By: John Wofford '12
Published on
Students of Aquinas College come from many different backgrounds and have a wide variety
of aspirations and dreams. For Brother James-Peter Trares, O.P. - a 2010 graduate
of Aquinas College - Catholic ministry and faith hold a special place. Trares recently
celebrated the completion of his first step to the Catholic priesthood. On August
14, Trares took his first vows - a two-year commitment - where he will now study philosophy
and theology at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. This is
the next step in his journey toward a vocation in the Catholic Church.
Trares lived in Ohio for much of his early life. Moving to Grand Rapids, he attended Aquinas College as a liturgical music major following high school. While piano is his primary instrument, Trares also plays organ and sings. Graduating from Aquinas in 2010, Trares has recently finished his first year with the Dominican Order, Province of St. Albert the Great, as a novice, a period he describes as “a formation year, kind of a probationary period to see if it fits for you, and you fit with the community.”
He has warm feelings about his first year, “It was a wonderful year, particularly coming from being a student for most of my life to kind of taking a step back, having the free time to get everything in order, to slow down, to think and pray about things.” Trares lived during his first year in Denver, with nine other men who share his aspirations, exploring the two central focuses of the year - prayer and community. Part of this was learning to pray routinely as a group, morning, noon, evening, and night, but also maintaining personal moments of prayer and reflection.
Another concentration of the year was to create community bonds and friendships. “We’d have fun nights with movies, and have meals together, to facilitate that family atmosphere of community. We’d also do informal studies. Two or three days a week at most, we’d have lecturers come in and talk on different topics of Dominican history, important things about vows, what Dominican life is like, personal development and psychology. It’s a kind of introduction to a lot of different things.” One day a week, the group would participate in a ministry assignment. Trares was at an assisted living facility, serving the elderly. He said ultimately, “It was a good year for growth.”
Trares believes his experiences at Aquinas College prepared him for where he is now, as he made the decision to take the first steps toward the priesthood: “It was among the four best years of my life. It was very supportive, a time of real growth for me. I loved living on campus. I was very involved with the Catholic Life club. We used to have a community in Knape Hall. That was really where I came to know that I was called to live in community. That was kind of the greenhouse for my vocation. I found it a great place for my faith to grow.”
Of classes at Aquinas, he said, “The academic program was very good. It flows well now - I am being used for my musical training now, so that’s helping and is very valuable.” He cited Sister Catherine Williams, his faculty advisor and one of the professors of the Music department - a Dominican sister herself - as an influential mentor during his time at Aquinas.
To students and others who are considering a religious life, Trares pauses for a moment, then said, “Just be open to where things will go. I remember when I first started at Aquinas, I had a mentor tell me, ‘Have your expectations of where you want to go and what you want to do. But prepare to have that all overturned.’ That proved to be true. I would say to those students who are thinking about a religious vocation or getting into ministry or theology studies, just to really keep your mind open to where things will go. Be honest with yourself. Don’t be afraid to explore and talk to your friends and others about it.”
Trares lived in Ohio for much of his early life. Moving to Grand Rapids, he attended Aquinas College as a liturgical music major following high school. While piano is his primary instrument, Trares also plays organ and sings. Graduating from Aquinas in 2010, Trares has recently finished his first year with the Dominican Order, Province of St. Albert the Great, as a novice, a period he describes as “a formation year, kind of a probationary period to see if it fits for you, and you fit with the community.”
He has warm feelings about his first year, “It was a wonderful year, particularly coming from being a student for most of my life to kind of taking a step back, having the free time to get everything in order, to slow down, to think and pray about things.” Trares lived during his first year in Denver, with nine other men who share his aspirations, exploring the two central focuses of the year - prayer and community. Part of this was learning to pray routinely as a group, morning, noon, evening, and night, but also maintaining personal moments of prayer and reflection.
Another concentration of the year was to create community bonds and friendships. “We’d have fun nights with movies, and have meals together, to facilitate that family atmosphere of community. We’d also do informal studies. Two or three days a week at most, we’d have lecturers come in and talk on different topics of Dominican history, important things about vows, what Dominican life is like, personal development and psychology. It’s a kind of introduction to a lot of different things.” One day a week, the group would participate in a ministry assignment. Trares was at an assisted living facility, serving the elderly. He said ultimately, “It was a good year for growth.”
Trares believes his experiences at Aquinas College prepared him for where he is now, as he made the decision to take the first steps toward the priesthood: “It was among the four best years of my life. It was very supportive, a time of real growth for me. I loved living on campus. I was very involved with the Catholic Life club. We used to have a community in Knape Hall. That was really where I came to know that I was called to live in community. That was kind of the greenhouse for my vocation. I found it a great place for my faith to grow.”
Of classes at Aquinas, he said, “The academic program was very good. It flows well now - I am being used for my musical training now, so that’s helping and is very valuable.” He cited Sister Catherine Williams, his faculty advisor and one of the professors of the Music department - a Dominican sister herself - as an influential mentor during his time at Aquinas.
To students and others who are considering a religious life, Trares pauses for a moment, then said, “Just be open to where things will go. I remember when I first started at Aquinas, I had a mentor tell me, ‘Have your expectations of where you want to go and what you want to do. But prepare to have that all overturned.’ That proved to be true. I would say to those students who are thinking about a religious vocation or getting into ministry or theology studies, just to really keep your mind open to where things will go. Be honest with yourself. Don’t be afraid to explore and talk to your friends and others about it.”