BROTHERS
SUSAN RUGGLES, FLICKR
A PIVOTAL POINT in the author’s faith journey happened one shocking day while he was at work testing soil on a mountain in North Carolina.
Mountaintop encounter crystallizes my vocation by Brother Robert Bathe,
Brother Robert Bathe, O.Carm. is a Carmelite of the Ancient Observance, Province of St. Elias and a hospital chaplain in New York City.
O.Carm.
Most people don’t wait until someone dies in their arms to take God seriously. But Brother Robert Bathe’s journey to brotherhood took a few twists and turns before he found his calling.
T
HE FIRST TIME I felt pulled to religious life I was in high school. I grew up in Tennessee, where there aren’t many Catholics, let alone priests, sisters, or brothers. But I attended Knoxville Catholic High School and got invited to be on the retreat team. That kind of surprised me because I wasn’t a particularly pious young man; in fact I got into quite a bit of trouble in those days. Yet I found myself at this high school retreat listening to a priest give a talk on his life and vocation. For a brief moment I remember thinking that being a priest seemed interesting. But the thought didn’t last because I had a beautiful girlfriend to distract
110 | VISION 2020 | VocationNetwork.org
