Seminary
St. Francis de Sales
Seminary, 3257 S. Lake
Drive, St. Francis, WI
53235-3702

Parish
St. Agnes Parish,
Green Bay

Birthday
September 11

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

I have listened to the
audiobook of “The Silmarillion” by J.R.R. Tolkien multiple
times and have read much of the book.

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

I usually enjoy spending a night in with family or friends watching movies or playing
games. But if we go out, I enjoy going bowling.

What do you remember from your First Communion?

I do remember the day itself. It was a very bright and
sunny day. Many family members were visiting from
out of town just to come and be there for me and to
celebrate. I also remember being very excited to be
able to participate in receiving Communion, something
I had watched the rest of my family do for years.

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

I would have to say that one of my favorite places is at the National Shrine
of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI. The utter
feeling of peace that exists out there is very real and
palpable. And yet, there is also a powerful sense of God
in its humble simplicity. Thanks to the Fathers of Mercy
who serve at the Shrine, the Masses are said with great
reverence. I have received much of God’s healing from
going to confession there on many occasions. Silence
and peace are essential for entering into deep prayer,
and the Shrine has an abundance of both.

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

As the Catechism says, the Eucharist
is the source and summit of the Christian life. For a long
time, I had much less of an understanding of the Eucharist
as I do today, which is not to say that I can totally grasp
its full meaning now. However, when I began to realize
the truth of the True Presence of Jesus’ body, blood, soul,
and divinity in the Eucharist, it had a life-changing impact.
To appreciate how he makes his sacrifice on the cross
present to us at every Mass, makes me overwhelmed by
the sheer intensity of his love for all of us. God gives his
whole and entire self to us in the Eucharist. That gives
me the desire to thank him by offering myself back to
him, emptying myself like he has emptied himself for me.
Particularly by helping to see that this beautiful sacrament
can continue to be available to others.

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?

I believe the importance of the Eucharist to our Catholic faith cannot
be overstated. When it comes to the Eucharist, I believe
that the one thing people ought to realize is that without
it, our Catholic faith would probably not exist. It is one
of the main things which distinguishes the Catholic faith
from all other Christian faiths. Other faiths do have the
Word of God in holy Scripture, which is powerful in and
of itself. However, for Catholics, we are so richly blessed
to also have God himself. We can receive Jesus both
physically in our bodies and spiritually in our souls. In the
Gospel of Luke, we hear that two disciples meet Jesus
on their way to Emmaus after he has risen from the dead.
Even while they speak with him during their journey, their
hearts are stirred but they do not recognize him. It is not
until they share a meal together, and Jesus blesses the
bread, breaks it, and offers it to them, that the disciples
realize it is him. The same is true for the Church today as
it was to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. Our hearts
are stirred when we receive and pray with the Word of
God, but he most fully reveals himself to us in the holy
sacrifice of the Mass and the Eucharist.

Which saint should people invoke for your vocation
and why?

St. Anthony of Padua. He has been present
at many times and in many ways since the very beginning
of my discernment — both by finding lost things and
finding me when I have been lost.