Parish: Immaculate Conception Parish, Luxemburg
Birth Date: October 21
Seminary: Pontifical North American College
Seminary Address:
00120 Vatican City, V
Vatican City State, Europe
Mailing Address: N6260 Hawthorne Rd., Luxemburg, WI 54115-8228
Intercessor: I want to
love unconditionally like Mother
Teresa. Amid much political and
social turmoil, she did not point
fingers. Rather, she saw Jesus in
everyone, and she chose to love
each and every person as Jesus.

What is your favorite hobby?
This summer it was disc golfing. My parish placement was at St. John the
Baptist in Howard. As it turned out, the pastor, Fr. Jim Lucas, is an avid
“frolfer” (frisbee golfer).

What is your favorite liturgical season?
It is a tie between Lent and Easter. I love Lent because it gives us 40 days to
prepare for the central mystery of our faith, Christ’s paschal mystery. In Rome,
we make daily pilgrimages to the ancient Roman churches during Lent. I love
Easter because it gives us hope.

Who is your confirmation saint? Why did you choose him?
St. Christopher. I chose Christopher because it is my middle name. I did
not know much about him at the time. Now I know he is the patron saint of
travelers. He has turned out to be a providential intercessor and guide in
my life. At the time I was confirmed, I had never been on a plane, as I was a
homebody. Now I study in Rome and have been to three other continents.

Who taught you to pray?
My parents above all. At home or at a restaurant, we would pray before
meals as a family. The most formative of pray-ers, was my mother praying her
spontaneous prayers with me and my two brothers before bed. The prayers
were a mix of thanksgiving and petitions. These taught us that God is a real
person who cares for us. Throughout my life, I have prayed my bedtime
prayers. My Catholic grade school teachers and my priest also taught me
how to pray both in the classroom and at daily Mass.

What gives you the most joy at this point in your formation?
Fraternity with other seminarians and priests gives me the most joy as I enter my
second to last year of seminary. The priesthood is sometimes viewed as a single
life. After all, the priest is celibate. He does not have a wife. Instead, the priest
is given the Church as his bride. He sacrifices his life for the Church, just as a
husband sacrifices his life for his wife. In both cases, the priest and the husband
unite their sacrifice to the sacrifice of Christ. I have realized over my four years in
seminary that I am not alone. Not only is Christ with me, but my 40 classmates
in Rome and all the other seminarians and priests I have encountered along the
way are also with me. We pray, study, serve the faithful, and play sports together.
Going through the joys and challenges of seminary and living a Christian life
would have a lot less meaning if I tried to do it on my own.

How do you view a priest’s relationship to St. Joseph?
Joseph is a father to priests. He is the foster father of Jesus, the great High
Priest. He gives us all an example of loving chastely and obediently following
the will of God. Joseph exemplifies the ministry of presence as well. He
would disregard his own plans whenever God asked him to do something
for the good of Mary and Jesus. Jesus would have learned both the skills
of carpentry and the Jewish faith from his father. Still, no spoken words of
Joseph are recorded in Scripture.
Certainly, Joseph would have used words to teach Jesus. However, I believe
that the silence of Joseph in Scripture points to the fact that he taught with
more than just words. Jesus would have learned from Joseph his mannerisms,
his way of speaking, and his work ethic. Jesus would have stood at the
work bench in the workshop and sat at the table in his home watching and
listening to his father. Joseph was surely looking over his shoulder the first
time Jesus used the planer and saw. Think of how this would have affected
the way Jesus taught and accompanied his disciples. This year, the Year of St.
Joseph, I hope to sit in his presence in prayer and contemplate his life and
example as a father. Hopefully I will better learn his fatherly qualities so that I
can pass them on to those I teach and serve.