Our Seminarians

Nicholas Mendes

Home Parish: St. Rita, East New York
Pastoral Year Parish:
Seminary: Cathedral Seminary Residence, Douglaston

Being a priest is one of the greatest things in the world; very few are called, so if you are called, answer it. Believe me; you will not regret “YES”.

My former pastor, the late Msgr. John Peyton, greatly influenced me on my journey to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. His priestly example, the way he lived his priesthood is one of the reasons that I am in the seminary.

I began my priestly formation at Cathedral Preparatory Seminary in Elmhurst. It was at the high school level seminary that I meet Fr. John Cush, another great priest. Between the experience at Saint Rita’s, my home parish in East New York, and my experience at Cathedral Prep, I decided to continue on the journey. I am now at the college level formation program at Cathedral Seminary Residence of the Immaculate Conception in Douglaston.

Why do I want to be a priest? Well first of all, I feel that God is calling me. I enjoy helping others. When you think about it, a priest is always in one way or another helping others, that is what I want. For me there is no other place but Brooklyn; there is not place like the Diocese.

If you are thinking about the priesthood, you have to pray. Talk to your parish priest or another priest. The long talks that I have with my former pastor truly helped me decide that I had to follow the calling of God in my life. A second suggestion for a man considering a vocation to the priesthood in the Diocese of Brooklyn is to go into any one of the beautiful churches in Brooklyn or Queens, and as you pray, ask yourself this: “why not?”