Laboure Society
“In life there will always be struggle, such is the nature of things, but in life there is also hope and happiness.”
Meet the rest of my class
My name is Brandon Yurcisin. I am called to serve Christ and His Church as a priest with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. This is my story.
I was baptized Catholic as an infant, and my family practiced the faith until I received my first Communion at ten years old. My grandma was the secretary at her parish, and she and my grandfather continued to encourage my faith once my immediate family no longer practiced. My grandma brought me along to help with projects in the parish, and she and my grandfather took me to Sunday Mass. It was their influence that kept me connected to the Church.
Family life was challenging and when I was in seventh grade, my parents divorced. This had a negative impact on much of my life, including my relationship with God. However, by ninth grade, I knew that I was missing something. At the suggestion of my pastor, I joined RCIA to prepare for Confirmation. My grandma both drove me to and from and attended RCIA classes with me weekly.
Throughout the rest of high school, things began to improve in my life. I built new friendships, got involved in theater, and began to be much more interested in religion.
The first time I experienced a call to the priesthood was during RCIA in high school. The call was mysterious, yet remained, ever so faintly, in the back of my mind as time went on. I wanted to grow in my understanding of God and what that meant for me. Questions regarding God and religion lead me to study theology and philosophy as an undergraduate in college. During my last semester of college, I studied in Rome, and there my questions about God became more focused on my Roman Catholic Faith. The architecture, art, music and history helped me to more deeply appreciate the truth and beauty of the Catholic Church.
After college, I spent a year serving with AmeriCorps. During that time, I felt the urge to turn to God for direction about my future. The call to the priesthood that I had felt years earlier now resurfaced full force, and I was ready to respond.
Having visited Philadelphia a number of times during college, I found it to be extremely welcoming, and felt as if I was very much at home there. The priests that impacted me growing up, through their desire to serve and be available to me and others, were role models of what a good and holy priest should be. The desire to apply for seminary with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia grew, and I am now a seminarian. I look forward to not only administering the sacraments, but also teaching about the meaning and importance of them. I want to be like a bucket, filled with the love of God, continually outpouring on His children, that they too may know the love of Christ.
Please pray for me and for my fellow Laboure classmates on our vocation journey. Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have at brandon@rescuevocations.org.
Download a PDF of my story
Watch Now
Your gift gets our aspirants one step closer to their ordination or profession of vows.