1st Theology
Saint John's Seminary, Brighton, MA
Biography:
I was brought up homeschooled in a large Catholic family in rural Exeter, Maine. Even from my childhood. I have always been drawn to religion, and the existence of God and his goodness always seemed evident and true to me. Inspired by some of my older siblings, I became an altar server at my local parish at the age of eight and became very involved in every youth ministry event and program available to me throughout middle school and high school, both at the parish and diocesan levels. My faith began to grow and bud during this time, especially through the authentic witness to Christ that I experienced in my peers at these events. This inevitably led me to confront the question of the priesthood.
Several people, including my pastor at one point, suggested to me that I consider the priesthood, and since then. the thought never seemed to completely leave me. I decided to go to college to put off discerning this more fully, but the Lord used this choice to lead me ever deeper into a serious discernment of the diocesan priesthood. I was nourished spiritually and intellectually through vocational retreats with the diocese, as well as through my involvement with the campus ministry at the University of Maine’s Newman Center. I grew in desire for and practice of prayer, began to attend daily Mass and make use of the sacrament of confession more and more frequently, formed authentic friendships with people who truly love Christ, searched out authentic teachings of the Church, and began to grow more and more into my true self. As I saw myself more clearly and Christ and his Church more clearly, I more clearly saw that I needed to go to seminary to pursue the diocesan priesthood in a focused and committed way.
I graduated from UMaine in Orono in the spring of 2022 and entered seminary for the Diocese of Portland the following semester. I am now learning and growing in many more ways as I dive deeper into priestly discernment and formation. I thank the Lord so much for bringing me here and am very excited for all that the future will bring.
Fun Facts:
Hobbies: Soccer, tennis, hiking, biking, writing, playing guitar
Favorite foods: Egg rolls and stir fry, minestrone soup, potato soup, fresh homemade bread, or anything else that my mom makes.
Favorite saints: St. John Vianney, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Francis de Sales
Favorite authors: JRR Tolkien, JK Rowling, C.S. Lewis, Dan Jones, GK Chesterton, Fulton Sheen, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Robert Cardinal Sarah
Favorite churches: Holy Family in Old Town, St. Anne in Dexter, St. Ann in Bradley, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy, and St. Clements in Rome, Italy.
