Vocation Story

I can begin by saying that I am a "Cradle Catholic" as the expression is used. Born January 28, 1980, I was baptized two months later on March 23 in the Archdiocese of Chicago at Church of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church. On May 21, 1988, also in the Archdiocese of Chicago, at St. Hubert Catholic Church, I received my first Holy Communion. On May 10, 1996, at the end of my sophomore year in high school, I received the sacrament of confirmation. After graduating from Hoffman Estates High School in 1998 I headed off to Western Illinois University (W.I.U.) to begin a four-year bachelors degree.

In my junior year at W.I.U. I first started to hear the call to the priesthood. In college I drifted away from the faith. Then one Sunday my girlfriend and I decided to attend Mass on campus at the Catholic Newman Center. At Mass the priest played the guitar, which as a guitarist myself, made me want to meet him. While heading back from class one day I passed by the Newman Center, and felt this was the time to meet the priest Chaplain, Rev. Daniel Wilder. I walked in and, after a nice visit, he invited me to practice with him and the band that evening. I agreed.

When I had retuned and practiced with the band that evening Fr. Wilder asked, "Do you think you are ready to play tonight?" After playing for Mass, Fr. Wilder pointed out a display that was set up in the vestibule comprised of images of various saints; it was the Feast of All Saints. He pulled off one of the pictures and handed it to me saying, "Something to remember this night by." The image was of St. John Mary Vianney; the patron saint of parish priests. Over the next six months I became extremely active at the Newman Center, and in exchange for maintenance and service leading the band, I was given a room in the upstairs apartment. By the end of the semester I went with the Newman Center on a pilgrimage to Rome. I remember it being after morning Mass at St. Peter's Basilica that I had the first conversation with someone about the possibility of becoming a priest. When I returned home I started to discern a priestly vocation.

Living at the Newman Center was a privileged opportunity to see what the daily life of a priest looked like. Although encouraging, I struggled with the idea of priesthood. I felt was that I was too unworthy to be called to be a priest. In fact, I had an ongoing joke with Fr. Wilder that I wouldn't be convinced that God wanted me unless "I saw a neon sign flashing 'Paul, become a priest!' " Months later I received my sign.

I was working on painting a mural for the Newman Center, and for some reason, couldn't get the priesthood off my mind. In fact, I was up on a ladder and remember getting down to turn up the radio so I would stop thinking about it. The thoughts wrestled, "How could I would ever tell my family or break a three-year relationship with an amazing girlfriend?" While up on the ladder painting Fr. Wilder walked by and said, "Happy Feast Day, Paul." I forgot it was August 4th; the feast day of St. John Vianney.

The next thing I remember is looking up at the words I was painting. I read the words of the mural as if I had never heard them before. It was a passage from the gospel of Matthew 28:19: "Go and make disciples of all the nations." In a singular moment of grace I realized that I was in fact painting my own sign! I went into Fr. Wilder's office to tell him that I decided to enter the seminary, but could not articulate my sentiments due to tears of joy. Somehow Fr. Wilder understood everything perfectly.