When I was ten, I took home a holy card of St. Dymphna from my parish church. Little did I know this simple prayer card would spark a regular prayer life within me as an adolescent. One night while praying, a question stirred within me: “What if I became a priest?” I replied, reactionarily, “I am too smart to be a priest; I’ll make a bunch of money and donate it to the Church instead.” Yet, I knew my answer was not sufficient.

Later, I attended a retreat at my brother’s college, where I experienced Eucharistic Adoration for the first time. I began to pray and attend Mass daily, slowly learning that my heart was made for Christ. On a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, I visited a chapel where a Eucharistic miracle took place. After visiting and attending Mass here, I resolved to make a joyful ‘yes’ to whatever God’s will was for me. By my junior year of college, I decided to apply to seminary.