Daniel Champoli

One Man’s Experience ...
            Taking the First Step

When I heard of the idea of the seminary, "I knew" it was not for me. There was no way that I could live that life and there was absolutely no chance of priesthood in my future. Like most teenagers in high school, I started mapping out my future: good job, money, wife, children, and a nice house. Then how did I ever end up in a seminary? God’s plans were quite different from my plans. Upon entering Cathedral Prep. Seminary High School, the priesthood was the last thing on my mind. For almost two whole years I never thought about becoming a priest, but at the end of my sophomore year I began to discern the possibility.

The discernment process was tough at first. Could God be calling me to the priesthood? Will I be able to handle the responsibility if I decided to follow God’s call? These were just a few of the many questions I had, but thank God I was able to approach my spiritual director about them. I feel that talking to someone, especially a priest, is very important because they have experienced the same process at one point in their lives. By the end of my junior I had decided to give the priesthood a chance and discern further.

I applied to the seminary the following year and have never been happier in all my life. One might ask why a teenager would leave behind what the world has to offer and enter the seminary. For me, it was that I truly felt and still feel that God is calling me to this very special life. Although it was tough at first to tell people of my decision, with the help of God I was able to do so. Some people feel that by my decision I have missed out on the "real world" and on the "true college experience," but I must disagree. I feel that if I had not entered the seminary I would be missing out on what God wants me to do. It is only by doing the will of God that we find true happiness. Since taking the next step and entering the seminary I feel that I am carrying out God’s will in my life and therefore have never been happier.