Anthony Willi
Birth Date November 28 Parish Location St. Jude, Peoria Year entered the Seminary/Class of Entered in 2023, Class of 2029 Studying at St. Mary of the Lake Why did you become a seminarian? I first felt the call to the priesthood during my senior year at Peoria Notre Dame High School. Like many other who […]
Luke Olson
Birth Date February 20 Parish Location St. Pius X, Rock Island Year entered the Seminary/Class of Entered in 2019, Class of 2027 Studying at Mundelein Seminary Why did you become a seminarian? From a young age I have been intrigued by the priesthood. However, I didn’t have an actual and prominent desire to become a […]
If You’re God, You Give. It’s Just What You Do.
Reflections on the Readings for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C. The fundamental truth about God that we’ve been getting wrong since the beginning of time is this: God is a giver, not a taker. Adam and Eve thought he was a taker – that he wanted to take happiness and control away […]
Beginning Seminary
First year seminarian Michael Olsta reflects on his time so far in seminary. This article originally appeared in Into the Depths, the newsletter for the Office of Priestly Vocations. To subscribe to our newsletter, contact us. With the first month coming to an end, I can already tell that my decision to join the seminary […]
Trading Up
Reflections on the Readings for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C. Jesus’ parable is about a man who knows his time is short, and so he uses the resources he has to ensure a better life for himself before they run out. This is the story of every saint who has walked the […]
The Lowest Place
Reflections on the readings for the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C. Another form of this reflection originally appeared in the Catholic Post. “Blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.” Jesus’ saying in the Gospel goes against the grain of common sense. Why would I be blessed because someone […]
What is it Worth?
Reflections on the readings for the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C. This reflection originally appeared in The Catholic Post. Throughout human history, we have decided how much something should cost by comparing it to other things and deciding which to give up. In a bartering system, one person might give a few tomatoes […]
What Matters to God
Vocational reflections on the readings for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C. “…Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.” I recently met a woman who was the opposite of the rich man in Jesus’ parable. The man has worked […]
Life-Giving Encounter
Reflections on the Readings for the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C. The tiny Galilean village of Nain is only remembered because of the miracle that Jesus works there in today’s Gospel. Jesus has just left the better-known town of Capernaum, where he worked a miracle for a very important Roman soldier – a […]
The Big Rock
Vocational Reflections on Trinity Sunday My seminary classmates and I were told by a certain theology professor, “If you get up to the ambo on Trinity Sunday for your homily, and all you say is, ‘The Trinity is a mystery so we can’t explain it,’ I will come and hunt you down.” So far I […]