My name is Graham Hill and at the age of 45 I find myself applying to the Formation Programme at Redeemer House, something that a mere five years ago would would have been quite inconceivable to me. Then again, where I am now in my spiritual journey, is a very different place to where I was mere five years ago, when I first admitted to myself that I felt a calling.

There is a saying that even the longest journey begins with a single step, and that is certainly as true of a discernment journey as it is of a trip to some exotic location. For me that first and most critical step was to admit to myself that: perhaps, just perhaps, I was being called to something more. Since I made that admission to myself I have been on a journey like no other that I have ever taken, and it is far from over yet.

I have always been drawn to social justice, and working with the dispossessed of society, so perhaps it was inevitable that I should at some point come into contact with the Redemptorists.

I first came across the Redemptorists while trying to select a confirmation name, and like many people in similar situations I began by reading the Lives of the Saints, where I first came across St Alphonsus Ligouri. It was a simple story about a minor episode in his life that made me want to read more about him, and the order that he went on to found. The story was about his ordering a cloak to be provided for a woman in need along with the instructions not to buy the cheapest garment, but rather to buy something that the woman could be proud of. I volunteer with ‘Inn from the Cold’ an organization that provides shelter for homeless families in Calgary, at a series of Churches and Halls throughout the city. Many of the guests and volunteers whose paths crossed mine have left a profound impression on my heart, and have witnessed to me in more ways than I will ever be able to know. In ordering that a quality garment be provided for the woman, St Alphonsus provided her with more than a warm cloak, he helped to restore to her her human dignity, her self of worth. I wanted to find out more about the Redemptorists, about their spirituality, and what they were doing today.

As the feeling of being called showed no signs of disappearing, no matter how much I tried to ignore it, I decided that I had better knuckle down and explore it. I signed up to attend a vocational retreat with the community in Saskatoon, which helped answer many of the questions that I had, and to give me a whole lot more that I had to answer for myself with the help of many hours of prayer, examination, and spiritual direction.

Wherever, my journey takes me in the future I am already a better person than I was when I took my first step, and the Redemptorist community will always have a special place in my heart.

By: Graham Hill