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Behold Your Mother
Newsletter of the Brothers of the Beloved Disciple

Number 43: Easter 2009
Moderator: Fr. George T. Montague, S.M.
Assistant Moderator: Fr. Robert Hogan, B.B.D.
Rev. Joseph Mary Marshall, S.M. (Pastor). Rev. Will Combs, B.B.D., (Parochial Vicar)
1701 Alametos, San Antonio, TX 78201
(210) 734-6727 www.BrothersOfTheBelovedDisciple.org
E-mail: GMontague@StMaryTX.edu
Episcopal Advisor: Most Rev. Thomas J. Flanagan, D.D.

A Blessed Easter to All our Friends

Former Anglican Priest, Companion of the Beloved Disciple,
Ordained to the Catholic Priesthood

Sandie and Fr. Nick Knickerbocker, Jr., Fr. Joseph Mary Marshall, Bishop Pfeifer, and Father George after the ordination January 28

Making use of the Pastoral Provision established by Pope John Paul II, Bishop Michael Pfeifer ordained W.E. (Nick) Knickerbocker, Jr., a former Anglican priest to the Roman Catholic priesthood for the Diocese of San Angelo January 28, 2009. Father Nick, as we now call him, came into the Catholic Church with his wife Sandie in the early 1990’s after meeting with Father George and reading his book, Our Father, Our Mother: Mary and the Faces of God, and he and Sandie have been Companions of the Beloved Disciple for some 15 years.
Father Joseph Mary Marshall, pictured above with Sandie, Father Nick, Bishop Pfeifer and Fr. George, has been spiritual director for
Fr. Nick the past five years.

Fr. Nick taught Church history at Memphis Theological Seminary until his retirement in 2007. He and Sandie are very close friends of the Brothers of the Beloved Disciple, having made their Marian consecration and following the rule of our lay associates, the Companions of the Beloved Disciple.

We join their family and many friends in congratulating Fr. Nick (and Sandie as well) and say “Magnificat” with them. It has been a great grace for us to have accompanied them on this grace-filled spiritual journey. Fr. Nick is serving in the diocese of San Angelo.

Regional Charismatic Conference
Draws Eager Crowd March 6 - 7

Fr. Will Combs, BBD, addressing the Spanish track at the conference

The annual Regional Charismatic Conference, originally held in the downtown Henry B. Gonzalez Conference Center was held for the second year on the campus of St. Mary Magdalen Church, with the theme “In the Footsteps of Saint Paul.” Featured Speakers included Jim Murphy, former head of the International Catholic Charismatic Office in Rome; Sr. Bernadette Beamsley, DLJC; and Greg Trainor for the English track. Raul Chamnaugua from El Salvador; Sister Lucia, DLJC; and Fr. Will Combs, BBD for the Spanish track.

Miracle Healing Converts Doctor

The night before her surgery for cancer, Joyce Sekinger came with her husband Gene for prayer at our house,

where three members of our community prayed with her. After the surgery her oncologist told her she had at most 45 days to live. “Did God tell you that?” she asked. “No,” he replied, “but I have treated hundreds of patients with this type of cancer, and I’ve never seen any of them live for more than 45 days and I want you to be prepared.” But to his astonishment, at each check-up he could find no trace of cancer. At the sixth month check- up, the doctor asked Joyce to pray with him. Not only has she now been free of cancer for four and a half years, but the doctor began a prayer meeting with other doctors at Lackland hospital, where we are told they meet for prayer every morning before making their rounds. Praise the Lord!

Special Gifts of the Spirit Workshops

Fr. Bob Hogan, BBD, teaching at Gifts of Spirit workshop

During February the Brothers of the Beloved Disciple conducted a workshop on four Thursdays on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the photo Father Bob Hogan BBD is conducting the first session.

Companions of the Beloved Disciple

Companions of the Beloved Disciple at their semi-annual retreat break into small groups to share about their spiritual growth following Blessed Chaminade’s spiritual system of virtues. The individual groups meet monthly to share using Fr. George’s book, "The Woman and the Way".

Life-Teen Animates Teen Agers


Matt Arizmendez, graduate of St. Mary's University, addresses the group.

Over 100 youth of the parish participate weekly in Sunday evening Mass followed by food, fellowship and learning about the Catholic faith. This nationally popular program was launched at St. Mary Magdalen last September.

BBD Candidate Dan Sealana Shares His
Story as it appeared in Today’s Catholic

After one too many margaritas at my 21st birthday party in June of 2001, I first officially announced that I wanted to pursue the

Catholic priesthood. “I’m going to be a priest,” I announced to my family and friends in attendance.
Of course I had no clue what I was getting into. In my arrogant naivety, I thought you could pretty much waltz into the diocese office and basically just sign up and move into the seminary. When the Vocations Director of my local diocese in California suggested that I go back to school for a few years and then come see him, I didn’t take it too well.
God allowed me to be humbled during the next several years while I struggled with my vocation decision. In 2006, when I met Father George Montague, one of the founders of the Brothers of The Beloved Disciple in San Antonio, my presumptuous and cocky attitude about my vocation had melted away. My sense that I was entitled to be allowed to study to for the priesthood had been wiped away and what was left was a humbled person who just wanted to do what God is calling him to do.

After spending a week with the Brothers of The Beloved Disciple last April, the community and I decided that the next step, if I was ready, would be to move in. For the first time in 28 years,

I packed up and left my home town in northern California and headed to Texas.

The only thing I knew about San Antonio was that folks in that town know what picante sauce is supposed to taste like and that they may have some sort of basketball team. Oh, Eva Longoria lives there, too? I like her.

Years ago, I heard some good advice from a religious sister who told us priests wannabes at a retreat to avoid becoming discernment “groupies.” Those are the guys who go to every vocation event and retreat they hear about year after year, get all jazzed up about it, but never take that next step. I was a “groupie” for a long time.

Sister got our attention when she asked us bluntly, “Who the hell are you that you think you’re going to get a burning bush?”
If you’re seriously considering priesthood or religious life, don’t make the mistake of waiting around for your burning bush. You don’t need to be 100% sure that you’re called to a religious vocation before applying for entry to a seminary or religious order. In fact, there’s no way you can be absolutely sure you’re being called until you take the plunge. And getting accepted into a seminary or community isn’t the endgame. It’s only the beginning.

Ten years from now, I don’t know whether I’ll be “Father Dan,” “Brother Dan,” or “Lay person who spent time in a religious community but ultimately decided God wasn’t calling him Dan.” But what I do know without a shadow of a doubt is that God wants me right here and right now in San Antonio as a member of the Brothers of The Beloved Disciple.

Ultimately, you won’t know for sure that you’re called to be a priest until the day the bishop ordains you. You won’t know for sure that you’re called to consecrated life until the day you take your perpetual vows. I can name ten guys off the top of my head that I think would be better priests or religious brothers than I (and some of them aren’t even Catholic). But, for now, it seems that God is calling me in that direction instead of them.

I don’t know what God has planned for me, but I’m glad that He has had me take this first important step.