3…2…1…The Jump of a Lifetime

Have you ever been called to do something but felt that you were unqualified or unworthy to do so? Maybe you were asked to be the best man, or maid of honor at a wedding, or maybe been asked to lead a team at work in a new direction. There are countless times in our lives that we are called to do something that we feel unworthy or unqualified to undertake and yet, sometimes we must make a move. When given these opportunities we have a choice to make: do we take what is being offered and see where it leads or do we stick to what we know because it’s safe and secure? For most of my known life I have been a planner, an organizer, and someone who calculates my every move. I do not like the unknowns in life, nor do I like jumping at an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone. 3 ½ years ago God set in motion a movement in my heart that I have actively fought until recently. For those that do not know, I have been discerning a call to the priesthood for a few years now. For the longest time it was a personal discernment of God saying yes and me saying no. As you can imagine, this back and forth lasted for a couple of years. It was not until I gave God the chance, and in one “weak” moment, allowed God to show me the “what if”. That “what if” moment would set me down the path of meeting some of the most influential people in my life, in both my discernment and the formation of who I am as a human being. Those people help me pick myself up when I fall and keep me grounded when I’m soaring. It was from the many examples of true and holy marriages, and true and holy priests that I was even able to truly allow God to work on my heart. I am happy to announce that as of February 22, 2016 I have been accepted as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Atlanta and will hopefully be attending Mundelein Seminary in Chicago. Some of you may have seen this coming for a long time now, while for some of you this might come as a surprise. The beautiful thing is that is has been a surprise to me as well! I feel totally unqualified and unworthy that God would even call me into the water this deep – but I have trust in what He is doing and am very excited to start this new journey in my life. I humbly ask that you keep me in your prayers as I continue my discernment in God’s call and that if He does ultimately call me to the priesthood that I be like those true and Holy priests that have influenced my life so much. My brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to walk into the water, for that journey may never end like you thought, but I can promise you that it will be one of the most interesting and beautiful walks you can imagine. Know that you are in my prayers and if you ever need anything please do not hesitate to ask!

He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” – Matthew 4:19

Your Brother in Christ,

Evan

P.S.
I plan to write and release my vocation story as a blog sometime in the near future, and also plan to post updates as my discernment continues and about what life is like in seminary via The Mobile Mission blog – so stay tuned!