{"id":26515,"date":"2026-11-13T09:06:03","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T14:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.franciscansusa.org\/?p=26515"},"modified":"2026-11-13T11:38:29","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T16:38:29","slug":"different-paths-of-discernment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.franciscansusa.org\/de\/different-paths-of-discernment\/","title":{"rendered":"Different Paths of Discernment"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In two very different ministries, friars Andr\u00e9-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\u2014Andr\u00e9 in a high school classroom and Colden at hospital bedsides.<\/p>\n

Teaching as \u201cLeading Out\u201d<\/strong>
\nAndr\u00e9 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\u2019 attention, manage their afternoon energy and remain present to the young people entrusted to him.<\/p>\n

The experience has helped Andr\u00e9 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.<\/p>\n

Teaching has brought those callings together. Andr\u00e9 points to educare<\/em>, the Latin root of \u201ceducation,\u201d meaning \u201cto lead out.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

As he looks toward solemn vows, Andr\u00e9 continues returning to the first line of the Franciscan Rule: to observe the Holy Gospel by living in obedience, without anything of one\u2019s own and in chastity. It is a reminder that before choosing a particular path, he must remain grounded in Christ.<\/p>\n

Meeting People Where They Are<\/strong>
\nColden 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany patients just need someone to listen to them,\u201d Colden writes.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s mercy. It has also deepened his connection to St. Francis, who recognized Christ in every person and remained close to the suffering of Christ\u2019s Passion.<\/p>\n

Different ministries are teaching Andr\u00e9 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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In two very different ministries, friars Andr\u00e9-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\u2014Andr\u00e9 in a high school classroom and Colden at hospital bedsides. Teaching as \u201cLeading Out\u201d Andr\u00e9 is...","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":26516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[156,155,176],"class_list":["post-26515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-winter-newsletter-the-call-continues","tag-friar-andre-miller","tag-friar-colden-fell","tag-saint-anthony-newsletter"],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franciscansusa.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franciscansusa.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franciscansusa.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franciscansusa.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franciscansusa.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26515"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.franciscansusa.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26517,"href":"https:\/\/www.franciscansusa.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26515\/revisions\/26517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franciscansusa.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franciscansusa.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franciscansusa.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franciscansusa.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}