Parish: St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish, Greenville
Birthday: October 10
Seminary: Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary
Address: 700 Terrace Heights
Box #475
Winona, MN 55987-1320


What kinds of toppings do you like on your pizza?
I like it when my pizza is trying to be something other than pizza. For example, barbecue chicken or chicken parmesan are some of my favorite pizzas.

What is one skill people would be surprised you have?
I enjoy wood burning. I more or less taught myself how to trace pictures and photos onto small planks of wood whether that be an icon of Our Lady or a photo of my Vocation Director.

If you had a talk show, who would be your first guest?
My first guest would likely be the Rector of IHM seminary, Fr. Robert Horihan. He is a widely read and intelligent man, while being a great spiritual father to the seminary. He is a bit of a nerd with a great sense of humor and wit. Based on conversations I’ve had with him, it would be an insightful and very entertaining show.

What is your favorite line from a Eucharistic prayer?
In Eucharistic Prayer I, known as the Roman Canon, there is the part of the prayer traditionally called the “Hanc Igitur” which goes, “Therefore, Lord, we pray: graciously accept this oblation of our service, that of your whole family; order our days in your peace, and command that we be delivered from eternal damnation and counted among the flock of those you have chosen.” I love it because it begs God to bring order and peace to the messiness of our lives and bring us the salvation we so desperately crave right before Jesus is made present on the altar.

How would you advise someone who wanted to deepen their love of the Eucharist?
There are many words I could say, but none of those would really touch a heart unless the Lord speaks to it first. The Lord loves you infinitely and knows how good it is to love him in the Eucharist. So, ask the Lord to increase your love for him. Beg and keep begging him to give you a deep love for the Eucharist every day and especially at Mass. He will grant it because he is good.
Beyond that, we grow in love with our friends when we spend time with them. So, it seems that making the time to spend in quiet prayer in front of a tabernacle or in adoration every week, or if practical, every day, will help grow one’s love for the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Finally, ask Our Lady for the grace to love her divine Son. She very likely knows a thing or two about loving Jesus.

When you envision yourself celebrating Mass one day as a priest, what do you imagine will be going through your mind and heart?
I honestly don’t have a clear answer. I know how much I have grown over the past three years of seminary, and I imagine I will grow over the next six years of seminary. I suspect that what will be going through my mind and heart will be different than the reality. I do not know if I can guarantee ultra-pius thoughts and feelings every time I celebrate the Mass. I know my own frailty well enough for that. I no doubt will try to bring beauty and reverence toward our Lord as he deserves, but I think that the reality of the priest making these prayers in the person of Christ to the Father will guide my heart in some regard. I will likely be struck by praying the words and offering the sacrifice for the people of God as a priest, and filled with gratitude and amazement at being able to hold Jesus. I imagine myself calling to mind God’s immense love for me and for those present in that moment, and how God loved us so much as to offer his sacrifice on the cross so we could have the Mass. I hope I am deeply attentive to this mystery, but only by the grace of God.

Which saint should people invoke for your vocation?
Please invoke St. John the Baptist for my vocation, that through his intercession, I may learn to deny myself, recognize the presence of Christ at all times, and be a humble witness of Jesus.