The Ballarat Young Vinnies invited the Dominican students to give some presentations during their  25-27 November retreat at the Victoire Larmenier Retreat Centre, Camberwell Melbourne. The Dominicans assisted Nazareth Sister Faustina on the retreat.

The Young Vinnies are active in doing works of charity, visiting nursing homes, volunteering at soup kitchens and bringing kids on a day out.

Br Robert Krishna gave the first presentation, his conversion story on the Friday evening.  Br Robert had at different times been a Hindu, atheist, agnostic and finally Anglican, before converting in 2003 to Catholicism. He likened conversion to “falling in love” with many reasons for converting. Br Robert went on to say how Christianity gave him a purpose in life, a reason for existance, a community, and most important of all, “a way of looking at the world that was integral and sensible.”  Br Robert’s conversion to Catholicism from Hinduism via Anglicanism was characterized by a longing for and discovery of the Truth.  “ There were “a number of things that were incomplete in the Anglican Communion or out of place,” Br Robert explained.  This was crucial for Br Robert, as the “lack of clear principle authority, the lack of moral teaching” is necessary “to enable us to live a certain type of life.”  But the journey into Catholicism was also about encountering good Catholic witnesses.  In the end he converted not to the “God of the Philosophers who could debate me to the ground, but to the God of Israel, who came on earth as man, before whom St Thomas fell to the ground, who told Augustine to pick up and read.  This God sustained Boethius in his prison, Becket in exile, and Thomas Aquinas in his theology.  He is the God behind Campion’s audacity and Chesterton’s paradoxes, ’My Lord and my God!’.”

Br Jordan Fernandez gave his vocational discernment story.    He spoke about what a vocation is: a call from God to be either lay or married,  religious or priestly. Br Jordan likened discernment to cutting away everything so to see more clearly God’s will for us.  ”We need to jump out of the boat and walk toward Jesus with faith and hope that they are hearing the Lord call their name in a particular way,” Br Jordan explained  It is desire, for Br Jordan, which enables us to discern how to make a difference with the gifts the Holy Spirit imbues in us.  One’s desire is the primary way that God uses to show what we are called to.Br Jordan reminded the retreatants that not everyone is called to the priesthood.  He cited the case of the Gerasene demoniac who wanted to follow him after his healing, but whom Jesus told to go and proclaim the kingdom to all (Mark 5:1-20).  The poverty of his parents’ home countries, especially Peru, was a humbling experience for Br Jordan, which he specifically mentioned as the motivation to help others in a serious way.  Br Jordan said  that even though he was enjoying life, something was missing; he spent a lot of time reading scripture, going to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, reading about the saints, praying the rosary, attending daily mass, and going to confession.  But over the time Br Jordan spent time with his parish priest, religious orders,  and at the diocesan seminary for discernment. But he really felt at home with the Dominicans’ the communal life, living together, praying together and studying together.