Vocations Office - Seminarians

Dcn. Chris Axline

My story starts with a car accident where God first put the idea of the priesthood into my heart. I, however, was not yet ready to listen to him as a sophomore in high school and so I fought and struggled against my calling for many years. Finally, in college, I realized that God was calling me to something more, that he wanted me to be truly happy. To do this, however, I would have to leave my old life behind, so I did. I have to say that I have never looked back and have enjoyed every grace filled moment on this path to holiness and service which the good Lord has called me to. Hear His voice and follow Him, you will not be disappointed!

Parish: St. Andrew the Apostle
High School: Home Schooled
Grade School: Cerritos
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Year in Seminary: Theology II
Favorite Saint(s): Sts. Augustine, Theresa of Avila, Thomas Aquinas, Patrick, Bridget of Kildaire, Therese of Liseiux

Dcn. Kurt Perera

The earliest memories of my childhood consisted of going to Church and praying the rosary at home with my family. I saw great examples of living out the Catholic faith in my parents, family, parish priest and a close friend of mine who is a consecrated lay woman. In addition, my family always seemed to form close relationships with many good, holy priests who were joyful in living out their vocation. I believe this was the foundation of my calling to discern the life of the priesthood in the seminary.

Even though I recall thinking about the priesthood as early as 5th grade, I did not seriously consider entering the seminary until my last year of high school. At that point, I felt I was not completely ready to leave my home and family, and decided to attend Arizona State University.

I continued to go to Mass daily if my scheduled permitted it. I also spent time with Our Lord in the Perpetual Adoration Chapel located at my home parish. At this point, the feeling of wanting to discern the priesthood in the seminary never left me. So, during my senior year of college, I entered the Serra House of Discernment. After spending a year of discernment at the Serra House, I applied for the seminary with the Diocese of Phoenix. I graduated ASU with a Religious Studies and Mathematics degree and in June 2007, I was accepted into the seminary at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio."

Parish: Corpus Christi
High School: Desert Vista
Grade School: Sierra Elementary
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Year in Seminary: Theology II
Favorite Saint(s): Our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and St. Francis of Assisi

Keith Kenney

After high school, I joined the U.S. Navy. I remained in the Navy for 10 years. I left the Navy because although I enjoyed the travel, I just felt something missing in my life. When I returned to Phoenix I started attending Holy Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle where I also taught catechism to seventh and eighth graders. I experienced there a fuller sense of the richness of Catholicism, that allowing Christ to be the center of my life everyday and not just Sunday made my life more joyful and meaningful.

It was during this time that I began to pray more earnestly and to seek God's will for my life. Instead of trying to be more successful or find a better job, I finally asked God what His will for my life is. Together with more frequently attending daily Mass and the sacrament of confession, I remembered how when I was younger I had wanted to be a priest. When I allowed God to renew my fervency as a Catholic, He also renewed my attraction to the priesthood. About this time I started attending Mass at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. I also became a server and this really put my discernment into full swing.

The experience of the seminary has helped me to be a better man and a better christian. I have come to know God in a more intimate and personal way and to trust Him more deeply.

Parish: Ss. Simon and Jude
High School: Brophy College Prep/Cactus High School
Grade School: St. Jerome's
Seminary: St. John Vianney Theological Seminary
Year in Seminary: Theology I
Favorite Saint(s): St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Frances de Sales, St. Alphonsus de Ligouri

Scott Sperry

I have attended Catholic Schools all my life, and my mother raised me Catholic. I enjoyed going to Mass as a young boy, and I first heard God's call as my father joined the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil Mass in 2001. I did not pursue that call until years later when a good friend asked me if I have ever thought about being a priest. After praying about God's will for me, I joined the seminary in 2005. I have enjoyed all of my time in the seminary, especially the fraternity with my brothers and the building of a relationship with Jesus. God asks us to go through trials, and as a leukemia survivor of four years, I constantly see Jesus drawing me closer to Him. I thank God for giving me the grace to discern my vocation to the priesthood.

Parish: Corpus Christi
High School: Desert Vista
Grade School: Cerritos
Seminary: St. Meinrad
Year in Seminary: Theology I
Favorite Saint(s): St. Joseph, St. Odran

Kevin Grimditch

Though I was raised Catholic, I did not even consider the call to the priesthood seriously until high school. There were two main factors that really brought me to consider the priesthood. First, during my junior year of high school, I was invited to, and eventually, volunteered to help teach catechism classes for middle school students at my parish. I really enjoyed teaching and, at the same time that I trying to help the kids in the program grow in their knowledge of their faith and live good lives, I was challenged to really evaluate my life in what I actually knew and how I lived.

This second thing that influenced me to enter the seminary was Eucharistic adoration. My parish has a perpetual adoration chapel and so my junior year I signed up for one hour a week on Wednesday mornings before school. It was in this chapel, in the presence of Our Eucharistic Lord, that I found my call to the priesthood. The humility that arises in the face of the sacred drove me to desire to help people and bring them the joy that I found in that chapel. And once the idea about the priesthood got into my head, I had to see if that was where God wanted me. So at the end of my senior year I started the application process and started college seminary that fall, where I had four growth filled years.

Parish: Corpus Christi
High School: Desert Vista
Grade School: Cerritos
Seminary: St. Meinrad
Year in Seminary: Theology I
Favorite Saint(s): St. Joseph and St. Odran

Fernando Camou

I grew up in a strong Catholic family and I knew a lot of priests personally. However, it wasn’t until I was in high school and joined a youth group (so I could receive the Sacrament of Confirmation) that I encountered Christ in a deep and personal way and I realized I must surrender my life to Him in some way. During the summer of 2004, I had the opportunity to sit down with a seminarian who was helping at the youth group and ask him about seminary. During our conversation, I felt a very strong call to join seminary and actively discern the priesthood. However, I delayed joining seminary for four years until the Lord shook me up and showed me that I had been hiding from my vocation and my relationship with Him was becoming secondary in my life. In May 2008, I finally was pulled by God to make a firm decision to discern the priesthood. After finally letting go of some things I had selfishly held on to, like a good relationship I had been in for almost four years as well as my studies in Civil Engineering, I applied for seminary in June 2008 and was accepted soon after as a seminarian for the Diocese of Phoenix. Since then, God has helped me see ever more clearly the gift of my vocation and He has given me a great love for the priesthood and indescribable peace and joy in my discernment.

Parish: Our Lady of Perpetual Help
High School: Home Schooled/Glendale Community College
Grade School: Home Schooled
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Year in Seminary: Fourth Year College - Philosophy
Favorite Saint(s): Bl. Teresa of Calcutta, St. John Vianney, Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati

Ryan Lee

The first step in the call always begins in the home and that is precisely where it all started for me. The support, devotion, and love that my parents gave to me and to each other would inspire anyone to want to give back for all that they have been given by God. So at a very early age I felt a call to service but it was not until my third year of college that I was able to fully hear the invitation to seminary. I pursued the military and law enforcement but they did not fully satisfy me, I wanted to do more. Then it occurred to me one day during adoration, why not live a life serving the One you love the most, God and His Church, in a life of selflessness, sacrifice, and service. I realized that I had been hearing the Lord knocking for many years but in order to open the door, I needed to quiet my soul in order to hear Him. I had been thinking and discerning for a long time but I discovered that the problem was I had never taken the time to sit down and just listen. To hear the Lord saying “Come follow me and do not be afraid.”

Parish: St. Thomas the Apostle
High School: Brophy College Preparatory
Grade School: St. Theresa Catholic School
Seminary: St. John Vianney
Year in Seminary: Pre-Theology I
Favorite Saint(s): St. Padre Pio, Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Sheunesu Bowora

As a child I never imagined I would be a priest. In fact priesthood or anything like it was the furthest thing from my mind. However, a deep conversion experience in my twenties made me realize how I was utterly loved by God. This understanding of God's love was so profound that I had to do something about it. Priesthood was not immediately on the horizon, but through continued prayer, daily mass, regular confession and Eucharistic adoration, I began to discern a desire to share this love as a priest. This was an idea I had never had before. At first I resisted but after many years of prayer, I relented and gave it all to God as I chose to further discern his will in the seminary. Now I continue to discern and am growing in holiness day by day and through this hope to be what God calls me to be.

Parish: Most Holy Trinity
High School: Prince Edward School (Zimbabwe)
Grade School: Selborne Routledge School (Zimbabwe)
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Year in Seminary: 4th Year College
Favorite Saint(s): St. Francis Xavier and St. Therese Lisieux

Dan Connealy

I started discerning the priesthood after I graduated from high school. I was swimming for my college and realized that swimming was not something that would last forever. It was a lot of fun but was very temporary. I slowly started attending adoration and daily mass. Through these means I felt the call to do something more with my life, namely serving God's people. After my sophomore year of college I entered the seminary to further discern God's will for me and it has been one of the biggest blessings of my life.

Parish: Most Holy Trinity
High School: Shadow Mountain
Grade School: Most Holy Trinity
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Year in Seminary: 3rd Year College
Favorite Saint(s): St. John Vianney

David Loeffler

I have wanted to be a priest for as long as I can remember. When I was young I pretended to say Mass for my family (and reprimand them if they fell asleep during my homily). I always tell people that Psalm 16 is my vocation story in a nutshell: “He has put into my heart a marvelous love for the faithful ones who dwell in his land.” This love for the people of God has only deepened with time and experience. Though many people have encouraged me along the way, I would be remiss not to mention the influence of my Alma Mater, Franciscan University of Steubenville. There, in the Priestly Discernment Program, the Lord blessed me with wonderful friends and the experience of a truly Catholic culture. It was in my first year there that I really fell in love with the Blessed Mother. For the next four years she led me into a new depth of intimacy with Christ, a fantastic preparation for seminary formation. If there is one thing that I would like to share with any man considering a priestly vocation, it is this. Many people mistakenly think that a priest has given up the opportunity to fall in love. I want to be a priest precisely because I am already in love! It is truly marvelous, and I would not trade it for anything in the world! A vocation to the priesthood is the precious gift of Christ loving the Church with my heart.

Parish: St. Paul
High School: Yuma Catholic High School
Grade School: St. Francis of Assisi
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Year in Seminary: Theology I
Favorite Saint(s): Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Blessed Pope John Paul the Great, St. John Vianney, St. Francis of Assisi

Daniel Cruz

I studied applied biological sciences/secondary education at Arizona State University-Polytechnic Campus. My desire was to teach biology to high school students as the primary reason with the priesthood nowhere in site. However, during my studies, I served in various ministries throughout the church. In doing so, I noticed an inner peace began to stir in my heart every time I brought communion to the sick, prepared students for the sacraments of reconciliation and confirmation, teach in youth groups or experience the sacraments of reconciliation and communion. Finally, a day of discernment helped me realize my first aspiration should be to serve God. The life of the seminary and priesthood was an incredible consolation. Keep in mind this was during the Year of the Priests. And because of your prayers I’ve been given the grace to say yes as Mary our Mother so perfectly proclaimed.

Shortly after, I begged God to move my own self-centered will out of site and help me discover what I ought to do. I turned with great diligence to prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and simply asked: “Lord, what do you want from me?” After that simple request, the ensuing months directed me to apply to seminary. With the help of Our Lady, Mother of Priests, the incredible support of family, the parish prayers of Holy Cross church and the priests who reflect Jesus Christ and His ministry, I’m where the Lord wants me to be, in the seminary. Each day I go before the Lord and offer Him this choice as a beloved son to accept and confirm this special call to the priesthood if indeed it is for His greater service and praise.

Parish: Holy Cross
High School: Ray High School
Grade School: Ray Elementary School
Seminary: St. John Vianney Theological Seminary
Year in Seminary: Philosophy II
Favorite Saint(s): St. Therese of Lisieux, Blessed John Paul II & St. Matthew

Frank Cicero

The Lords call for my life was one that was a radical revelation of His love and mercy. There was never a thought growing up about seminary or opening my life up to God in this evangelical way. The first time the thought entered into my mind was June of 2009. I was always open to Gods love but only in the way that I wanted to receive it. My faith growing up was a strength, but the older I grew the weaker it became, until I was totally enveloped by the pleasures of this world. I was seeking a spiritual need in a physical place, though on the outside I perceived to have everything but what I really had was nothing. I was lonely and broken. It was only through great suffering that His mercy was able to captivate my soul, to take the brokenness in me and heal me through His divine love of the Eucharist. It was then that I was given the strength to truly stand and be not afraid to say yes to God.

Parish: St. Timothy
High School: Desert Mountain
Grade School: Sandpiper and Sonoran Sky Elementary
Seminary: St. John Vianney Theological Seminary
Year in Seminary: 1st Year Spirituality
Favorite Saint(s): My mother and Fr. Charles Canterna, St. Faustina, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Augustine

Timothy Seavey

My journey of discernment towards the vocation of priesthood began when I was fairly young. My parents consistently encouraged my siblings and I to attend Mass regularly and participate in parish ministry. As far back as I can remember I have always been in complete awe of the beauty of God’s grace he offers through his priests. Though discernment was indirectly fostered throughout my childhood, I had not been introduced to the concrete idea of entering in to seminary life and formation for priesthood until high school. It was then, in my sophomore year, by the prompting of the holy Sprit that I truly started praying about God’s will for my future and the call to serve him by sharing in his priesthood.

Staying close to our Lord Jesus Christ through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and frequenting daily Mass seemed only to sustain the call to a vocation in the priesthood while I finished high school and my undergraduate studies. Through persistent prayer and the grace of God I have been led to enter more fully into discernment with the Church in seminary and continue grow closer to Christ. A special place in my heart for our Mother Mary has also given me great grace and consolation in doing whatever her son asks. I look forward to continuing to discern God’s will and the abundant graces that he has in store for me in the future.

Parish: St. Timothy
High School: Cactus Shadows High School
Grade School: Zuni Elementary School
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Year in Seminary: Pre-Theology I
Favorite Saint(s): Our Mother Mary, St. Joseph, St. Padre Pio, St. John of the Cross, St. Terese of Lisieux, Blessed John Paul II, Blessed Mother Teresa

James Wraith

As a child, I was raised Catholic. My family attended mass on Sundays but I never really knew my faith. When I was in 6th grade, I was diagnosed with a blood disease that put me in the hospital many times over the following years with huge surgeries along with chemo therapy. At this time I fell away from the Church and from God. I thought that I was being punished for something that I did not deserve and I hated God and the Church. After many years of depression my parents forced me to see my pastor and to go on a Steubenville West Conference with my youth group. At this conference I had a huge conversion that changed my life. I continued meeting with my pastor and became very involved at my parish.

I began discerning the priesthood when I was 16 years old. During Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament while I was on a retreat, I felt the Lord calling me to lay down my life for the Church. I however, did not want to listen to Gods call, and so I fought it for a long time. After feeling the same call almost constantly whenever I was at mass or in adoration throughout the following year, I finally decided to contact a priest who I was very close to and eventually the vocation director.

I was accepted as a seminarian in June of 2008 just after graduation. These past years have truly been a time filled with many graces and blessings. As I continue to discern the Lords will for my life, the Seminary allows me to lay down my will so that I may listen and follow the Lords will wherever that may take me.

Parish: St. Joan of Arc
High School: Notre Dame Preparatory
Grade School: Pope John XXIII
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Favorite Saint(s): Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, St. Francis, St. Dominic, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. John Vianney, St. Pio, St. John Bosco, St. Therese of Lisieux, Mother Teresa, St. Teresa of Avila

Chris Gossen

I was raised Catholic and my parents had taken me to Mass since I was a baby. In middle school, I joined my parish choir and youth group and I began to hear from people at my parish that I would either become a Youth Minister or Priest. That was a little scary at the time and I ran from the thought. However, in 2009 I felt the Holy Spirit call me to become active in the Church. I began volunteering with the youth group at my parish and eventually became Youth Minister and working at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in HR. The thought of seminary and the Priesthood entered my mind again in 2009 and further developed through prayerful discernment, attending and serving at daily Mass, praying Liturgy of the Hours and meeting some of the Phoenix seminarians.

I attended a retreat on Joy in Vocations in which the Retreat Master said you can’t discern two vocations at the same time, and that you should trust God and take a jump. I began to experience a deep sense of peace and I spoke with the Diocesan Director of Vocations, Rev. Paul Sullivan, and applied to the seminary. Since being at the seminary I have come to recognize the constant role God has played throughout my life. I am deeply grateful to all those who have supported me throughout the years and who have made an impact on my discernment. St. John Vianney, Patron of Priests, Pray for us.

Parish: St. Bernard of Clairvaux
High School: Desert Mountain
Grade School: Cochise
Seminary: St. John Vianney Theological Seminary
Year in Seminary: Spirituality Year
Favorite Saint(s): St. Joseph; St. Patrick; St. Bernard of Clairvaux; St. John of the Cross; St. Therese of Lisieux; St. John Vianney

Luis Martinez

I always had a desire to serve the church ever since I was a kid. My dad and his brothers always talked about the stories how they were altar servers and serve their parish of Sacred Heart. That inspired me to become an altar server at a young age at 10. However being an altar server ended up letting me become more and more involved such as becoming a lector, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, choir, and finally a sacristan. People said in my parish if I could split myself into many Louie's I would be able to do everything except celebrate Mass. I had a guy who I a grew up with since kindergarden and said that I should look into priesthood, or at least consider it. At the time I believed I was called to marriage and a job as a pharmacist but God seemed to had lead me there until He was ready to call me to seminary. After a great retreat on vocations I felt the calling to seminary and then in the fall of 2011 I was admitted into Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary for the Spirituality Year where I have started my journey into priesthood.

Parish: Most Holy Trinity
High School: Saint Mary's High School
Grade School: Most Holy Trinity Catholic School
Seminary: St. John Vianney Theological Seminary
Year in Seminary: Philosophy I
Favorite Saint(s): St. Augustine, St. John Vianney, St. Bernadette, Padre Pio, St. Damian of Molokai, Captain America and Spiderman

Chris Tuttle

I am the eldest of seven children. I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. I first heard the call to the priesthood as an altar boy in the seventh grade. After attending high school and a year and a half of college, I entered the golf business. I was a golf instructor in Florida, Georgia, and Arizona. During my time time hear in Arizona is when I heard the Lord calling me out of the golf industry and to embark on a path to seminary.

Parish: Christ the King/St. Mary Chandler
High School: St. Francis DeSales (Columbus, Ohio)
Grade School: St. James the Less/Mater Dei Academy (Columbus, Ohio)
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Year in Seminary: 2nd year in seminary (college 3/undergraduate pre-theologian 3)
Favorite Saint(s): St. Paul, St. Peter, St. Michael, St. John Vianney, St. Dominic

Vinhson Nguyen

When I was growing up I wanted to become a priest in the same way a lot of kids wanted to be astronauts and firefighters. The problem was that I didn’t stop to think about what God wanted me to be until a couple of years ago. It was a big change in my life that pushed me to learn more about myself and what God made me for. I found myself praying more often, going to mass daily and going to confession regularly. It was when I’d be praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament in adoration and at mass that the thought of priesthood always came to mind. It was when I attended last year’s ordination (2010) that I was moved to finally respond to this call. I met with Fr. Paul, the vocations director, and opened a line of communication with him. It was through him that I met other men discerning their vocation. Spending time with other discerners was encouraging because we shared a lot of the same experiences and thoughts about the entering seminary.

For anyone discerning their vocation I believe there are two things that are most important. They are participation in the sacraments and prayer. I believe that the more we encounter Christ in communion, confession and prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament the more apparent our vocation will become.

Parish: Ressurrection
High School: Mesquite High School
Grade School: Gilbert Elementary
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Favorite Saint(s): Sts. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Paul, John Vianney and Philomena

David Edwards

Throughout much of my childhood and part of high school, I was rather indifferent to my faith. It really wasn't my own, but only something we did on Sundays. However, by the time I started college, I had experienced God, and knew that I wanted to follow Him. I thought that God might want me to be a priest, but I was afraid, and I didn't really want it. However, I knew that I needed to consider the call, so I said, “OK God, I really want to get married, but if you want me to be a priest, then that is what I will do.” I opened my heart to the call, and I said yes. Over the next four years, God did a wonderful thing. He took my doubtful, skeptical, yet willing heart, and completely transformed it.

As I spent time in prayer, I entered a real relationship with the living God, and as I began to understand more of what the priesthood is actually about, I actually began to desire it. My fear of the call was gone, and I truly wanted nothing more than to embrace it. Every day I went to mass, and I was filled with desire to serve God in the way of the priest. I saw the priesthood as the path for me to truly lay down my life for Christ and his Church. I took off running on the path God set before me, and I have been truly blessed.

Parish: St. Timothy
High School: Gilbert High School
Grade School: Sonoma Ranch Elementary
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Year in Seminary: Second College
Favorite Saint(s): St. Francis of Assisi, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. John Vianney, Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Pope Benedict XVI, my parents, and my closest brothers.

Kevin Penkalski

I have to accredit my desire to be a priest to Mary. One night I really was at the end of my rope and I prayed a Rosary as seriously as I could, pleading that Mary would reveal what and who God desired me to be. The next day, I served a Christmas Day Mass, and a man I never met before told me, 'You should consider the priesthood.' A couple months later, I ran into a priest that was a long time friend of my pastor, and the first thing he said to me was, 'Get into seminary!' Then it was just tons of people saying, 'You might want to consider the priesthood.' My heart was filling up with the idea of living like a priest, celebrating the Eucharist being the top thing that was on my mind. I was dying to fulfill this yearning, and I decided to let the Vocations Director know.

We decide I should go to Arizona State University, and continue discerning. I wanted to really test this desire, and so I became very involved with the Newman Center. I realized that I needed to grow as a man first, so I let down my guard, and allowed people to show me how much I needed to grow. It was hard, but even with people highly skeptical of my desire, I never gave up hope. After the Day of Discernment in 2010 I knew I needed to apply. I was accepted about four months later.

Parish: Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne
High School: Boulder Creek High School
Grade School: New River Elementary School
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Favorite Saint(s): Mary, Bl. John Paul II, St. Nicholas von Flüe, St. Michael, St. James, St. Jude, St. Louise de Montfort, St. Therese of Lisieux , Archbishop Fluton Sheen

Nathaniel Glenn

For as long as I can remember, priesthood has always been on my mind. It was on and off in my childhood, but when I was around 12 years old, I began reading books on Catholic doctrine that explained what we believe and why we believe it. I absolutely fell in love with the Catholic faith, and my discernment of the priesthood really grew out of that.

One of the biggest factors in my discernment has been prayer. By developing a steady prayer life (starting out with praying a rosary every night), I grew in a relationship with God. It was in this relationship that I felt him strongly calling me to serve him, especially in moments of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and in communal praise and worship. Prayer is indispensable if you want to discern what God’s will is for your life, priesthood or otherwise.

Throughout my teen years, my vocation was also strengthened by my environment: I attended St. Mary’s High School and met other strong Catholic men and women; I joined the local Life Teen youth group and entered into communion with other growing Catholics; I became a lector, altar server, and Eucharistic Minister at my local parish. By surrounding myself with people and activities that helped me to grow closer to God, I also grew closer to the idea that this same God might be calling me to serve him in the priesthood.

Parish: Corpus Christi
High School: Saint Mary's High School
Grade School: Kyrene Del Akimel A-al Middle School
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Year in Seminary: 1st - Freshman in College
Favorite Saint(s): St. Therese of Lisiuex, Padre Pio

Estevan Wetzel

Faith has always been an integral part of my life. It was in 6th grade that I began to altar serve and become fascinated with the Mass. As I became more involved in my faith with retreats, Steubenville conferences, and youth group, I literally fell in love with the Lord and his Church. This love of God allowed me to hear the whisper of God asking me to discern the priesthood.

I had no intention of going to seminary until December of my Senior year. Fr. Paul hosts a Day of Discernment every year and I attended it with an open heart. I prayed that God would show me what he wanted to show me because I was a little lost on where I would go for college. While the priest was talking about seminary, I felt this deep, gnawing feeling compelling me to apply. I went home and prayed about it. While I was praying, I felt this peace and joy about this prospect of seminary. I applied, was accepted, and am excited to see what God has in store for me.

For me, the key has always been prayer. There have also been countless people who have given me words of encouragement and been holy examples of what it is to live the faith. I pray that through this time at seminary, I will grow into the man God wants me to be and be able to eventually follow the footsteps of the great saints before us.

Parish: Most Holy Trinity
High School: Saint Mary's High School
Grade School: Most Holy Trinity
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Favorite Saint(s): Pope John Paul II, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Pius X

Harold Escarcega

Stemming from the strong foundations in the Catholic faith that my family fostered in me, I began to feel my calling in high school. I consider myself very blessed, having had there the opportunity to delve deep into the writings of many prevalent philosophers throughout Western history. I began to find that all of the philosophies I was reading, especially those of Aristotle, were resonating deeply within me, and were fostering in my soul a desire to be a good, virtuous person; by God’s grace, these desires found their natural counterpart – my Catholic faith – and quickly became embedded in it. Consequently, my desires for “virtue” and “goodness” were transformed into a deep love for God and a desire to serve Him. This desire to serve Him, by the gentle caresses of His call, slowly became what I thought was a calling to the Catholic priesthood. Following my graduation, I attended Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.

Being in an excellent Catholic environment, it was easy to hear God’s voice as He entreated me all the more to enter seminary formation. After only one semester, I truly knew that God was calling me to put aside my worries and qualms, and do just that. I applied and was accepted during my Spring semester to the Pontifical College Josephinum, and now find myself studying in the program for priestly formation - truly at peace with my discernment and overjoyed to follow God’s call to drop everything and “come follow me” (Mark 1:17).

Parish: St. Joan of Arc, St. Bernadette
High School: Veritas Preparatory Academy
Grade School: Homeschooled
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Year in Seminary: 1st
Favorite Saint(s): St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Bl. Pope John Paul II and Bl. Mother Theresa of Calcutta

Dieudonne Mumbalama

I was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo,in every devoted Catholic family.I moved to the U.S in 2009 like a refuge Immigrant.I was staying in one apartment close to Ss.Simon & Jude Cathedral and attending mass there. One day Father Clements asked me to become an Acolyte, I said yes.I loved being an Acolyte at mass and Benediction and giving the lord to others in Holy communion. Then, Father Clements was transferred to Tempe and it was at his farewell party, as I was in line to thank him for his help and Friendship and to say goodbye, that Father Clements greeted me exuberantly and told that I should become a priest. This was a shock for me since he had never thought of this. I thought, "How could this happen?" he gave my name to Father Paul Sullivan, the Vocation Director of the Diocese, and told him to contact me. All these life events were grace from the Lord leading me all the way to becoming a priest.

Parish: Ss. Simon & Jude Cathedral
High School: Nduba institut in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Grade School: Ep1 Walungu center in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Year in Seminary: A year in seminary
Favorite Saint(s): Sts. peter and Paul,apostles

Gabriel Terrill

I have always wanted to be a priest. When I was young many people believed the priesthood was my vocation.These were also the people, both clergy and layperson alike, who inspired me to discern the priesthood. I was raised in a strong Catholic family and I was well formed by my parents and siblings. Later in life I got involved in altar serving and church ministry and took a liking to it. I also started writing to a seminarian when I was in middle school and was able to attend his ordination to the priesthood. In 2011 I went on a pilgrimage in Spain and attended world youth day. It was there that my desire to discern the priesthood grew even stronger and when I got back from Spain I visited the Pontifical College Josphinum Seminary. After seeing what the seminary was like I put in my application to become a seminarian for the Diocese of Phoenix. I was blessed to have Bishop Olmsted accept me and I am now in my 1st year of college. I look forward to whatever path God has planned for me.

Parish: Mary Magdeline/Holy Cross
High School: Homeschooled
Grade School: Homeschooled
Seminary: Pontifical College Josephinum
Year in Seminary: Freshman year
Favorite Saint(s): St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Jose Maria Escriva, St. John Vianney, Blessed Pope John Paul 2