Vocation Story - Br. Austin [VIDEO]

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I grew up in a faithful, Catholic, conservative family. We were Sunday Mass-goers, praying meal blessings before meals, and my family really had a big impact on the way the foundation was laid for my life. 

My faith was always important to me, it was always one of the priorities. When I went to high school, though, I think some of the different pressures around me, different social norms that were pretty counter to our faith, very much started to pull me away more and more. Eventually my faith just became a lower priority, and it was starting to compete with different things I was doing in my life. 

When I went to college, it was like a rug got pulled out from underneath my feet. I realized how insecure a lot of things I was placing my happiness in were.

Around that time, I went to a Sunday night Mass and the opening song lyrics were from St. Augustine, “My heart is restless until it rests in you.”

I remember just staring at the song sheet and thinking, “These words are true. I’m not gonna be happy until I start building my life on these words.”

What attracted me about the Brothers was I just saw men who had given all to Jesus, that they had a Brotherhood alongside one another, that they strove after a high ideal, and that they were willing to offer everything for that. Just knowing that the man next to you has said ‘yes’ fully and is pursuing the same ideal you are, there's a profound friendship, a profound bond that we experience because of that, and I could see that in the Brothers and I wanted it. 

It's simply that Jesus is enough and that's really the heart of our charism, that to give my life to Jesus is enough, and that He can provide for everything for a full life.

“I just want to honor you for the gift that you have for teaching and for guiding people.” -Student

“Brother Austin is infectious. You give our King full permission to work through you every day of your life.” -Student

“You have a deep gift of hearing the word of God and preaching that, and not being afraid to preach that.” -Former campus missionary

To give my life to God is the greatest joy of my life. To have this opportunity, to be called, to have the grace for it, I can't imagine a different life for myself now.

To give myself fully to the One who gave Himeself to me, it's the proper response for me. It's what I want to do at the depths of my heart. It's my deepest desire, to lay down my life for the Lord, and to know that my ‘yes’ will impact others is a great joy too.