26 years ago today I was ordained a priest at St Thomas More Cathedral by Bishop Keating.. It was also Bishop Keating that gave me the sacrament of Confirmation when I was in 8th grade at St Ann..

God has a vocation for everyone. And God speaks through our hearts. and also through events in our life big and small. We discover our vocation, because the seed of our vacation was put into our heart the moment we were conceived, and our vocation was part of God plan for us from all eternity. We are precious stones that make up the Holy Temple of God Church. Our vocation is the stone that we were meant to be.. meaning that God doesn’t; somehow fit what we become into his plan. His plan from all eternity was that we were to do what he desired for us to do…

How this happens when we listen to the still small voice…God will not our will.

Many time a small event is what makes us discover God Plan for our life. But in God eyes nothing is small..

Just one example out of my life.. I was graduating from High School, Bishop Ireton and applying to colleges. We had an Apple 11 and my dad bought a program ‘How to pick a college’ I put some random stuff in.. not sure what, but one thing had to be Catholic..

I got rejected from every school I applied to but one, Gannon.. never heard of it before that..But I said to my mom ‘ I am going to Gannon’ of which she said ‘why’ of which I said ‘don’t know but that where I am going.’ Now looking back it might have been that I applied to like 6 school was rejected by everyone.. Don’t remember.. Some of the schools I got rejected from Santa Clara, Hoftra, Syracuse…to name a few..

Not knowing anything about Gannon, and who goes to Erie for college. But one day my dad and I drove up to see school. My dad was coming off a reconversion from working in Tokyo. He was there for 4 years and there is a famous Franciscan Church in Tokyo.. so my dad was on a Catholic high.

Well we meet someone in a office.. He hands my dad a program called the ‘Center for Christian Wisdom.’ That some priests teachers were starting up. I think it was in the second year at that time. I think it lasted 6 years, and maybe 20 students went through it.. Most of the kids were really Catholic Kids..

So next month or so.. I am in a class reading Aristotle, and have a spiritual director Fr Levis (he was on EWTN for many years answering questions)…Who was the Spiritual advisor.

So because of that, Chance encounter of joining this program. I discovered a vocation..

Secondly… I went to a pro life conference, and a student asked me to pray a rosary.. Now I was Catholic and all, but a college kids asking another kid to pray the rosary was still for me from another world.. But I did. A few days later I promise Mary I would pray a rosary every day of my life. Now that was when I was college before Seminary. I knew when I made that promise God wanted me to be a priest… And there has not been a single day when I have not prayed a rosary.

Thirdly, I applied to the seminary freshman year for Arlington. I was rejected, for issue of severe depression. But I reapplied senior year..and Fr Gould who at my home parish Arlington and the vocation director.. saw that Fr Levis.. wrote a letter of recommendation for me.. Why that important because Fr Levis was the reason Fr Gould became a priest in the first place. Fr Gould was from Niagara NY where Fr Levis was from .. and Fr Gould said in his heart ‘he would accept anyone that Fr Levis recommended.. with no questions.’ He I was with a. letter of recommendation from Fr Levis.. That summer I was working at camp in Seattle, and got a ear ring.. So Fr Gould said ‘We will accept you but take out the earring.’ Interesting thought.. would I have been accepted if I didn’t have that letter from Fr Levis.. Not sure…

fourthly, I went to do my psych evaluation.. and I prayed 3 Hail Mary before it.. afterwords he said ‘I don’t know what happen but whatever you had seems tone gone’ and He passed me…

Now Summer was here, end of college, and going to Calcutta to work with Mother Theresa.. during that time I ask her personally, to pray 3 Hail Mary for my vocation. She says she will.I call the vocation office in Arlington from a college shop in Calcutta and I learn that I am accepted..

And the end of August the Summer after I graduated from college. I entered the Seminary at Mont Saint Mary…. and 4 years later May 18 1996, 26 years ago today…I was ordained a priest…