Who is/are your favorite saint(s)?

I have always found the early European missionary saints to be an inspiring witness to our Christian faith. Such saints as Augustine of Canterbury who evangelized England, Columba who preached in Scotland, and Boniface who brought the faith to Germany. However, St. Patrick has always been my favorite due to his self-sacrificial love for the people of Ireland. It was Patrick who went back to the very nation that enslaved him to preach Christ’s message of love and peace. Each time I feel some hesitation to minister to a certain area or a group of people, I think of Patrick who went beyond himself in witnessing the message of the gospel to all people.

At which age did you start discerning the priesthood?

My first memory of the priesthood was when I was a young kid, maybe around 6 years old. Of course, I was a kid and didn’t understand exactly what the priesthood was, but I knew that there was something attractive about the life and ministry of the priest. Being an altar server allowed me to know the different priests of my parish and to see the various qualities they brought to priestly ministry. I took this vocation seriously and started discerning when I was involved in my parish during high school. It was my family, friends, parishioners, and parish priests who helped me to acknowledge my gifts and talents that would best serve others and help me draw closer to my relationship with God.