Today’s Vocation Story comes from Alex McCullough who is a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and in his first year of Theology. He is a son of Sacred Heart parish in Cincinnati, OH.

I vividly remember the first time I heard God calling me to the priesthood. It sticks in my mind at least in part because I remember how unsettling it was to someone who wanted to do all the “normal things”: like get married, have kids, etc. I was walking back to my dorm room after a Vatican II class taught by our chaplain at Christendom College. I was reflecting on how incredibly happy and fulfilled he always was, and how in general, all of the priests I knew were content with their mission in life.

After graduation I went on to teach for two years in a small Catholic school, and the families and students there provided a brilliant example of what it means to be Catholic and in the world, but not of it. My absolute favorite subject to teach was Religion, and I began to feel a sense of personal responsibility for the spiritual well-being of my students. The more I studied and prayed in preparation for class, the more I felt myself being pulled toward taking the next step. My parents, as well as the rest of my family, were very supportive, and I think that I am still the person who is the most surprised that I am here. I talked to a number of people about it, but the only reasonable answer I’ve been able to come up with for how I got here is grace. I came to a few vocation events and I felt like this was where I belonged. I started filling out paperwork less than a year ago and now I’m in I Theology with an excellent group of young men.

The primary thing that keeps me here (besides grace) would be the structured rule of life and the opportunity it gives me to pray and receive the sacraments in community. I’ve either been in school or teaching my entire life, but I’ve never been so impacted by education as I have been here in the last few months. Prayer and study flow together and start to influence everything you do, both inside and outside the seminary. I feel incredibly blessed to be given this opportunity to set aside this time in my life to pursue the life that God is calling me to. I encourage anyone who will listen to take some time everyday just to ask God what He has in mind for them, because true happiness lies in striving to do His will.

At what point in your life did you start to take your faith seriously? How often have you thought seriously about God’s will for your life?

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