09/10/2026
Seventeen years ago in August, I arrived at St. Gregory the Great Seminary with a carload full of clothes and books, 19 years old and ready to begin the long process of formation for the priesthood.
Strangely enough, I vividly remember that I felt like I was moving home. Perhaps this was because my first year of college had lacked purpose or direction, and now I had come to a place where both were clearly laid out. Perhaps it was a sense of the ordered environment I had entered, a place stable and secure enough that I could work out the chaos in my mind and heart. In any case, as I unloaded my car and settled into my new room, I felt the same kind of relief you feel when stepping into your house after having been away for a long time.
As God’s providence would have it, 17 years later, St. Gregory the Great Seminary is again my home. After two years of serving as formator and professor, this summer I became rector of the seminary. Since taking over this new role, I have found myself reflecting on what I hope the seminary will provide for the 49 young men who now call this place home. Inevitably, this has led me to think about what St. Greg’s did for me, how it transformed me during the three years I spent here as a seminarian.
Read the full story in the Southern Nebraska Register:
Official website of the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln.
