Viatorian Voices: Conversations on the Way

Viatorians are committed to walking with youth, accompanying them in living lives anchored in prayer, Eucharist, and service and doing faithful discernment toward their lives' vocations. So how do Viatorians stay connected with young adults? How do we try to stay in touch, offer ongoing support, and keep them connected to one another, to the Viatorians, and to Christ in the Church? Viatorian Youth Leader Abby Hartz has stepped up to serve our young adult community as our social media coordinator. More than just making eye-catching graphics or staffing an account, Abby stays in touch with people, shares their bios and news, and finds creative ways to help interconnect her peers. Hear more about her approach to this ministry! (This episode debuted on September 9, 2024.)

Associate Kim Martinez is going into her 30th year leading high school campus ministries and teaching theology at Bishop Gorman High School. So why did she go back to school a few years ago and earn a Masters in Pastoral Studies? Hear Kim's journey from student at a Viatorian school to staff in a Viatorian ministry to a career at a Viatorian-founded school, and now student and alumnus of a Viatorian-sponsored graduate school. (This episode debuted on August 12, 2024.)

In this episode, we offer brief explanations of various outlooks you can adopt to process major moments of discernment. Each "lens" comes with a short description and some directions, and we hope these tidbits can be of help to you as you think, converse, and pray amid important decisions. (This episode debuted on June 24, 2024.)For a copy of either of our discernment aid books, email vocations@viatorians.com or DM us on Instagram @ViatorianUSA or @ViatorianYAOnTheWay.

Each summer, the Viatorians hold the Viatorian Youth Congress. VYC is a four-day leadership and faith formation retreat for teens from our parishes and schools. This time together is focused on prayer, Eucharist, and service, and learning to identify God's ongoing invitations and discern a response. We send our youth back to their home communities as Viatorian Youth Leaders who have discerned a response to God's invitations. Here, two of our trained veteran young adult leaders, Milly Colbert and Trevor Lyon, share a bit more about what makes VYC distinct, Viatorian, and impactful, ahead of leading VYC 2024. (This episode debuted June 3, 2024.)

Br. John Eustice, CSV professed first vows as a Viatorian in 2005. After several years of religious life, he discerned a call to priesthood, so he approached leadership about resuming theological studies and put together a plan for priestly formation. Now, after several years of philosophy, theology, practicum, and other formation, Br. John has been ordained a transition deacon (June 2023) and is about to be ordained a priest (June 2024). Here, John reflects on the studies and formation, his religious life as a brother, and the ways he hopes to serve the People of God well, continuing his Viatorian life as a priest. (This episode was recorded in February 2024, and it debuted on May 20, 2024.)

As teens reach college and young adulthood, big questions arise and get asked often: what do you think you'll major in? What career are you preparing for? To help others with faithful discernment, Viatorian Voices has caught up with several Viatorian young adults into the first years of their careers; now, we're turning our attention to college students for the last installment in this series.Here, we talk to three college students. Amy Ochoa is studying business at the University of Iowa; German Laiton is studying engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology; Kyle Wallisch is studying education at St. Norbert College. (We recorded in March 2024, and this episode debuted on May 6, 2024.)

As teens reach college and young adulthood, big questions arise and get asked often: what do you think you'll major in? What career are you preparing for? To help others with faithful discernment, Viatorian Voices is catching up with Viatorian young adults into the first years of their careers.Here, we talk to Eddie Jurkovic. Eddie grew up at Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Viatorian parish in Bourbonnais, Illinois. For college, he went off to the University of Notre Dame, where he majored in business management with a focus on Information Technology. His time as a teacher and grad student in ACE helped point him toward his current job: Program Manager for the Pulte Institute for Global Development, part of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs. (This episode debuted on April 22, 2024.)Young adults who are interested in connecting with the Viatorians can check-in via our welcome form and follow our young adult Instagram @ViatorianYAOnTheWay. We look forward to hearing from you!

As teens reach college and young adulthood, big questions arise and get asked often: what do you think you'll major in? What career are you preparing for? To help others with faithful discernment, Viatorian Voices is catching up with Viatorian young adults into the first years of their careers.Here, we talk to two teachers. Georgina Martinez grew up at Viatorian-founded parish, St. Thomas More in Henderson, NV; she studied education at Grand Canyon University and now teaches kindergarten in Clark County Public Schools. John-Paul Manfredi grew up at St. Viator Catholic Community in Las Vegas and attended Viatorian-founded Bishop Gorman High School; he went to a small school in San Francisco for theatre and studied graduate theology at the University of Notre Dame, and he now teaches theology at Gorman. (This episode debuted on April 8, 2024.)Young adults who are interested in connecting with the Viatorians can check-in via our welcome form and follow our young adult Instagram @ViatorianYAOnTheWay. We look forward to hearing from you!