My Story
I gew up in an ever-increasing family that, by current counts, consists of ten children and two parents. My parents raised - and continue to raise - all of us in the Catholic faith, attending daily Mass and Eucharistic adoration as often as possible. I attended Bishop Ryan High School to receive a Catholic education, although I must admit that I was more interested in the intellectual pursuits of Catholicism than its spiritual realities. My understanding of the Catholic faith was wide but not nearly as deep as I would have liked; it was more of an ideology to me than a religion.
During my junior and senior years of high school, I began to experience a growing desire to more fully experience my faith. I began seeking out advice from priests, attending daily Mass and adoration more frequently, and consuming books on everything from Marian devotion to Catholic moral theology. In February of my senior year, with thoughts of the seminary in the back of my mind, I attended a live-in weekend at St. John Vianney Seminary with several other men. Our time was spent in adoration, Mass, and prayer, as well as go-kart racing, restaurant hopping, and getting to know the seminarians. By the end of the visit, I was nearly convinced that I was being called to the seminary.
After requesting an application from Fr. Tom Richter, I kept it for almost three months, working fervently on it some days, completely ignoring it others, never completely sure if I was making the right decision. Finally, however, I completed the application and turned it in, trusting in God (and Fr. Richter) to show me the right path. I was accepted and assigned to SJV at the end of May, and am now completely sure that, while it’s still far too early to know if I am called to the priesthood, I am at least called to the seminary.
