Deacon Nathan Hopper 
Birth Date
August 30
Parish Location
Epiphany, Normal & St. John Paul II Newman Center @ ISU
Year entered the Seminary/Class of
Entered in 2017, Class of 2023
Studying at
Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, MD
Why did you become a seminarian?
In high school, I began to be very active in developing my faith, and in college, I truly put God and my faith first. At Illinois State, I served as a sacristan at our Newman Center for 3½ years, which gave me a great appreciation for the Sacraments and great joy from bringing The Lord to His people and people to The Lord. This, coupled with a strong, regular prayer life centered around Mass and Adoration, helped me to listen to God’s calling and to heed the desire He placed in my heart to give myself to Him and His people in this radical way. Entering the seminary to discern that further was clearly the next step for me.
Before you entered the seminary, what were you doing?
I worked as accountant, specializing in payroll and sales tax for two years.
An interesting fact about you
I am 6’7″, but rather than playing basketball, I enjoy bowling.