I first heard my calling when I was a sophomore at Salesian HS, specifically in November on a Youth Ministry Team retreat at adoration. The thought came at first then, sitting there at adoration. I decided not to think about it too much because I thought it was a silly idea, I thought only super special people got those priestly callings, and I was just a normal person who was supposed to live a normal life.

Then a few months later, I think it was later in the year, just before the summer, the thought came back. At this point I just threw the idea away because I thought it was crazy. I had superb grades…98 average, all AP classes, #3 in the class, I could get into any college I wanted, become a top engineer and make a ton of money. I also played baseball (though not too well) and was involved in a million school activities, so my resume was ridiculously strong. There was no way I was giving all that up to live as some poor priest, that wasn’t happening so I basically said NO WAY!

But then on the Youth Ministry Retreat of my Junior year in October the thought came back AGAIN. This time I decided I’d better give it some serious thought because there had to be a reason this thought kept coming back. I was scared and confused at the time. I decided then to trust a couple of my closest friends and share with them that I was thinking about the possibility of becoming a priest. They supported me (and still do to this day) but I realized that if I really wanted to figure out if this thought was a calling or not I had to ask someone who could actually help me. I was afraid though because I didn’t know how the priests I would end up telling would react because our relationships were always more friend-friend than anything else and I never went up to them for anything as serious as this. After some time I spoke to Fr Abraham who advised me and then to Fr Dom who became my spiritual adviser.

From that point on I began thinking and praying more deeply about my vocation until I started enjoying my meetings with Fr Dom more than anything else. I realized that this calling was legitimate. The next problem for me dealt with my friends. I didn’t have any friends before I got to Salesian and these guys that I told about my vocation were my first ever real friends in the world. I lived for 14 years without a true friend and I realized that the path to the priesthood led to me having to say goodbye to them and not know if/when I’d ever see them again. God at that point showed me that this would not be a problem at all. He showed me friends that I would rarely get to see from Camp Echo Bay and also from my OLR experience, which showed me that you can sustain a friendship through email. God also showed me more Salesians, I came to know so many Salesian priests and brothers through retreats, school, OLR, Camp, etc. that I could no longer count them on my hands. With every passing Salesian that I met I realized that the Salesians were a brotherhood…I would never have to worry about being alone or without friends as long as I am with them. All of my friends have left permanent marks on my heart and I now know that we will always be close no matter where we are all at.  The friendship bond is too strong to be broken by college or distance, so with God’s help I realized we will all be fine after High School ends.

From that point on things were sailing fairly smooth…I felt pretty confident in my vocation through prayers, reflections, and meetings with Fr Dom. The next obstacle for me came at the end of the Camp Echo Bay season, where I met a girl that I really liked. I was confused again because I saw myself spending hours talking to her everyday, usually very late into the night and couldnt help but flirt with her. However, after a few weeks of prayer, and talking to a Salesian brother I met at camp (we became very close) I decided to tell her about my vocational plans so I would no longer be tempted to flirt with her or anything like that. Obviously I still like girls as the call to the priesthood doesn’t take that away, but with God’s help I have been able to deal with these feelings and keep my relationships with girls simply as good friends.

With the passing days I would get more and more confident about my vocation until the point that I was sure God was calling me and I wanted nothing more than to say YES. I decided that I wanted to join the Salesian Seminary right after graduating High School. I spoke to Fr Franco and then on OLR I spoke to a multitude of Salesian Priests and Brothers about it. Every single one of them got so excited that I am so seriously considering this vocation. It makes me feel a lot more comfortable and excited knowing that they are so fired up to have me.

In conclusion, I have submitted all my paperwork and will be joining the Salesian Seminary this fall as a candidate.  =D