I wanted to go to confession on a regular basis and find out who I was. I then proceeded to go to confession at least once a month and to pay closer attention during Mass. As the months went by, I continued to think about where I was going in life until one Saturday during confession. My pastor told me that he thought I might have a vocation to the priesthood. I thought to myself that I do not know what I want to do with my life, but it most likely is not priesthood. I told him I would think about it, which I did, but probably not as much as he wanted me to.

As the weeks turned into months and I became a senior in high school, I knew I really had to get serious about my future. After a long period of discernment and prayer I decided that I would enter the seminary for at least one year. I thought maybe if I do not become a priest I could say that I experienced the seminary life for a period of time. As soon as I informed my pastor of my decision, he put me in touch with Fr. Marcel Taillon who was then the Assistant Vocation Director. I immediately felt a very warm and comforting feeling when I visited the seminary and had dinner with the priests and seminarians. Going into this meeting I thought that the seminary was this secluded place were all the men did was study and pray together. However, upon further observation I realized that the men were just like me and very integrated into the colleges they attended. They were able to have a great respect for their classmates yet also remember that they lived with a community of men studying for the priesthood. Throughout the application and acceptance period, I was very comforted to know that my family was very supportive of my decision to enter the seminary.

Without a doubt my family has played an integral role in my being at the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence. They have taught me what it means to love and to be loved. I feel that so much of the reason why we have lost and continue to lose a large portion of our young people is because they do not know that they are loved by God and by their family and friends. So much can develop from knowing that you are loved. This is what my parents and my brothers have shown to me. I have a very unique relationship with one of my brothers who is my identical twin. He and I have a great relationship with one another and are able to communicate with each other on so many levels. Also, I have an older brother who has influenced my life greatly and has supported my vocation since the beginning. Together with my family and friends I have developed this knowledge of myself being loved and loving others. I could not imagine my life without the people that our Heavenly Father has blessed me with. I do not know if I would be enrolled in the seminary if it were not for the countless witnesses I have experienced through my family and the friends I have come to know throughout my life.