CHARLOTTE —The Diocese of Charlotte is blessed with 41 men currently studying for the priesthood in four seminaries.
On May 9, St. Joseph College Seminary in Belmont graduated its largest class: nine men, seven of whom earned undergraduate degrees from Belmont Abbey College May 15.
One of the graduates is Nicholas Kramer, a parishioner of St. Barnabas Church in Arden, who is heading to Rome this fall to continue formation for the priesthood at the Pontifical North American College. He will join three other diocesan seminarians studying at the NAC.
To help the faithful of the diocese come to know him and how his vocation has unfolded throughout his discernment, the Catholic News Herald recently asked Kramer to talk about his faith journey.
CNH: When did you first hear the call to a vocation to the priesthood?
Kramer: I began to be called to the priesthood at a young age, probably about 7 or 8. As a kid I was blessed to have good pastors that radiated the joy of Christ to those around them, and as a kid that was really appealing. And as I continued to grow in my faith and to grow in age, I kept getting drawn to Him.
I began to serve as soon as I was able and go to daily Mass and Adoration when I was able, going out of my way to work in Mass and Adoration into my lunch break in high school. Yet I did not actively start discerning the priesthood until later in high school, even though the signs were there all along. It was not until I started going to Quo Vadis Days that I really started to take it seriously.
CNH: Who did you first talk to about your vocation?
Kramer: I honestly have no idea who I first proposed the idea to, but I do know that the first people I mentioned my desire to enter St. Joseph College Seminary were my parents.
CNH: What type of feedback or advice did you get from them?
Kramer: When I first proposed the idea, they suggested I take a year and pray about it and continue talking with the promoter of vocations, who was Father Jason Barone at the time, which I did and having taken that year to grow in certainty, I entered the following year.
CNH: How did you go about discerning where you felt called to explore your possible vocation?
Kramer: For me, I spent time in prayer, especially in Adoration, and also I prayed the rosary a lot. I looked into a couple of missionary groups, but I never seriously discerned for any of them. My heart has always been here, and my desire has been to serve the people of my local community.
CNH: How and when did you reach out to the diocese’s Vocations Office at the diocese?
Kramer: I reached out to the Office of Vocations two weeks after my visit to St. Joseph’s, and then started the application process not long after that.
CNH: When did you enter seminary for the Diocese of Charlotte?
Kramer: Fall of 2018.
CNH: Tell us about the types of things you have been doing since you discerned you have a vocation to the priesthood with regard to your discernment throughout your time in seminary
Kramer: We keep a very rigorous prayer schedule here at the seminary. We pray the Liturgy of the Hours in common three times a day, as well as daily Mass and half an hour of mental prayer every morning. Many men here at St. Joseph’s, myself included, keep a consistent flow of spiritual reading outside of the scriptures, as well as a daily Holy Hour, all of which is directed toward our primary focus, which is the development of devotions and practices that will serve us well in the priesthood.
CNH: What advice do you have for a man discerning a call to the priesthood?
Kramer: My advice to any man discerning the priesthood is this: develop a love for Our Lord, especially in the Blessed Sacrament, and a devotion to Our Lady. If you do that and actively discern (that is, ask God what He wants you to do in prayer and start looking into what you think He might be calling you to), you will be led in the right direction.
It is important to keep in mind this does not always mean you will have a “gut feeling” this is where you are supposed to be, but rather, that God will make you hungry for more,
He will make you want something that you cannot get from what you are doing, and you will have to take that step and dive into the adventure – seminary or otherwise.
For anyone who is on the fence about your vocation or discernment, my advice is to throw yourself at it, and if God does not want you there He will make it manifest. If ultimately it is not for you, you will not have lost anything. He will have used that time to give you something you need for your mission in life. So, pray, hope and don’t worry, and God will lead you to what He wants you to do.
CNH: Looking back on your discernment period over the years, what do you think has helped you the most to discern God’s will for your vocation to the holy priesthood?
Kramer: Prayer, definitely prayer – especially Adoration. Because after all, my desire is to know God, and to ultimately be with Him in heaven. So if that is my goal, then I must try to emulate that as much as I can here and now. I think people, especially young people, overlook the fact that to properly discern the voice of God you have to spend quality time with Him. If you don’t do that, you have no stability in life.
When we sit back and think, everything is constantly in motion, everything is changing, time is slipping away, like water through the fingers, but what does not change is God.
So you have to anchor yourself in that unchanging Being. It would be analogous to anchoring a ship in a harbor – first, you get your ship out of the storm as much as you can and into a safe harbor (this is the act of going to prayer), then you drop your anchor into the rocky bottom of the harbor (securing yourself to God), and you can weather whatever comes.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Is God calling you?
If you think God may be calling you to a vocation as a priest or religious, the Diocese of Charlotte has resources to help you! Go online to www.charlottediocese.org/vocations
to learn more and connect with someone who can answer your questions and provide discernment guidance.
Your DSA contributions at work
Seminarian education is funded in part by the annual Diocesan Support Appeal. Learn more about the DSA and how to donate online at www.charlottediocese.org/dsa.
CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte is blessed with 41 men currently studying for the priesthood in four seminaries.
Twenty-seven men are at St. Joseph College Seminary in Belmont. Ten men are studying at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. One man is finishing up his studies at The Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, and three men are at The Pontifical North American College in Rome.
Aaron Huber, a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist Church in Waynesville, is one of those studying at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary.
To help the faithful of the diocese come to know him and how his vocation has unfolded as he has progressed in his discernment, the Catholic News Herald recently asked Huber to share about his journey to the priesthood.
CNH: When did you first hear the call to a vocation to the priesthood?
Huber: I first heard the call to the priesthood when I was young, possibly 10 or 11 years old. I remember talking to a friend of mine about what we wanted to be when we grew up, and both of us voiced our desire to be the pope! While my aspiration for the papacy has certainly changed, the desire to serve Our Lord as His priest never left. However, my attention to the call was sporadic.
When I was a junior in high school, I had a profound conversion experience in which I felt the deepest peace at the thought of being a priest. Finally, it was not until the summer after my freshman year at Belmont Abbey College while serving as a Totus Tuus missionary that the Lord really revealed Himself to me in such a way that I knew I had to pursue Him.
CNH: Who did you first talk to about your vocation?
Huber: I first voiced my desire to be a priest to Father Matthew Buettner. My Totus Tuus team had been sent to St. Michael Church in Gastonia for the week, and it was there that the Lord placed the priesthood on my heart. Father Buettner was the pastor at the time, and what started out as a young man talking to a priest he barely knew, turned into a long-lasting and deeply valued friendship.
CNH: What type of feedback or advice did you get from him?
Huber: Father Buettner’s first piece of advice was to keep praying about my vocation. Further, since St. Michael Church is only 15 minutes from Belmont Abbey, he told me to get in touch with him after I returned for the fall semester so that he could put me on the altar server schedule. Serving at the altar and prayer, specifically Eucharistic Adoration, were the two things he always recommended.
CNH: How did you go about discerning where you felt called to explore your possible vocation?
Huber: My interest in the priesthood was certainly not limited to the diocesan life. After my experience in high school, I was definitely more inclined to some form of religious life. I researched a couple of Franciscan communities and even reached out to a couple of them.
However, as my discernment progressed, I found that my attention had shifted to the diocesan priesthood. I exhausted the Charlotte diocese’s vocations webpage, then proceeded to look up any information I could on the diocesan priesthood.
CNH: How and when did you reach out to the Vocations office at the diocese?
Huber: I reached out to Father Christopher Gober through the email provided on the vocations page of the diocesan website. Father Gober told me about the Quo Vadis Days program that the diocese was starting up and directed me to the registration page.
After finishing high school, I ended up at Belmont Abbey College, and it was not until that summer as a Totus Tuus missionary that I began to reach out to the Vocations Office. By that time, I was beginning my sophomore year at the Abbey and reached out the Vocations Office again with the guidance of Father Buettner.
CNH: When did you enter seminary for the Diocese of Charlotte?
Huber: I entered seminary for the diocese in the fall of 2016. I had just completed my second year at the Abbey and entered college seminary as a junior.
CNH: What seminary have you been assigned to?
Huber: I always enjoy answering this question. While I was at the Abbey, I got to know Father Matthew Kauth through his moral theology classes. I told him of my desire to join the seminary, and he made known to me that the diocese was close to establishing its very own minor seminary.
By the time I was ready to enter, St. Joseph College Seminary had just opened and was ready to accept its first class of college seminarians. Father Kauth was named the rector of the seminary, and Father Buettner was named the house spiritual director.
I could not have planned it better myself, as these two priests had been, and continue to be, instrumental in my discernment. It was clear that God was opening the door, and all I needed to concern myself with was saying “yes” to His call.
CNH: What practices or activities have you been doing since discerning you have a vocation to the priesthood?
Huber: Daily prayer is a must. There have been times when mental prayer and devotional prayers were not easy, but through many successes and failures in discipline, I can say that prayer has been the surest way to navigate the challenges I have come across. Of course, by prayer, I also include the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Eucharistic Adoration. Spiritual reading, disciplines and charitable works are a part of my daily life and are essential to it. However, I knew that if I was not falling in love with Jesus in those things, then all of it is as straw. The further I progress in seminary, the more time I spend in silence in His presence, and it is in those moments that I feel most affirmed in my vocation.
CNH: What advice do you have for a man discerning a call to the priesthood?
Huber: Noli timére! (Be not afraid!) Trust that God only desires your eternal happiness with Him, and He will never lead you into something that will make you unhappy. Stay close to the Lord in the Eucharist and accept your current state in life. If you’re a son, brother, student, single adult living out in the world, or all four, work at being the best of those roles for Jesus. He will open the door for you, but you must not be afraid to walk through.
CNH: Looking back, what do you think has helped you the most to discern God’s will for your vocation to the priesthood?
Huber: Our Lord in the Eucharist has helped me through many difficulties in my life. He continues to be the source of love, forgiveness, consolation and acceptance in my life. Nothing can ever replace Him! I am constantly reminded that Our Lord is truly the source of all goodness in my life, and He will always be.
Further, our Mother Mary and her pure spouse St. Joseph work overtime for me. I have come to realize that I will never be able to love them enough, nor will I be able to exhaust their love for me.
Finally, friendship with priests and seminarians has been so vital to my time in seminary. Being able to go through the ups and downs with fathers and brothers who have supported me has been a huge blessing.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Is God calling you?
If you think God may be calling you to a vocation as a priest or religious, the Diocese of Charlotte has resources to help you! Go online to www.charlottediocese.org/vocations to learn more and connect with someone who can answer your questions and provide discernment guidance.
Your DSA contributions at work
Seminarian education is funded in part by the annual Diocesan Support Appeal. Learn more about the DSA and how to donate online at www.charlottediocese.org/dsa.