Please meet Baha Mansou Stephen a seminarian at the Latin Patriarchate Seminary in Beijt Jala (a village near Bethlehem) in Israel
Baha is a friendly, intensely spiritual young man who has an interesting story, his story of his “calling” to the priesthood.
Baha Mansour Stephan is 29 years of age and entered the Latin Patriarch Seminary in Beit Jala four years ago; he is Jordanian and his home is in the Mesdar region of the capital city of Amman. Baha is the youngest of three brothers; and has a younger sister,
In Israel most seminarians become part of the formation process when they enter the Minor Seminary typically at the age of 13 – 15 to prepare for acceptance into the Major Seminary. Baha’s path to answer his calling took a different route.
After finishing high school Baha lived at home with his parents, two brothers and a sister; he had a job, friends, helped in the Parish and enjoyed a good life. Baha always felt God in his life. When he was 21 years old a young man approached him and asked, “Are you a priest?” Baha told him, “No, not I”, and pointed out the parish priest to the lad. A few months pass and another person asked if he was a priest or deacon. Baha laughed and said, “No, not I”. A year went by when a third person, this time a middle aged lady asked him for advice thinking he was a priest. When this happened the fourth time, and a lady insisted he was a deacon or priest and Baha was not telling the truth, Baha went to the parish priest and asked why this was happening. The parish priest looked at him and said, “The Lord is calling you, Son. You are hearing the voice of God.” Baha asked, “Why now? I am now already23 years old. Normally young men enter the minor seminary as teenagers. “But God wants you now,” said the good Father.
After much discernment Baha entered the Beit Jalla Seminary when he was 25 1/2 years old. This was a very difficult decision as there was a poor reaction from his family. His father was extremely unhappy that Baha would not marry. “You have a job, family, friends – why, why, why?” For an extended period Baha’s father would not speak to him, it was a heavy cross for this young man to endure. While enduring the pain of being estranged from his father Baha knew he was being called to serve God as a priest and told his father “this is my life. Please join me and pray for my vocation.” The relationship with his father was broken for two years. During this time Baha prayed continually that God would help his father accept the idea of priesthood for his son. Baha read the Life of the Saints where many of them faced the same difficulty. After two years, Baha’s father reluctantly accepted the fact his son will be a priest. Baha asks us to pray for his father and join him in prayers that he will be a good priest.
December 9, 2011 Update on Seminarian, now Deacon Baha:
Deacon Baha is now in his second year of Theology at the Seminary and spends weekends obtaining pastoral training with Father Johnny, Pastor at St. Justin Catholic Church in Rafidia, a suburb of Nablus in the West Bank (Palestine). On weekends Deacon Baha works with children of the parish, helps prepare the choir for Sunday Mass and assists Fr. Johnny with baptisms. Last year Deacon Baha served his pastoral development with Fr. Feisal, Pastor of Holy Family Church in Beit Shour, and a village adjacent to Bethlehem.
Time has permitted Deacon Baha and his father to reunite and he cheerfully described his recent visit with his family in Jordan. As Deacon Baha wears the Roman color and when he arrived at his home his father greeted him with ”ABUNA (Father in Arabic) BAHA, Welcome Home”.
This greeting was a sure indication of the reconciliation by Baha’s father with his choice to be a priest in the service of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem