A life of adventure
A life of Fred Sahuc
Fred Sahuc is a Claretian with a self-described “very delayed vocation.” The 50-something former advertising executive describes feeling a call to the priesthood as early as the age of nine, but didn’t act on it until some 40 years later.
Fred first thought seriously about answering that call and pursuing a religious vocation right after Vatican II. The pieces did not fall into place, though, and he moved on to a professional career.
Even though he had put off the pursuit of the priesthood, Fred did not lose his commitment to servicing the marginalized. Always a champion of the poor, he worked tirelessly for non-profits and organizations servicing the poor of his hometown of New Orleans. Volunteer opportunities filled his time as he worked to set up food banks, volunteered for Bread for the World, and involved himself in the city’s AIDS response. He spent 12 years as a hospice worker with AIDS patients in New Orleans, and served as Chairman of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on AIDS. Fred was gaining plenty of experience voicing the concerns of those in need.
His life took a turn when his parents grew ill and needed assistance. Fred left his job and spent the next five years as the primary caregiver to his mother and father. When they passed away, Fred was left with an open future. Traveling to Europe, a visit to Rome rekindled the flame in his heart. He decided to pursue a vocation to the priesthood.
When he returned to the United States and began researching his options, Fred found that most orders and dioceses did not accept men over the age of 45. One day the vocation director of another order mentioned to Fred that he thought the Claretians accepted older men interested in the priesthood. That same night, Fred visited the Claretians web site.
“I saw the site and fell in love with the Claretians that night,” Fred says. “Right away I noticed the flame logo, and I thought of the same flame that had burned in my heart for so long. And then I read about their work with the poor and for those who couldn’t speak for themselves. There were so many signs, so many little things that said I belonged with the Claretians.”
When Claretian Vocation Director Father Carl Quebedeaux replied to Fred’s initial email that same night, he took it as a sign from God that he had found his new family.
He arrived for his first visit with the Claretians in 2000. After making his way through formation, Fred took his final vows as a Claretian at the Eastern Province’s general assembly in June of 2005. He will be ordained in the next few months, and he has already moved to his first assignment at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on the south side of Chicago.
Fred describes his vocation journey as “taking 55 years to discover my real family.” Now that he has found that family, Fred looks forward to the many adventures that lay ahead; “Wherever I am sent, there will be God’s people.”