It was a tense time for our business as we continued to navigate the financial and social stress caused by the pandemic. I thought that I was above the fray until one morning, I snapped and unleashed my frustration on one of my best friends at work.

I knew that I wasn’t in the right headspace. After a sincere apology to my buddy, I let him know that I was leaving the office and turning off my phone. It was 10:30 in the morning and I wasn’t sure where I’d go next.

Without a plan, I drove to my home parish, St. Ann in Coppell. There, I entered the perpetual adoration chapel in hopes that I could calm myself in prayer and regain my sense of peace. Among the 40 chairs in the chapel, I could hardly find an open place to sit. I decided to kneel in the back corner of the room, just a few feet from a young man, and then I closed my eyes to pray.

My brain was still racing, and I was struggling to settle my nerves. I wasn’t sure where to start my prayer, so I took a few deep breaths. The night before, I heard Fr. John Riccardo speak at a local event, and his words now echoed in my ears – pray for priests and pray for young men discerning the priesthood… Given my difficulty focusing on my own needs, I spent the rest of my time praying for the formation, peace, safety, and brotherhood of every priest and seminarian I knew.

When my heart and head finally felt rested, I started to leave the chapel and found myself face-to-face with a friend I had only met once before. In a whisper, he asked if I was going to Mass at noon. I was unsure. He let me know that two of his college buddies were in town for the day, and that each of them was on their way to enter the priesthood - one with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and the other with the Norbertine Order in California.

“Wait,” I said. “Is one of those men named Angel Rodriguez?”

“Yes. Angel is sitting over there,” he replied as he pointed to the young man who was seated next to the spot where I knelt in prayer.

It felt like a lightning bolt struck me, and I let him know that I’d be waiting outside when they were done praying.

I couldn’t believe it. Many years earlier, I was contacted by Angel as he was entering into missionary work with FOCUS. We had never met, but I agreed to support his work with a modest recurring donation. Year after year, Angel would reach out with a request to meet in person, and each time I passed on the invitation, but let him know that I was committing to another year of financial support.

That was the entirety of our relationship until a few weeks before this moment in the Chapel. Angel had recently sent a letter to each of his benefactors announcing his decision to enter the Norbertine Order. As part of the process, Angel needed to pay off all remaining debts. I was proud to know that he was following God’s call, so I mailed him a check that was more substantial than the recurring payments I had been making.

At that point, I assumed I would never meet this young man and that I would do my best to pray for him throughout the rest of my life.

But that’s not how the story goes.

Here I was, skipping work and struggling to find peace as I knelt in adoration next to a complete stranger, praying for priests, only to learn that the man I prayed next to was Angel Rodriguez, the future priest I had been supporting for years.

There are no coincidences.

I sat outside the adoration chapel praising God for this clear reminder that His plan is always better than mine. I was overcome by profound peace and knew I was right where I needed to be.

When the door opened, I walked up to the man who had been next to me inside and asked, “Are you Angel Rodriguez?” When he nodded, I said, “Angel, my name is Jeff Schiefelbein.”

We both teared up instantly and then shared one of the most powerful and emotionally charged hugs I’ve ever experienced. I joined these young men for Mass before meeting up for an afternoon of old stories and laughs with my friend from work. Everything made sense once again.

This is my reminder to you (and to me) that there are no coincidences, and the supernatural world is bigger and more important than anything we experience in the physical realm.