Questions Answered from Our Seminarians
Lowell Jensen and Josh Mayer entered St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver this year to begin their journey to the priesthood for the Diocese of Gallup. Below, they talk with us about the process that led them to the seminary.
Tell us about the discernment process for you, about the grace and struggles that you might have encountered.
JM: The discernment process for me has been pretty mellow, although there have definitely been some ups and downs.
LJ: I had never thought of a religious vocation until about five years ago. God gave me a growing desire for a deeper Christian life. Thoughts of the priesthood began coming to me during prayer.
JM: I started to have a strong desire to serve God as best as I could, and I would feel this most powerfully in church, usually when it was very quiet or when some beautiful, prayerful music was being sung. The thought crossed my mind that I could be happy just being in church all the time. Once I had that thought, religious life seemed a pretty valid option.
LJ: I eventually pursued marriage, convinced that I didn’t have an actual call to the priesthood. God ultimately intervened—as I was listening in prayer—and gave me such clarity and peace about entering the seminary that I’m certain this is the path He has prepared for me.
JM: You want to do what God wants you to do, but it can be hard to know what that is. Sometimes, I’ve prayed and prayed about certain decisions, but I’m still not sure which path God wants me to take. When this happens, I take a rather bull-headed approach: I do what seems best to me, and tell God that if He doesn’t want me to do it, He better stop me. And, He always does! When you move forward with love and trust, God takes care of you, even if that means He has to redirect you.
What led you to ultimately apply for seminary? What are some thoughts now that you’ve been accepted?
LJ: The turning point [for me] happened during the ordination of Bishop Wall. I was watching the Mass on television and suddenly had the grace of clarity. That’s when I knew with certainty where God was calling. It was an immediate and definite change.
JM: My desire to enter religious life was really stirred up during this last year, after a long period of waffling back and forth. In my years of discernment, I had never considered becoming a diocesan priest. I thought that I might join an order. Living in Gallup, I got pretty excited about a diocesan vocation. It honestly surprised me. As I prayed about the new path that I thought God was opening for me, everything fell into place easily. At some point, it just seemed natural to apply for the seminary for this diocese.
LJ: I’m really looking forward to seminary formation as a time to follow Christ and learn His way of life more closely. I’m also thankful to have a friend from Gallup [Josh], who is going as well.
JM: Now, I’m going to focus on doing God’s will in every little thing that I do and trust that He will take care of the rest. So, my goal right now is to get to the seminary and do what is asked of me to the best of my ability. The great thing about God’s grace is that it carries us beyond our natural means. I’ll be focusing on my relationship with Christ and His Mother, my studies, being obedient to my superiors, and charitable to my peers. Seminary is going to be a ridiculous adventure. Pray for me!
What would you say to another person considering the priesthood or religious life, specifically in our contemporary time?
JM: Pray. Go to daily Mass. Say the Rosary every day and visit our Lord at adoration as much as possible. Gallup is hugely blessed with a perpetual adoration chapel (see: Casa Reina, page 6). That’s been really big for me. Devote yourself to Our Lady.
LJ: Look for peace in what you do. If God is calling you somewhere, you’ll recognize it by the peace it brings. It’s the same, substantial peace that God gives to us in quiet prayer.
JM: The best, most simple book I read about vocation discernment is called Is Jesus Calling You to be a Catholic Priest?
LJ: Contemporary times change very little about vocations in themselves. God is the same as He has always been. And so, a vocation of service to Him remains essentially the same. What does change is our starting point.
JM: I think one of the biggest hurdles to discernment today—besides the fact that modern society disdains celibacy—is the lack of easily accessible silence and stillness. It’s important to try to quiet yourself and be receptive to God and His infinite graces. We should all make time during the day to remove ourselves from the hustle and bustle and re-devote ourselves to Christ.