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ADAM NOBLES: The youngest of five children, I am blessed with amazing parents, Dr. James and Penny Nobles. We moved to McComb,
Mississippi, from Louisiana when I was twelve. People from my home parish, St. Alphonsus, and many others in the Jackson Diocese
have not only helped me but also inspired me to go beyond my own expectations of what I can do in life. My story of discernment is both simple and complicated. Being born into a Catholic
family and community in Louisiana, I was always surrounded by the Catholic faith. But I did not truly know what it means to
be Catholic until I had to defend my faith when we moved to McComb and I attended a predominately Protestant school. Little
did I know that it would be the Protestants’ questions that would make me research and understand how awesome our faith
is. By my freshman year of high school I had become fully immersed in the doctrines. My understanding changed, however, when I went to a retreat which made me realize the greatest truth I would ever
know. The theme was "Rise Up a Catholic Revolution"—part of a series sponsored by Franciscan University,
Steubenville. Before this experience I didn’t really know my purpose as a young Catholic. On the Saturday night of that
retreat I recalled a moment from my childhood—my mom and myself sitting in the back of a church praying to Mary—and
in that recollection I felt Mary was calling me to become like her son and give up my life for the Church! After that night
nothing was ever the same again; I knew my purpose and knew that I could not be afraid of the road that was laid before me
(as Pope John Paul II often encouraged us). Have
I fallen since then? Yes I have, but a phrase I like to live by is that the difference between a saint and a sinner is
that the saint gets back up and tries his hardest to learn from his mistakes. Since being at MSU, God has continued to challenge my spirituality, but I have never felt the presence of God as
powerfully as I do here. Some people think that in college most young Catholics lose part of their faith, but that is not
always the case. Every young adult beginning to experience the broader world has two options--either to lose faith or gain
a much needed and deeper spirituality. I am constantly surrounded with many who do seem to rationalize God out of their lives.
But I also find encouragement in seeing fellow students teaching the Gospel in a simple yet very effective ways by helping
those in need and supporting their brothers and sisters through words of hope and love. I am so proud to be a part of this
group of people and know that we must continue to keep our faith strong and be the light to bring out of darkness those who
stray. I would like you to challenge yourselves
even more to seek out the truth in your own lives and, most importantly, seek out who you are as a person made in the image
of God. This is discernment and it is not just for seminarians! I pray that we may all seek out the things that draw us close
to God, and grab hold of the truth that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8: 31-38). This, I believe,
is the answer to the great question of the mystery of life. May God continue to bless all of us in the Jackson Diocese, and
I ask that you continue to pray for all of our Church leaders, priests, and seminarians, as we will always keep you in our
own prayers.
Fr. SCOTT THOMAS: ---ordained on June 5, 2010
Born
in Jackson, I am a cradle Catholic, and, by the grace of God, attended Catholic schools until college. On top of this, my
parents always made sure I went to Mass. So I have been surrounded with our wonderful beliefs and privileges as Catholics.
In fact, at a young age, I would dress up and play priest with my brothers, saying Mass for my family. My mom made us vestments
and we put together all of the books ourselves!
Two priests who were at Saint Richard for all of the seven years I attended its elementary school definitely stand
out in my memory. Father Richard Sommers, as my pastor, always had a smile on his face and was ready to shake my hand after
Mass. Also, Monsignor Michael Glynn would always walk the halls. He always had the love of Christ on his face and a stack
of prayer cards in his hand. Another figure in my life has been Father Brian Kaskie, who was chaplain of Saint Joseph Catholic
School in Madison. He was there from before my seventh grade year through my junior year. Father Brian has always been good
to me, offering much guidance throughout my time of discernment. I could go on forever about every priest I have encountered in my life and the impact they have had on my life. But
in the many different ways that they have influenced me, one thing draws them all together—a desire to conform themselves
to Christ so that they could bring him to life in our diocese. So many wonderful men over the years have given their lives
so that Christ may be seen in real life around our wonderful state. And in following their lead, we seminarians have chosen
to do the same with our own lives. I first started
to seriously recognize my call to the priesthood at 17 years old while I was preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation during
my junior year of high school. I was learning how to become a mature Catholic Christian and was noticing the need to discern
just how I was to live out my Catholic faith, especially as a resident of mostly-Protestant Mississippi. Of course I had dreamed
of making it big in the business world, partially because business seems to be in my blood, especially coming from the family
of Jackson’s S.N. Thomas & Sons. But at the same time, doing work for the Church also runs in my family.
Along with his brothers, my grandfather Leon was extremely active in St. Mary Parish and later St Richard Parish, both in
Jackson. He was also very active in the founding of St Dominic Hospital. So one can see just how many influences were coming
into my life and how many possible directions I had to steer my life. After graduating high school, my parents and I decided that it would be best for me to spend time at a major university
first, before entering seminary. So I went off to Mississippi State University, joined Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, and entered
the International Business program. But after two years, none of my classes were really appealing to me as a possible future.
The best time I was having seemed to be as the sacristan for a weekday and a Sunday Mass at St Joseph Parish in Starkville,
as well as the time I spent with the Catholic Student Association. I was also meeting with Fr. Jeffrey Waldrep either personally
or through the discernment group he led for MSU students. So after two years at MSU, after applying to the Diocese, I transfered
to St. Joseph Seminary College ("St. Ben’s") in Covington, LA, beginning my time as a seminarian. I do not know for sure if I will be ordained a priest in
2010. Only God knows what can happen between now and then. But what I do know is that ever since beginning at St. Joseph
and then moving to Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans for theology, I have loved all of the classes I am taking and truly
feel that I am finally working toward a profession in which I can spend the rest of my life. But we all know that the priesthood is more than just a profession. It is a life!
The priest is not just asked to give a portion of his day to make sure that everything in the parish is running smoothly.
Rather, he is called to give himself entirely to bring to life Christ for the people of God. He is to guide Christ’s
flock 24/7, offering the food they need to fill their spiritual hunger. And this is what makes me so fired up about being
in seminary and the idea of becoming a priest for the people of Mississippi. God has been so great to me and my family. He
has filled me with so much joy over the years that I cannot help but wish to spread this joy to as many people as possible,
bringing more people back into the pews of our parishes or even into those pews for the first time! Brother Knights of Columbus, I ask for all of your prayers and truly thank you
for all of your support! Ever since joining the Knights of Columbus while at MSU, and after experiencing all four degrees
of our extraordinary brotherhood, I have considered myself fortunate to know such an amazing group of men and their families!
I pray for our brotherhood constantly so that it may grow, and that its members may always actively support the priesthood
of our diocese and strive to find more young men willing to serve Christ and his Church!
BINH NGUYEN: I am
Binh Chau Nguyen, one of the newest seminarian for the Jackson Diocese. I am 33 years old. I was born in Ho Nai, in a traditional
Catholic family, Thanh Tam parish, Xuan Loc diocese, Viet Nam. Ho Nai is an area where a lot of North Vietnamese evacuated.
There are 8 members in my family, including 5 sons and 3 daughters. I am the eldest. The youngest is now 20. One of them is
now a religious of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). In my studies, I have completed my 2 years of philosophy and the 1st
semester of 1st theological year in Centrum Dominicanum Studiorum, Viet Nam. When
I was growing up, I always got up early and went to church with my maternal grandfather each day. After my first Holy Eucharist
and Confirmation, I was a member of the group of altar boys for 14 years, from 1998 until 2002. As an altar boy, I had a dream
of being a priest. All of the people in my family helped me to fulfill this goal, mostly my mother. She always encouraged
me, supported me and prayed for me very much. Thank you very much, Mom! I was lucky to go to school
and to finish primary school, secondary school (1994). Afterwards, I worked for an electronic company in Dong Nai for 2 years
to financially help my family. Then from 1997 to 2002, I attended Lac Hong University in Dong Nai for a B.A in English. And
during that time, I attended the vocation class at the Blessed Sacrament Congregation. Unluckily, our father passed away after
a heart attack on June 14th 2001. After my father’s death, my mother helped us to overcome the loss and encouraged
me in my pursing vocation. "Let us trust in divine Providence", said she. I went on to finish my senior year at
the university. Then I entered the Blessed Sacrament Congregation after completing my studies
in university. Through the periods of Postulancy, Novitiate and Scholasticate, I pondered a lot on my vocation, especially
in my prayer time of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. I have always believed in my choice and ideal. Once again, we had a great loss; we grieved the death of our mother! Our lovely mother left us on March 29th
2004 when I was at the end of my 1st year Novitiate. So, in not fully 3 years, we had two mourning’s, from
2001 to 2004. We were truly shocked, but with the encouragement of the Master of Novice, of my aunt- a Nun of Dominican Order,
and the support of my novice friends, I continued finishing 2 years of Novitiate. I took the first vows on August 2nd
2005. From September 2005 to July 2007, I studied philosophy at the Centrum Dominicanum Studiorum Viet Nam. However, on July
21st 2007, I decided to leave the Vietnamse Blessed Sacrament Congregation because I realized that it suits me
more to be a diocesan priest than a religious one. I feel drawn to the life of a priest in parish ministry. After leaving
the Blessed Sacrament, I met Fr. Anthony Quyet through my aunt’s introduction, and I knew that Jackson Diocese is a
missionary diocese. I asked him to introduce me to Bishop Joseph Latino and Bishop has accepted me as a Jackson seminarian.
Thank you, Bishop Joseph Latino! Do remember me in your prayers, please! Thank you very much.
JOSE DE JESUS SANCHEZ: Everybody has a vocation—a
call by God to do something special in their lives, to cooperate in building His kingdom and to share with Him. Discovering
how God is calling us in this day and age is very difficult, because we are in this material world where most people are worried
about money and power. Indeed, I was one of those who did not pay attention to God’s will. I grew up in an irreligious
atmosphere, in Mexico, where my family believed in the Catholic Church, but they did not attend mass often. On the other hand,
my small town is very religious and each year it receives seminarians as missionaries. In 2002 I was in my last year of high
school and I had been thinking of going to college, but during that time I met one of the seminarians who invited to me attend
the meetings at the church. I was not really interested, but I decided to go, only for the youth who would be there. My
vocation started with the relationship between that seminarian and myself. He told me he had to return to the seminary for
a makeup exam because he had failed one. He asked me if I was available to go with him and I decided to go. But he lied to
me, because he had not failed any test! He left me at the seminary and during those days they had a retreat for youth who
wanted to become priests. I was there for the whole week. Finally, when the retreat finished, one of the priests interviewed
me and asked me why I was thinking of becoming a priest; my answer was that I had never thought about it. Then the priest
shared with me his own story about how God called him, and when the interview was done he gave an acceptance letter. I put
it in my backpack. One month later I remembered the letter and read it. This was when I felt that God was calling me to do
something special. When I shared this with my parents, they were upset with me. Moreover, I had a girlfriend and also my studies
at the college. These aspects were more difficult, but first I talked with my girlfriend about my wish, and she finally accepted
it. However, my parents did not accept my vocation. On August 16, 2002, I decided to go the seminary. For the first
time, I was leaving my family and my friends, and for this reason I was homesick at the seminary. At that time I did not like
to pray every day because it felt boring. After I became comfortable, I started making friends. I spent five years in the
diocesan seminary in Morelia. During my formation there, I met the vocation director of the Diocese of Sioux City, Iowa, and
I became interested in his diocese. When I finished my studies in Morelia, I started to study in Conception, Missouri as seminarian
for the Diocese of Sioux City. The firsts months where very difficult, because of the language barrier; I did not know anything
about English. In addition, during the wintertime I saw too much snow and it made me physically sick. Finally, I decided to
come back to Mexico. My will is not God’s will. When I came back to Mexico, I wanted to be a seminarian for the
Diocese of Morelia, but it was impossible. I talked with the seminary rector and he suggested I wait for one year. I began
teaching English at the Santa Maria de Guadalupe Seminary (though my English was not good enough) and during that time Fr.
Lenin Vargas, the Assistant Vocation Director of the Diocese of Jackson, came there and talked to us about the needs of his
diocese. Afterwards I had an interview with him and I explained to him why I decided to come back to Mexico, but he said Jackson
needed me. Finally, I talked with the Rector, Fr. Eugenio Ponce de Leon, and we discussed the possibility of studying
for Jackson. He said to me, "If you see it with faith, God is calling you to serve there; I know that you wish to be
a priest for this diocese and I think that is your will but not God’s." I understood God’s will and I decided
to say, "Yes, God, I want to be your priest if you are calling me to it, wherever you want; I am your servant."
That is how I came here to the Jackson Diocese and I am really happy. I am still learning English and it is very difficult,
but with God’s help I will be able.
JUAN CHAVAJAY: I am 26 years old. There are three in my family and I am the youngest. In my studies,
I have finished my third year of theology in the diocesan seminary of Guatemala Our Lady of the Way, which is located in Sololá,
Guatemala. About my vocation to the priesthood, I never thought
about it until my pastor, Fr. Adolfo Marroquín invited me. I remember very well that at first I didn't like the idea
too much, but gradually God started working in my life showing me his invitation to discern to the priesthood. Through the
example and help of my pastor, I decided to try and enter the seminary. Thanks to God, it's now been six years of my formation
in the seminary. I find more and more reassurance to continue my pursuit to the priesthood. Key element on my discernment has been the priests from the seminary. Their spirituality and example of life has
been instrumental for me, as I trust in God, which brings me joy and hope in my journey to the priesthood. I was following
my discernment in Guatemala, when I received an invitation from Fr. Lenin Vargas to consider the diocese of Jackson, MS. He
explained to me the need of the diocese for vocations and for people willing to serve God's people in the States. I didn't
have to think too much about coming and said yes. I truly want to give my life to God wherever He needs me. The most difficult part of my decision was to share this with my mother. It was
more difficult than I thought. I shed a few tears, but I know this is for God and I went ahead. I've never been in an airplane and I was afraid with the idea of flying, but God has been on my side, and this gave
me courage and perseverance. As I write this, I've been in
the diocese of Jackson for a few months, and I can see that everything is different and new to me. I am learning
a lot of how priesthood is here in The States. I do not know the language, but slowly I am learning it. Thanks to God and to the many people that I have encountered, I feel very well,
but I have to admit I miss my home land. Thanks to every one for your prayers. I hope to answer God with the generosity
that he has showed me through the people of Mississippi.
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