Formation Stage

Discernment Year

Home Parish

Holy Trinity, Ladera Ranch

Seminary

Mount Angel Seminary

Favorite Saint(s)

Saint Benedict

Favorite Marian Apparition(s)

Our Lady of Fatima

Favorite Book or Movie

Thrist by Mary Oliver

Favorite Hobby

Reading

Background

What are some of the factors that led to your decision to enter the seminary and discern the question of a vocation to the priesthood?

Since high school I had my eyes dead-set on the reality of going to law school and there was a lot of solace in this until I realized that, as I began to grow as a Christian, I felt called to do something much more meaningful with my life. There was a realization that the ultimate fulfillment of my life wasn’t exactly in my “profession” but in how I lived out my call as a Christian.

Who are some of the people who influenced your decision to enter the seminary? What is it about them that assisted you?

My childhood pastor was hugely influential in my decision to enter seminary, firstly by setting an example of what it means to be a leader of a believing and worshiping Christian community but also by his guidance in helping me understand what discerning “vocation” actually means and how to live life better as a Christian.

Describe the moment that you knew you wanted to take the next steps to become a priest?

The next step for me was becoming resolved in my decision to apply for seminary. At the time I was a senior in high school and I was applying for and getting accepted into a number of good colleges. This was an opportunity for me to trust what God was doing for me and to let go of plans I neatly formed that didn’t quite respond to what God was calling me to do with my life. I decided to let the opportunity of secular college pass in order to reach for what I believed (and still believe!) God was calling me towards.