Nine men from across the Arlington diocese entered the seminary last month, starting with their propaedeutic year, which emphasizes spiritual and human formation, including detachment from electronics, building community, charitable works and more.
Their paths are as varied as their backgrounds: one “played” Mass as a child, another flew C-17s in the U.S. Air Force and another was in his 30s when he first felt the call to priesthood. They hail from Front Royal to Leesburg, Burke to McLean and places in between. They all say they want to serve Christ and his people.
Meet the newest seminarians:
Evan Balint
Seminary: St. John Paul II, Washington
Year of study: Propaedeutic/College I
University: The Catholic University of America in Washington
Home parish: St. John the Beloved Church, McLean
What drew you to the seminary? The witness of priests, especially from this diocese, has been my greatest influence to apply. Throughout my life, I have been blessed to know holy and joyful priests whose love for Christ and his church has inspired me to apply for seminary. The prayers and support of my family and friends have also given me the courage to take this step.
When did you first sense a call to the priesthood? As a child, still in my mother’s arms, it was the liturgy that originally grabbed my attention. As I got older, I would “play” Mass for my family and even insist that they confess to me. I had never gone to confession at that age, but somehow, I knew how it worked.
Chesterton Bliss
Seminary: St. John Paul II, Washington
Year of study: Propaedeutic/College I
University: Catholic University
Home parish: St Raymond of Peñafort Church, Springfield
Why do you want to be a priest? I long to bring Jesus through the sacraments to all his faithful and minister to them and guide them on their journey to heaven, especially through the Most Holy Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation.
How has your prayer life changed as you progressed in your discernment? Without prayer, there can be no real discernment. It was only when I began to make a daily holy hour and truly seek God’s will that I began to hear his voice and sense a call to the priesthood.
Who is your favorite saint and why? St. John Bosco. The way he exemplified Jesus to young boys, and how he devoted his life to serving them and the love he had for their souls inspires me to do the same for all souls, especially the youth of our world.
Ezra Cook
Seminary: St. John Paul II, Washington
Year of study: Propaedeutic/College I
University: Catholic University
Home parish: Holy Family Church, Woodbridge
What’s the hardest thing to leave behind for seminary? My friends. Especially for the propaedeutic year in which seminarians are harder to contact. I will miss many of my friends.
Which Gospel passage best describes God’s call to you and why? “The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few” (Mt 9:37). The reality articulated in this passage is ever-present to the church of God. I feel, as I continue to discern, that it seems that God is calling me to be one of these laborers to help bring in the harvest, which is so abundant.
What advice would you give to a young man thinking about the seminary? Persevere. Keep praying and don’t give up.
Dante De Sio
Seminary: St. John Paul II, Washington
Year of study: Propaedeutic/College I
University: Catholic University
Home parish: Blessed Sacrament Church, Alexandria
When did you first sense a call to the priesthood? Sixth grade, however, it wasn’t until my freshman year of high school that I began to feel a renewal to that call. During my senior year, a jaw surgery left me in bed and quiet for a few weeks, during which time I immersed myself in prayer and decided it was time to approach my priests.
Why do you want to be a priest? It is a vocation that combines my love for my faith and my desire to serve others. As an altar server since elementary school, I have tremendous love for the Mass itself and always desire to grow closer to the sacraments. I also know the power of living in Christ, and I want to spend my life spreading that gift to others.
What’s a fun fact about yourself? I am an avid traveler and have been to many countries. More recently I lived in Australia where I began high school. I also spent a year at Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevadas.
Forrest Doss
Seminary: Mount St. Mary’s, Emmitsburg, Md.
Year of study: Propaedeutic
University: Virginia Tech in Blacksburg
Home parish: St. John the Apostle Church, Leesburg
What did you do prior to seminary? I commissioned straight into the U.S. Air Force through ROTC while earning my bachelor’s in computer science at Virginia Tech. I spent eight years on active duty flying the C-17A Globemaster and serving as an instructor pilot.
What drew you to the seminary? In my mid-20s, thanks to the influence of several outstanding priest-chaplains, my eyes were opened to a new understanding of the priestly vocation. When I found consistent peace through prayer and contemplation of the priesthood, I knew it was time to entrust the church with my vocation and apply to seminary.
Who is your favorite saint and why? St. Thomas Aquinas. I always felt a close relationship with him in that my love for the Lord is often inspired by greater knowledge and understanding of him. So, I frequently pray to St. Thomas for his direction when studying and navigating the spiritual life.
Noel Mazzola
Seminary: St. John Paul II
Year of study: Propaedeutic/College I
University: Catholic University
Home parish: Nativity Catholic Church, Burke
Why do you want to be a priest? To intercede on behalf of the people, to offer sacrifice and to learn to love with the father’s heart. A priest once said that when a man is ordained to the priesthood, his heart is ripped out and replaced with the heart of Our Lord. This is a reminder of where the priest now stands and both the big honor and responsibility he has been given.
Who is your favorite saint and why? St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Benedict of Nursia. They both focused on encountering the living God through the little and often overlooked tasks of life.
Thomas Miller
Seminary: Mount St. Mary’s, Emmitsburg, Md.
Year of study: Propaedeutic
University: Christendom College in Front Royal
Home parish: St. John the Baptist Church, Front Royal
Why do you want to be a priest? So that I can help people during hard times and celebrate with them during good times. I want to be a light in the darkness for people because this world is hard, but it can be so good and beautiful.
How has your prayer life changed as you progressed in your discernment? I have fallen more in love with prayer and realized in a deeper way how important it is to talk to God.
What advice would you give to a young man thinking about the seminary? Go on a discernment retreat. God gives you special graces during the retreat for your discernment.
Matias Paniagua-Duran
Seminary: St. John Paul II, Washington
Year of study: Propaedeutic/College I
University: Catholic University
Home parish: All Saints Catholic Church, Manassas
What did you do prior to seminary? I worked at St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly as a Youth Apostle consecrated missionary.
Why do you want to be a priest? I want to give my life to the church and the people of the church.
What would you say is the relationship between your prayer and your discernment? Prayer has been a huge part of my discernment. The more I grow in prayer the more I have been able to understand God and receive his love. When I get to know God more, I get to know what he is calling me to, and I grow in my desire to do the Lord’s will.
Gastón Reboredo III
Seminary: Mount St. Mary’s, Emmitsburg, Md.
Year of study: Propaedeutic
University: Bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla.; bachelor’s and master’s degrees from American University in Washington
Home parish: The Basilica of St. Mary, Alexandria
Why do you want to be a priest? The priesthood is the ultimate form of service to God — to lay down your life for Christ and his church. I feel most unworthy of the role but if the Lord is truly calling me to be his priest, then it will be the greatest honor and blessing of my life.
When did your call to the priesthood begin? I was 31 years old when the thought of the priesthood first entered my mind, but it took a few years of tug of war between me and God before I finally surrendered to his will and began discerning in earnest at the age of 35.
What’s the hardest thing for you to leave behind for seminary? The amazing community I have found in Northern Virginia. I have made so many wonderful friends over the past few years, it will be hard not to see them every weekend. But in a sense, I am not really leaving them behind so much as I am going away for a bit in order to serve and love them more deeply.
Find out more
To read more about these and other seminarians and newly ordained priests, go to bit.ly/4inbw7y. For more information about how men prepare in seminary to become priests, go to bit.ly/4r5i2lr.
