Jonathan Puckett 
Birth Date
December 28
Parish Location
St. Matthew, Champaign
Year entered the Seminary/Class of
Entered in 2021, Class of 2027
Studying at
Mundelein Seminary
Why did you become a seminarian?
After several years of discernment, I believe that God is calling me to be His Priest. I first felt called to the priesthood following my conversion to Catholicism as a senior in high school. Not wanting to mistake the initial zeal of conversion with a call to Holy Orders, I waited several years and completed bachelor’s programs at the University of Southern Mississippi. All this time, a gentle nudging in my heart urged me toward the priesthood. Gazing upon Our Eucharistic Lord granted me much consolation where there had been doubt. In August 2021, I moved to Illinois to continue my education and entrusted my stay in the Midwest to Ven. Fulton J. Sheen’s prayers. Within a month, Ven. Sheen provided me with a spiritual advisor, and I received “the peace that surpasses all understanding.” For me, discerning my vocation has been a gradual process of abandonment to God.
Before you entered the seminary, what were you doing?
I received a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois. Throughout my undergraduate and graduate careers, I worked in archives and special collections with an emphasis in historical manuscripts preservation.
An interesting fact about you
I have walked the last 72 miles of the Camino de Santiago.