Seminarians Reflect on their Journey toward the Priesthood

Lucas daCosta
St. John’s Seminary, Brighton

The beginning of a new year at the seminary always brings with it many feelings. It’s much like the first day back to school for any student. From the first grader to the master’s degree candidate, we wonder who our teachers will be, whether our classmates with whom we share so many memories will still be there, and perhaps most important of all, how much homework we will have this year.

Returning to seminary also means returning to the rhythm of daily prayer, study, and community life. With the new academic year comes the joyful yet sobering realization that we are one step, one year closer to the goal of our studies: ordained ministry.

Each day in the seminary, every class we attend, every test we take, every day spent in formation is meant to shape and prepare us to bring Christ to the people we feel called to serve. This formation comes not only through books and lectures but above all through prayer. The seminary offers us the unique opportunity to step away from the noise of the world and enter a space where we are invited to grow in intimacy with the One who calls us. It is here that we learn to conform our lives more closely to him. 

So, we give thanks to God for this opportunity, this invitation to enter into the school of prayer and fraternity, even if it does come with a little extra homework this year!

Evan Mello
Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland

My name is Evan Mello and I have entered my first year of Pre-Theology/Philosophy studies at Mount Saint Mary’s University. After building a solid foundation of prayer and discipline during my year in the Propaedeutic stage of formation, I am eager to start learning more about the world Our Lord made for us, and where we all fit in it. 

While philosophy was not my strongest area in college, I am eager to learn about it as I know in order to have a rightly ordered view of the supernatural things in theology, I need to have a rightly ordered view of the natural world which can only be taught in philosophy. 

I know that it will be difficult. But with Our Lord and Our Lady leading me, I know that anything is possible. As the Archangel Gabriel said to Mary at the Annunciation, “Nothing shall be impossible for God.”

Kaíque Santos
Immaculate Conception Seminary, South Orange, New Jersey

After a wonderful summer serving at St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family Parish in Falmouth, I have returned to the seminary for my final semester before, God willing, being ordained a deacon this December. Looking back, I am amazed to realize that when I add together the years I spent in formation in Brazil with my time here in the United States, it has been eleven years of preparation for the priesthood. It has truly been a long journey, one marked by surprises, challenges, and blessings I never imagined. Yet in each stage, I have experienced God’s providence and the quiet confirmation that this is where He is calling me. What has kept me moving forward is a growing desire to love Jesus and His Church more deeply, and to help others discover the treasure Christ entrusted to us in His Church.

Seminary life is both ordinary and extraordinary. My days are filled with prayer, classes, pastoral work, and fraternity with my brother seminarians. These routines may look simple from the outside, but they are the soil where God has been shaping me. 

Over the years, formation has not been a burden but a time of grace, an opportunity to grow in holiness, to learn how to serve, and to become more available to Christ. As I approach the end of this chapter, I feel a gentle nostalgia. The seminary has been a home where I have prayed, studied, laughed, struggled, and matured. Now, standing on the threshold of ordained ministry, I carry a deep sense of gratitude for all that has prepared me for what comes next.

Since arriving in the Diocese of Fall River, I have slowly put down roots, formed friendships, and gotten to know priests and families in the parishes I have served. Each encounter has made me feel more at home, and more convinced that God has placed me here with a purpose. This is a land rich with opportunities for evangelization, and I am excited to see how God will use my vocation in service to His people. As this new academic year begins, my heart is full of peace, joy, and readiness to give myself completely to the mission that lies ahead.

I humbly ask for your prayers during this important time of transition and preparation. Your support means more than words can express, and I carry the confidence that God’s grace will be at work through the prayers of His faithful people. Please keep me close to the Lord in your intentions and know that I keep you in mine.