In two very different ministries, friars André-Marie Miller, OFM Conv. and friar Colden Fell, OFM Conv. are learning that discernment continues through experience. Their apostolic-year assignments have taken them from formal studies into the daily work of accompanying others—André in a high school classroom and Colden at hospital bedsides.
Teaching as “Leading Out”
André is teaching Spanish at St. Francis High School near Buffalo, New York. Classroom life has required more than preparing lessons. He has also had to learn how to hold students’ attention, manage their afternoon energy and remain present to the young people entrusted to him.
The experience has helped André recognize a connection between two interests that once seemed difficult to reconcile. He entered the Order drawn to serving people experiencing material poverty. Through his academic studies, he also discovered a love for pursuing and sharing truth.
Teaching has brought those callings together. André points to educare, the Latin root of “education,” meaning “to lead out.” Whether feeding someone who is hungry, studying theology or sharing the Spanish language, he now sees ministry as helping draw forth the presence of Christ in another person.
As he looks toward solemn vows, André continues returning to the first line of the Franciscan Rule: to observe the Holy Gospel by living in obedience, without anything of one’s own and in chastity. It is a reminder that before choosing a particular path, he must remain grounded in Christ.
Meeting People Where They Are
Colden is living in Louisville, Kentucky, while completing a Clinical Pastoral Education residency at a local hospital. He visits patients, supports families following deaths and Code Blues, assists with advance directives and continues learning how to provide spiritual care.
He was drawn to chaplaincy by a desire to serve people in moments when they most need mercy, dignity and someone willing to listen. The ministry brings him alongside people of different religions, backgrounds and life experiences. His purpose is not to preach or persuade, but to encounter each patient as a child of God.
“Many patients just need someone to listen to them,” Colden writes.
That presence can be both sacred and difficult. Colden has accompanied patients of all ages, including infants, as they approached death. The experience has challenged his faith and led him to wrestle honestly with God’s mercy. It has also deepened his connection to St. Francis, who recognized Christ in every person and remained close to the suffering of Christ’s Passion.
Different ministries are teaching André and Colden the same essential lesson: vocation unfolds through presence. In a classroom or beside a hospital bed, they are learning to listen, meet people where they are and recognize how God is shaping their next steps through those they serve.
