Br. Douglas Hawkins

From fourth grade onward, Douglas Hawkins had a clear destination in mind: the priesthood. His faith was strong, his sense of calling firm. Through his elementary years and well into his confirmation at sixth grade, the path seemed set. Then high school happened — and everything changed.

At his high school, Br. Douglas encountered the De La Salle Christian Brothers, and they were unlike anything he had expected from men in religious life. These were young Brothers — energetic, engaged, visibly enjoying one another's company. They organized gym nights and service projects. They were involved with students not just in the classroom but in life. They didn't hold themselves at a distance. They showed up.

Watching them, Br. Douglas found himself reconsidering. The priestly vocation he had long imagined began to feel less certain as he witnessed what life as a Brother looked like — grounded in community, dedicated to young people, and animated by a joy that was entirely genuine. That witness planted a seed that grew into a lifetime of commitment to the Lasallian mission.