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

Parish
St. Matthew Parish,
Allouez

Birthday
February 11

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

The book “He Leadeth Me” by Fr. Walter Ciszek, SJ, is so good! It is a
great story about the importance of recognizing every
moment and circumstance as a gift from God.

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

I am likely to spend it in fellowship with friends. The idea of something casual
like a barbecue, yard games, and a bonfire to bring
people together is really enjoyable.

What do you remember from your First Communion?

I remember coming back to my pew after receiving
Communion and noticing that very sadly, fragments
of the Eucharist had fallen to the ground. People were
carefully trying to pick up each piece. I especially
remember my dad’s concern for the Body of Christ being
on the ground. Witnessing his discomfort and concern
sparked in me a realization that the Eucharist is not just
ordinary bread; it is truly Jesus Christ’s body.

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

There are many good places to pray in the area, but one of my favorites is
the adoration chapel at Our Lady of Lourdes in De Pere.
It is a simple, natural, and serene place to spend time
with the Lord and encounter His presence. To the left of
the tabernacle are beautiful images of the Sacred Heart
and the Immaculate Heart which help me in prayer.
Sometimes, I find myself in need of prayer outside of
regular church hours so it is great to have a place to go
whenever I want to talk to Jesus.

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

A major point in my discernment occurred during my senior year of high school while
on a silent retreat. Following confession, I encountered
the presence of Jesus during Eucharistic Adoration in a
profound way. In recent years, I have been growing more
convinced that the Eucharist is the source and summit of
our faith. It is one of the greatest gifts God has given
us, and if the Eucharist is truly the center of our faith,
then having priests to be ministers of this sacrament is
a necessity for us. In my discernment, God revealed to
me that priests are humble men called by God to bring
this gift to his children. In that realization, I have found
a strong desire to serve God and his people in this way.
There is so much joy to be found in the idea that God
may be calling poor guys like us to help accomplish
one of his great acts of love: giving himself to us in the
Eucharist.

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 would encourage every Catholic to think about what it means
when we say the Eucharist is “the source and summit
of the Christian life.” St. John Vianney, the patron saint
of parish priests, has a quote that helped me begin to
wrap my head around what this means. He said, “If we
really understood the Mass, we would die of joy.” This
began to sink in when I was in middle school and came
across a video about the Eucharistic miracle of Buenos
Aires. I remember being amazed by the evidence for the
complete presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Jesus, who
loves us so much, wants to give us his body and blood
at every Mass. No matter how much we do not deserve
it, he still wants to give us this gift. We do not have the
words to capture just how incredible this reality is! To
think that the God who created the universe wants to
love us so much that he takes on the form of something
as humble as a piece of bread and gives himself to us is
mind-blowing! He does all of this so we can be closer to
him and so he can dwell within us. Since the beginning,
every one of God’s actions has been in an effort to love
us, and when we receive him, we allow ourselves to be
loved by him. The Eucharist is everything.

Which saint should people invoke for your vocation
and why?

I ask that people invoke the intercession of
the Immaculate Heart of Mary for my vocation because
it is a heart that said “yes” to God every step of the way.