s name pierced the stillness of the night. God was calling him, but he could not distinguish the voice of God. Twelve disciples were called by name. They followed, they betrayed, they ran away... Today God calls your name. Will you have an excuse for God? Will you stand up proudly and say, “Here am I, Lord! Whatever you want!”

St. Leonard's Word...
"What a shame for me! How much resistance to the voice of God! What deafness to his voice shouting within me! What a contempt for inspirations and insights that God was relentlessly sending to my heart! But God never stopped calling me, and still does so today in a very clear voice... When will the time come, Lord, that I can say,”You have broken down my deafness”?"

Practical Considerations...
It would be easy if God were the only one calling out your name. But there are many shouting out to get your attention. How does one distinguish the voice of God in the midst of all these loud sounds? Try silence, the silence of the innermost chambers of your heart. Try prayer, the attitude of openness before the Lord. Slow down your body, quiet your mind. Be present to God and say, “Lord, here I am. I am listening. Let me hear your voice clearly”. Then, simply listen!

The Voice of John Paul II...
"Call out to Jesus to remain with you always. Let him be your strength, your point of reference, your enduring hope."

"In my fondness for personal freedom I felt a certain dislike for religious life. Yet God called me! He practically dragged me into the honor, the glory, the ineffable joy of becoming his minister!"

In what direction is God nudging me, if not even "dragging" me?

A Thought...
Is my destiny already decided by God? Am I a puppet in his hands? Does God have a blueprint for my life that I must follow to the letter, or, rather, a dream that I must realize with my creativity and his support? Do I actually have the freedom to orient my life in the direction I choose? Will God hate me or punish me if I do not follow his plan? Or will he still love me, and find ways to bless me anyway? God certainly respects our freedom, and can certainly come up with “plan B”, but not without a fight: he will persist, pursue, bother, importune... His plan is what is best for me, and he is not known for settling easily for anything less than my own very best!

St. Leonard's Word...
"Yes, Lord! You could have said, 'I am weary with calling, my throat is parched!' (Ps.69:4). I was deaf. What can I say? I was turning a deaf ear to your calls. You persisted. You made the final efforts to save me without violating my freedom. You finally overcame my deafness. What shall I do now? 'I will never forget what you did for me' (Ps. 119:93)."

Practical Considerations...
Buried deep within your soul is God’s most loving plan for you. To embrace it, and realize it, is the greatest joy and success of your life.

• At times you feel it as a gentle nudge, some day it may engulf you like a raging river...
• You think of God, of the way you want to love him...
• You envision how you could lay down your life for the good of others...
• Your heart starts racing...
• Your imagination flashes out a thousand ways in which you could show the world all the love in your heart...
• It’s that subtle voice from within again...
• A voice you recognize immediately: His!
• Will you bury it again? He calls you: will you listen?

The Voice of John Paul II...
"Remember: Christ is calling you; the Church needs you; the Pope believes in you and expects great things of you!"

"On that fortunate day, my God, you bestowed on me the grace of giving myself completely to you; I was only for you. My God and my Father! Here I was finally for you, all for you, for ever for you."

How does the thought of giving myself totally to God resonate in my soul?

A Thought...
It happens in the most unexpected ways: for Moses it was a burning bush; for Peter a day on the lake; for Paul a wild horse... The defining moment of one’s life! The moment in which God stands out unequivocally and forcefully. A moment unforgettable, face to face with God... A moment of decision, where a response must finally be offered! St. Leonard gives himself completely to God. He offers the most extreme response. Will I?

St. Leonard's Word...
"I am not really capable of loving God. I faintly love him. I need to love him with all the affection of my heart, with every thought of my mind, with every act of my will, with every fiber of my body... I must do everything out of love for him. I must love him, but love him tenderly, love him passionately."

Practical Considerations...
Is Jesus the passion of your life? Are you God’s passion? How would you know for sure?

1. Pray! (That is, be silent in the presence of the Lord.)
2. Listen! (To the voice within, to the “clues” without.)
3. Talk! (Preferably to a vocation director, or any spiritual director.)

The moment you discover the passion of your life, you will feel the excitement and peace of God’s smile on you.

The Voice of John Paul II...
"Turn to no one, except Jesus. Do not look elsewhere for that which only he can give you. Rely on him. Believe in the invincible power of the Gospel, and make faith the foundation of your hope."

"God loves me. How fortunate I am! He loves me with a love that is as great, immense, eternal, infinite as God himself! He loves me ardently and longs for my love. He loves me more than my very mother, infinitely more"

What are unmistakable traces of God's unconditional love for me?

A Thought...
The reason for religious life is love. The reason for the priesthood is love. Not as much the love that I have for God, but the love God has for me. God’s love comes always first. To accept fully God’s love in my life is to become God’s love. Religious life is the immersion in God’s love. The priesthood is “becoming another Christ”.

St. Leonard's Word...
"How awesome God’s love for me! The affection he nourishes for me is without limits! He loves me with the same love with which he loves himself! He loves me from the day God is God! I will love God in return. I will be God’s lover, a tender lover, a generous lover. I will abandon myself to him, like a baby sleeping securely in his mother’s arms..."

Practical Considerations...
The very fact that I am breathing is a proof of God’s love for me. The very fact that my heart is beating is a reminder of God’s love for me... But there is much more! God sows traces of his love all around me: in the beauty of the sky, the immensity of the ocean, the majesty of the mountains... And in those most eventful moments in my life charged with the certainty of his comforting presence. Look with grateful eyes at those most passionate ways in which God loves you: the poverty of the crib, the crudeness of the cross, the “prison” of the tabernacle. Decide how you will correspond such unconditional love...

The Voice of John Paul II...
"My dear young people, may you experience the truth the he, Christ, looks upon you with love!"

"What do I see in my life? On the one hand I see an unbroken chain of the most special gifts from God, and on the other a similar unbroken chain of sins on my part. What a story, my God, what a story of your mercies and of my ingratitude!"

In my "Story with God" through life, what is the underlying theme?

A Thought...
What do I see in my life? Do I notice footprints on the sand behind me? Milestones of Divine Grace? Miracles of God’s mercy and goodness? And maybe also missed opportunities? Destructive or unwise decisions leading nowhere, or to emptiness and darkness? Imagine your life as a book. Could you name five major chapters? What titles would you give them? Would one of these be “My surrender to God”?

St. Leonard's Word...
I will love you, o God, with my whole being. You love me with your whole being, and I will love you with mine. You love me not because I deserve it, but because I need your love; you love me not because I am good, but because you are good. You are infinite, and I am so small and so limited, but you are pleased with one who gives you all he/she can: and so I give you my all, o God!