Justin - Vocation Story

Justin Czupinski

To make a long story short: I wanted to be a priest and I had found the Diocese far from where my heart was drawn. So I looked into religious life and there found a home with the Salesians of Don Bosco.

I was born and raised in the area of Ann Arbor, Michigan. My parents were both very strong in their faith and from them I learned how to pray and how to think. They created a supportive environment for my siblings and I to grow. We learned to think freely within the bounds of the Church. I myself, a product of their care and attention, felt called to the priesthood. At the time of my calling, of course, I had no idea what this actually meant.

I went through school (at home, in the comfort of my living room! Go homeschooling) with this notion of a vocation in the back of my head. All of siblings knew about it, and because of this, soon all of my friends knew also. Whenever I went somewhere, it was pretty much accepted that I was the priest-to-be. I suppose that made it more convenient because it meant they acted a little more virtuous around me.

I was in eighth grade when I was confirmed. I took the name of John Bosco, which would prove providential. I can now see how, even from before this, he has been guiding my life by his intercession. It was through this time that, by his intercession, God prepared me for my vocation. During my middle school and high school experience I began to develop certain talents. I joined a clowning group. I put on the make-up, the goofy outfit, the big red nose. I gave myself a name and ran around entertaining children with silly juggling, balloon animals, and tripping over my several-sizes-too-large shoes. I also played soccer, moving all around the field, and learning the various positions, but primarily goalie, where I could watch from the back and see how the game was actually played. During this time I also learned my most beloved talent, I learned to play the Highland Bagpipes. These have been my good companions now for six years, though I have long periods of time where I do not play them at all. These and other gifts, such as drawing, modeling, and others, all were and are to fit into my vocation in ways I cannot even imagine.

It was junior year when I started to actually start to look into my vocation. I went on one or two discernment retreats with my Diocese. No go. They were far too removed from everything and everyone I was dear too. I remember on one of them, an overnight, my mother drove me out. As I was loading my stuff into the room, she went to the restroom. I waited for her to come out before saying goodbye and joining the other guys discerning. Later, I learned from her that the vocation director had asked her, “Is Justin going to be okay?” because I had waited for her. Hello? She’s my Mom! I love her and want to show her so!

That was just an example of their, shall we say, aloofness. I looked into the Diocese a little more and realized, I would be living, most likely, in a parish by myself and not in any contact with other people besides my congregation. My family is large, there are nine of us total. And we are very much together. We are a family that both prays together, and stays together. So, the Diocese, which scarcely prays together, much less stays together, was not for me.

I began, with the assistance of my beautiful, wonderful mother, to look for a religious order. The fit was pretty easy. We went to a vocation assistance website and took a test. One order that quickly popped up was the Salesians. I called Fr. Franco Pinto and we scheduled a time for my parents and myself to come down for a discernment weekend in South Orange, NJ. My parents were some of the few to be on this retreat. That was a wonderful experience. Both my parents and myself felt very much at home and welcome. So, it was a fit. There a few other orders that still wanted me, and I gave them some attention, probably more out of politeness than any real discernment. John Bosco had called my name, and I wanted to follow him.

Now all of those little talents that the Good God stirred me to undertake are being used to reach out to people. Often, when someone learns that I am a bagpiper, they say “Oh, you’re the seminarian who pipes!” That’s kind of what I want to be known as. Hopefully people will be caught by the pipes, see me, and see that the Church has a lot to offer through myself and my fellow Salesians, and will follow us to Jesus.