From the newspaper Catholic San Francisco comes this wonderful vocation tale, of a deaf man named Paul Zirimenya, who was just ordained a priest:

“I am proud of my deafness and never in my life have I ever wished to be hearing,” wrote Father Zirimenya in a recent e-mail. “Mainstream culture says, ‘You need to be fixed via medical means to be like us.’ We, the deaf, say, ‘We are okay and proud of our deafness.'”

Father Zirimenya was born in Kampala, Uganda, the third of nine children. He was not born deaf, but became deaf in an accident when he was six.

Born into an interfaith family, his parents and siblings were Anglicans while others of his extended family were Catholic. He said his parents’ blessing regarding his decision to become a Catholic priest, however, was unconditional from the very beginning, and their encouragement has helped him complete his studies.

Sometimes, even we can’t hear Him, God calls us. The lucky and the blessed, like Fr. Zirimenya, are listening anyway.

Blessings to him, and continued prayers for what will undoubtedly be an extraordinary priesthood.

Photo: from Catholic San Francisco