What is one of the most valuable things you learned during your time in seminary?

What I have learned in seminary is that the most important thing is to maintain communion with my brothers. Arguments are common in the seminary, but I have realized that conflict is only an occasion for us to deepen our brotherhood in Christ, not a reason to abandon it. Without the help of God, it would have been altogether impossible to live with one another. My time in the seminary has been an excellent opportunity to see God’s grace in action through mutual forgiveness among my brother seminarians.

What is one thing about the priesthood that you are most looking forward to?

I am most looking forward to preaching and teaching the people about God and announcing the Gospel to those far away. I always understood my vocation as fundamentally missionary, so I am excited to bring the word of salvation to everyone I meet. My greatest desire is to help the youth who are so attacked by the devil these days, because if it was not for the zeal of priests and catechists who encouraged me to be sincere with the call of God for me, I don’t think I would have ever answered it.

Would you characterize God’s call to the priesthood for you as a whisper or a roar? Why?

Even though I always felt the call very strongly, the Lord allowed me to distance myself from his call for most of my adolescence. But even when I was far from the Lord, I was always sure of the call in the depth of my heart. Thanks to my catechists, formators and brothers and sisters of my Neocatechumenal community, God gave me the grace to say “yes,” and little by little, his call was confirmed throughout my years in the seminary. I think I could describe my vocation as both a roar initially and always a whisper.