Help Brandon Become a Dominican!
Donation protected
Hello Family, Friends and Future Friends!
I hopefully know most of you but if not, my name is Brandon Miranda and it is a pleasure to encounter you in this GoFundMe page! As you can see from the title of this fund, I have been ACCEPTED to join the Dominicans and in order to move forward, I must first try to pay down as much of my student loans as possible. Please consider giving to this cause and allowing me to discern further if the Order of Preachers is where God is calling me! If you have any questions or anything you want to talk about, do not hesitate to email me at [email redacted] and I’ll happily chat with you.
If you want to give an offline donation, please contact the above email to discuss further details.
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Now that you know the purpose of this fund, I want to take this opportunity to let you know more about me, who I am, my journey of discernment and how I ended up applying to join the Dominicans!
Who I am
As I said above, my name is Brandon Miranda and I was born and raised in Northern California. I grew up in a home with a loving father and mother, a brother I wouldn’t trade for the world and a grandmother who loved more than my feeble words can express. All my life I was surrounded by this family that guided me to love without limit and pushed to seek the greatest opportunities I can in life. My family is a big reason I am the man I am today.
I’m proud to admit that I’ve been a Catholic ever since May 1, 1993! If you’re wondering how old I was, I was nine months old. Point being, I have basically been a Catholic my entire life but my faith itself did not become my own until I was a junior in high school. With high dreams of being a Stanford graduate and owning my own medical practice, I never really had time to think my faith. It wasn’t until an invitation to a parish youth group that I enjoyed a Church alive and thriving. At first, I was very hesitant to invest time in my Catholic faith but as I learned more and more about the beauty and intellectual prowess of the Church, I was intrigued unlike anything else before it.
It was during a confirmation retreat during January 2009 in a moment of Eucharistic adoration when I encountered the person of Jesus Christ in a way that transformed my life forever. From that moment on, I knew that my life could never be the same again. At that moment, I decided that all my goals and ambitions meant nothing if their ultimate ends were not to make God’s will be done on this earth. This newfound flame of faith was what ultimately led me to set my sights on Catholic universities and eventually, my alma mater: the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.
In the fall of 2010, I started my first year at St. Thomas majoring in Political Science with a minor in Catholic Studies. I aspired to run for office or earn a doctorate in Political Science but over the course of four years and a semester abroad in Rome, my life transformed beyond anything I could have possibly imagined. I definitely had my moments of living the “college life” but, by the grace of God, I was able to recommit my life and efforts to Jesus and the betterment of His Church. My senior year I actually was applying to seminary but God had a plan for me that, yet again, I did not see coming. I ended up graduating in 2014 with a double major in Political Science and Catholic Studies—moving into what I do now.
After my time at St. Thomas, I accepted an offer to serve as a campus missionary for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). Shortly after being hired, I was placed at Drake University in Des Moines, IA; where I still currently serve. Being an agent of Christ on the college campus brought its fair share of challenges but this work has brought about some of the most fulfilling moments of my life. I am blessed to do this work for the New Evangelization and to be so submerged in God every day.
“Have you ever thought about the priesthood?”
The first time I remember actively thinking about the priesthood was when I was in first grade. I remember getting bad grades on my report card and my dad saying, “Brandon. You’re going to be a big man one day and good grades are important. That’s how people go to college!” Naturally, I cried because I thought this meant I could never go to college but something else happened that was curious. I remember thinking, “If I get bad grades, I can’t go to college. If I can’t go to college, I can’t become a priest!” Funny thing was, I didn’t really even know what/who a priest was!
Growing up, though I wouldn’t consider my practice of faith strong, I was very intrigued by Catholicism and the intellectual tradition of the Church (yes, I’m a nerd from birth). Because of this, the elderly women at church constantly berated me about one day becoming a priest. Though I had that thought in my youth, older child Brandon wanted nothing more than to NOT be a priest. It wasn’t until my high school conversion that these thoughts resurfaced but even then, I wanted a family more than anything else.
It wasn’t until my sophomore year at St. Thomas after a traumatic week, when I found myself broken down by the life I was living, that I sat in daily Mass and God started up the engines. Desiring nothing more than my peace and quiet, I sat in the pews far from everyone in the chapel awaiting Mass to begin. Right from the “The Lord be with you”, it was game over for me. As clear as a bell, I heard a voice saying to me over and over again, “Have you ever thought about the priesthood?” I ignored it and went on with my life but, as evident by this GoFundMe, it didn’t stay away forever! More and more as months went by, this small desire towards the priesthood grew until my heart wanted nothing more that this. Studying abroad in Rome reaffirmed this desire and working for FOCUS has continued fostering this yearning.
Why the Dominicans?
After getting off the required dating fast on my first year on staff, I went back on the discernment track for the priesthood and I had my heart set on applying for diocesan seminary. More out of curiosity than anything else, I decided to sign up for the Dominican Come and See weekend thinking, “What’s the harm in going? It will either confirm or complicate my discernment towards diocesan priesthood.” Those three days, like many of the major life event I’ve described, changed everything.
Have you ever heard someone speak and wondered how they were speaking the desires of your heart? Has that ever happened to you several times a day for three consecutive days? Well, that’s the short answer of how my discernment weekend went! From the community, to the study, to the sacred preaching…every little detail made me feel at home. I thought it was a “retreat high” or something as such, but the coming weeks proved otherwise. I am still unpacking that entire experience from that weekend in October, but I cannot ignore the fact that every day since, I’ve become more and more attracted to the Dominicans and their way of life. Every step closer has thus far felt like I was moving in the right direction.
I could detail every reason why my heart was stirred but for the sake of this already lengthy description, I will speak with you if you desire. If you are more interested, I am more than happy to answer your phone calls or emails to tell you more!
Thank you SO MUCH and God bless!! And most importantly, please pray for me!!
- Brandon Miranda
I hopefully know most of you but if not, my name is Brandon Miranda and it is a pleasure to encounter you in this GoFundMe page! As you can see from the title of this fund, I have been ACCEPTED to join the Dominicans and in order to move forward, I must first try to pay down as much of my student loans as possible. Please consider giving to this cause and allowing me to discern further if the Order of Preachers is where God is calling me! If you have any questions or anything you want to talk about, do not hesitate to email me at [email redacted] and I’ll happily chat with you.
If you want to give an offline donation, please contact the above email to discuss further details.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that you know the purpose of this fund, I want to take this opportunity to let you know more about me, who I am, my journey of discernment and how I ended up applying to join the Dominicans!
Who I am
As I said above, my name is Brandon Miranda and I was born and raised in Northern California. I grew up in a home with a loving father and mother, a brother I wouldn’t trade for the world and a grandmother who loved more than my feeble words can express. All my life I was surrounded by this family that guided me to love without limit and pushed to seek the greatest opportunities I can in life. My family is a big reason I am the man I am today.
I’m proud to admit that I’ve been a Catholic ever since May 1, 1993! If you’re wondering how old I was, I was nine months old. Point being, I have basically been a Catholic my entire life but my faith itself did not become my own until I was a junior in high school. With high dreams of being a Stanford graduate and owning my own medical practice, I never really had time to think my faith. It wasn’t until an invitation to a parish youth group that I enjoyed a Church alive and thriving. At first, I was very hesitant to invest time in my Catholic faith but as I learned more and more about the beauty and intellectual prowess of the Church, I was intrigued unlike anything else before it.
It was during a confirmation retreat during January 2009 in a moment of Eucharistic adoration when I encountered the person of Jesus Christ in a way that transformed my life forever. From that moment on, I knew that my life could never be the same again. At that moment, I decided that all my goals and ambitions meant nothing if their ultimate ends were not to make God’s will be done on this earth. This newfound flame of faith was what ultimately led me to set my sights on Catholic universities and eventually, my alma mater: the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.
In the fall of 2010, I started my first year at St. Thomas majoring in Political Science with a minor in Catholic Studies. I aspired to run for office or earn a doctorate in Political Science but over the course of four years and a semester abroad in Rome, my life transformed beyond anything I could have possibly imagined. I definitely had my moments of living the “college life” but, by the grace of God, I was able to recommit my life and efforts to Jesus and the betterment of His Church. My senior year I actually was applying to seminary but God had a plan for me that, yet again, I did not see coming. I ended up graduating in 2014 with a double major in Political Science and Catholic Studies—moving into what I do now.
After my time at St. Thomas, I accepted an offer to serve as a campus missionary for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). Shortly after being hired, I was placed at Drake University in Des Moines, IA; where I still currently serve. Being an agent of Christ on the college campus brought its fair share of challenges but this work has brought about some of the most fulfilling moments of my life. I am blessed to do this work for the New Evangelization and to be so submerged in God every day.
“Have you ever thought about the priesthood?”
The first time I remember actively thinking about the priesthood was when I was in first grade. I remember getting bad grades on my report card and my dad saying, “Brandon. You’re going to be a big man one day and good grades are important. That’s how people go to college!” Naturally, I cried because I thought this meant I could never go to college but something else happened that was curious. I remember thinking, “If I get bad grades, I can’t go to college. If I can’t go to college, I can’t become a priest!” Funny thing was, I didn’t really even know what/who a priest was!
Growing up, though I wouldn’t consider my practice of faith strong, I was very intrigued by Catholicism and the intellectual tradition of the Church (yes, I’m a nerd from birth). Because of this, the elderly women at church constantly berated me about one day becoming a priest. Though I had that thought in my youth, older child Brandon wanted nothing more than to NOT be a priest. It wasn’t until my high school conversion that these thoughts resurfaced but even then, I wanted a family more than anything else.
It wasn’t until my sophomore year at St. Thomas after a traumatic week, when I found myself broken down by the life I was living, that I sat in daily Mass and God started up the engines. Desiring nothing more than my peace and quiet, I sat in the pews far from everyone in the chapel awaiting Mass to begin. Right from the “The Lord be with you”, it was game over for me. As clear as a bell, I heard a voice saying to me over and over again, “Have you ever thought about the priesthood?” I ignored it and went on with my life but, as evident by this GoFundMe, it didn’t stay away forever! More and more as months went by, this small desire towards the priesthood grew until my heart wanted nothing more that this. Studying abroad in Rome reaffirmed this desire and working for FOCUS has continued fostering this yearning.
Why the Dominicans?
After getting off the required dating fast on my first year on staff, I went back on the discernment track for the priesthood and I had my heart set on applying for diocesan seminary. More out of curiosity than anything else, I decided to sign up for the Dominican Come and See weekend thinking, “What’s the harm in going? It will either confirm or complicate my discernment towards diocesan priesthood.” Those three days, like many of the major life event I’ve described, changed everything.
Have you ever heard someone speak and wondered how they were speaking the desires of your heart? Has that ever happened to you several times a day for three consecutive days? Well, that’s the short answer of how my discernment weekend went! From the community, to the study, to the sacred preaching…every little detail made me feel at home. I thought it was a “retreat high” or something as such, but the coming weeks proved otherwise. I am still unpacking that entire experience from that weekend in October, but I cannot ignore the fact that every day since, I’ve become more and more attracted to the Dominicans and their way of life. Every step closer has thus far felt like I was moving in the right direction.
I could detail every reason why my heart was stirred but for the sake of this already lengthy description, I will speak with you if you desire. If you are more interested, I am more than happy to answer your phone calls or emails to tell you more!
Thank you SO MUCH and God bless!! And most importantly, please pray for me!!
- Brandon Miranda
Organizer
Brandon Isaac Miranda
Organizer
Las Vegas, NV