I was born and raised in the east end of Toronto, not far from St. Augustine’s Seminary. When I was a child, my family occasionally attended a Presbyterian church, which was an easy walk from our home. Church attendance faded out when I was about eight years old. I was always very interested in religion, and I had many questions that nobody seemed to want to answer. This longing for God never left me. When I was a teenager and could drive, I started taking myself to Sunday mass. One Sunday, I attended the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, and I was struck when the priest elevated the Host. I knew that I had seen God, and at that moment, I decided to become a Catholic. I was baptized on January 8th, 2012, which that year was the great feast of Epiphany. I learned to serve mass, and this became a great love. I knew I wanted to be a priest, but my pastor advised me to wait a few years as I was young and a new convert.

That fall, I moved to Niagara for College to become a Paramedic. During this time, I regularly attended St. Aloysius Parish. I graduated from Niagara College in 2014 and was hired by Niagara EMS as a Paramedic shortly thereafter. In 2018 I suffered a workplace injury while on a call, which required me to take eight months off work to recover. While convalescing, I attended daily mass at St. Alexander Parish. During this period of silence and prayer, I began to feel a very intense call to the priesthood. After fully recovering, I returned to my full-time work for about a year.

I was accepted by the Diocese of St. Catharines as a seminary candidate in the spring of 2020 and was admitted to St. Philip’s Seminary, attached to the Toronto Oratory, in September of 2020 to study Philosophy. St. Philip’s provided me with a high degree of spiritual and intellectual formation. My love for the liturgy and prayer was truly fostered. I graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Thomistic Thought in the spring of 2022 and was admitted to St. Augustine’s Seminary, also in Toronto, to complete the next steps of priestly formation. While on my summer breaks, I have been fortunate to reside at St. Stephen’s Parish in Cayuga. During these breaks, I continue to practice as a Paramedic in Norfolk County. Please continue to pray for me and an increase in priestly vocations!

January 2023