Our Seminarians

Evans Julce

Home Parish: Ss. Joachim and Anne, Queens Village
Seminary: Cathedral Seminary Residence, Douglaston

Discerning my vocation in prayer was (and is) difficult. It was more difficult than it needed to be; probably because I waited for God to part clouds and the Holy Spirit to descend in the form of a dove and declare that I am chosen to become a priest. I realized of course, that it wouldn't happen so easily. All I knew is that once I had started to think about the priesthood, I couldn't get it out of my head.

The priesthood is so exclusive that when I would think about it, I'd get upset about all that I thought I would be sacrificing --particularly the girlfriend I had at the time. But isn't the priesthood like being married? We can't marry every attractive woman we meet (as much as we might think about it). In choosing one, we must let the others go. For some reason the Bride of Christ, the Church, kept drawing me.

Read the beginning of the first chapter of St. John's Gospel. There was a lot of clamor around John the Baptist and whether he was the Messiah. So many people were interested in knowing the answer. They were terribly anxious, champing at the bit, so to speak. Then when Jesus comes on the scene and is walking by the river Jordan, two of John's followers want to know more about Him. And when they asked our Lord where is it that he is staying (essentially, "where can we hang out with you), what did our Lord say? "Come and see."

When you sense the presence of Christ in your life, tell Him all that frustrates you about this journey, all that excites you, all that you desire. Then quiet down and listen. He will remove many of your worries and concerns. Be open to His decision regardless of where it takes you. Only in this way may you, like the first two followers, can you see where he rests and find peace.

In prayer, the subject of the priesthood kept returning to me. What if? What if? So I spoke with a priest. I explained how torn I felt between the priesthood and other walks of life. After much prayer, retreats, and conversations, I decided that enough of these men, ordained and soon-to-be-ordained had the characteristics, interests, and past fears which I had. And if God called them to be priests and made them happy, then maybe I can do the same myself. I entered priestly formation in September 2007. I have a bachelor's degree in Film Studies. I attended and graduated Hofstra University in Hempstead Long Island.

I'm tempted to describe life as a seminarian as a wholesome fraternity but am wary of the connotation that word carries. What I mean by fraternity is the best of what the word can mean: a family; brothers, who share many of the same interests, spend a lot of time together and genuinely care for each other.

The diocese is great because of its diversity and unity. I think we really take for granted how beautiful the mix of God's people is here in Brooklyn and Queens. We celebrate Mass in over twenty languages each Sunday (which doesn't nearly encompass the various cultures present at each of these Masses; in this way, it feels like a missionary diocese.

Finally, my suggestion for a man considering a vocation to the priesthood is for him to go and asks different priests their vocation story. Most are happy to reminisce back on their days of discernment. Some stories are a bit dramatic or (very often) comical --especially hearing the various ways priests tried to deny or "runaway" from their vocations. The young man may feel, as I did, a great satisfaction in hearing cases similar to his. During (but especially before) the time one spends more with priests and seminarians getting to know them, the man considering the priesthood should spend more time with Jesus Himself: at the Mass, during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, at prayer, and in Scripture. Get to know Him. The more time you spend getting to understand who Jesus is, the more He will reveal to you who you truly are and what purpose He has for you.