Phillip McCarter of Cincinnati, Ohio, did what many young men do in their twenties. He began exploring his purpose in life.
At the time, he worked in shipping for a nationally-known glue company. But he felt called to something different and began exploring a religious vocation.
He began sharing meals and discussions with seminarians. Much of the time their talk revolved around sacrifice, how they felt called to give up dreams of marriage and family life in service to the priesthood.
Then something happened. While visiting an exhibition of Padre Pio relics at the downtown Cincinnati cathedral, Phillip ran into the local Franciscans. They invited him to meals and, eventually, discernment retreats. He discovered there was something different about them.
“When I met with the friars there was little talk of sacrifice. They had no regrets. They were content with the decision they made about their lives,” he said. “I saw how they interacted with each other, saw the care they had for each other.”
Once he came for dinner during a visit from the provincial. Phillip thought there might be some awkwardness, some kind of stiff formality. Instead the provincial, after a lively meal and talk, washed the dishes.
“I had never seen anything like that,” he said.
Now at 35, Phillip will make solemn vows as a friar this summer. He is now known as Bro. Phillip McCarter, OFM.
It is the culmination of a long faith journey. The youngest of four, Bro. Phillip entered into communion with the Catholic Church with his father, who was raised Pentecostal. They joined together and were later accompanied by the rest of the family.
The decision to take solemn vows is not done lightly. Bro. Phillip experienced seven years of formation, studying theology and participating with fellow friars-in-formation in Brothers Walking Together, an extensive effort to acquaint new friars with the social mission of the Franciscans, moving them beyond comfort to the challenge of direct ministry with the poor. Through it all, said Bro. Phillip, “I have been true to my authentic self.”
Via Brothers Walking Together, Bro. Phillip ministered at a shelter on the Mexican side of the Arizona/Mexico border while living in a friary on the U.S. side.
The shelter assisted migrants who had been turned away from the U.S., providing them with showers, food and a temporary place to stay.
“It was a transformational experience. It was my first time in a foreign country, learning a new language,” he said.
One result was gaining a deep empathy with the migrant population and witnessing to how the Franciscans cared for them.
“It was a chance to see the friars in action,” said Bro. Phillip. “The desert is harsh and unforgiving. The migrants needed a lot of assistance,” he said. He came back with a renewed sense that “we are all one people, when you look into their eyes and see their souls.”
Formation also included studies in San Antonio and Chicago, and, in varied places, more opportunities for ministry with the poor. He served at a Chicago shelter, as well as a food pantry in Maryland. In San Antonio, Bro. Phillip provided chaplaincy care at Haven for Hope, an ecumenical shelter. “That was a ministry of presence, being with people and hearing their stories,” he recalled.
Now he is in Jamaica, serving in a food program as well as a medical outreach to the poor living in the mountains. It is the kind of ministry he would like to continue after the taking of solemn vows as a Franciscan.
“No matter what I do, it is my intention to be closer to the poor and marginalized,” he said.
He will take solemn vows with seven other friars. He notes that the group is part of a generation which is seeking out a more spiritual approach to life.
“The spirit is moving among young people,” he said. As a friar, he sees himself as contributing to that faith renewal by being present to the poor and living an authentic life.
“I can do my best not to be a hypocrite,” he said. Young people, he noted, “can sniff out fraud pretty easily.” By living as a friar committed to the poor and to his community, Bro. Phillip said that “with my vows I can be who I present myself to be.”
After solemn vows, Bro. Phillip has been assigned to continue his ministry in Jamaica.
On Saturday, Aug. 22, Bro. Phillip will join seven other friars at St. Camillus Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, as they profess solemn vows. The newly-professed friars include Bro. Tyler Grudi, OFM; Bro. Kevin Hamzik, OFM; Bro. Domingo Martinez, OFM; Bro. Brian Menezes, OFM; Bro. Joan JP Perez-Lombera; Bro. Carlos Portillo, OFM, and Bro. Nathaniel Tran, OFM.
On Friday, Aug. 21, also at St. Camillus, Bro. Maikel Gómez Pérez, OFM, OFM, and Bro. Joshua Richter, OFM, will be ordained as priests.