Seminarians for the Diocese of Bismarck

My Story

Ultimately, my reasons for joining the seminary come down to a heartfelt conviction that God is calling me to the priesthood.  Jumping into my past, I graduated from Mandan High School in 2003, and attended NDSU the following school year pursuing a degree in electrical engineering.  Growing up Catholic and wanting to continue my faith life in college, I found my way to St. Paul’s Catholic Newman Center which is the parish for the university.  After engaging the typical college scene and finding it unfulfilling, I was given a true gem in the faith community at the Newman Center.  This community fostered the seeds of my vocation by providing a subculture of Catholic living amidst the secular environment surrounding the college campus.  I was drawn to the witness of Christian virtue amidst a culture of sarcasm, sexual promiscuity, and intemperance.  Eventually, I felt drawn to attending daily mass.  Desiring more time in silent prayer, I started reciting the rosary and attending Eucharistic adoration on a regular basis.  By the end of my freshman year, I was asked to be a peer minister whose primary task is to engage Catholic NDSU students.  In addition to efforts of evangelization, I became regularly involved with Pro-life activities on and off of campus.

The next prevalent piece to the puzzle of my vocation story picks up in the summer of 2005.  I was living at NDSU and taking classes while continuing daily participation in the mass, recitation of the rosary, and Eucharistic adoration.  During the course of the summer, I would frequently experience deep spiritual consolations of peace and joy during mass and silent prayer. Thoughts of becoming a priest were joined to these consolations and constantly being placed in the forefront of my mind.  After continuing to pray about vocational discernment, the thought only grew in strength. Leaving an astonishing retreat towards the end of July, I knew that I had to enter seminary.  After praying for courage and resolution, I called Father Thomas J. Richter (the Vocations Director) and the rest is history.