Story and photos by Matthew Carrara
FAIRFIELD – They were “called to the fire” as strangers and left as brothers.
A group of young Catholic men gathered for a Called to the Fire event on October 23 at St. Pius X Church in Fairfield. The evening offered the opportunity for friendship, faith and honest conversation and was hosted by the Diocese of Bridgeport’s Vocations Office.
The men gathered around a bonfire to connect with one another, share their stories, enjoy food and drinks, and reflect on what God is asking of them in their lives.
“Being able to talk about our own lives, our struggles, the ups and downs, and the opportunity to share in that fraternity is a true blessing,” said Nathan Christoph of Bridgeport. “We need real friends that can be there for each other to support us in our times of need. I’m glad events like these exist, so we can cultivate those relationships.”
Upon arrival, the participants were welcomed into the parish rectory, where a small bonfire was lit in the backyard. Everyone pulled up a chair and got to know one another. Drinks and snacks were provided and once everyone had arrived, they convened in the chapel and said grace before filling their plates for dinner while country music played in the background.
Father Férry Galbert, Vocations Director for the Diocese of Bridgeport, said the idea came about after his time at the Vocare Institute, a gathering of vocation directors from across the United States, who meet once a year to train new vocation directors and discuss the Program of Priestly Formation. During his time there, Father Férry said there was an emphasis on fraternity and how greatly it is needed.
“One of the things that was emphasized is to provide the space for guys to just be together and see that ‘it’s not just me’ and that we’re all in this together and there is the call to holiness,” said Father. “That call can differentiate to marriage, personal life or religious life.”
The event was brought together by Father Férry and Alan Cybulski, who leads a group called “Theology and Cigars.” Alan’s group is based out of St. Mary Church in Greenwich and consists of 30-40 young adult men, who gather once a month to smoke cigars, listen to a guest speaker and talk about their faith. Father had attended one of the group meetings when an idea struck.
“Cigars and Theology is a space where guys could be at ease among each other and create an enriching dialogue. Then, he had the idea to sponsor a night for guys, so we partnered on it,” said Cybulski. “We named it ‘Called to the Fire’ as the fire is the Lord and the love that He has for us. We are all called to the fire of His love, and how we answer that call is different for all of us.”
After dinner, Father spoke with the men and told them a bit of his background and his time discerning his call to the priesthood. However, he emphasized that the night was not about convincing anyone to take any one path in particular.
“The idea was not to come and fill out an application,” he said. “The application is already written in our hearts, whatever the call is. The bigger picture is a call to holiness. If we don’t answer that daily, as St. Paul says, taking our cross and following our Lord, as we are all called to, whether you’re married, whether you’re a priest, it really doesn’t mean anything, because without the relationship with God, then everything else can be discarded. The Lord is already speaking. You already know what to do. Our job is to encourage each other as brothers to find whatever our vocation may be.”
Father hopes to continue the monthly gatherings and build up the brotherhood and bonds that have been formed. “Being among brothers, we can be present to each other and share our hearts to make real connections,” he said.
