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By: Reverend Brian Henden, O.Carm.
Father Sam Citero, O.Carm., recently of Saint Therese parish in Cresskill, New Jersey, is returning to Carmelite vocations work in the eastern half of the United States and eastern Canada. Father Sam is a veteran of vocation work in the Midwest from two previous years of experience. He has great knowledge of the Chicago region and the Eastern Commissariat. Among his other Carmelite assignments, Father Sam was campus minister and teacher at Joliet Catholic High School; he has worked on college campuses at DePaul University and Southern Illinois University; and successfully founded the Carmelite experiment of a Young Adult Volunteer Program in Chicago’s Saint Barbara’s Parish. In his current position as Vocation Minister, Father Sam will reside in Washington, DC, while working with Provincial Vocations Director, Father Bill Wert, O.Carm., Midwest Vocations Minister, Father Brian Henden, O.Carm., and Hispanic Vocations Minister, Father Gregory Houck, O.Carm.
The Carmelites thank Father Kevin McBrien, O.Carm., and Father Leonard Gilman,O.Carm., for their years of service to our vocation efforts. Father Kevin has completed nine years in the western United States and Canada as a vocation minister. He has vast ministry experiences that aided vocation discernment of many perspective candidates. During that time he was also Western Regional Superior for six months. Before beginning vocation ministry he was a successful parish pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Fairfield, California, and parochial vicar at Saint Jane Frances de Chantal Parish in North Hollywood, California. Father Kevin presently is a sabbatical student at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He has visited Israel as a part of his sabbatical year travels. His wit, intelligence, and willingness to travel were great tools to help the Province’s vocation efforts.
Father Leonard Gilman, O.Carm., was involved in vocation work first in Ontario, Canada, and then in the entire Eastern Commissariat. He was a vocations minister for six years. Before that he was a parochial vicar at Saint John of the Cross Parish in Mississauga, Ontario. While doing vocation work he resided at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Tenafly, New Jersey, where, since leaving vocation work, was recently installed as the parish’s new pastor. He has also been director of Mount Carmel Cemetery in Tenafly, New Jersey, for the past two years. He represented Carmelites well to vocation candidates and enjoyed aiding their discernment of God’s call in their lives. We thank Father Kevin and Father Len for their years of service in the Carmelite Vocations Ministry.
The Province’s vocation effort has been restructured to now have two regional vocation ministers—one in the East (with offices in Washington, DC) and the other in the West (with offices in Houston, Texas). Father Sam, as mentioned above, is the Eastern vocations minister and Father Brian has the area west of the Mississippi. Father Bill Wert, O.Carm., continues in his position as Provincial Director of Vocations and Father Gregory Houck, O.Carm., continues in his position as Hispanic vocation director.
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