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Justin Amal Raj a/l Vincent Joseph
Penang
I am Justin Amal Raj and I belong to City Parish, Penang. This is my personal vocation story.
When I was 16 years old, Sister Lucy from the Convent, was the first person to invite me to consider the priesthood. She invited me to the Burning Bush Vocation Camp held at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Penang. That was the first vocation camp I had ever attended. That was also the time I had this fear of being called to the priesthood.
Years passed by but this strong “disturbing” feeling deep down in me continued. That feeling of being a priest. I ignored the feeling. I continued with my academic studies and completed a bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy. I started a job as a physiotherapist at an NGO nursing home. Over there, I worked with the elderly. Most of them have been left alone by their families. Some of them are Christians. I wondered if I were a priest, would I be able to help them beyond my job scope as a physiotherapist. I wondered.
During my holidays, I spend time with a Franciscan priest, Fr Arul. He would bring me to chapels and churches where he was invited to give a talk or to celebrate Mass. He was the first priest I spoke to regarding the priesthood, and my desire to be a priest. He spoke more on the life of a priest and the differences between the religious and diocesan priesthood. He asked me to pray and trust in the Lord and allow the Lord to lead.
In 2018, I attended a second vocation camp. It involved 24-hours with Bishop Sebastian. I had my first exposure to College General. I was overwhelmed. Two years later, I met with my parish priest, Msgr. Aloysius Tan. He gave me a book titled ‘To Save A Thousand Souls’. Reading that book and spending time before the Blessed Sacrament helped me to have courage and discern on my calling to the priesthood. I met with my bishop again, and applied to enter to College General.
Finally, it took all these years to build up enough courage and trust in the Lord to be able to made the decision, and to answer the call to Holy Orders.