I was born in Toronto, grew up in Etobicoke and I am the youngest of four sons. My father is from Slovakia, my mother is from Italy and they are both Roman Catholic first-generation immigrants to Canada. They valued the Catholic faith enough to baptize their sons as infants and raise them with this tradition, which meant that we all regularly attended Sunday Mass at mainstream Roman Catholic diocesan parishes. My three brothers and I attended Catholic schools until the end of high school. We were not the most devout family, but my parents valued the Catholic faith enough to prioritize it and share it with their children.

The University of Toronto, St. Michael’s College is where I graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree. I majored in the History of Fine Art, The History of Architecture and Italian Studies. Originally, I was accepted into the undergraduate architecture program with the intention of becoming an architect, however, plans and my interests changed along the way. Not quite sure what to do after university studies I briefly tried teachers’ college and then proceeded to work in customer services roles in retail, industrial, health care and automotive service settings over fifteen years. My church, personal and career interests brought me to leave Toronto and live in Welland and Ottawa, Ontario. A major downtown Toronto hospital is where I spent six-and-a-half years of my life serving patients, their families, nurses, and doctors throughout three departments.

Although I have lived in a few cities and worked in many different jobs and employment sectors, the Catholic Church has been a consistent theme and interest in my life. Its art, music, worship, value to people’s lives, and ministry have continually intrigued and attracted me. Among the many faith experiences in my life one that stands out was when I performed an Emergency Baptism at a hospital. In the middle of the night during my work shift, a baby girl was born and was expected to pass away shortly thereafter. The child’s traumatized and grieving grandmother requested holy baptism from the hospital staff because a priest could not arrive in time. While baptizing her, I experienced God’s grace in a such a profound way that I have never experienced before in my life. To witness the Light of Christ at holy Baptism confronting tragedy, mourning, chaos and darkness left a lasting impression on me. The more I reflected on this experience (as still do), the more I believe it may have foreshadowed a future in priestly ministry for me.

I had considered pursing priesthood a few times throughout my life, but it wasn’t high on my priority list until recently. Having attained my personal goals, career goals, spiritual/church goals and financial goals I thought I would be content and ready to settle down. Yet, I still was very unsettled and unsatisfied as if I needed something more - a more meaningful mission and work in my life. This inspiration and longing lead me to more seriously explore whether God was inviting me to the holy priesthood, specifically with the Diocese of St. Catharines. By God’s grace and your prayers, I have been abundantly blessed on this journey and am currently finishing my first year of seminary at St. Augustine’s Seminary. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Be assured of my prayers as well.