Franciscan in Focus: Brother Damian Novello, OSF

My first experience with Brothers was in high school. They weren't Franciscans, but they planted the idea of Brother as a vocation in my head. I fell in love with Francis and his message through books, so it was a natural fit when, after high school, I met Franciscans who were Brothers. Meeting different Brothers and becoming involved in their day to day lives confirmed for me that this is where God wanted me to be.

I received my B.A. in Social Studies and my M.A. in Theology which prepared me to teach first on the elementary and then on the high school level. For the past thirty-five years I have been involved in schools, interspersed with periods of vocation and formation work. During this time, I obtained certificates in Pastoral Counseling and Franciscan Spiritual Direction which have aided me in Campus Ministry and Retreat work. I have just completed four summers on staff at the Franciscan International Study Centre in Canterbury, UK. Aside from this, I have spent many summers working with children with Special Needs as well as children with HIV at a camp in upstate New York.

For me, a Religious Brother is one who works in the background, doing what needs to be done. We are the face of the Church for many people who are disenfranchised, disillusioned, or otherwise separated from the institution. We truly have the opportunity to be "brother" as Francis would have liked, free of the politics and baggage associated with other Church vocations. Our community life strengthens us and reminds us of who we are.

I love the opportunities that I have been given as a Franciscan Brother- to minister to the poor and not so poor, to interact with other branches of the Franciscan family. But I especially enjoy my life with the Brothers and their ability to pick me up when things are not going so well, as well as drag me down when I'm getting a bit too full of myself. They keep me grounded in the real world.