“If you want to save a thousand souls, become a Priest. If you want to save 10,000 souls, become a Priest who knows Spanish.” I heard these words during a homily in my first year of seminary in 2019. These words served to increase an already-present desire within me to learn the Spanish language. Seeking […]
Much like the disciples on the road to Emmaus were not expecting to meet Jesus, I was not at all expecting to meet Jesus when I began working on the Student Government Senate at Catholic University of America this past Fall. As a seminarian on the senate, I knew that I would have some opportunities […]
A colleague at work, Paul Carswell, invited me to go to lunch with him. He was a deeply committed evangelical Protestant familiar with the Bible, and he knew I was a Catholic. I was a little apprehensive because I thought that he was going to ask me why I believed in thoseparticularly Catholic beliefs such […]
We recently had an evening of recollection at St. Mary’s Seminary & University, led by Fr. Carter Griffin, the rector of the St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C. These evenings and days of recollection in the seminary are great opportunities to retreat with Jesus into the wilderness to pray and commune with our […]
The words Quo Vadis (i.e. where are you going?) have constantly stirred a burning desire in my heart since I first came across them nine years ago. I ask myself that every morning: “Dan, where are you going today?” If discernment is a daily endeavor, then it requires a daily “yes” to our Lord. In […]
When I entered seminary five months ago, as a requirement I had to start making a daily holy hour, the concept of which had been completely unfamiliar to me. I had spent time in Adoration in the past, but very infrequently, allowing me to ignore the fact that I am prone to an extremely distracted […]
Greetings my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I have the privilege of being a member of the Church family, where I am embraced by your love and the love of God. I want to share with you how happy I am as a disciple of Christ. When I receive Christ in the Eucharist, I […]
On a walk with a young man discerning a call to the priesthood, I asked him what he considers to be the thing that is holding him back from becoming a seminarian. In a response which left me at a loss for words, he responded to me, “I fear devoting my whole life to something […]
During the Advent and Christmas season, we often hear the word ‘Emmanuel’ when speaking about Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew quotes Isaiah about the coming of the Savior: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23). Beyond being […]
“Hey, have you talked to any seminarians today?” This is how many of the conversations started during the Mount St. Mary’s Seminary evangelization mission trip to West Virginia University. Over thirty seminarians took a few days out of their fall break this October to go talk to college students about Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church, […]