‘I will give you my life.’

May 1, 2021

By Father Ronald Angervil, Diocese of St. Catharines

May 1, 2021

Father Ronald Angervil (Photo by Karlo King/Light Imaging)

My vocation was born during a painful time. When I was 15, my mom was abducted and held for ransom in Haiti. In the confusion and despair that followed, I prayed, “Lord, your son died on a Friday and rose on a Sunday. My mother was taken this Friday — would you return her this Sunday? In exchange, I will give you my life.” I didn’t really know what I was saying, but I felt a peace to accept whatever the outcome would be. Thanks be to God, she was returned to us.

I believe this experience was the moment when God began to prepare me for my vocation. He brought many people into my life along the way to teach me how to pray and form me in my faith. The Lord brought us to Canada, and it was here that I eventually said yes to his call and entered seminary.

The rest of the journey wasn’t without its challenges, but by then I had learned to turn to the Lord and trust in his guidance.

Father Ronald Angervil
Diocese of St. Catharines
Our Lady of the Lake Council 4917
Grimsby, Ontario

Father Christopher Murphy, Diocese of Providence.

‘I will give you my life.’

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