Part 4 with Nic Wilson

Nic Wilson

---

This is the final note in a 4 part series where we asked seminarian Nic Wilson (from St. Jude) about hearing the call of God and his path to priesthood.

If you missed the first, second, or third post be sure to go back and read them.  This one talks about the freedom of truly giving yourself to God.

---

Nic, what is the next step in the process?  Can you share an update?

Since I graduated from college seminary in May, next year I’ll be going out to major seminary at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. This summer, I’ll spend a few weeks in Rockford, IL assisting with the training of the Totus Tuus teachers for the Diocese of Peoria. After that, I’ll be at Immaculate Conception Parish in Monmouth, IL with Monsignor Mack and Father Otto for the rest of the summer. I’ll also be helping out with the four sessions of Emmaus Days.

What message do you have for young people that may be hearing the call to priesthood/sisterhood?

I think often of the words of St. John Paul II, and of Christ himself, “Do not be afraid.” Often when first hearing the call to priesthood or consecrated life, there can be fears of perpetual loneliness and dissatisfaction, but these are unfounded. There is nothing in life as wonderful as falling in love with God and following His will. A commitment to daily prayer, Mass, the Rosary, and a virtuous life comes before committing to a vocation, but once prayer and virtue are integral parts of one’s life, God’s will becomes apparent. As well, books such as To Save a Thousand Souls by Father Brett Brannen and Discerning Religious Life by Sister Clare Matthiass are excellent guides to discernment.

---

Thanks to Nic for sharing all these great comments! Send him, and all our seminarians and priests, your prayers.

Part 3 with Nic Wilson

Nic Wilson

---

This is part 3 of a 4 part series where we asked seminarian Nic Wilson (from St. Jude) about hearing the call of God and his path to priesthood.

If you missed the first or second post, you can go back and read it here.

This post talks about the freedom of truly giving yourself to God.

---

What is the most important or challenging thing you have learned in seminary?

The most important, and the most challenging, thing I have learned in seminary is that truly loving Jesus, committing to knowing Him personally through daily prayer and good works, changes everything. It gives life to study, prayer, and service. It provides the strength and motivation necessary to overcome hardship. It is the decisive element in the discernment of a vocation because vocation is above all a call for a specific work, and you can only hear the call if you are in a relationship with the caller. It is the most challenging because it demands that you let go of an identity that you create, your “false self,” in order to be who you truly are, a beloved son of a loving Father.

The idea of “freedom” as doing whatever you what and the feeling of comfort that might come from being good at a sport, or academics, or well-liked, must fade in the light of constant conversion, in the process of being conformed to Christ. Yet you find that that “freedom” and comfort was really nothing but dust, and I found that a great gift of seminary formation is the freedom to use the gifts that God has given to me in order to be the man, the seminarian, and one day, God willing, the priest that God wants me to be.

---

We'll be back next week with our fourth (and final) note from Nic Wilson.

Part 2 with Nic Wilson

Nic Wilson

---

This is part 2 of a 4 part series where we asked seminarian Nic Wilson (from St. Jude) about hearing the call of God and his path to priesthood.

If you missed the first post, you can go back and read it here.

---

After prayer / discernment, what is the process to become a priest?  (i.e. what type of school, what type of classes, what happens after seminary?)

The process to become a priest depends on whether you enter seminary immediately after high school or after earning a bachelor’s degree. I entered immediately after high school, so I went to Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, a college seminary in Winona, MN. At college seminary, a seminarian studies philosophy for four years. My academic classes were held at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, the university adjacent to the seminary. The seminarians all live and pray at the seminary, and the priests on the seminary faculty help seminarians develop in virtue and manners, commitment to prayer, and service to the community.

The other track, for those seminarians who already have bachelor’s degrees, is called pre-theology. Typically, a pre-theology program is connected to a major seminary. Pre-theologians study philosophy as well, but it is condensed into a two year period.

After completing pre-theology or college seminary, a seminarian goes on to major seminary. College seminary forms the man, and major seminary forms the priest. Thus, seminarians in theology school earn Master’s of Divinity degrees. Formation, while building on the lessons and habits fostered focuses more on the practical aspects of priestly life - giving homilies, celebrating sacraments, and offering pastoral guidance.

After three years of major seminary, the seminarian is ordained to the transitional diaconate. He is a deacon for his final year of major seminary, after which he is ordained a priest. From there, the bishop decides where to best send the newly ordained. He will spend a few years with an experienced pastor as he grows into priestly life.

---

CHECK BACK IN ABOUT A WEEK AS WE HEAR MORE FROM NIC IN POST 3 OF 4!

Part 1 of a 4-Part Series From Seminarian Nic Wilson

Nic Wilson

---

We reached out to St. Jude Catholic Church’s very own Nic Wilson for an update on his path to priesthood. Nic provided some great comments on hearing the call of God, the seminary process, and some of the big challenges he’s faced so far.

We will share these in a series of four posts so be sure to be watching the parish website and our Facebook account.  Below is the first one!

---

Let’s start here…

Nic, can you share how you knew God was calling you to be a priest?

My time at Peoria Notre Dame High School was essential to hearing God’s call to go to seminary. At PND, we had to complete 100 hours of service in order to graduate. I chose to serve at a nursing home in Peoria, and when residents would die who I had befriended, it caused me to think seriously about how I was living and what came after death. As a result, I started going to Eucharistic Adoration, praying the Rosary, regularly going to Confession, and attending daily Mass. I was also invited to start serving Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Peoria, and there I was able to spend time with seminarians and priests and see the joy they had in following Christ.

While at PND, I was also a member of the robotics club, and though I enjoyed the designing and building the robot, I found that I was most concerned for the souls of my teammates. As I continued to grow in my prayer life and thought about how the priest cares for souls, my desire for priesthood grew. While attending Emmaus Days, the diocesan vocation retreat, after my junior year of high school, I talked to our vocation director at the time, Monsignor Brownsey, about becoming a seminarian. He told me to get to know St. Therese of Lisieux, and later that summer he gave me an application to seminary. During my senior year of high school, in addition to reading St. Therese’s Story of a Soul, I also read many books by Venerable Fulton Sheen and Father Michael Gaitley. This spiritual reading, in addition to regular prayer, solidified my commitment to entering seminary.

Entering seminary is no guarantee that God is calling one to the priesthood, but it is a time of more intentional discernment of the priesthood. At Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary (IHM), I was blessed to have challenging courses in philosophy, excellent priests to help form me in virtue, great opportunities for service at nursing homes, schools, prisons, and most importantly, a schedule of daily prayer consisting of Mass, the Rosary, the five hours of the Liturgy of the Hours, and an hour of mental prayer. Over the course of my four years in college seminary, I found myself growing in joy and peace as I lived the way of life provided by the seminary and as I worked during the summer in the archives of the diocese and teaching Totus Tuus. As a result, as I continue in formation, I feel confident that God is indeed calling me to be a priest.

---

Check back in about a week as we hear more from Nic in post 2 of 4! Leave some comments below and let us know what you think.