Seminary
St. Francis de Sales
Seminary, 3257 S. Lake
Drive, St. Francis, WI
53235-3702

Parish
St. John Nepomucene
Parish, Little Chute

Birthday
September 5

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

Not that I can think of. One book that I found helpful and would like to read
again, though, would be “The Wellspring of Worship”
by Jean Corbon.

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

Ideally, a free night would be spent with a group of family or friends doing
something simple like playing cards or sitting by a fire.

What do you remember from your First Communion?

A big part of my First Communion was celebrating with
my cousins, Kate and Steffany. After the First Communion
Mass at St. John Nepomucene Parish, lots of family came
over to my house, and we had a party in the garage
for the three of us. I particularly remember being very
excited about all the gifts, money, and gigantic cake
(can you blame me?).

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

One of my favorite places to pray is at The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good
Help in Champion, WI. I especially enjoy the outdoor
rosary walk, which is right behind the Apparition Chapel.
Believing that Our Lady appeared to Adele Brise on
these grounds in 1859, the rosary walk is an ideal place
to contemplate the birth, life, death, and resurrection of
Jesus Christ as I entrust my prayers to Mary. The serenity
of the grounds and rosary walk also help me maintain an
inner sense of peace and surrender as I pray.

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

Often on my mind in the last year is the truth that Jesus Christ came to
reveal man to himself. This statement was introduced
by my spiritual director in the context of me questioning
whether I was called to enter seminary. As I look back on
my discernment up to this point, it is clear that Jesus has
slowly been revealing who I am to myself. This has taken
place largely through time spent in prayer in the Sacred
Heart Chapel during the Kairos Year last year. Spending
an hour every morning in front of the Blessed Sacrament
in adoration helped me to hear the voice of Jesus in my
heart. The daily Holy Hour also allowed me to share many
of my worries and doubts with Jesus about pursuing a
priestly vocation. As a result of hundreds of hours spent
in front of the Eucharist, I have discerned that Jesus is
indeed inviting me to continue down the path of priestly
formation.

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?

As Catholics, we hold the belief that the love of Jesus Christ
is the beginning, middle, and end of all that we do. In
his second letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul tells us
that “the love of Christ impels us.” In order for us to be
totally caught up in the perfect love of Jesus, we must
take full advantage of the gift of the Holy Eucharist. This
is the way that Jesus remains with us here on earth. This
gift is offered to us in the Mass, during the Liturgy of
the Eucharist. It is also offered to us through Eucharistic
Adoration, where Jesus gives us the opportunity to sit
with him in quiet prayer in a powerful yet humble way.
As we fill our lives more and more with Jesus through
the Eucharist, we are given the grace to live our lives in
a more Christ-like way. The Catechism of the Catholic
Church states that: “Catechesis is intrinsically linked
with the whole of liturgical and sacramental activity, for
it is in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, that
Christ Jesus works in fullness for the transformation of
men.” If we are to live out our Catholic faith striving to
be like Jesus, a devotion to the Eucharist is not only
recommended, but essential.

Which saint should people invoke for your vocation
and why?

St. Teresa of Ávila. She wrote this about
mental prayer: “The important thing is not to think much,
but to love much,” and I hope to adopt that spirituality
in this new year.