Home Parish: Corpus Christi Parish in Evansville
Anticipated Ordination Year: 2028
Parents: Thomas and Karen
Siblings: Cooper (brother), Anna (sister)
I started discerning priesthood during the second semester of my junior year in high school because of a combination of factors. After my Confirmation, I began to have a growing interest in the lives of the saints. On top of that, I was taught theology at Mater Dei High School by men who were seminarians at some point, and they were powerful witnesses as men who took the discernment of priesthood very seriously, something I didn’t pay much attention to before.
As I continued to discern whether this was truly where God was calling me, my sophomore theology teacher at the time, Mr. Jeremy Goebel, was very helpful. By his own example, he served as a powerful witness of a man who engaged in the act of surrender. Even though he did not become a priest, the act of surrender to God and his experiences in seminary formed him into the man he would become and he was satisfied. Because of his witness, his help didn’t surprise me. He allowed God to guide him in those years he was in seminary, and as I was unfamiliar with the concept of seminary, he was quite approachable on the matter in the classroom. Without his help, I would probably have been less inclined to approach anyone on the matter of discerning priesthood.
If you know someone who is discerning, it might be helpful to get them in touch with a seminarian, or someone who was (a seminarian), so they can learn from their witness.