God Never Stops Pursuing Us
By Jon Conner, C.C. Applicant
The first time I thought about the possibility of the priesthood was in third grade while watching the election of a new pope. I wondered what life would be like as a priest. “What would it be like to serve God in this special way?” I didn’t think much about this, but God was certainly starting to play a bigger role in my life after I was miraculously healed from an elbow injury when I was in fourth grade. This event confirmed my faith in Christ and affirmed that I wanted His Will to be done in my life. This decision was not easy to fulfill, but God blessed me through many role models who challenged me to continue focusing on who He made me to be, and not who others wanted me to be.
By the time I entered high school at Royalmont Academy, I had grown a lot in my faith and had amazing support from my family, St. Max’s youth group, my school, and the Catholic camps where I served. During this time, the thought of heading into seminary became prominent in my life. I sought out priests to talk with and learn more about their journeys. When Covid hit, I was shown what a blessing the sacraments are and our true need for the work of priests. Fr. Jesus Salinus, noticing this fire within me, gave me an opportunity to serve the Lord through leading ministries at Royalmont Academy. He often challenged me to continue seeking what God had for me and to give my life completely to Him.
It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to go on a pilgrimage to Rome that I started discerning whether I was being called to the seminary. Before this, I knew that it was a possibility, but I struggled with thinking that I was not worthy of receiving this call. Many others saw this as a possibility for me, but I did not think I could do it. On our last day in Rome, while serving at Mass, Father raised the Eucharist, and I heard, “You know, this really could be you one day.” I knew that this message was from the Lord and that His invitation was true. No matter what I believed about my own worthiness, the Lord was inviting me to be fully open to His Will. So, upon arriving home, I started to ask priests for advice on what to do and what to read to help my discernment process as I headed off to Benedictine College in the fall. My brother was also heading into his first year of seminary with the Companions of the Cross, so I talked with him about how he had heard the Lord’s calling in his own life.
College presented many new challenges as I was attempting to discern where the Lord was leading me in life. However, I found an amazing group of friends who pushed me to grow in my faith and to continue pursuing the Lord’s Will, even if it was a difficult or different path. I started going to “Come and See” retreats with various orders and talking to vocation directors. I also joined a discernment group at Benedictine, which proved incredibly beneficial in my journey.
Pretty quickly, two religious communities stood out to me in prayer and conversations. I planned visits with both communities and asked that God would show me His Will. Meanwhile, I also began to investigate graduating from Benedictine a year early to be able to enter seminary faster. On another trip to Rome, the Lord confirmed that He was calling me to graduate a year early. I assumed that this meant that I was supposed to join the community I was visiting in Rome. This was not the case. When visiting, I knew that this wasn’t where God wanted me to be. God showed me that He was closing that door to reveal where He was calling me.
Three weeks later, I visited the Companions of the Cross and immediately felt peaceful and at home there. God had shown me where my journey was to continue. After one final visit, I applied in March, graduated from college in May, and was accepted as an applicant with the Companions of the Cross in June. My first three months have been an amazing continuation of my adventure with Christ. I know that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide my journey–as He will for you–if you have the courage to let Him.
To learn more about vocations and discernment, you may visit www.saint-max.org/vocations.