Seminarians shared their personal stories of hearing and responding to God\u2019s call to the priesthood.The Diocese of Rome shared the testimonies of eight seminarians who, on April 26, Good Shepherd Sunday, were ordained priests by Pope Leo XIV. Among them is Christian Sguazzino, who as a child was once kicked out of Mass by a priest because he was causing “chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sguazzino, together with Deacon Danilo Defant and Sister Ester Maddalena Iapenna, shared their testimonies on Friday, April 24, at St. John Lateran Basilica, the cathedral church of Rome, during the prayer vigil for vocations.<\/p>\n
Sguazzino discovered his vocation at St. John of the Cross Parish. \u201cWhen I was a child \u2014 after having made my first Communion \u2014 I would go play soccer and then attend Mass every day, always bringing a friend along,\u201d the future priest recounted.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt that time, there wasn\u2019t even a proper church building; instead, services were held in tents. My friends and I, naturally, caused a bit of chaos. So, one day the assistant pastor kicked us out and told us we would be excommunicated!\u201d he shared with a smile.<\/p>\n
Recalling that time of mischief, Sguazzino said that \u201ceven then \u2014 despite everything \u2014 I felt the joy of being in church; I loved looking at the altar and the tabernacle.\u201d Along his journey, he emphasized, it was crucial to meet \u201cso many priests who were happy to be priests. Their witness was fundamental.\u201d<\/p>\n
An uncle who was a priest always supported him<\/p>\n
Yordan Camilo Medina is Colombian and has an uncle who is a priest. As a child, he recounted, \u201cI used to accompany him to take Communion to the mountain communities, and the joy of the faithful upon receiving the body of Christ was incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow he, too, is in Rome, and I have followed him here on my path of priestly formation. He has always supported me,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He dreamed of becoming a friar<\/p>\n
Giovanni Emanuele Nunziante is 32 years old. He was born in Rome but spent part of his childhood in England. \u201cIf I had to tell you how my vocation began, my earliest memory dates back to when I was a child,\u201c he said. \u201dI didn\u2019t yet fully understand what it meant to be a priest, but I dreamed of being close to the Lord and toyed with the idea of \u200b\u200bbecoming a friar. Then, it all faded into oblivion!\u201d<\/p>\n
The call returned with force in 2016, during the Fourth Sunday of Easter. \u201cUpon hearing the Gospel of the Good Shepherd, that desire to be close to the Lord in a special way returned … I realized that my deepest desire was to offer my life just as Jesus did \u2014 the Good Shepherd,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The influence of the Neocatechumenal Way<\/p>\n
Antonino Ordine, 27, related that his vocation was born within the faith formation program known as the Neocatechumenal Way: \u201cI was born and raised in a very practicing family, and this led me to appreciate the beauty of the work the Church carries out on a daily basis. I was fortunate enough to meet priests and missionary families especially during a mission in Sweden who were fundamental to my discernment.\u201d<\/p>\n
He had wanted to become a doctor and after having served on missions in Latin America, the Middle East, and India, he realized that God was calling him to give himself completely out of love for him.<\/p>\n
He was born in Africa into a non-Catholic family<\/p>\n
Jos Emanuel Nleme Sabate was born in Cameroon. \u201cMy father was Protestant and we often prayed at home,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I was 11 years old, I entered the minor seminary of my home diocese because it had a reputation as an excellent school. It was there that I learned about Catholicism.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was baptized at the age of 12 and I believe it was during that rite, which was unfamiliar to me at the time, that I decided to become a priest,\u201d he shared. He is now studying sign language and helping people with disabilities.<\/p>\n
He was a pianist of international stature<\/p>\n
\u201cI come from a Catholic family,\u201d Daniele Riscica related, \u201cand I have always participated in parish activities; however, I studied at the Frosinone Conservatory and completed my piano studies in classical music. From there, I continued my career as a concert pianist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regarded as a rising star of the international piano scene by the age of 24, he said, \u201cI had already achieved many goals in life, yet I was not satisfied. I felt that God was calling me to something more. So I tried entering the seminary \u2014 almost as a test … and there I felt happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
He is grateful for his parents’ faith<\/p>\n
Giorgio Larosa is 30 years old and said that his \u201cvocation was born out of attending the parish, thanks to the faith my parents instilled in me.\u201d<\/p>\n
His parents’ example, as well as \u201cthe example of other Christians, laypeople and priests, was also very powerful. In their stories, I saw the power of the Gospel,\u201d he recounted.<\/p>\n
He left his job and entered the seminary<\/p>\n
Guglielmo Lapenna is 35 years old and worked in a liquor factory before beginning his formation for the priesthood.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring World Youth Day 2016 in Krak\u00f3w, I decided to leave my job and enter the seminary,\u201d he shared, adding: \u201cAnd the Lord has reaffirmed my vocation every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Ordination Mass in Full<\/p>\n
This story\u00a0was first published\u00a0by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n