July 14

2023

Homer Glen, IL

St. Bernard's

The University of St. Thomas (Philosophy and Catholic Studies)

English and Pig Latin

Frisbee, racquetball and reading. I also enjoy writing and playing music.

I can ride a unicycle.

St. Teresa of Calcutta

My vocation story is really quite short. When I was 14, I met a seminarian for the first time, and he asked the simple question, “Have you ever considered becoming a priest?” At the time, I really hadn’t. He responded, “You may never have two or three kids calling you ‘daddy,’ but you’ll have thousands calling you ‘father.'” I was really struck by this, but he followed it with one more thing; he said, “Alex, I’ll pray for you.” I walked away from this conversation incredibly impressed by this 20-something-year-old college dude’s faith, and I realized: I want that. I went home that night and knelt by my bed and simply prayed, “Lord, if this is something you want me to do, help me to do it.”
I spent the following four years in high school discerning whether this was something the Lord really wanted me to do and when senior year rolled around, I found myself unable to do anything else but apply for seminary. I have not regretted it for a moment, and I’m incredibly thankful for everything the Lord has worked in my life since that simple conversation.