Parish: St. Mary of the Immaculate
Conception Parish, Greenville
Birthday: September 16
Seminary: St. Francis de Sales Seminary
Seminary Address:
3257 S. Lake Drive
St. Francis, WI 53235-3702




What kinds of toppings do you like on your pizza?
I like a good supreme pizza with peppers, mushrooms, olives, onions, sausage, pepperoni, and a generous sprinkling of red pepper flakes to complete the package.

What is one skill people would be surprised you have?
I can read a text from any direction, including backwards and upside down, as easily as the right way around.

If you had a talk show, who would be your first guest?
I would invite Irving Finkel, a curator for the British Museum. I discovered videos of him while studying
history in college. Not only is he an incredibly engaging speaker, but seems to be a very good man: principled, friendly, joyful, and humble at the least. I would like to meet him someday and learn whatever I can from him.

What is your favorite line from a Eucharistic prayer?
Eucharistic Prayer IV: “To the poor he proclaimed the good news of salvation, to prisoners, freedom, and to the sorrowful of heart, joy.” This is my favorite line of any Eucharistic Prayer because it is a reminder of everything good that Jesus has promised us who are poor, sorrowful, and prisoners to sin. Salvation,
freedom, and joy are the opposites of the roots of our suffering: condemnation, compulsion, and despair. We should be moved to great hope by this line. These are the promises of Heaven, the promises which have rendered Hell powerless. These are beautiful promises!

How would you advise someone who wanted to deepen their love of the Eucharist?
Adore Him. There is no substitute for spending time with the Blessed Sacrament. Go and see him in the flesh and speak to him. Don’t just pray what you have memorized. Rather, speak plainly to him. He understands. Cry out to Heaven, and tell him about everything unfair. Confide all your fears to him. Share your joys and delights with him. Know that he is listening and watch for his response as you continue in life. As this relationship builds, you will see a difference when you go to Mass. When the priest elevates the host, it will no longer be just a ritual action to you. You will see him lifting Jesus, the God whom you have prayed to, have confided in, have delighted with, and love. You will have sat in front of the host in adoration as a friend, student, and loving servant, so that when you see the host at Mass, you will see a friend, teacher, and your loving God.

When you envision yourself celebrating Mass one day as a priest, what do you imagine will be going through your mind and heart?
It will be indescribable, I think. As close as I can reckon now, I imagine it will not be uncommon for me to cry for the sheer beauty of what I will be given the opportunity of doing. I sometimes already shed tears just witnessing what is happening on the altar. There is no earthly reason I, or any man for that matter, should be allowed to celebrate the Mass, yet God not only permits it, but demands it. He will let me command the Holy Spirit to come and be present; Jesus himself whom I do not even deserve to hear and touch with my own hands, he who I do not deserve even to see. How marvelous that will be, and how terrifying, and awesome! And I will think, “I should not have been able to do any of this, yet it has
been done with my hands,” and I will thank the Lord for putting me to better use than I would have put myself. The Mass is just such a wonderful event. I could say more, but it would never fit if I tried. I will be overwhelmed, grateful, overjoyed, and, God-willing, humbled.

Which saint should people invoke for your vocation?
Please invoke the prayers of St. Joan of Arc. She has shown herself to be a steady intercessor for my vocation as I continue to strive to emulate the discipline and zeal she inspired in her soldiers. Please pray for her continued aid!