Catholicism Becomes More Than Faith, Evolves to Vocation for Student

by Lisi Genaidy
4.17.08

Chastity, poverty and obedience: alone these vows
are momentous, however, when coupled with a life
devoted to prayer, study and guidance, the declarations take on an even more vital magnitude. Whereas teachers develop the mind and trainers or coaches hone the physique, priests safeguard spirituality. It is to the latter that junior Jacob Stein hopes to ascend.

“I want to be a priest because I’ve been influenced
by a priest in my life that’s had a big impact on the way I live my life and my faith,” Stein said.

A former pastor at Stein’s church has had an impact on the outcome of his life.

“He put my faith into an understanding to where it
was something that I wanted to grasp and learn more about,” Stein said.

The appetite for enlightenment began in 5th grade when under the guidance of mentor Father Francis, Stein realized the changes and good he could implement as a priest.

“Since I didn’t go to a Catholic school, I didn’t really
think of it as a possibility as a child,” he said.

“Just going to religious education and being around Father Francis, seeing how he was able to affect so many people’s lives, put the idea in my head.”

Participating in mass as an altar server at his church
since 6th grade has only broadened Stein’s religious
understanding.

“It helps me understand the mass because the mass
is, of course, confusing,” he said. “By starting at an
earlier age it just grew into more understanding as I got older.”

It wasn’t until this past summer that the idea
metamorphosed into a goal, a career choice, and seminary became the next aspiration after graduation.

After high school the path to being ordained entails
eight additional years of schooling. The first four
years concentrate on the subject of philosophy, and
the last on theology. Despite his enthusiasm, Stein is
impatient to be finished.

“The hardest part will be waiting to be ordained,”
he said. “I want to just be ordained now. I want to
be ready and go through seminary and start.”

Although the vows of chastity a priest takes forbids
one from having a family, it’s not one Stein feels like he will miss.

“Having the wife and the kids is the same thing as having the parish, but it’s just a different way to achieve it,” he said. “I just look at priesthood like I want to give everything I have to find that pearl in the field. I’d sell everything I had to buy the huge field, to just find the pearl that’s buried somewhere in the field, and that’s what priesthood is.”

It is the search for that pearl that is Stein’s ultimate passion, his drive to go through seminary, become ordained and ultimately devote his life to others.

“You get to witness day to day what some people witness once in their life.”