The Birth of a Pearl: The Birth of a Vocation
On Saturday May 24th, Cardinal Sean O’Malley ordained eleven men to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Boston. One of them is a dear friend of mine, as well as a brother in the seminary: Giovanni Argote. When Giovanni entered the seminary, I was already at the end of my seminary formation and about to be ordained a priest, but for me, it was enough time to get to know him and to be able to say that his ordination three weeks ago was a truly miraculous event.
Giovanni is originally from Colombia. When he arrived in Boston and joined the Redemptoris Mater Seminary, I remember being fascinated by his story.
Giovanni is the son of a relationship that ended before it ever began. His father abandoned him when Giovanni was still in the womb of his mother. He literally grew up in the streets of the city of Valledupar feeling totally lost and alone, looking for his own identity among his friends, and most of all, trying to find a solution to the great resentment he had for his father. Giovanni’s life began to change when he was 15 years old and one of his aunts invited him to listen to a series of catechesis in a Catholic parish. There, for the first time, Giovanni heard about Jesus Christ. He says that what struck him the most was that it was announced to him that Christ was able to make you love your enemy. Giovanni had an enemy: his father.
That day began Giovanni’s journey of faith. He started to discover that God is a father full of tenderness and mercy who always loved him and never abandoned him – even if in his heart there was a lot of resentment. Over the years, Giovanni experienced something miraculous growing inside of him: the desire to reconcile with his father. With the help of the Church, Giovanni eventually went to look for his father. When he found him, he asked him for forgiveness, recognizing that the abandonment of his biological father had turned into the most providential event for him; it had led him to encounter the love of his Heavenly Father.
I remember that when I listened to Giovanni’s life story for the first time, I thought to myself: Giovanni’s story is a jewel! It is a pearl! It is a true miracle of Jesus Christ that turned Death into Life! He turned the resentment Giovanni had against his father into true love for his father!
I mentioned the image of the pearl on purpose…
The birth of a pearl is truly a miraculous event. A pearl is formed when an “enemy,” an irritant, such as a grain of sand or a parasite, enters the oyster’s shell. The oyster’s defense mechanism kicks in and it begins to coat the irritant with layers of nacre, a smooth and iridescent substance secreted by the mantle. Over time, layer upon layer of nacre builds up, creating a pearl!
In the same way, the mercy of God, year after year, began “to coat” the resentment that had entered Giovanni’s heart, creating little by little a pearl: a heart able to love his father! Now Giovanni is a priest, a Father of the Church.
My name is Andrea Povero. I was born in a town called Ivrea, close to Turin, Italy.
I am almost 35 years old and I am the last one of 4 children.
When I decided to enter the seminary, I chose to enter into a “missionary seminary.” I went to a retreat close to Rome and there, together with 300 young men, I put my name into a basket. In another basket were the names of the all the missionary seminaries around the world. When my name was pulled from one basket, it was matched with the name “Boston” from the other basket.
I was sent to Boston in November 2007. I became a priest by the grace of God on May 19, 2018.
For the past three years I have been the Parochial Vicar of three parishes: St. Thomas Aquinas and Our Lady of Lourdes in Jamaica Plain and Saint Mary of the Angels in Roxbury.