Fra. Anthony's Vocation Story

I am 29 years old and I hail from Cincinnati, Ohio and I have been Catholic all my life. However, looking back, I would describe myself as someone that had little understanding of the Catholic Faith. The church that I grew up did not look like a Catholic church and taught a very watered-down version of the Catholic Faith. This led me, like so many today, to pay little attention to my faith and I figured that being a good person was good enough to get to Heaven. Even though I had a lukewarm Catholic faith, my parents instilled in me deep moral values at a young age. I remember almost nothing from my Catechism classes, and I even dropped out of my Confirmation class (only to return years later), but I always knew and felt it was important to go to Mass.

I spent many of my formative years with the “wrong crowd” through high school and into college. It has been only through the Grace of God, my attendance at Holy Mass and the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary that have any faith and love of God today. I spent the first 25 years of my life wandering from adventure to adventure and even seeking spirituality through other means, like Native American Spirituality and Wilderness Survival. I knew there was something out there and I wanted to deeply enter into it. I thought I had found it through my study and practice of primitive wilderness survival and this quickly became my greatest passion.

In the spring of 1993, I attended the “Catholic Men's Conference” in Cincinnati, Ohio with my Father. Even though I lived semi-pagan life, I considered myself a “good Catholic” and always enjoyed listening to talks on the Faith. During this conference a “Rapping Priest” took the stage named Father Stan Fortuna from the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. He sang a rap song about suffering, which held my attention and then during his talk he asked a question that led to a complete change in my life. Fr. Fortuna asked the question, “what are you passionate about?” He then asked it several times. Nothing has ever hit me so hard and I remember thinking in my pride, “I am passionate about wilderness survival and primitive skills.” In that moment, I realized how insignificant and how little my passion did for God. I resolved to change my life and focus my passion on what mattered to God.

During this time I started to date a woman that I deeply wanted to marry. This relationship seemed very good and holy as though it were meant to be by God. However, I started to feel called to the Priesthood. Knowing that it would be impossible to discern God's vocation for me in the same town as she, I took a higher-payng job (to start paying off my loans) a thousand miles away. Not knowing what God wanted of me, I still very much hoped I would be able to marry this woman, but after several months of prayer and a weekend vocation retreat, the call to the priesthood became unshakable.

In my vocation, I feel called to help Catholics experience the beauty of the Holy Catholic Faith, through its rich history, art, music and liturgy. There is nothing more precious in this world than the Catholic Church and it is shocking how few Catholics in our current culture have actually experienced its true wonder. May God bless you.

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