Many people consider themselves fortunate when they can honestly say they love what they do for a living. From the time I was in second grade, I had dreamed of becoming a priest. I looked forward to going to mass each and every weekend. I would observe the priests at Sunday mass and picture myself as them when I was older. From that point forward, the thought of becoming a priest was always in my mind. Being devoted to my faith and receiving the sacraments of first penance, first communion, and confirmation only increased my love for the faith and my desire to become a priest. There were many experiences in my life that deepened my love for the Catholic church and strengthened the call I felt to the priesthood.
As I mentioned, every week I looked forward to going to Sunday Mass. There were just so many things from the music to receiving Jesus in holy communion that even as a young child fascinated me. There was one priest in particular that I really liked because of his preaching. He kept it simple and to the point. His homilies were able to resonate with people of all ages, children and adults alike. This was another source of great inspiration for me because it showed me the power of great preaching and the affects it had on people. When I entered the fourth grade, I became an altar server at my parish. I immediately fell in love with serving the mass. I loved being able to kneel right next to the altar when the priest consecrated the hosts. Being an altar server also gave me a chance to get to know the priests of my parish even better. Every one of them contributed something to guide me in my vocation. Whether it be a piece of advice, a story, or a lesson they had learned that they passed on to me. I learned about the vestments the priests wore and many other “behind the scenes” aspects of the mass that not every person sitting in the pews would know. When I saw how much preparation goes into a Sunday mass it showed me that it was not just any event. Between the priest preparing his homily, the music director preparing the music and practicing with the choir, the lectors preparing themselves to proclaim God’s word, the sacristan making sure everything that is needed for mass is ready to go, and the many other things needed to prepare for mass was enthralling. The amount of preparation work the priest puts into his weekly homilies and the prayerful attitude of the priest as he spiritually prepares himself for mass were just two of many things I would notice.
When I was a junior in high school, I was told about the diocesan discernment groups offered by the vocation’s director. I attended the meetings, and some helpful tips about discerning God’s will were offered. One of my favorite meetings was the Sunday we got to meet the seminarians of our diocese. They had all shared their stories and provided some helpful information about discerning a vocation to the priesthood. Being able to meet the men were brave enough to say “yes” to God was very inspiring.
In December of my senior year of high school, I applied to College Seminary. Going through the application process showed me that the church really wants to make sure they are getting solid, great quality men to serve the church as holy priests. I eventually finished the process and submitted my application. One evening my phone rang and it was the vocation director calling. He informed me that I was accepted into seminary. I was overjoyed when I got the phone call because it was the first big achievement in my dream of serving Jesus Christ as a priest. God willing, I am a priest one day, I will always have these fond memories of my childhood to look back upon and thank God for his many blessings in my life so far.
Nicholas Esposito
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