“Why I Want to be a Priest"
We are so proud that our eldest son, Kolbe, has discerned the priesthood. He will enter the fall of 2023. Here is his entrance essay to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary:
“Why do I want to be a priest?” For the longest time, I hadn’t. But , I believe that God is calling me to be a priest. I thought I had life figured out. My ambitions were to marry, raise a large family and become a pediatric dentist. Everything, I mean everything, was directing me towards that path. Well, except that burning flame within my heart I was ignoring, that was pulling me in a different direction.
My father is an amazing pediatric dentist that I have always looked up to. From a young age, I have aspired to be like him and he taught me to be a dental assistant. This was an amazing opportunity to learn more about the field I wanted to go into. Immediately, I dove into learning as much as I could, and giving patients exceptional care. I took these aspirations to Texas A&M University. To get into dental school, academic excellence is essential and I strove to keep a 4.0 GPA throughout my time in college. I thought I had everything figured out. I was pursuing my dream job, had a 4.0 GPA, and was expecting to graduate in three years and apply to dental school early. To further solidify that my choice was right, I met a beautiful, virtuous Catholic girl who I had intentions to marry, and have a career to raise a large family. Nothing was going to stop me. Until I again heard that whisper from childhood that I have subdued for many years.
The call to the priesthood has been subtle all of my life until college. Looking back, I remember key moments while altar serving and going to vocation retreats that pointed me to the priesthood, but nothing consistent. During my first semester of college, I was at Mass and the priest read, “What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his soul?”(Mark 8:6). This verse struck me and I immediately heard the call to the priesthood unlike I had ever experienced before. It was so impactful because I looked at my life, and I realized that God gifted everything to me and it was clear he was preparing me for something far greater. My career path was only leading to “gaining the world,” but I knew it would never quench that desire.
A call to the priesthood is worth leaving everything for. God is my supreme love, and I want to give my entire life up to Him so that I may offer Him sacrifice, and through this, lead souls to Heaven. I love God with all my heart, and with all my being, and I want to devote my life to propagate His glory. In comparison, earthly pursuits and pleasure no longer mean anything to me. This call has grown strong in me and I hear it everyday more clearly, and I am finally willing to respond. I have pushed this call off for quite some time, but God has helped soften the hardness of my heart. Although I have not finished my degree, God has called me at this time for a specific reason, and I desire to offer God the gift of my youth, and not wait any longer.
I want to be a priest so I can give God his due glory with all the reverence and piety I am able to. Through this devotion in offering the Sacrifice of the Mass, I wish to lead others towards eternal salvation and inspire vocations in the youth. The Faithful want an increase in piety and reverence and to hear the truth at Mass. I am yearning to respond to my call and fulfill this need the Church has. Overall, I desire to give everything I possibly can to God, for I believe it has been God’s long desire that I become a priest and I am ready to accept my vocation.