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Noah Vanden Wymelenberg
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Kairos Yearnjwymelenberggmail.comParish: St. Clare Parish; Wrightstown, Greenleaf, and Askeaton
Birthday: August 18
Holy Name of Jesus House of Formation
2589 S. Webster Ave.
Green Bay, WI 54301-2951
Which saint should people invoke for your vocation?
St. Thérèse of Lisieux. She has proven herself to be a patroness of mine
throughout my discernment. I admire her “little way” and pray for the same
humility she displayed throughout her life.
Coffee or tea?
Tea is refreshing after a long round of golf or a day of working
outside. Coffee only tastes good after an exorbitant amount of
creamer and sugar is added.
If Jesus drove a vehicle during his public ministry, what
would it be?
Jesus would have driven a Jaguar convertible, not only because
they look incredible, but because his hair would look fantastic
blowing in the wind. I would also imagine that Jesus was
environmentally friendly, so the car would have to at least be a
hybrid, if not an EV.
What is your ideal way to spend the Lord’s Day?
Ideally, it would be a cool fall day, sunny and somewhere in the
low 70s, high 60s. I would start the day off with a round of golf,
ending with a score of 78 with zero golf balls lost, then head to
Mass, and spend the rest of the day watching football with my
friends and family.
If you could celebrate Mass anywhere in the world, where
would you and why?
Celebrating Mass in the catacombs under Rome would be a
dream come true. The Roman catacombs would have been where
the earliest Christians celebrated Mass in secret during times
of persecution. It is also the burial site of many early Christian
martyrs, making the site sacred and solemn. Celebrating Mass
with those martyrs that fought for me to be able to celebrate
the Mass without fear of persecution would be both powerful
and fruitful. It would be a beautiful way to display our triumph
over the adversity many early Christians had to endure.
What spiritual book or author has most influenced your
journey of discipleship?
The book “Maurice & Thérèse: The Story of a Love” by Patrick
Ahern has altered the way I look at relationships and the bond
we all share through our spiritual tribulations. Maurice was a
seminarian in France who aspired to become a missionary but
realized he would require assistance from someone much holier
than himself. He needed strength and holiness, two things he
didn’t have, so naturally he turned to the local Carmelite convent
for a boost in strength. The mother superior assigned Thérèse
to Maurice. Her only job was to pray for him and for God’s will
to be done through him. They exchanged 15 letters total before
Thérèse passed away. This book catalogs every letter they sent.
The reader is thrown into the lives of these two individuals,
which allows you to experience the brotherly and sisterly love
that was shared. The struggles these two endured was very
apparent, which consoles me in my times of defeat — knowing
that even great saints had bad days as well.
How is the Eucharist meant to foster unity in the Church?
Catholics around the world unite every Sunday to partake in the
Holy Mass as people from all walks of life come together to praise
God. The Eucharist is at the core of the Mass, the main event so
to speak. Jesus is the focal point of the Mass and should be the
reason you want to attend weekly. He nourishes us through the
Eucharist, which can ultimately only be found in the Mass.
We are united through the Mass because of the Eucharist. Going
up for Communion symbolizes our oneness in Christ: that we are
all children of God and are equally loved by him. Hatred towards
a neighbor is hatred towards a child of God, which is especially
prevalent when we go up to receive him. All division should fade
away at that moment because we are all one with Christ while
receiving him.
The Eucharist is also unique to the Catholic faith; it is
something that sets us apart from other religions and Christian
denominations. You should know if someone is Catholic by the
way they talk about Jesus, because we are able to receive him
every day.
