My name is Charnito D. Tano, CMF. I am a newly professed brother and currently a seminarian in my first year of theology. After a long journey of discernment, I would like to share with you the story of my vocation and my reflection on how I responded to God’s call.
I was born into a simple Catholic family, where faith was part of our daily life. My parents and grandparents taught me to pray and took me to Sunday Mass in our little chapel without fail. Growing up, I never imagined that I would one day consider a religious vocation. However, I believe that God was already sowing the seeds of my vocation then. As a child, I admired our parish priest, always present at the community’s feast day celebrations. His joyful service inspired me, even though I thought: “This kind of life is not for me”. I never imagined I would become a priest.
As a teenager, I focused on studies, friendships and dreams of a future career. I wanted to be a policeman, a soldier or a successful professional. But in the midst of these ambitions, I often felt a void that none of my plans could fill. After finishing high school, I took a vocational course. At the same time, I got involved in the parish through youth activities and joined the choir. It was then that I met up with an old teammate from my football team. He introduced me to his congregation and, in our conversations, he told me about seminary life and his mission. I never imagined that, through that encounter, God would open a new path for me. That simple presentation gave me a foundation and an openness to religious life. It was the beginning of discovering that God had been calling me all along.
I first joined a religious community introduced to me by my aunt. However, I only stayed there for a week, almost like a short holiday. Inside I felt that I could not sustain that kind of life, because I was still trapped by many worldly attractions. With this struggle, I decided to continue my degree. I studied marketing at the local university. My days were filled with studying, serving in the parish as an organist and choir member, and playing in a local band on Saturday nights to help pay for my studies and daily needs. This became even more necessary after my father passed away during my first year of university. However, my academic life was difficult and I was miserable. I even got involved in relationships with girls, forgetting the call of the Lord that I had once felt.
Still, there were times when I experienced an emptiness in my heart, a restlessness that pushed me to seek silence before God. During my second year of university I again thought about entering religious life, this time through the congregation of a priest relative. But he advised me to finish my degree first. At that point I lost courage and hope. I was preoccupied with too many things: studying, selling beauty products, playing in a bar-restaurant and serving in the parish at funerals and weddings as an organist and singer.
By the grace of God, I finished my university degree. After graduating, I tried to find work; I applied for the army and clerical jobs, but I felt that none of these were for me. One day, the parish priest encouraged me to join the diocesan seminary. I refused because, deep down, I was more attracted to religious life than the diocesan route. But as I had already lost interest and was in a romantic relationship, I didn’t pursue it. At the same time, I could not leave my parents, who were ill. Finally I decided to accompany my girlfriend to her business in a mining area. We lived there for about a year and some months. Even then, I continued to serve in a small chapel: I carried my guitar and songbook, crossed rivers and hills to lead prayers and pray the rosary with the community. At that time I was no longer thinking of entering the seminary. My only desire was to settle down and get married.
For the next five years I worked in different capacities: as parish staff, manager of a fast food chain, assistant in the mining area and even in business and e-commerce. Then my life changed unexpectedly. My mother passed away and, at the same time, my relationship ended. These tragedies and hardships broke my heart, but they also brought me closer to the Church and to the Lord. In my grief, I often asked God: “Why is this happening to me? Yet even in suffering, I sought the truth and pleaded for comfort. There were times when I would cry while working in the mining area, asking for His mercy. One thing, however, I never gave up: my devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I prayed the rosary every day and entrusted myself to her maternal care. I would say to her: “I no longer have a mother. Now you are my Mother; please guide me”.
In a moment of discernment I listened to a Catholic radio programme talking about vocation and religious life. I asked myself: “What if God is calling me? I tried to push that thought away by saying, “I am a sinner. I am not a saint. I know my faults. Still, every time I served Mass I felt something deep inside me that I couldn’t ignore. Then I began to discern more seriously, asking the Lord if this was really the life he wanted for me. As the months went by, I decided to look for a religious congregation, because my heart was drawn to the consecrated life, especially to a community with a strong missionary spirit. Through the Internet and Facebook I discovered different congregations, until I found the Claretians. I could not believe that they were a Marian congregation, and it filled me with joy to realise that the Blessed Virgin had been guiding me all the time.
In prayer and discernment before the Blessed Sacrament I felt a deep peace, as if God Himself was whispering to me: “Do not be afraid. I am with you. It was not just a voice: it was a certainty in my heart. That peace gave me the courage to take the first step. I followed his call, even though it was hard to leave my job, my family and even a new relationship. At the age of 32, already a young professional, I joined the Claretian Missionaries.
Life in the seminary was not easy. I missed my family and sometimes wondered if I had made the right decision. But as I grew in community life, in studies and, above all, in prayer, I discovered a deeper freedom. Little by little, God shaped my heart, teaching me humility, trust and perseverance. And through it all, I felt the love of my Mother Mary, who did not abandon me in difficult moments. Today I can truly call myself a child of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Now I continue this journey of formation. As a newly professed Claretian, I have taken the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, committing myself not to turn back. There are difficulties every day, but also an immense joy in serving God and his people. I witness how God uses even my weaknesses for his glory, whether in teaching, in the parish apostolate, in community life or in defending my Catholic faith.
Looking back, I realise that vocation is not about perfection, but about availability. God calls us in ordinary ways – through family, prayer, circumstances and service – and waits patiently for our “yes”. My story is still being written, but I know that wherever He leads me, my life belongs to Him. I pray that others, especially youth and young professionals, will also be open to hear and trust God’s call on their lives. I am convinced that God’s love never ends, despite our sinfulness; rather, He whispers to our hearts, “Do not be afraid. I am with you. You are mine.
Quezon City, Philippines.
August 2025.
