I first felt the call to the priesthood when I was just seven years old. As a child enduring the agony of a ruptured appendix, I received the Anointing of the Sick. In that profound moment—under the waiting room lights, surrounded by my praying family, and anointed by a priest—I was forever changed. From that night on, I carried with me the deep awareness that God had asked something of me.
As I grew, I completed my education through the Catholic schools in my Diocese and eventually graduated from the local university. Yet the journey was anything but straightforward. Though I had known my calling from a young age, fully embracing it often felt distant and uncertain.
When I finally chose to pursue my vocation intentionally, I enrolled in the High Calling Program. This experience was transformative. It awakened gifts in me that had long been dormant and helped me recognize the full extent of my potential as a servant of God. Through its courses and writing assignments, I was reintroduced to the beauty and depth of discernment. The program not only sharpened my talents for the service of the Church—it gave me the clarity to understand the purpose of that pivotal moment from my childhood. On the brink of death, I had been given more time on this earth—and now I fully grasp why. It was so that I might answer the call and dedicate my life to serving God.