My name is Br. Isaiah of the Holy Face. I was born in 1993. I entered the novitiate in 2019 when I was 25.

When I was in elementary school I felt drawn to the priesthood but it was not until the years just after college in the wake of a re-version to the faith that I could finally appreciate and act on this call. I had moved to a new city to begin a graduate program in philosophy. God gave me the desire and the means there to rebuild my life from the foundation. A prayerful friend I had made introduced me to a group for young adults who met weekly at the cathedral for dinner and adoration. The witness of these people my age striving to respond fully to God became a strong support for me. Through that group I also met my spiritual director, who encouraged me to attend daily mass and assisted me along the path of prayer. Gradually doors I could not see before began to open, and the desire leave everything behind and follow Jesus became more possible and more irresistible. Then I encountered St. Therese of the Child Jesus. She became a spiritual companion to me and opened my heart to the truth of God’s love. At the start my only point of discernment was the priesthood, but along the way I heard the call to consecrated life. I wanted community, prayer, and study. I reached out first to the Dominicans who were present at my university. However by then the Story of A Soul had so captivated me that I was using all of my spare time to learn about the spiritual family of St. Therese. The Lord used the steps I had taken towards him in faith, even though he would redirect them. It was the Vocations Director of the Dominicans who first put me in contact with the Province of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I met two of our friars for lunch and so began my life in Carmel.

Carmelite spirituality calls you compassionately but decisively to release absolutely everything of your own into the mystery of God so that He may become everything to you. It teaches me to find God and hear His voice in my own soul. Far from estranging me from reality, this listening brings me down to earth and shows me how His will is to be done here as it is in heaven. To a young man who recognizes himself in my story, I encourage you to prioritize the sacraments and prayer with the Scriptures as your daily sustenance from God and means for making intimate contact with Him. Seek fellowship with faithful Catholics, and find a spiritual director because discernment is not done alone.

God never changes. He gives the same Holy Spirit to us today as he has to all the saints whose lives inspire us. Put your faith in Him, act on it, and He will show you great things.