My name is Fr. Alex Colautti. I was born the second-youngest of 5 children: four boys and one girl. I was born and raised in Windsor, ON, and have received of a degree in Philosophy and Political Science from the university there. My life growing up was characteristic of the average Catholic family. I went to weekly mass, prayed the rosary and received a solid foundation in the faith from my parent, which I received through an intensive home-schooled education.
There have been two fundamental, intrinsic desires of soul that have motivated me in my journey through life which were present even at its earliest stages. The first was a profound yearning in my heart to change the world. The second was a seemingly insatiable thirst for truth.
The concept of God that I had formed in my mind as an adolescent was very sterile and adulterated. To me, He was some far-away being who rarely interacted with the world. For the most part, I just thought He wanted us to follow His ‘rules’. I struggled to follow His laws, and, as a consequence, I lived largely apart from His grace for much of my adolescent and early adult life. There was an emptiness, and my heart was yearning for something that it didn’t have. It wasn’t until my trip to Medjugorje in 2008 when our Blessed Mother brought me into a personal relationship with her living Son, Jesus Christ which radically transformed me.
Finally, it became clear to me.
“The thirst for truth was the ever-present whisper of Jesus, calling me to him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The desire to change the world was his invitation for the vocation to a consecrated life. ‘Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart’”. (Ps 37:4)
I decided to leave behind the burdens of the world and take up the cross of Christ. The Holy Spirit led me to the Companions of the Cross in 2010 and I joined them in 2011. I have found a sense of joy and peace following Jesus here that I never found in the world. “For those of you who want to save your life will lose it, and those who lose it for my sake, and the sake of the gospel, will save it (Mk 8:35).
What kind of ministry are you doing now?
I currently serve as the associate pastor of Saint Benedict Parish in Halifax, NS.Saint Benedict Parish