Hometown: Columbia

Home Parish: Our Lady of Lourdes

Seminary: Conception Seminary College

Prior to entering the seminary: I came to the seminary right out of High School.  Directly before the school year started, I spent the summer working at the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation.  Most of my activities outside of school involve either scouts or my parish. 

Reason for entering the seminary: The thing I like the most about life at the seminary is the prayerful and peaceful atmosphere which is such a fundamental part of life here.  Every day is begun with Morning Prayer, and ended with Evening Prayer, classes usually start with a short prayer, and everyone is supportive of you, and prays for you.  Just having that kind of atmosphere around you is incredible.

Enjoy most about the seminary: My Favorite thing that I have learned is that God calls all of us, and because of that, I don’t have to try to be the “perfect seminarian” I just have to be myself, and be how God has called me to be.  Whether that means that I will be a Priest or not is up to God, not me.  Realizing that makes a lot of the stress fall away.

Why I decieded to come to the seminary: I decided to come to the seminary after visiting on an Encounter With God’s Call trip.  I felt then, and now, that maybe God was calling me to be a priest for him, and that even if in the end I don’t become a priest, if I don’t at least give it a try, then I would regret it for the rest of my life.