The Priesthood Ordination Class of 2007

Some of Our Ordinands Respond to the Question: “People would be surprised to know that I…”

…didn't go to Catholic school and was never an altar boy.

…used to play heavy metal guitar in a band.

…first considered the priesthood while on a workcamp weekend in high school in the Appalachian mountains.

…am a strong supporter on issues concerning the environment.

...love to watch the Food Network

…was a practicing physician (radiologist) before entering the seminary.

…enjoy riding roller coasters and visiting theme parks… I also love to create things, such as models and sculptures, as well as designing and renovating spaces in homes, libraries, etc.

…entered the seminary and after two years of dicernment, left and returned to college to complete my degree. Then, after a year away, re-entered the seminary.

…was terrified of public speaking during my high school days.

…always had a sense that I was being called to the priesthood…

…taught history dressed up as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Madison for my job as an historical interpreter at the American Village in Montevallo, Alabama.

…since my childhood always wanted to become a priest.

…have studied during 13 years at the seminary to be ordained as a Catholic priest.

…have completed 9 marathons in the last 6 years. I love to play golf and follow the Boston Red Sox. While in the seminary I have continued to play (men's leagues) and coach hockey (high school).

…am a reservist in the United States Navy Chaplain Corps.

..am graduate of the Juilliard School and performed with many symphony orchestras in the New York area. I played the Double Bass for the Long Island Philharmonic for 13 years before entering the seminary

…always thought I would be a married man and raise a family, but the Lord had other plans for me.

…enjoy extreme skating, once installed & maintained a supercomputer at a large university.

…met Pope John Paul II…Was present in St. Peter's Square when Pope Benedict XVI was elected and introduced…Spent my first year of priestly formation living and serving in the Missions of Belize…dropped out of law school to pursue my priestly vocation…survived a helmetless motorcycle accident in Quito, Ecuador at the age of 15

…originally went to college with the hopes of becoming the following before entering seminary: a veterinarian, then a bio-chemical research scientist, then a theology professor.

...was named a vice-president at an advertising agency just as I finally realized that my true vocation was to the priesthood…Once I stopped resisting God's will for me and began to trust, I found peace. I have never been happier.

…graduated from a cooking school as a gastronome. I worked as a dietician, then a food warehouse manager, and finally a chef in a huge resort clinic-spa in the most famous resort town in Poland, Krynica-Zdroj(Springs-Spa).

…decided to to be a priest.

...thought about the priesthood since my first communion.

…was part of a folklorico dance group…recognized by local, state, national, and international authorities of art.

…was married and have three grownup children and they are very supportive of my call to the priesthood.

…tried out for the Texas A&M football team and earned a B.S. in Meteorology from Texas A&M.

…am a cancer survivor.

…was an art director for a sportswear company…

…love dancing and am good at it.

…as a child I was not the most interested person in doing religious things…I was always into a little bit of mischief during church school.

…never really thought that I was called to be a priest…[I] wanted to work in law and politics…Through prayer and a devotion to the Eucharist, I realized that I had to set aside my own good intentioned plans for life, and follow God's promptings.

…actually am afraid of public speaking, but once I start I sometimes can't stop.

…am the first seminarian to study for the Diocese of Fairbanks who is from the diocese.

…lived in Egypt and travled extensively when working in oil field exploration and earned the job title Engineer with no formal engineering studies.

…came from Zambia in Africa to study for Priesthood for the Diocese of Gaylord.

…first studied music in college, earning a degree in Music history and Literature.

...love to water ski, wakeboard and snow ski

...have 9 brothers and sisters and 41 nephews and nieces

...had 2 car accidents within a year, totaled the vehicles both times and walked away unscathed

...restored an 1860 log cabin and use it for a retreat cottage for myself and others

...was deeply influened by Pope John Paul II at World Youth Day in Denver when he said, "Be not afraid... God has a special plan for your life... follow Him."

…was a very successful businessman prior to coming to the seminary.

…hated going to Catholic school as a kid and almost left the Church in college.

…used to own a hot-air balloon company.

…have a pilot’s license and enjoy flying single engine planes.

…spent 16 years in the Air Force…I had a serious motorcycle accident requiring head surgery in the first week of 1st Theology and was back in class one week later.

…never thought about seriously about being a priest until my first semester at Harvard.

…spent my first two years of college living and studying independently in Rome in order to discern my vocation.

…resigned from my teaching job one semester short of tenure in order to enter the seminary.

…worked for a thoroughbred trade publication as managing editor of an investor newsletter that analyzed the racing and auction performance of stallions' offspring.

…was in a rock band

…felt the call to priesthood when I was eleven years old

…left the wonderful career of Architecture for a priestly life.

…have two grown children.

…graduated from the University of Notre Dame Law School…served as Editor-in-Chief of the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy…been an Op-Ed contributor to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, as well as to Commonweal Magazine, America Magazine, and Salon.com, among other publications.

…was not sure if I was going to remain Catholic when I first entered college seminary…after Theology 101, Introduction to the Catechism, spending time in Adoration, and a homily on John 6, I then KNEW that the Catholic Church was the true Church and that I could never leave Her.

…am a lifer in that I have been in the Seminary system since HS.

…was born at home, delivered by my father. I was premature and almost did not survive, and the doctors did not expect me to survive…I was baptised in the hospital.

...came to the United States for a vacation, to have a good time. God's sense of humor is so great that He only changed one letter so that vacation turned out to be a vocation; and the best time of my life is yet to come – as His priest!

…was an olympic hopeful in the sport of Curling

…was very happily married for 33 years.

…always wanted to be a priest, since I was a very young boy.

…am a pilot, a professional baseball umpire, and I love computers

…decided to enter the seminary while on a pilgrimage at World Youth Day 2000 in Rome.

…enjoy parachuting and bungee jumping.

…had a successful career in Information Technology in the U.S…recognized by international institutions such as the Smithsonian Institute, U.S. Embassy in Mexico, The University of London, The Netherlands Koninklijke Bibliotheek, National Geographic Society, The New York Times, and Stanford University among others.

…left the Catholic Church for a number of years. I came back to the Church through a girlfriend and Marian Consecration.

…never thought about the priesthood until after highschool, and in fact was nominally catholic until about my junior or Senior year of High School.

…have over 25 years of experience in white-water rafting and have rafted some of the most exciting and remote rivers in the American west.

…like to brew beer, play ultimate frisbee,

…love playing in the dirt.

. . . stopped practicing my Catholic faith as a young teenager, and only returned to the Church (receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation) as a college student.

…am the only Catholic in my entire family, over six generations, still today.

…have already travelled to ten different countries and attended the Holy Mass in seven of these. This has given me a true experience of the universality of the Roman Catholic Church and the Holy Eucharist.

…spent 10 years as a mascot for the annual Pig Bowl, wearing a Pig costume.

…had not always planned to be a priest.

…once worked as a bartender at a golf course, and considered other careers, such as politics or law.

…if adoration of the Blessed Sacrament were not available, I probably would have never considered a vocation to the priesthood.

...worked in law enforcement while discerning the priesthood.

…was one of thousands of Vietnamese refugees struggling with the cold, hunger, sickness, and loneliness in refugee camps in Hong Kong. Priests and nuns came to visit us, and I "met" Jesus in the examples of their dedication and service to the poor…

…am a farmer at heart.

…built custom computers and taught myself computer programming in high school while living on my parents' purebred beef ranch.

…spent twelve years as a teacher between college seminary and the theologate.

…in high school, declared myself an agnostic and abondoned the Catholic faith altogether…After experiencing a reawakening of my Catholic faith at the age of twenty eight, especially through the forgivness of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of Penance and His Real Presence in the Eucharist, I began to hear anew God's calling to the priesthood.

…have been to a game at every major league baseball stadium.

…love listening to Greek cultural/folk music.

…thought about becoming a priest in 8th grade, but failed Latin and found girls the same year. I married in my early 20's, have two children, and my wife died over 5 years ago.

…was an All-Ohio football player in high school but always thought I was called to be a priest.

…served for 12 years as an Episcopal priest.

…I helped start TGW.com and did nto consider a vocation until college.

…was a diocesan seminarian from Vietnam. After the fall of Saigon, my seminary was closed, I tried to escape Vietnam to continue my vocation. But I was caught and put in labor camp for six months.

…graduated from the United States Naval Academy and served aboard nuclear submarines in the Pacific.

…received the call to the priesthood when I was 16 years while I was reading the story of the life Saint Therese of Lisieux.

…was a fisherman before entering the seminary

…enjoy traveling and baking

… became a monk of St. John's Abbey when I was 24 years old and discerned early on that I was not called to ordained ministry