INTRODUCING THE MEN WHO HAVE JUST JOINED THE MSC: DANIEL O'CONNOR
We posted news and photos of the four men who joined the MSC last Friday. We will introduce them individually during this week and next. Their stories in their own words. Today, Daniel O'Connor from Queensland.
Life in the Catholic Church.
I was baptised into the catholic faith, July of 1994 a month after being born. My family attended Catholic mass on a regular basis, however I never really had parents who live the call to holiness, which created a question later in life about the purpose of church. I went through the sacraments and classes which was a very important to my early faith. In those classes through Stella Maris I learned about the Eucharist and why it was important. It was great to spend time with my children of my own age who were engaging in faith. Learning faith through community is very important to me.
November of 2016 I was blessed to help out at schoolies as a red frog. It was a wonderful experience to walk with Christ to help schoolies be safer as well as to encounter Jesus. To show someone the love of Jesus by keeping them safe or praying with them or having a conservation which changes someone’s view of Christianity and/or Jesus, is indescribably profound. To know you have positively influenced someone’s life more towards Jesus is an amazing feeling which does not disappear. To be able to fully give my life to the service of God’s church to bring the message of Jesus into the world is only thing I can find meaning in.
Throughout the early part of 2017-18 I discerned the call to the Priesthood through the Brisbane Archdiocese discernment house. I enjoyed my time there however I felt stifled in terms of service and community life and felt perhaps a religious community might be more fulfilling. After attending a retreat at Douglas Park, and experiencing a wonderful I felt the MSC’s could better fulfil these questions about service and community.
After applying to the archdiocese of Brisbane to start seminary training. The seminary panel suggested I go to Canali house. Canal house discernment 2018 has been a wonderful year of continuing to grow in Gods love. Started work with Centacare, in the information management team and serving an elderly men’s community group through Centacare. Continued to serve with Red Frogs as I have done so since 2015, in universities, schoolies, sports events music festivals and the commonwealth games. Started reading ministry at St Stephens cathedral and St Mary's South bank, cameras for ignite live charismatic community. Served as youth leader with Jubilee parish’s Lighthouse youth. Served with the St Stephen’s Young Adults community through reading at Mass and volunteering through their barbecues. It has been difficult in some respects, as I tried to conform to what I thought an archdiocese candidate looked like. After my three trips to India and one to to Bali in 2017-2018, I have had the desire to serve people as a missionary. I thought if ignored that and much more about me God would work it out in the future. As much as Brisbane is a wonderful place to live and the people here are good, my heart does not beat to serve them.
God has given me the gift of enjoying where I am because I am with him. From this I love to serve God by serving others. In order to show the love of God to others. I imagine myself serving the needs of people where they are and building community through the eucharist as this is how God brings together His family in Love. I look forward to exploring this further as a MSC pre-novice.
