Parish: St. Paul Parish, Combined Locks
Birth Date: June 6
Seminary: St. Francis de Sales Seminary
Seminary Address:
3257 South Lake Dr. St. Francis, WI 53235-3702

Intercessor: St. John the Evangelist. I desire
to model his posture at the Last
Supper of leaning close to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus to stay
close to him always.

What is your favorite hobby?
My favorite hobby is golf. I started playing when I was seven years old, and it
has been a great way to spend time and have fun with my father
.
What is your favorite liturgical season?
Advent is my favorite liturgical season because it is a joyful time to await
the second coming of Christ and to remember his first coming. I love the
readings and prayers at Mass during Advent. Also, the Incarnation has been a
large part of my prayer this past year.

Who is your confirmation saint? Why did you choose him?
My confirmation saint is St. John the Baptist. I chose him because when I
read about how he ate locusts and wore camel skin in the desert, I thought
he was cool. I also thought he was a great witness to Jesus, and I desired to
be that as well. Now, as I reflect more on his witness, he has been a great
model of stepping aside and letting Jesus shine through me.

Who taught you to pray?
My mom helped me build a foundation and prayer routine when I was very
young. At night when she put my sister and I to bed, we prayed together the
“Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer. She taught me about intercessory prayer
by praying for members of our extended family, especially our grandparents.
Later when I was in college, I learned more about prayer from one of the
missionaries at my campus. He taught me more about how to pray more deeply
from my heart and to listen to God speaking to me in the silence.

What gives you the most joy at this point in your formation?
It is a special occasion whenever I get the opportunity to come home to the
diocese. The more time I spend away at the seminary, the more I desire to
be home where my family and friends are and where the people the Lord
is forming me to serve are. This past spring, although it was unfortunate
that our seminaries were shut down, I was blessed to be with the other
seminarians at the Holy Name of Jesus House of Formation in Allouez for
the rest of the semester. It was a blessing to be home with the people and to
learn more about the diocese.
Coming home is a reminder that my formation is not ultimately for me, but
for serving the people of the diocese. It puts what I am doing in seminary into
perspective, and it fills me with hope. I love the people here, and that is why I am
so joyful that the Lord has called me to be formed for the diocesan priesthood.

How do you view a priest’s relationship to St. Joseph?
St. Joseph is known as the silent saint. He listens and follows God’s will
without questioning or hesitating, which is something all priests can learn
from. When I started leading a Bible study at the Newman Center in college,
I thought I needed to be the smartest person in the room and say all the
right things because I was the leader. I quickly discovered that I was not the
smartest nor did I have all the right things to say. I learned that matters of
our faith cannot always be settled with an intellectual answer. Similarly, when
I entered the seminary, I thought that priests needed to be the holiest and
have all the answers to tough questions. I again realized that I will never have
all the answers, and that my goal is not to be the holiest, but simply to be
holy in the unique way God is calling me.
Prayer is the key to hearing this call from God, and St. Joseph’s posture of
attention and obedience to the will of God is a great example for us. Priests
have a special duty to lean into the Lord to hear and follow his will so they may
guide the people they shepherd to do the same. St. Joseph was able to step
aside and let God tell him how to guide the Holy Family through his prayerful
posture, and the priest must also humbly guide his people by the will of God.