Brother CJ Webb takes final vows as Capuchin Franciscan Friar (Photos)
Brother Chandler (CJ) Webb’s first inkling of becoming a priest came to him when he was just seven years old.
“I went to bed one night asking God what He wanted me to do with my life, and I awoke in the middle of the night wanting to become the first American Pope!” he said.
Brother CJ Webb, O.F.M. Cap, took the last step on Saturday, Aug. 17, when he took his final vows as a Capuchin Franciscan Friar at St. Francis Church in Hackensack. Nearly 40 friars, Brother Webb’s mother, sister, and grandmother, and parishioners attended as his final vows were received by Father Robert Williams, the provincial.
While in his home parish of St. Monica Catholic Church in Duluth, GA, throughout high school he held onto the belief that God wanted him to do something in the Church. He sought out the Capuchin Friars shortly after graduation because of the order’s commitment to service to people experiencing poverty, he said.
The Capuchin charisms are contemplation, committing themselves to quiet reflection every day; fraternity with their brothers; minority, choosing to live and work among the poor and marginalized; ministry, serving those in most need; and justice, peace, and ecology, seeking the common good of all humanity and God’s Earth. Franciscans reformed as Capuchins in 1525 to regain the original habit or tunic of St. Francis of Assisi and return to a stricter observance of the rule established by Francis of Assisi in 1209.
After attending a vocation weekend — a Come-and-See weekend — he said he “fell in love with the fraternal living and deep prayer life that I saw.”
Over the past five years of his initial formation, Brother CJ said he was continually reassured of his vocation through his experiences of prayer, fraternity, and ministry.
“I thank God every day for the gift He has given me in my calling,” Brother Webb said.
Brother CJ said his discernment to enter the seminary and become a priest was solidified during his third year of formation.
“I was living at our friary near Atlanta, GA. I accompanied the two brothers that I lived with, who are also priests, to a Lenten Penance service at a nearby parish. Seeing the various priests hearing the confessions of hundreds of people over the span of a couple of hours solidified my desire to study to be a priest,” Brother CJ said.
He said the Capuchin saints and blesseds, who led simple and beautiful lives dedicated to God, inspired him during his discernment and formation.
“My two favorites are St. Felix of Cantalice, who is the first saint of our order, and Blessed Anicet Koplinski, who served and died for the Polish people during World War II,” Brother CJ said.
Brother CJ will continue living in Union City while he ministers at St. Francis Church in Hackensack and attends Seton Hall University in the fall. He will also continue with his hobbies of playing the bass and “writing icons,” the ancient art of painting sacred images that reflect the Sacred Scriptures.
Brother CJ said he is grateful for the support he has felt in the Archdiocese of Newark and at St. Francis.
“To the wonderful people at St. Francis, thank you for all the support and love you have shown me this past year. I’m excited to share another year with all of you! May God bless you.”
Photos courtesy Capuchin Franciscan Friars
