Family: Angela Bergeron (mother); Samuel Bergeron (father) and Linda Millard (stepmother), Heather (sister) and David (brother) Bergeron

Grew up in: Ketchikan, Alaska

Education: Ketchikan High School; B.A. in social sciences for secondary education, Carroll College, 2006

Seminary: Second year seminarian at Mount Angel Seminary, St. Benedict, Ore., Pre-Theology II

When did you hear the call of your vocation?

I first began to contemplate the vocational calling while eating crepes and drinking coffee with Father Dougald McCallum. When he first mentioned, in casual conversation none the less, that I should travel and rest after my graduation from Carroll College and then enter theological studies for the Diocese of Helena, I almost choked on my crepe. Yet, through this meal with Father Doug as the “formal” introduction into my vocational discernment, I persisted to contemplate God’s call to the priesthood for approximately six months before I was able to approach Bishop George Leo Thomas for candidacy for sponsorship. Since that October meeting with Bishop Thomas, I have been blessed to have the opportunity to discern the will of God and study for the Diocese of Helena at Mount Angel Seminary.

What moments or experiences in your life nudged you toward your vocation and/or awareness of it?

Through discussions with Father Doug and the late Father J. Eugene Peoples, I really felt the gentle, humanly nudge towards the awareness of my vocation. On a larger scale, some of the most important experiences and moments that nudged me toward the discernment of my vocation came through community service projects and Campus Ministry retreats that were offered through Carroll College. In particular, Search truly helped me to understand the Catholic faith more clearly and to understand how I, as an individual, truly was part of the community of the Catholic Church.

How have people reacted to your vocation? What has been most helpful, in terms of support, from your friends and family?

I have found a great deal of support from my family, friends and peers as I have discerned my vocation. Despite our different geographic locations, I’ve found great strength through phone calls and e-mails with family, friends and parishioners from throughout the Diocese of Helena. It has truly been a blessing to know that my vocational discernment has been strengthened while at the same time strengthening those relationships which are so important to me.

What has surprised you about being a seminarian? How have your expectations been met or exceeded?

My time at Mount Angel Seminary has been so blessed. I have spent much time in prayer, discerning my vocation, and through that prayer have developed a deeper desire to serve God and the people of the Diocese of Helena. I feel so honored and privileged to be given the opportunity to study to be a diocesan priest for the Diocese of Helena and for the support that I receive on a daily basis. I would have to say that, by far, my expectations of seminary life have been exceeded. It’s just such a blessing to study for Bishop Thomas and the Diocese of Helena.

Who are your top three spiritual influences?

I would have to say that my top three spiritual influences thus far in my spiritual journey would be the late Father J. Eugene Peoples, my godfather Nicholas Thomas and Father Jeff Fleming. These three people have provided a great deal toward my spiritual growth the past eight years and have provided me with the framework of what a Catholic man is to do and how he should serve the Church.

What advice might you give to those discerning a call to religious or priestly life?

For me, the hardest part in my discerning for the priesthood has been the application process for the Diocese of Helena. Bishop Thomas, Msgr. Kevin O’Neill and Father John Robertson do such a wonderful job in this application and transition period, but it’s the “unknown” seminary lifestyle that I feared. However, once I arrived at the seminary and figured out the lifestyle, I have found my discernment to be exciting, fulfilling and enriching. The support that I have received from Bishop Thomas, parishioners and priests of the Diocese of Helena has been truly inspiring. So my advice to all those who are discerning a vocation would be to stick with it and give all of your anxiety and doubt to God through prayer.


Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 25, No. 1, January 23, 2009.