Jack Manning (pictured above, to the far left) along with Bro. Paolo Nicosia (second from left), Fr. Jim Loughran (far right) and House of Discernment members Schafer Knostman (center) and Victor Staruszkiewicz (second from right), recently completed his three month commitment at the House of Discernment before heading to college to study International Relations.  Jack reflects on how his experience at the House of Discernment changed him.

I came to this discernment program fresh out of high school, and to be completely honest, I knew almost nothing. Nothing of what God was calling me to do, nothing about who I truly was, and who God truly was to me. I came in wearing many masks; masks that I needed to take off to learn these things about myself.

That being said, I entered knowing one thing. I knew that I came here to try and help myself find what God wanted of me, and that I was going to do all that I could to find out.

In these short three months I learned more about these parts of myself than I had in my previous 18 years. I came to know that discernment should not be done entirely alone, but with other people with the same goal: finding God’s plan for your life. I learned that God is calling me to always serve him, no matter what path I go down. I learned more about myself as a person – that as a child of God for my whole life, I will be discerning God’s will in my life, in all the big and small decisions. The biggest lesson I learned was not to push God for answers, but to listen for them; if you are constantly asking, you are never listening.

This Discernment House has, for the first time in my life, helped me to see a semblance of a path God wants me to take. From the House of Discernment, I plan on going to college, with the hopes of majoring in international relations.

I know that God sent me to be with this wonderful community, and I cannot thank Him or the Friars enough for all the blessings I have received while living here.