Laboure Society
“My name is Caleb Stoner. I am discerning a call to serve Christ and His Church as a priest for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. This is my story. ”
Meet the rest of my class
My name is Caleb Stoner. I am discerning a call to serve Christ and His Church as a priest for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. This is my story.
I grew up in a Catholic family of eight in Kansas City, Missouri. Being homeschooled, most of my youth was centered around the Faith, including praying the rosary with my mother and siblings and volunteering as an altar server. I grew close to the priest and looked up to the older servers, some of whom were seminarians. These experiences laid a Catholic foundation built on joy and family.
My Catholicism was challenged, though, by the sports teams I played on. None of the other guys understood my Faith or my moral convictions, yet I was not confident enough to explain them, so it was hard to make friends.
Faced with the struggle of being a public witness to Christ, I learned that I did not want to be cowardly in my Faith. During high school, my pastor invited me to a discernment group, which was very affirming. I found that I had similar desires to the men I met during seminary visits, and felt fulfilled when I thought of giving myself in service for the Church.
I also grew closer to the Lord through the Sacraments and Eucharistic Adoration. During one particularly painful period of life, I was raw and honest with God in prayer, and He revealed to me that He was providing an opportunity for me to draw ever closer to Him. I’ve come to see that my passion for the Faith is a gift that the Lord is calling me to share with others, God-willing as a priest.
As I follow God’s calling to the priesthood, I seek others to accompany me on this journey. May we meet so that I can share more? Until then, please keep me and my classmates in prayer, and feel free to reach out to me at CalebStoner@rescuevocations.org.
Download a PDF of my story
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