Thirteen new diocesan seminarians are studying for the priesthood this fall, bringing the total number of diocesan seminarians to 40. Eleven of the men will participate in what’s known as the propaedeutic stage, characterized by prayer, fraternity, and character development with an emphasis on detachment from smartphones and other electronics.
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To read more about the propaedeutic stage, go to bit.ly/41me0K8. To pray for seminarians by name, go to bit.ly/47OcUKU.
Tibor Baksy
Seminary: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md.
Year of study: Propaedeutic
University: Virginia Tech in Blacksburg
Home parish: St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church, Fredericksburg
Why do you want to be a priest?
The main two reasons are a total friendship with the Lord and the ability to serve the people entrusted to me. I was very hesitant at first, but as I continued to discern the path, the calling grew louder and clearer.
Who is your favorite saint and why?
My two favorite saints are St. Francis and St. Augustine because I see myself in their lives. Both Francis and Augustine were fiery people; they went after heretics and defended the church, lived an ascetic life and were fully devoted to the Lord. This zeal for Christ was so bright, they did not sit on the sidelines but went out serving others and defending Christ’s teachings.
What advice would you give to a young man thinking about the seminary?
Act. Go on a retreat, talk with the vocations director, talk with friends and family, but act. It may be frightening, but this is where Christ is. He calls you friend so trust in the Lord because he trusts in you.
Peter Bockrath
Seminary: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary
Year of study: Propaedeutic
University: Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif.
Home parish: St. John the Baptist Church, Front Royal
How old were you when you first started sensing a call to the priesthood?
I was 5 when I first claimed that I would be a priest. I played Mass with my sisters and that kind of never went away.
What would you say is the relationship between your prayer and your discernment?
Trying to discern without prayer is like trying to live without breathing. It is fairly useless to try and figure out what someone sounds like if you refuse to communicate with them in any way.
What influenced your decision to apply for seminary?
I think that striving to be Christ for others allowed me to hear more clearly his call to seminary.
What advice would you give to a young man thinking about the seminary?
If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in great things. Be aware and look for little ways to love God during the day and those will lead you to how God wants to love you in your life.
Evan Bond
Seminary: St. John Paul II Seminary, Washington
Year of study: First college/Propaedeutic
University: The Catholic University of America in Washington
Home parish: Nativity Catholic Church, Burke
Why do you want to be a priest?
The Eucharist is the greatest gift on earth, and I want everyone to be able to receive it.
What are your favorite pastimes?
I’m a big board game nerd. I also love to shoot (I was on the high school Olympic air rifle team, competing at Junior Olympics), fish, hike, listen to audiobooks, and play video games with my younger brother.
What is your favorite quote?
“For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings.” Hos 6:6
Who is your favorite saint and why?
St. Michael the Archangel. He’s my confirmation saint so I have a big devotion to him. He inspires me to strive toward holiness.
What advice would you give to a young man thinking about the seminary?
Start praying daily. Even if it’s only for five minutes. Pray. You can’t get anywhere without that crucial step. Discernment can only be done by maintaining a relationship with Jesus Christ and the way to do that is to pray.
Jonathon Davies
Seminary: St. John Paul II Seminary
Year of study: First college/Propaedeutic
University: Catholic U.
Home parish: St. Katharine Drexel Mission, Haymarket
What influenced your decision to apply for seminary?
A holy priest helped reawaken my faith, and after praying in front of the Eucharist, I realized that God might be calling me to be a priest.
What is your favorite quote?
“This is my commandment: Love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jn 15:12-13
Who is your favorite saint and why?
St. Maximilian Kolbe is one of my favorite saints. He was a great priest who stood up against the evils of the modern world and fought for what was right. He was also imprisoned and tortured under the Nazi reign, eventually giving his life so that another prisoner could live on and see his family again.
What is the most difficult thing for you to leave behind for seminary?
My family, friends and coworkers. I have had a lot of support from all of them, and I will definitely miss them.
What are your favorite pastimes?
I love going to adoration whenever I have the chance, as well as tinkering on and learning about cars.
Brent Jenkins
Seminary: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary
Year of study: Propaedeutic
University: Villanova University in Villanova, Pa.
Home parish: St. John the Beloved Church, McLean
What is your favorite quote?
“Compassion’s truest measure lies not in our service of those on the margins, but in our willingness to see ourselves in kinship with them. Soon we imagine with God this circle of compassion. Then we imagine no one standing outside of that circle, moving ourselves closer to the margins so that the margins themselves will be erased.” — Jesuit Father Gregory Boyle, author and founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles.
If you could have been any person who interacted with Jesus while he was on earth, who would it be and why?
Mary. She had the most interaction with him. From Conception to Ascension, she was there following him. If not Mary, then perhaps St. John the Apostle. His close relationship and understanding of God are apparent in his Gospel and inspires me to take more time adoring Christ.
What are your favorite pastimes?
I like to read spiritual books, particularly those on private revelations and mystical theology. I recently read much of “The Life of Jesus Christ and Biblical Revelations Set” by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.
Kieran Koch, YA
Seminary: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary
Year of study: Propaedeutic
University: Virginia Tech
Home parish: St. Leo the Great Church, Fairfax
Which Gospel passage best describes God’s call to you, and why?
I love meditating upon Jesus’ call of Andrew at the end of the first chapter of John’s Gospel. I find great joy when Jesus calls me to “come and see” as he did with his first Apostles. Jesus frequently invites us to go deeper in our relationship with him, and this passage from John exemplifies this tremendously.
Who is your favorite saint and why?
St. John Bosco. I admire his dedication to serving the young people in Turin with creativity and unceasing fervor. St. John Bosco inspires me to respond to God’s love each day and to share that love with others.
What is another interesting fact about you?
I converted to the Catholic Church in 2019 as a student at Virginia Tech. Because of this, I have a great love of helping those seeking to enter the church and receive the sacraments.
What are your favorite pastimes?
I enjoy rooting for the New York Mets, Jets and Knicks. In my free time, I train as a competitive powerlifter, read epic fantasy books and listen to music.
Andrew Lee
Seminary: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary
Year of study: Propaedeutic
University: Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore (bachelor’s), University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (master’s in business administration)
Home parish: St. Charles Borromeo Church, Arlington
What did you do prior to entering seminary?
I worked at health care companies Biogen and CVS Health. I also did mergers and acquisitions consulting with Deloitte, and previously was an analyst for the CIA.
Why do you want to be a priest?
It is a beautiful calling to be Christ’s presence to his people through the ministry of the sacraments, the preaching of his word, and through a life of devoted service.
What is your favorite quote?
“Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God” (Mic 6:8)
What would you say is the relationship between your prayer and your discernment?
Prayer is an indispensable element to any serious discernment. As I have grown in an intimate dialogue and relationship with God, I have become more attentive to his presence and call.
Reginald Mbiydzengeh
Seminary: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary
Year of study: Theology I
University: University of Bamenda in Bamenda, Cameroon
Home diocese: Kumbo, Cameroon
What influenced your decision to apply for seminary?
I have always felt the desire to become a priest since my middle childhood days when I joined the altar servers group. A good number of lay people and priests influenced me in one way or another. However, my ultimate decision to enter the seminary was influenced primarily by the love I have for handing on the faith to God’s people. This love was nurtured by my dedication to teaching doctrine in preparation for the reception of the sacraments of Christian initiation.
What are your favorite pastimes?
Writing, soccer and listening to music.
What is your favorite quote?
The Latin quote “Cum Deo Omnia Possibilia,” meaning “With God Everything is Possible,” has been my favorite quote since my secondary school days. It was actually the motto of the institution where I did my secondary and high school studies. It reminded me when things were not moving well or when I was almost despairing that God can do all things for me.
Didier Nformi
Seminary: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary
Year of study: Theology I
Home diocese: Kumbo, Cameroon
How old were you when you first started sensing a call to the priesthood?
I was about 10 years old when I started sensing a call to the priesthood. I used to admire the orderly movements of altar servers in church and their activities during Mass. While at home, I used to imitate the words and gestures of the priest. Gradually I started sensing the possibility of becoming one.
Who is your favorite saint and why?
My favorite saint is St. Pope John Paul II, who lived during the crisis of World War II, a similar situation to what is taking place in my country. He passed through a lot of challenges, went to an underground seminary to become a priest and served the people not only of the Catholic background but humanity at large. His zeal for service is what attracts me.
If you could have been any person who interacted with Jesus while he was on earth, who would it be and why?
St. John the Beloved. He was with Jesus all the time, even at the foot of the cross. I, too, would like to be with Jesus all the time because I know that he will give me his mother, Mary, as he did to John.
Andrew Niklason
Seminary: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary
Year of study: Propaedeutic
University: Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Marymount University in Arlington
Home parish: St. James Church, Falls Church
Which Gospel passage best describes God’s call to you, and why?
Mark 10:17-22, when the rich man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. The passage reads, “Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, ‘Go, sell what you have … and come, follow me.’ At that saying … he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.” When I initially felt a call to the priesthood, I turned away because I feared losing things I had stored up on earth: friendships, lifestyle, autonomy, etc. However, God’s call was eventually able to overcome my stubbornness.
What are your favorite pastimes?
I love being outside and playing sports such as golf, pickleball, volleyball and lacrosse. I have been a proud Washington Commanders fan since Feb. 13, 2002. I also enjoy reading and playing the ukulele. I am a staunch advocate for walking.
Thomas Patchan
Seminary: Mount St. Mary’s Seminary
Year of study: Propaedeutic
University: Virginia Tech
Home parish: St. Veronica Church, Chantilly
Why do you want to be a priest?
I want to spend my life as God’s instrument in his work of the salvation of souls. I can think of no better way to serve Christ than to offer my lowly hands to be his hands on earth. Christ has loved us so perfectly to give his own life to win us our salvation. I hope to offer but a fraction of his perfect love for the church as its priest, so his love may be known on earth. What better joy could there be than to spend life celebrating the sacraments and spreading the Gospel?
What’s the most difficult thing for you to leave behind for seminary?
It will be difficult to leave my parish’s many life-giving apostolates. I’ve been blessed to serve as a seventh grade catechist, a sidewalk counselor at the abortion facility, and a volunteer with our youth and young adult ministries. However, just as Jesus went into the desert to pray for 40 days before his ministry on earth, so must we seminarians leave the diocese to be prepared to return one day to serve it, God-willing, as its priests.
What is another interesting fact about you?
My family, which is Slovak and Polish, led the Polish-American Polka Dinner Dance at St. Joseph’s in Herndon for the last several years.
I have made pilgrimages to the sites of two Marian apparitions: Our Lady of Champion in Champion, Wis., and Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal.
Michael Steger
Seminary: St. John Paul II Seminary
Year of study: First college/Propaedeutic
University: Catholic U.
Home parish: Holy Spirit Church, Annandale
What would you say is the relationship between your prayer and your discernment?
I would have had no discernment if I did not have a prayer life. Discernment is impossible without daily prayer, since it is the principal way by which one listens to the Holy Spirit’s movements in his heart. As I progressed in my discernment, my prayer grew much deeper and more reflective. By bringing me to prayer every day, God showed me over time that he wanted me to attend seminary. The more I conversed with him and listened in silence, the more I grew in peace and joy at the idea.
Who is your favorite saint and why?
The Blessed Virgin Mary. I believe no human person has prayed for me to Jesus more effectively than has Mary. I have not one friend in heaven who prays for me and my intentions without her intercession. Regardless of which saints I speak with most, I know that Mary prays for me most.
Ethan Williams
Seminary: St. John Paul II Seminary
Year of study: First college/Propaedeutic
University: Catholic U.
Home parish: Our Lady of the Valley Church, Luray
What influenced your decision to apply for seminary?
I have felt the call to the priesthood since I was a child, but a weekend retreat performing the Spiritual Exercises was what ultimately motivated me to apply.
What are your favorite pastimes?
I enjoy playing banjo, going on hikes and reading most of all. I’m currently reading “The Power and the Glory,” and my favorite book is “Crime and Punishment.”
What’s the most difficult thing for you to leave behind for seminary?
Leaving my hometown of Luray behind will be the hardest part for me. I love living in the mountains and I didn’t have plans to leave before seminary became a possibility. I know that I will see them again. But it will be hard not having the mountains be my home.
Which Gospel passage best describes God’s call to you, and why?
Matthew 20:25-28 speaks to the service that I am called to and hope to perform. I truly hope to have the humility to one day put myself last among God’s church.
