Ryan Adams

Theology II

Home Parish: Holy Redeemer, Detroit

Education: B.A. (Philosophy) University of Detroit Mercy, M.A. (Philosophy) Franciscan University of Steubenville

- Don’t be afraid (Mt. 14:27) to follow Jesus who is our true joy in His mystical body the Church (Eph. 4:15-16), that joy can never be taken away.

Jeffrey Allan

Pastoral year

Home Parish: St. Colette, Livonia

Education: B.A. (Business Administration) Adrian College

- Just as Jacob, the Old Testament patriarch, struggled with the angel (Gen. 32:23-33), you may find yourself in a struggle with God in your vocation wondering whether He may be calling you to serve Him and his Bride, the Church, as a priest. I had my own struggles in wanting to know with absolute certitude whether God was calling me to be a priest. Though God did not make it 100 percent clear, He made it clear enough, and it culminated with my free will response, a “leap of faith,” so to speak, a simple “yes!” One helpful tool that enabled me to give that “yes” was attending a discernment weekend at the seminary back in 2005, which Fr. Birney and the Office of Priestly Vocations still offer today. Finally, if you have a docile heart, a love for our Catholic faith, and a tremendous desire to lead souls to God, then God may be calling you to discern His will in a priestly vocation. There is only one way to find out. You can begin in listening and talking to God in prayer.

Mario Amore

Theology I

Home Parish: Our Lady of the Woods, Woodhaven

Education: A.B. (Philosophy) Sacred Heart Major Seminary

- True happiness comes only when we do the will of God! Good discernment helps us to discover how God calls us to live our lives in accord with that will. The seminary offers men who are discerning the priesthood and ideal environment for prayer, study and fraternity. Do not be afraid to take the first step. You might just find the happiness you have been looking for!

John Bettin

Year: Pre-Theology I

Education: Accounting/Finance, University of Detroit Mercy

Home Parish: St. Joseph, Lake Orion

- I look forward most in the priesthood to introducing, or re-introducing, individuals to Jesus Christ and the Church, especially through the Sacraments and helping one another deepen our relationship with Christ.

Sean Bonner

Theology II

Home Parish: St. Victor, Gibralter

Education: B.S. (Marine Transportation) United States Merchant Marine Academy

- Discernment does not end when you enter the seminary that is when it really begins. There is no better place to discern a vocation to the priesthood than the seminary.

Romeo Cappella

College II

Home Parish: St. Stanislaus, Wyandotte

Education: Anderson High School, ‘10

- And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. (…) And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." (Luke 5:4-7, 10)

Arturo Lau Castillo

Theology I

Education: A.B. (Philosophy) Sacred Heart Major Seminary

Home Parish: St Gabriel, Detroit

- A man called to the priesthood sacrifices a wife and children in response to Christ entrusting him with His own bride. This generous response to a humbling vocation does not ask of any man the sacrifice of his masculine identity. All of us as a part of the body of Christ have to endure the fiving over of the self for the good of another. Christ asks all men called to the priesthood to be husband and father and to give a complete oblation to a nuptial covenant, His asking to serve others in a spirit of generous fatherhood crowns this self-giving. It is in this self-giving that all human beings can find happiness and peace.

The most wonderful gift that I have received in this journey is to know that God can transform all my struggles and difficulties into something good, in order to be His instrument through which He can bestow His love to others.

John Cristiano

Year: Philosophy I

Education: University of Detroit Jesuit High School, '08

Home Parish: Our Lady of Good Counsel, Plymouth

- It is important to trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit when discerning your vocation. If you follow the prodding of the Holy Spirit, you will be given reassurance of your vocation. If you feel called, but are reluctant, pray about what you are waiting for.

Christopher Cullen

Year: Philosophy I

Education: Brother Rice High School, ‘09

Home Parish: Our Lady of Sorrows, Farmington

- Sacred Heart Major Seminary is a very welcoming, great place to grow in your discernment with a group of brothers discerning the same vocation, Priesthood. I have grown to know my brother seminarians well in spending time with them in residence and classes. Growing in prayer life, making a holy hour each day, growing in fraternity by hanging out with classmates, growing intellectually through classes and private study, and service in the neighborhood makes Sacred Heart my home. I would not want to be anywhere else.

Brian Cwiek

Year: Philosophy I

Education: Livonia Stevenson High School, '09

Home Parish: St. Genevieve, Livonia

- Sacred Heart Major Seminary has provided me with the opportunity to discern my calling to the priesthood while being surrounded by my fellow seminarians and faculty who are also striving to live out God’s plan for their lives. Their constant support has allowed me to grow and mature in my Catholic faith as I continue to discern my call to the priesthood.

Andrew Dawson

Year: Pre-Theology I

Education: B.A. (Physical Recreation) University College of St. Mark and St. John, England

Home Parish: Guardian Angels, Clawson

- Seeking advice of priests and lay ministers and reading as much as possible was very helpful, but ultimately, taking my discernment to prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and to daily Mass gave me the greatest clarity in hearing and being accepting of God’s call to the priesthood.

Marko Djonovic

Year: Theology III

Home Parish: Our Lady of Albanians, Southfield

- I have come to learn that our Church is in need of men willing to humbly follow Christ in a very counter-cultural way as a priest living the counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

I am incapable of discerning and pursuing my vocation without prayer, without God’s grace. And I will forever thank God for the priestly formation I have received at Sacred Heart Major Seminary."

Patrick Gonyeau

Year: Theology III

Education: B.S. (Advertising) Michigan State University

Home Parish: St. Jude, Detroit

- Sacred Heart Major Seminary is a magnificent institution to discern a vocation to the priesthood. It is extremely fertile grounds for growing in your relationship with God. If you are willing to "give it a good go," not one single day of your time at Sacred Heart will be wasted or empty. Committing to follow out your discernment of the priesthood by attending Sacred Heart is both a wise and generous thing to do. It is wise because Sacred Heart is an amazing place to discern your vocation. It is generous because you will have the opportunity to give yourself fully over to God in the discernment process… essentially saying "Here I am Lord, I come to do your will."

Paul Graney

Year: Philosophy II

Education: Oxford High School, '03

Home Parish: St. Joseph, Lake Orion

- The seminary has been a great experience thus far. I have met many great men and made friends that I will have for the rest of my life. The priests have been excellent examples as to how to live as a priest. Life as a seminarian is not always easy but it is a joyous time to live in a house with your peers with the same goal.

James Grau

Year: Theology III

Education: A.B. (Philosophy) Sacred Heart Major Seminary

Home Parish: St. Michael the Archangel, Livonia

- The seminary has been extremely helpful in coming to a greater conviction in what God’s will is for me, through the environment, the benefit of spiritual direction, and the example of good priests. If someone had a “good suspicion” they had a vocation, I think the seminary is a great place to discern that more fully.

Grayson Heenan

Year: Pre-Theology I

Education: B.A. (Philosophy) Boston College

Home Parish: St. Paul on the Lake, Grosse Pointe Farms

- I entered Sacred Heart Major Seminary due to a deep admiration for the character of the priest. As mediator between man and God, he has the privilege of serving man and taking within himself all of humanity’s deepest groaning- joys, pains, sufferings, desires- and of bringing those before God, who shares His life with the priest in a very special way. To this life, I believe I have been called.

Matthew Hood

Year: Philosophy I

Education: Lake Orion High School, '08

Home Parish: St. Joseph, Lake Orion

- Each and every one of us is called beyond mediocrity to the greatness that God created us for. We will never be truly satisfied until we are able to find that vocation and give our entire lives in total generosity to it. I encourage anyone who might think that God is calling him to the priesthood to spend time with Jesus in prayer. Through prayer, ask Him to show you His will for your life. Open your hearts Him! Priesthood is a beautiful and courageous life.

Timothy Horst

Year: Pre-Theology II

Education: B.A. (Health Fitness) Central Michigan University

Home Parish: St. Cyprian, Riverview

- Seminary is a commitment to discerning the priesthood, not a commitment to the priesthood. If God has placed a call in your heart to His ministerial priesthood, why not give seminary a chance? In the end, you may become a priest, or early on you may bow out, realizing that it is not for you. Either way, you will receive the peace of doing God’s will and His grace will certainly transform and sanctify you no matter what your calling might be!

James Houbeck

Year: Philosophy II

Education: Fraser High School, '05

Home Parish:Our Lady, Queen of All Saints, Fraser

- Discernment is actually a really beautiful, enriching activity. It is a continual process while at seminary and involves a number of steps; who am I, and what gifts and talents has God given me?; where are my areas of strength (virtue), and what are my weaknesses (vices)?; what is God asking of me to do with all of this? What is His will? Discernment is a challenging process that involves deep personal reflection, but it is one of the best tools to help bring about growth in order to become the servant God wants us to be.

David Keyser

Year: Philosophy II

Education: (Mechanical Engineering) Kettering University

Home Parish: St. Joseph, Lake Orion

- God will ask you to give up many things. Trust in Him and you will be rewarded with peace and joy.

Joseph Kirkconnell

Year: Theology II

Education: B.A. (Theology) Notre Dame

Home Parish: St. Ignatius, Cayman Islands

- Always be open to whatever the Lord desires for you because His will is what will make you happiest in life. Studying to be a priest has been a great joy and an incredible life. Praised by Jesus Christ, now and forever!

John Kopson

Year: Theology II

Education: A.B. (Philosophy) Sacred Heart Major Seminary

Home Parish: St. Mary, Queen of Creation, New Baltimore

- The most helpful “tool” for me, prior to entering the seminary, was conversing with priests. I learned a lot about the life of the priest through these conversations and it dawned on me that I would love to live that life! God blessed me by surrounding me with joyful priests who loved what they did. I now look forward with joyful anticipation to the day when I can join them.

Louis Lapeyre

Year: Theology III

Education: B.A. (Philosophy and Catholic Studies) University of St. Thomas

Home Parish: Assumption Grotto, Detroit

- Is the world dying because it does not know it’s Savior? There were many different ways I first asked that question before entering seminary, but the fact is that only the Lord is our refuge. Putting my trust in Jesus Christ became my way to begin discernment, and He is the only way for us to live by faith.

Mark Livingston

Year: Pre-Theology I

Education: B.A. (Economics) Wayne State University, M.S.W. (Social Work) University of Michigan

Home Parish: St. Pius X, Southgate

- As an older vocation, I spent many years discerning God’s call amid many personal and societal distractions. That discernment led me to the priesthood and Sacred Heart Major Seminary. It took me some time to find the stillness of mind and heart necessary to hear the Lord’s voice- "a tiny whispering sound"- in our distracting world. Jesus is calling so many men to serve Him but hearts become restless when distracted from Him by worldly attractions. Trust Jesus is calling you as you are today with all your current gifts, talents, and even shortcomings and entrust your vocation to the Blessed Virgin Mary- "To Jesus, through Mary."

Dominic Macioce

Year: Pre-Theology II

Education: B.S. (Marketing) Oakland University

Home Parish: St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Sterling Heights

- While discerning, the three greatest helps for me were Daily Mass, the Rosary, and time spent before the Blessed Sacrament. I would highly encourage anyone who is discerning their vocation to take advantage of, and integrate these three blessings into their discernment process. Be diligent but also be patient and give God to reveal His plan to you. God bless!

Sean MacLennan

Year: Pre-Theology II

Education: B.A. (Philosophy) St. Louis University/p>

Home Parish: St. Fabian, Farmington Hills

- If you want to know God’s will for you the most important thing you can do is pray. Pray daily. I firmly believe that if you earnestly want what God wants and are in regular conversation with Him, He will not let you make a mistake of such magnitude. Remember, it is ultimately what God wants for us that will make us happy. Ask Him! Get to know Him and you’ll get to know His will.

Craig Marion

Year: Philosophy I

Education: Lamphere High School, '96

Home Parish: St. Vincent Ferrer, Madison Heights

- After completing my first academic year at Sacred Heart, I have discovered my overall discernment towards Priesthood has been strengthened. I believe, although challenging, time spent in seminary formation is very much a gift. You will grow spiritually, your knowledge of the faith will greatly increase and you will have the ability to find friendships that will last for a lifetime. For any man, time spent in seminary provides the unique opportunity to lose nothing and gain everything.

Dcn. Steve Mateja

Year: Theology IV

Education: B.A. (Philosophy) Sacred Heart Major Seminary

Home Parish: St. Theodore of Canterbury, Westland

- The gift of the priesthood is the greatest gift the Lord Jesus could have blessed me with. Though, I am unworthy of such a supreme gift, opening my heart to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary has allowed me to see truly that the "last shall be first." The greatest advice I can offer to one discerning would be – expose your heart and will to Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Brian Meldrum

Year: Theology I

Education: B.Mus. (Music Education) Oakland University

Home Parish: St. Thecla, Clinton Township

- The seminary is not only a place of prayer and study, but also a place to grow in your relationship with the Lord. If you hear the Lord calling you to a deeper relationship with Him, ask Him if the seminary is the place for you. Thank God always for His goodness and love.

Christopher David Mue

Year: Pre-Theology I

Education: B.A. (Construction Management) Ferris State University

Home Parish: St. Clare de Montefalco, Grosse Pointe Park

- The discernment to the priesthood has been full of grace and many blessings. I look forward to many further blessings and graces during my journey into seminary.

Salvatore Palazzolo

Year: Theology IV

Education: B.S. (Mechanical Engineering) Oakland University

Home Parish: St. Isidore, Macomb Township

- Growing up I had always has some prayer life, but it wasn’t until I began to speak with God rather than at Him that my prayer life began to grow. I had never considered asking God what He wanted me to do with my life. It took some time and growing to trust the Lord, but now I am sure that we will be happiest, we will be most ourselves if we are living the vocation that Jesus has made us for. May he give you the wisdom to discern His will and the fortitude to follow it. God bless you.

Gregory Pearson

Year: Theology I

Education: A.A. St. Clair Community College, B.A. (Philosophy) Sacred Heart Major Seminary

Home Parish: Holy Trinity, Port Huron

- I had always thought about the priesthood since I was a little kid but I had always put it off to the side focusing on what I wanted to do, and it wasn’t until I entered college that I started to seriously discern the priesthood. In 2005, I lost two important men in my life that had always been there and were a great source of inspiration for me. One of them being Pope John Paul II, and the other was my pastor, Fr. Rene Desmarais, both of their deaths were a wakeup call for me. Who is going to teach the faith to the next generation? Who is going to dispense the sacraments? Over the next two years I prayed and I could see that God had been calling me to be a priest my whole life; I could finally see that he was speaking to me through the people He had placed in my life, and the many gifts he had given to me over the years. I finally said yes to the Lord, I will follow you, and I have never been happier in my life. Since entering the seminary, I have come to see that the greatest gift that God has ever given is the gift of the priesthood. It is a gift to stand in the place of His son, to be a bridge of His love and mercy. “You did not choose me; it was I who chose you.” (John 15:16)

Greg Piatt

Year: Theology II

Education: B.A. (English) Wayne State University

Home Parish: St. Sylvester, Warren

- God is patient and can pursue you for many years or God can call you later in life to be one of his holy priests. Whether single, widowed or formerly married, discernment for the priesthood can be the most rewarding thing a middle age man can do with the rest of his life. If you truly love God, and feel that he is calling you to the priesthood, is there any better way to serve Him and others than as a priest? Not money, power, material things or even a successful career can match up to pursuing God’s call by discerning the priesthood. I gave up a successful career as a journalist/war correspondent. I was blessed with many things, but it wasn’t fulfilling. I received my call when I was younger but pursued my career. Through my success, I found the true essence of what St. Augustine meant when he said “our hearts are restless until we rest in You.” I am now in seminary discerning my call with the hope, God willing, of being ordained a priest in 2014. If you are a middle age man and thought time and your age had ended your calling might not be the case. If you love God and think He’s calling you, it takes prayer and courage to make the decision to follow Him and discern His call. Do you hear Him calling?

Reynaldo Salce Jr.

Year: College I

Education: Southgate Anderson High School, ‘10

Home Parish: St. Cyprian, Riverview

- Discernment so far has been a great time in my life. A personal prayer life is essential, but you can’t do it all alone. If you open up to other young men in discernment as well as priests and others in the consecrated life, you will find a very loving and supportive environment.

Bryan Shackett

Year: Theology II

Education: A.B. (Philosophy) Sacred Heart Major Seminary

Home Parish: Our Lady on the River, Marine City

- Discerning the priesthood is discerning an eternal love of the person of Jesus Christ. It is about giving yourself completely to God Himself, who then opens you to love all as He has loved them. It is about allowing yourself to be drawn to God and truly united to Him, who is love itself. This deep union will then be perfected and imprinted upon the soul of the priest through ordination. The priest then becomes a conduit of the love of Jesus Christ in everything that he does, but most especially through the ministering of the Sacraments.

Robert Slaton

Year: Theology IV

Education: A.B. (Philosophy) Sacred Heart Major Seminary

Home Parish: Our Lady of Hope, St. Clair Shores

- Discernment of a vocation is primarily discernment about love. Not if we are called to love, for love is a universal calling. The question is how we are called to love for the greater glory of God.

Dcn. Paul Snyder

Year: Theology IV

Education: B.A. (Graphic Design) Eastern Michigan University

Home Parish: National Shrine of the Little Flower, Royal Oak

- The time I have spent in seminary has been some of the best in my life. The seminary provides a great opportunity to know Christ in a deeper way and too learn of His love. This path helped me to clearly understand that Christ was calling me to serve him as a priest. The seminary also provides an opportunity for friendship truly rooted in Christ. The friends I have made in seminary are true brothers whose support I consider one of the greatest blessings in my life.

Mark Tibai

Year: Philosophy I

Education: Seton Home Study School '07

Home Parish: St. Patrick, Carleton

- The thought of priesthood first came to me when I was quite a bit younger. I went back and forth for many years trying to figure out if the priesthood was for me. God then used a line from a vocation movie that went: “Who will bring the sacraments to the next generation?” It was less than a year later that I showed up for my first day as a Detroit seminarian. Stay open to what God wants for you and you will be happy and blessed.

David Tomaszycki

Year: Pre-Theology II

Education: B.A. (Philosophy) Ave Maria University

Home Parish: Immaculate Conception, Anchorville

- Trust that God really wants you to be happy. Know that true happiness only comes from following God’s will for you.

Joe Tuskiewicz

Year: Theology II

Education: B.S. (Business Administration) Wayne State University

Home Parish: St. Josaphat, Detroit

- Like a man called to a vocation of marriage who first makes a commitment by “engagement” to his future wife, seminary is an “engagement” period wherein we make a commitment to our future bride, the Church, while continuing to discern our vocation to the priesthood.

Anthony Valenti

Year: Philosophy I

Education: Eisenhower High School ‘96

Home Parish: St. John Vianney, Shelby Township

- "Find your delight in the Lord who will give you your heart’s desire." Psalm 37:4

Jacob VanAssche

Year: Theology I

Education: A.B. (Philosophy) Sacred Heart Major Seminary

Home Parish: St. Stephen, New Boston

- Seminary isn't just a place where you go to get "priest training," but a place to deepen your relationship with Jesus. Through this time growing closer to Jesus in the Seminary, God can reveal to your heart where He wants you to be, and we have to put all our trust in His will and that He will be our guide. Jesus I trust in You!

Ryan Walters

Year: College I

Education: Seton Home Study School, ‘11

Home Parish: SS. Cyril and Methodius, Sterling Heights

- "Be not afraid" were the three key words that greatly eased any hesitation about my discernment to enter seminary. If any man is discerning entering seminary or becoming a priest, be not afraid! For if God is with you, what is there to be afraid of?

Timothy Wezner

Year: Philosophy II

Education: Sterling Heights High School, '99

Home Parish: SS. Cyril and Methodius, Sterling Heights