Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity College Seminary

Formation Year 2022-2023

1st Semester
SOLT and Life History
Mark Steven Clave
VOCATION STORY

My vocation story was starts when I’m was a grade six student. One day my cousin
invites me to go in our church and to visit my uncle in his working area. When we arrive in the
church, I saw many men that are being called as seminarian. They welcome us with a very warm
hug just like a person we love. We have many conversations that we tackled about the life of
being a seminarian. They tell me how happy of being a seminarian and also, they invite me to be
a knight of altar server, so that soon I will understand the life I’m going to pursue. Because I said
to them when I grew up like them, I want to be a seminarian too. After that I think so deeply
about the conversation that happened on the church, I also pray that God give me wisdom in
strength to understand the decision I will make that will change my life forever. When my
decision was already finished, I go to the church and apply for being a knight of altar server. But
I don’t have any idea what should happened next after I apply? I surrender my self to the
formation of sacristan so I will gain knowledge and serve the Lord with all my heart, mind, body
and soul. Before I continue my story.
I want to tell you that my family is not that you think of having a happy family. Because
since when I was a new born baby my mother and father left me in my auntie. It was very
difficult situation for my auntie to have a child because he hasn’t a child before. But my auntie
doesn’t hesitate to have me even of that situation and she loved me so much because even his
own future she gave it to me. That was the happiest day for me because even I don’t know what
happened on that day, I have an auntie that love me so much and I didn’t call it again auntie I call
her mama. For me if I haven’t my mama, I don’t know were I’m right now and what I’m doing
right now too. I’m very thankful that God gave me a loving mother that guide, support, and loved
me in the path that I’m going to pursue. I have also a grandmother and grandfather that also
guide me to be a good person and be a good role model for my cousin and also to the
community. The thing that I can never forget in my grandfather’s taught me that if you do a good
thing in your neighbor you shouldn’t expect that they will give you back the thing that you gave
to them. That was a very important to because after he died, I regret that I didn’t visit him before
he dies because of my personal intention. If my grandfather is here, I want to say sorry and I love
him so much. I learned so many things in life that I always need to remember in my daily life,
thank you so much lo.
 Now I will continue how’s my vocation grew and became more deeply that the reason I
love to serve God and his people. When the time goes by, I didn’t notice in that time that I’m
already 3 years of being a sacristan. That time I was already in love in the person that will teach
me to be strong and to conquer all my fears in life. She taught me so many things and also
support me in the things that I want to be in the future. I want you to know that we are also open
in both family and they are also supporting us in our relationship. We have a relationship in
almost 3 years long but there was point that our relationship became toxic and we didn’t realize
that was the root in the future that will keep us a part. When we broke up, I made a new thing in
my life, I was grade eleven in that situation and I go in the parish because I didn’t serve in the
past few years because of the relationship that I enter. But I so very thankful that she made me a
better person in the future and also a person that have a mentality of being independent person in
life.

I do a discernment in almost 1 year to know what vocation should I pursue in my future

and also to prepare myself for challenges I will cope in the present time. I’ll go in the parish and
pray to give me strength and wisdom to know what is the plan of God for me, after that I also go
to my parish priest to say sorry on the things that I have done in the past few years. My parish
priest told me that all of my experience in the past can’t be define the present me and also it
teach me a lesson to be a good person and be a role model to others. In the same my parish priest
told me that if I’m interested to take an entrance exam for seminary formation. It makes my mind
to go back in the past again that the first calling of God in me that I didn’t notice because I know
that God has a perfect plan for me. So, I take the exam and in the grace of God my parish priest
give me a letter that says you’ve passed in the entrance for seminary. I taught I can’t pass
because I know in myself, I can’t do it on my own. That why I give thank to the Lord for his
blessings because I know all things happened in my life was perfect plan for me of our God. I’m
was very happy on that day because the upcoming school year was almost near. I prepare my self
and also the things that I need in enrollment for our school year.
The day of school year was going to start and my parish was going with us in the
seminary and I taught that I’m staying my whole school year in St. Benedict Diocesan Seminary.
But I almost forgot that I’m graduated Senior High School in outside so that I’m going to study a
preparatory stage or called as pre seminary for those persons have already graduated in outside
the seminary. Because they told us that we need to study first the life we are going to have in the
future and also the subjects that we didn’t study outside. When I arrived in the Church that I’m
going to stay and study I encounter that I’m the only one that they are waiting for. They greet me
so gentle and happy I felt that I’m not lonely because I have brother that will listen and care for
both of us. In the first day on seminary life many adjustments I’ve do.
But the time was so fast that I didn’t notice that I fell in love again. The first encounter of
us is in the barangay mass. I saw him and I notice that there was a woman that make my heart
and mind complete. That was the time I ask my friend about the name of that woman and I get it
I’m very happy in that time. But there was a time that I didn’t notice the reason of why I’m here
in seminary so I recall all of the reason and made my decision. I didn’t tell you that we have
already a relationship in almost 2 months and I didn’t tell my formator about this. But I know
they know already, on the other day the woman I love has in the parish to attend the mass but I
didn’t notice that they have a conversation of my formator. When I was eating after mass my
formator tell be that there was a person waiting for me outside and I saw the woman I love, we
talk about our decision because I tell her already that I going to discern and have another plan for
myself. She cries on me and also, I comfort her and told her that even we have separate ways to
walk I always love you in the first place but God have the most good plan for me and not only
for me also for the children of God too. After that my formator tell me a lesson that I should
always remember that ‘Ang bokasyon ay isang biyayang ipinupunla ng Panginoon sa ating mga
puso sa simula’t pa. at inaasahan niyang mapalago’t mapayabong natin ito. Sa pag sunod sa
kanya at sa pagyakap at paglilingkod sa ating kapwa’. I learned a lot of lesson on my formators
in Pre-seminary and they also help me to be a responsible seminarian in the future.