From No to Yes
By Rev Fr Frederick Quek (adapted from CatholicNews July 2001)
"I wanted to reach out to someone real, someone really big time, and He is God." Fr Frederick Quek described what motivated him to the priesthood.
At first he resisted it. "Joining the priesthood was a difficult decision to made. I fought it for five years," said the 43-year-old who was ordained in July 2001 at the Church Of St Bernadette. During those five years, he woke up almost every morning with thoughts of the Lord calling him and of him replying "I do not want." What was the reason for his resistance? "I felt I had a secured life in the world, and I was active as a lector and catechist at the Church Of Christ The King. I thought I was doing enough good work already. " However, God eventually broke down his defenses. He decided to consult some priests and attended some discernment retreats between 1991-92. Finally one day he responded to the Lord, "Yes, I will." And he entered St Francis Xavier Major Seminary in 1993.
As a journalist with a local newspaper for 12 years, Fr Frederick enjoyed making independent decisions. Seminary formation expected him to live in a community and he had to learn team work. Learned he did, and he persevered. "The moment I decided to join the seminary I was prepared to accept any personal changes required," he admitted. The lifestyle and discipline in the seminary helped him to humble himself and surrender to the Lord. The community living also taught him to be sensitive to others. "I had a tendency to be sure of myself but in the seminary, I learned to be open and accommodating to the views of others and to their way of doing things," he added. He is convinced that it was his personal relationship with God that saw him through the challenges of seminary formation.
The life as a priest excites him. "I want to be with the people and serve them."
The eighth among 10 siblings, he said his childhood was spent with his big family "doing kampong things". "My family is not 'churchy' but we are quite close-knit and they were my first experience of church and people," he said.
If approached by someone discerning whether he or she has a priestly or Religious vocation, Fr Frederick said he would offer this advice: "If you enjoy praying, if you always want to be with the Lord and have a love for people, and if this kind of thought persists, then you should get spiritual direction and go for further discernment. If God calls, He will not play games. He will show the way. But then again, there is no such thing as a 'sure call'. A call is a journey, a process, a discernment. It is a relationship which deepens."
Fr. Quek challenges those who are seeking their life direction: "Vocation is what makes you happiest in life. Everybody has a specific vocation to which God calls. And if it is your vocation to be a priest or Religious, then you have to answer that call. If you don't give it a try, then I don't think you will be a very happy person."