Parish: St. Raphael Parish, Oshkosh
Birthday: November 6
Seminary: St. Francis de Sales Seminary
Seminary Address: 3257 S. Lake Drive, St. Francis, WI 53235-3702


What kinds of toppings do you like on your pizza?
I like pepperoni, sausage, black olives, and most other toppings, except pineapple.

What is one skill people would be surprised you have?
This summer I was at Catholic Youth Expeditions, and I learned how to run a wood-fired pizza oven and was in charge of making pizzas for the high schoolers.

If you had a talk show, who would be your first guest?
My first guest would be Fr. Brad Krawczyk. He is a priest formator and the Director of Liturgy at St. Francis de Sales Seminary. He is very knowledgeable and loves Christ and the Church. I really appreciate hearing him talk about the liturgy and how to grow closer to the Lord through living the sacramental and liturgical life of the Church.

What is your favorite line from a Eucharistic prayer?
My favorite line is from Eucharistic Prayer III which says, “You never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.” I like this line because it shows how God is always pursuing us to bring us into right relationship with him through right worship and communion with him. It also shows that Mass is where this happens best on earth, because Mass is the pure sacrifice that we offer to his name and is where we receive the Eucharist.

How would you advise someone who wanted to deepen their love of the Eucharist?
This is a beautiful and holy desire. One should first ask the Lord to help him or her grow in the love of the Eucharist. There are some practices that, with the grace of God, can help one grow in that love. One should receive the Eucharist often, not out of habit, but out of a desire to grow closer to Jesus. This should be accompanied with going to Confession regularly so that he or she can receive Jesus with a disposed heart. Another practice is to find particular prayers to pray after receiving Communion, such as the “Anima Christi,” that help cultivate union with Jesus in the Eucharist. In addition to these prayers, I would suggest a personal dialogue with the Lord, relating one’s heart to him in this moment of intimacy with him. I would also suggest making it a point to spend time regularly in the presence of the Eucharist either in front of the tabernacle or when Jesus is exposed on the altar for adoration.

When you envision yourself celebrating Mass one day as a priest, what do you imagine will be going through your mind and heart?
I think I will have a lot of gratitude in my heart for the gift of being able to celebrate Mass. It’s amazing that God, through the action of an ordained priest at Mass, allows what was bread and wine to become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. I can’t imagine what that will be like for the Lord to do it through me, but I am sure I will feel very unworthy of that and profoundly grateful. My hope is that I will always be grateful for the opportunity to celebrate Mass, and I imagine myself being amazed that Jesus will be made truly present through the consecration words that I will have said.
Another moment I think will be very powerful will be when I lift the Body of Christ in my hands and say, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” This will be a reminder to me that the whole reason I am there is to bring Jesus to the people and people to Jesus. People don’t need me, they need Jesus. I hope to keep in mind how humbling it is that Jesus will have chosen me to bring him to his people.

Which saint should people invoke for your vocation?
Please invoke St. John the Baptist for my vocation. He is one of my favorite saints, and he inspires me to love Jesus and the Church like he loved him and the people of Israel.