SEMINARY
Immaculate Heart of Mary
Seminary
750 Terrace Heights
Winona, MN 55987-1320


BIRTHDAY
October 10

PARISH
St. Mary of the Immaculate
Conception Parish, Greenville

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

The first is the “Story of a Soul” by St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and the second is
the autobiography of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Both are
beautiful portrayals of just how human the saints are, yet
show the great things God did in their lives.

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

If I found myself with a free night, I know from experience that I would do one
of two things. One, I would find a good movie to watch
and enjoy with a La Croix sparkling water. Or, I would try
to go out and do something with friends, especially if
they are fellow seminarians.

What do you remember from your First Communion?

I remember going to confession at St. Pius X Parish in
Appleton the morning before. I remember getting all
dressed up for Mass in a suit and tie, and I remember all
of us lining up first in line to receive Communion. After
Mass, as tradition dictated, there was a party with family
and friends.

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

One of my favorite places to pray is the Sacred Heart Chapel at the Holy
Name of Jesus House of Formation. It is a small and
beautiful chapel where I spent many hours of prayer
at the beginning of my formation to the priesthood.
There have been many moments of encounter with the
Lord and a lot of growth in the spiritual life that took
place in that chapel. The fact that it is small means that
one is always in very close proximity to our Lord in the
tabernacle.

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

In the middle of my conversion, I started to go to daily Mass a few times
a week. It was during this frequent encounter with the
Lord and my increased prayer life that I began to take
the real presence of our Lord seriously, as opposed to
merely brushing it off as an intellectual doctrine. This
radically changed the way I thought about Mass and the
Eucharist. Seeing the reality of the Blessed Sacrament
and the power of the other sacraments in my life, it
made the priesthood appear as something that I would
want to do. The sacraments had been powerful in my
life, so I wanted to bring those same sacraments and
that same Eucharist to others. Furthermore, the time
spent in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament has
been invaluable in coming to know the Lord better and
listening to what he might be calling me to.

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?

The Eucharist is Jesus. The God who made all things, and the God
who humbled himself by becoming a human person
with a human body, makes himself radically available
to us by transubstantiating the bread and wine into
that same body. This is the God who loved you into
existence. Jesus is in every tabernacle. When you spend
time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, you spend time
in a profound way with Jesus. When you receive the
Eucharist, you truly receive God into your person and are
simultaneously caught up into God. This is not a symbol
for Jesus … this is Jesus. To grow in your relationship with
Jesus, spend time with the Eucharist. You don’t need to
always be saying things to him. It’s the same thing with
a human friendship; you can just spend time enjoying
each other’s company. Jesus loves us to a degree we
cannot comprehend and desires us to spend time with
him. Friends become more like each other the more they
spend time together. If you want to become like Christ,
spend time with him in adoration. If people understood
that our Lord is the Eucharist, people would go to Mass.
They would not think of the Mass as an optional social
gathering on Sundays but a wonderful privilege to be
able to stand in the presence of the God who loves you,
and if one is in a state of grace, to receive him into your
very person.

Which saint should people invoke for your vocation
and why?

St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Over this past year,
I have read several books either by or about her, and I
feel she would be a great intercessor this next year of
formation!