Family: one of four children

Grew up in: Butte, Denver and Dallas High school: Skyline High School, Dallas

College: Harvard University, bachelor’s degree in English literature, 1980

Seminary: Mount Angel in St. Benedict, Ore.; student in Pre-Theology II

Top three hobbies: reading, hiking, bicycling

When did you hear the call of your vocation?

In 2003.

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

I had to give a “witness” account of my faith during a parish retreat and that had a profound effect on me. This happened a couple years after I started praying the rosary and attending Mass on a daily basis, finally developing a proper understanding of the power of the Eucharist. Bringing the Eucharist to people in the hospital has helped confirm my vocation. We should all appreciate the Lord as much as the patients in the ICU!

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

Everybody has been very encouraging. Prayers, of course, are invaluable.

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

I didn’t have any hard and fast expectations coming in, but the Benedictine monks at Mount Angel have been excellent teachers so far, as have many of the lay professors. The daily schedule is super busy, and that takes some getting used to, but it also makes time fly. I quickly became good friends with a number of solid, idealistic Catholic men, and the ethnic diversity—Korean, Tanzanian,Filipino, Hungarian, etc.—gives a true sense of the Church’s universal reach. The Montana guys who’ve already been there a few years were very helpful advisers, and they continue to provide good guidance.

Who are your top spiritual influences?

The Blessed Virgin, Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI and exemplary priests like Father Gregory Burke in Butte.

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

Our time on earth is deceptively short and a lot of people need help with their spiritual lives. Step up to the plate!