Deacon Francis Strong 
Birth Date
April 1
Parish Location
St. Andrew, Fairbury
Year entered the Seminary/Class of
Entered in 2018, Class of 2025
Studying at
Mundelein Seminary
Why did you become a seminarian?
Ever since I received my First Holy Communion, I had the desire to be a priest. I admired how my pastor went about his priestly duties in the parish and how he said Mass. I think Venerable Fulton Sheen says it best concerning my vocational discernment growing up: “To see a priest making his meditation before Mass does more for an altar boy’s vocation than a thousand pieces of inspirational literature.” Throughout high school and my freshman year of college, I continued praying to God to allow me to hear His voice, and after a few months of college I knew God was calling me to seminary to more vigorously discern if He is calling me to the priesthood.
Before you entered the seminary, what were you doing?
I was studying mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Parkland College.
An interesting fact about you
My dad owns Pizzas by Marchelloni in Fairbury, so I have eaten pizza almost every day of my life.