I grew up with the La Salette priests. My hometown of Isabela was their first mission in the Philippines. They married my parents and were always at our house, even joining us for meals. Through the influence of my mom, I studied in a La Salette school and became an altar boy. During my high school days, I really planned to join the La Salettes. But due to my family needing assistance, I studied outside and took up commerce working for nine months. It was then that I learned about other congregations, such as the Hospitaliers, Carmelites and Franciscans. But, my heart always came back to the La Salettes.
Being a La Salette, I try to live our charism to make the message of reconciliation known. “Our Lady of La Salette, Reconciler of Sinners, pray without ceasing for us who have recourse to you,” we say in the invocation of our prayers. We encourage people to be forgiving; to be reconciled with Jesus Christ. Thus, I am very open to the people I minister to. One needs to be welcoming. Hearing the message of Pope Francis further challenges me to be a channel of reconciliation in the world today.
When I first came to St. Theresa’s, I had a hard time adjusting to life in a new culture and parish. Being far away from my family, I do miss them, especially when someone gets sick. Being trained with a religious community in seminary, there are challenges to living alone. How can I perform my community prayer? Yes, it is graced to have time to really pray, commune with God through the beauty of nature surrounding me, and to spend more time in spiritual reading — my favorite reading being Thomas Kempis’ “The Imitation of Christ” — but I miss working and praying together with my brothers in community. Getting together with other La Salettes on the island once in a while does not give the same lived experience and support. However, the spirituality of my parishioners has made things easy. They are very accommodating, prayerful and generous with their time.
St. Theresa of Lisieux has been my guiding saint since seminary days. So, it is a blessing to be here and working with the school. I give the principal, sisters, faculty, staff and parents credit, because they are committed to provide excellence in education even in the midst of low enrollment. The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity are another huge blessing. Without them, I don’t know where we would be. St. Theresa School was also their first mission. They are simple and approachable; we work well together. I think the bottom line is that when I deal with people, I laugh with them, cry with them, live a simple life, and just be with them. As Our Lady of La Salette said, “Come here, my children.”
A Missionary of Our Lady of La Salette, Father Arnel Soriano is pastor of St. Theresa Parish and School in Kekaha, Kauai. He is 10years ordained a priest. He is the eighth of four brothers and sisters in his family.
