Holy Name of Jesus
House of Formation
2589 S. Webster Ave.
Green Bay, WI 54301

Parish
St. Bernard Parish,
Green Bay

Birthday
February 24

Are there any books that you love so much that
you have read them twice (or more)?

“A Night to Remember” by Walter Lord, a thrilling nonfiction book
about the Titanic, portrays the heroism of everyday
individuals who put others before themselves in the
midst of disaster.

When you find yourself with a “free night,” what is
something you are likely to do?

Going for a walk is one of my favorite ways to spend an evening, whether
around a neighborhood, in a park or forest, or on a
hiking trail. If it’s too cold to stay out long, I might bake
some sort of sweet treat to share (or not).

What do you remember from your First Communion?

A memory which sticks out in my mind comes from a
retreat in which my class participated prior to receiving
First Communion. I remember “practicing” for the
sacrament by consuming an unconsecrated Host, and for
some reason this has always really stuck with me. While I
wouldn’t have been able to articulate it in this way then,
maybe I was struck by how physical and tangible this
aspect of the sacrament is.

Where is one of your favorite places to pray, and
what makes it special to you?

Any church, chapel, or other location where Jesus is present in the Blessed
Sacrament takes spot number one! I love being with him
in the vast array of places he sanctifies by his Eucharistic
presence. Besides this, I am also extremely fond of
praying in high places: on a hill or mountain, in a tree,
at the top of a roller coaster (where my prayer is often
particularly fervent), to name a few. Finally, I really enjoy
praying while I’m driving, especially on long road trips.

What role has the Eucharist played in your
discernment of the priesthood?

I think that when a person is in the presence of the Eucharist, the effect is
like that of sunshine on a flower; the sun does its thing
and the flower just has to receive it. But, because of the
sunshine, the flower flourishes and becomes beautiful,
even if it was wilted before. I believe that Jesus has been
at work in my heart especially during the time that I have
spent in prayer with him in the Blessed Sacrament. There,
his presence is like the sunshine that does what it does
and only wants to be received. In this way, I think he has
gradually shone his light down this path to illuminate
more clearly this next step towards the possibility of
the priesthood, a process that has been dependent on
spending time in that light. Intentionally making time to
be in the light of his Eucharistic presence has frequently
put my heart at peace, which is a necessary condition for
discerning his will.

If there was one thing you could communicate to
the faithful about the importance and role of the
Eucharist in our Catholic faith, what would it be?

When the Lord Jesus promised “behold, I am with you
always,” I believe that he had the Eucharist especially
in mind. I once heard a wise priest say that we are even
closer to Jesus when we approach him in the Blessed
Sacrament than the disciples were to him during his
earthly ministry. This incredible truth is so striking when
we realize how much our Lord does in order to draw
close to us and inspires the question: “How do I respond
to his desire to be with me?” In the Blessed Sacrament,
the Lord makes himself so wholly available to us, and I
know that I often fail to return that degree of availability
to him. But that reveals a beautiful aspect of who he is,
namely, his infinite patience; he is still waiting there in
the tabernacle for each one of us, individually, to come
to him. As Catholics, we are blessed beyond words to
be able to draw near to him in the deeply personal gift
of the Eucharist, taking him at his word that he is indeed
always with us; but do we allow ourselves to be always
with him? When we unite ourselves — including our
concerns, anxieties, frustrations, and desires — to him in
the holy Eucharist, we can respond with a definite “yes.”

Which saint should people invoke for your vocation
and why?

St. Teresa of Ávila, pray for us! In her
beautiful teaching on reaching union with God, Teresa
emphasizes the importance of detachment, humility, and
determination, three graces I need greatly as I discern
God’s will!