Deacon Mike Maguire

When I was a young lad I was always drawn to priesthood, but as I was finishing my A-levels I felt a stronger sense that the Lord was calling me to follow a different path: to serve the sick. So, I came to university in London, where I studied nursing, and after qualifying enjoyed a 13-year career in Accident & Emergency departments across London. Now, before I came to university my parish priest gave me the best piece of advice I have ever received: ‘Don’t just hear Christ,’ he said, ‘but listen to him’. I had absolutely no idea what he meant!
Throughout my career there were times when I felt God nudging me, almost telling me to stand back from the hustle and bustle of A&E, and listen to him a little more. But the more nudges I felt, the more I resisted! It was in Lourdes, however, that I began to recognise what God wanted for my life; I not only saw how the sick truly embraced their calling from Christ, but I finally realised that the years I had cared for the sick, I had also been caring for Christ himself. The Lord was working through the sick and dying to help me to understand my true vocation in life. I finally gave in to the nudges, and I ‘listened’ to the Lord. Only then did I know that God was calling me to follow him on a different journey to priesthood!