RPI prof clearly hears summons to priesthood

Rendell Torres has sound reasons to become a priest. Of course, that's to be expected from someone with a background in architectural acoustics.

Dr. Torres, an assistant professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, has spent his professional career teaching people how to create and recognize good acoustics in buildings from offices to concert halls.

But, in June, he'll leave his position and move into St. Isaac Jogues Discernment House in Waterford, becoming a student again as he begins his education for the priesthood.

Stringing along

In a way, his journey started with a cello. The middle child of Filipino parents who are both architects, Dr. Torres was five when he and his two sisters began taking music lessons in their hometown of Los Angeles.

Though he would later major in civil engineering in college, he never stopped studying music. During his last year at UC Berkeley, he was listening to a recording of violinist Isaac Stern, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and other famous musicians when it struck him that he wanted to integrate music into his work.

When he then read a newspaper article about renovating San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall to create better acoustics, he had found his career.

Listen up

Dr. Torres spent five years in Sweden, earning a doctorate in acoustics from Chalmers University. He came back to the U.S. and accepted a position at RPI, starting this country's only formal graduate program in architectural acoustics.

As the acoustics program thrived, Dr. Torres joined Christ Sun of Justice parish, located on the school's campus, and played the cello at liturgies. He also got involved in a project to record what world-famous Troy Music Hall sounds like, in the hope that when people understand how different music sounds when played in good acoustics, they will work to save such buildings.

In the process, he learned that the recording that had helped decide his career back in college was, ironically, made at Troy Music Hall. (The results of the project will be eventually be posted at www.arch.rpi.edu/acoustics.)

Something else

But since 2000, another idea had been intruding on Dr. Torres' thoughts: a vocation to the priesthood. He'd had a girlfriend for three years in Sweden; but, even then, he recalled, "I had a sense of, `Is there something more than this for me or for you?' And it didn't mean I was looking for another person."

When the pair broke up and Dr. Torres returned to the U.S., he followed the suggestion of a spiritual advisor not to date for a while. Soon, questions about a calling to the priesthood became almost constant.

"I couldn't help thinking about it every day: What am I called to do? What does God want me to do with my life?" he remembered. "Every time I prayed, it would enter my head. It got to the point where it was affecting how I felt about writing long-term grant proposals, buying a house, whether I wanted friendships with women to become anything more than that."

Decision

At the same time, the professor was uncomfortable about leaving the acoustics program while it was still in its infancy. Then a colleague in the program left, and among the applicants to replace him were two who stood out: one from China and one from Sweden.

"Wouldn't it be great if we could get them both?" Dr. Torres mused -- and that's exactly what happened. One was hired for the acoustics position; another, by a different department at RPI. With enough staff members to run the program, there was no longer a barrier to Dr. Torres' thinking about a religious calling in earnest.

Eager to decide one way or the other and move on with his life, he scheduled an eight-day retreat. He did spiritual exercises created by St. Ignatius (search www.evangelist.org for a previous article on these). He discovered that when he was open to the idea of a vocation, he felt peaceful and connected to his faith; when he wasn't, his spirituality "dried up."

The choice became clear: He would pursue the priesthood. When he made his decision, he said, "I was spiritually overflowing again. It affirmed that I would be happy in embracing the vocation I had, because that's where my fulfillment would be."

Back to school

Now that Dr. Torres is beginning to spread the word about his upcoming career change, other changes have begun, too. Though he still lectures at RPI and advises graduate students, he's also enrolled in an introductory philosophy class at Siena College in Loudonville, where the professor sits among freshmen, sophomores and juniors.

"It's really neat," he said, laughing. "I think they can probably tell I'm not a freshman."

While he lives at St. Isaac Jogues House with three other men working toward the priesthood, he will complete a year of philosophy and religious studies courses before entering the seminary.

Goals

"I would like to do my best to be a good priest," Dr. Torres stated.

Referring to the clergy abuse crisis, he added: "I don't think I'm going to fix anything that's happened before, but the scandal hasn't deterred me from doing this. This [crisis] is not our Church. The media have made it look like that's what priesthood is, but I've known so many good, solid priests who genuinely devote their lives to others."

Besides, he noted, he has some unique talents to bring to his vocation: He hopes to help improve the acoustics at churches in the Albany Diocese as part of his ministry. Because both speech and music are heard in churches, he explained, the acoustics need both contrast and clarity.

"More people use churches more often than they listen to concerts every week," Dr. Torres added. "If I can focus my energies on that, it could help people hear the Word."

As he anticipated taking steps toward the priesthood, Dr. Torres said he was tremendously excited. He compared his state to that of an engaged man who knows that the marriage he's about to enter into is right.

"Thanks, God, for bringing me here," he concluded.

Sounds like a priest

When Rendell Torres told his parents that he was entering the seminary, they were initially concerned.

"Like any normal parents, they were worried: Would I be okay; would I be happy; would I be lonely; would it be too much of a sacrifice? They were afraid they would not see me so much any more," Dr. Torres remarked. "But they're so faith-filled; that's where I learned my faith. They know and believe [the priesthood] is a very special calling, an honor."

Dr. Torres' father has a philosophy that has stuck with his son for life: "My father's mantra is to `pray, just pray. Prayer helps you know what to do.' People undervalue it."

The future priest considered pursuing his vocation through the Paulist religious order or the Archdioceses of Los Angeles or New York, but settled on the Albany Diocese.

"There's something that resonates with me with this Diocese," he remarked. "The people are wonderful and their faith is real; I find them very warm. And the area is beautiful, even when it's cold and snowing! There's so much natural beauty -- and it's free; it's just here." (KB)

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