Vocation Stories: Alec Clark, Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate

Being part of the St. Al’s community, being open to the grace of God, and the working of the Holy Spirit prepared Alec Clark in small and big ways for his vocation. 

Alec will be a novice this fall for the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate in Tarquinia, Italy. He just completed his formation as a postulant.

He studied Materials Science and Engineering for two years at Michigan Tech but did not complete his degree. Many small practices led him to do the will of God: “Fr. Ben's encour-agement for me to make a daily morning Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament; attending FOCUS’ Student Leadership Summit (SLS), where I met the Franciscans of the Immaculate and was encouraged to consecrate myself to Our Lady; praying the Rosary every day; and finally, the powerful witness and fellow-ship of other Catholic college students who were all so fervent in their faith and desire for the Lord.”

He says St. Al’s is important for students because it provides a recipe for holiness. “The environment makes holiness contagious and is instrumental for so many students in igniting a fire of love for God in their souls. It helps them to realize God loves them, the importance of one's response to that love, and the need to spread that love to those around them.”

While a student at St. Al’s, one of Alec’s favorite memories is building an Our Lady of Lourdes statue for Winter Carnival. “None of the regular St. Al's attendees, being mostly composed of engineers, were very artistic and we were having difficulties making the statue look right. Then this guy, who happened to be a skilled woodcarver, showed up and asked if he could help. The statue came out looking really beautiful!”

The call to religious life for Alec came between high school and college but he began to hear it more clearly after attending SLS con-ference in 2016. “I stayed plugged into God. I prayed the Rosary every day and made a morning holy hour, plus Mass when I could make it. I also tried to practice the presence of God throughout the day, though that is something that isn't always easy to do. I had good Catholic friends who were also intentional about their faith and who could help support and guide me in my faith.”

“During SLS, I visited the Blessed Sacrament in the Adoration chapel. I prayed, 'Lord, I know I don't ask you this very often, but what is your plan for my life?' This was the first time I heard an answer. He seemed to say, ‘I will tell you when you are ready.’ The Lord wanted me to know he was arranging things in His own way in His own time. I walked out of the chapel and met a priest from the Legionaries of Christ. He was a former engineer, but when he noticed he cared more about the people he was working with than the machines he was working on, he realized God was calling him to be a priest.”

Alec says he met the Franciscans of the Immaculate at SLS and consecrated himself to Our Lady and later entered the order.

He says he is excited for the next step as a novice. “I'm really grateful for this gift because there is nowhere else I'd rather be, and it's hard for me to imagine myself doing anything else. Religious life is never boring. It's not always easy, but it's never boring.”