November 22

2024

Douds, IA

St. Mary, Fairfield

Buena Vista (Business Education)

I spent 10 years in the Automotive Business and 2 years as a Teacher.

Hiking, Kayaking, Woodworking, Camping

I have felt a calling to Priesthood all of my life, but like so many others, I fell away from my faith in college. It seemed easier at that age to tell God what I wanted to do than to trust that He knew what was best for me. Once I moved back to my hometown, I started attending Mass again (thanks to my parents,) and felt the Lord start to call me again. I was not ready to say yes, but through my work in Religious Education and Youth Ministry, He kept chipping his way into my heart.

Finally, while attending the National Catholic Youth Conference, listening to a speaker talk about God’s call for each and every one of us through the four major vocations, I felt my barriers fall away and knew that no matter what happens, I will not be happy unless I am following God’s will in my life. Saint Augustine said it best when he said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” When I got home I contacted the Vocations Director for our Diocese, and ten short months later I arrived at Mundelein as a seminarian.

I believe that the most important prayer for each and every one of us is to have the courage to say yes to God’s plan for our lives.