St. Paul on the lake Catholic CHurch

St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church is dedicated to forming joyful missionary disciples of Jesus Christ.

June 26, 2022

     Reflecting back on 30 years of priesthood is a daunting task. I remember the day I told my family; it happened to be Mother’s Day. We were all together and I told everyone I had an announcement to make (my parents already knew.) So after the jokes and comments I said that I was quitting my job and entering the seminary in the fall. The family became very quiet. The silence seemed like a long time but thankfully one of my brothers broke the ice and spoke. I don’t remember what he said but it started the conversation.

     You may ask why their silence. Unfortunately, I kept the whole process of discernment to myself. I was involved in my home parish of St. Germaine during high school and college. I worked with the Teen Group, and also served as a lector and other various committees. I never talked about a possible vocation to the priesthood. I had just finished college a little over a year prior, which was confusing for some of my family. As they processed the news, which for some took weeks, my family came to understand my thought process and it made sense to them (for the most part).