UNITED STATES
OnePeterFive.com (blog)
August 3, 2018
By John A. Monaco
Ever since I was a child, I wanted to become a priest. My mother, a devout Catholic, was the one who taught me about the faith, the sacraments, and the Church. She brought me to daily Mass since I was an infant, and my earliest memories are of being held in her arms as she knelt on the communion rail to worthily receive the Eucharist. The image of the priest at prayer, offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, hearing confessions, visiting the sick, preaching from the pulpit, proclaiming the Gospel – I admired the priesthood and prayed to God that He would call me to serve Him as a priest.
My family was close with various priests in our home city. All of them knew I had a desire within me to become a priest. Given my solid Catholic upbringing, my participation in our parish life, and my zeal to bring others closer to God, it was a natural conclusion – after high school, I would enter seminary.
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