This article was published in the summer 2026 issue of The Vincentian, the quarterly newsletter of the Congregation of the Mission Western Province.
New vocations director sees a current ‘revolution of the Eucharist’
Fr. Bemnet (Ben) Melaku, C.M., sees something happening among young people and the church at this time, a “revolution of the Eucharist.”
“Somehow, young people are drawn to the Eucharist in a passionate way,” he said. “Young people also have a great love for the poor. They want to help.”
All of this, he believes, has immense potential to bring more vocations to the priesthood, especially the Vincentians, which present an opportunity to be close to the Eucharist and to work with the poor.
As the new Vocations Director for the Congregation of the Mission Western Province, this is very exciting for him.
A native of Ethiopia, Fr. Ben says he heard the call when he was 12 years old and witnessed a Franciscan priest giving bread to the beggars outside of the church as he and his family entered for Mass.
“I realized how hungry I was but that those beggars were hungry all the time,” he said. “I thought there was nothing better than to be that priest.”
The following year, he entered the minor seminary with the Franciscans and studied for 10 years before exiting the program when his family moved to the Netherlands and then the U.S. Later, while working as a case manager with Catholic Charities, he began exploring a return to the seminary and ultimately determined the Vincentians were the best fit for him.
“I had never been to Chicago and had never seen snow, which was kind of difficult, but when I stepped into that house, I felt at home,” he said.
His vocation came into sharp focus as an Internal Seminary student during a pastoral ministry trip to Kenya. While making home visits, he met a woman with a small child and noticed the boy, sitting on the ground, chewing on a rock, and he confronted her.
She explained that she had corn at home for planting, which they were saving for the rainy season, and thus they could only eat every other day.
“She allowed her son to chew on the rock to trick him into thinking he had something to eat,” he said. “At that moment, I was touched in a special way. I thought, ‘That’s baby Jesus.’ I became determined that I had to do something about that, and it confirmed for me that I had to be a Vincentian.”
He encourages anyone who feels that call to explore it and, regardless of the outcome, you will develop your faith in a meaningful way.
“Where there is passion, there is a call,” he said. “God gives you the passion. If you have passion, give it a shot and you will see what God can do with your life.”
For more information about Vincentian vocations, visit www.vincentian.org/vocations or contact Fr. Ben at vocations@vincentian.org.