Jason Cargo - ordained August 11, 2007 
Looking at my call to the priesthood involves peering through the prism of a conversionary experience at the end of high school. After receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation in the 8th grade, I thought that I was finished with the Church – but God wasn’t finished with me. I entered high school wanting to focus my entire life around football. And I did. God didn’t factor into my plans. Life was about football, friends, and work. Then something happened in my senior year that turned my life around: the football season ended. With football playing the prominent role in my life, when the season ended it was as if my life had ended. I began to ask questions about what is the meaning of life and came to believe that there is an almighty God that created you, me, and everything we know. Soon some friends encouraged me to go to a Bible Study and began a deep and flourishing friendship with Jesus Christ. It was at this time that I heard the “First Call” to the priesthood. It was a thought that came into my head on a number of occasions: Jason, will you be my priest? I thought this was a ridiculous idea for I had only begun to practice this newfound faith. Thus, I ran as far from this thought as I possibly could and put it in the farthest corner of my consciousness. However, as I continued my friendship with our Lord, and as I continued to have conversionary experiences, the thought continued to arise in my mind. After one particularly strong conversion to the real presence of the Eucharist, the same thought came into my mind: Jason will you be my priest. I decided to pray for entire month so that Jesus would tell me that this is a crazy idea that I have fabricated. So I did for an entire month, I brought this to our Lord in prayer. At the end of this month, in prayer I believe Jesus said, “Jason, this is what I want you to do. Grow closer to me and my church and then I will let you know.” I thought that this was a fair deal, so I embarked on this adventure. And you know a funny thing happened as I did just this, this thought about the priesthood was no longer something from which I was running away. It became something that I wanted to explore, and as I progressed in the spiritual life and began to serve the church in many facets at Texas A&M, I began to want to be a priest. At A&M, I had several great priests that served as role models for the priesthood and through their example my discernment had become concrete. I believed God was calling me to the priesthood. I believed that I wanted to be a priest. But one question remained, “Would the priesthood bring me joy.” I remember being in prayer one day when I just knew from within that if I followed Jesus to the priesthood and gave myself fully to him, then it would be my greatest joy. After 2 years of missionary work and of living a radical life for Christ, and a life that was filled to the brim with joy, I decided to enter the seminary in the year 2000. My seminary journey has had many ups and downs. There has been many times when I considered leaving and many times when I knew that I was in the perfect place. Now as I near ordination, I believe with my whole heart that it will be my greatest joy to serve the Lord by bringing his very mercy, love, and grace to the people as a Priest for Jesus Christ.
Vincent Anyama “I Rejoiced when I heard them say, let us go to the house of the Lord” Ps.122  I was 12 when I first expressed my desire to become a priest. This childlike desire faded away when I entered high school. But after I finished high school at the age of 17, I could not contain anymore, the burning desire I had to use my gifts in full service in the house of the Lord. I spent a lot of time doing church work in my home parish and taking leadership roles in various organizations. Altar serving drew me so close to the altar that I found myself falling in love with what the priest does on the altar and who the priest represents on the altar. As an altar server, I had a favorite scripture phrase, the first line of psalm 122: “I rejoiced when I heard them say, let us go to the house of the Lord.” My pastor Rev. Anthony Osuji, would sing this line while preaching sometimes in daily masses, and somehow at the age of 17, I found the words of this psalm expressing how I truly felt in my heart when going to mass almost everyday with my mother. This simple and childlike love I had for church, inspired me to desire the priesthood. And this childlike love has grown over the years of my seminary formation, into a deeper calling to a daily living of the mysteries of Christ’s love for God’s people, the Church. I am originally from Nigeria. I am the third child of four. In the fall of 1998, when I was 19 years old, I entered a religious order called the ‘Emmanuelites.” I was sent by the order to study philosophy at St. Joseph Major Seminary, Ikot-Ekpene in Nigeria. After my first year of philosophy studies in the spring of 1999, I was sent to a very country parish in Ngwa to do 10 weeks of apostolic (pastoral) work. I loved the Emmanuelite Order. I thought I found my peace in the Emmanuelite order, but little did I know that God is yet to show me His good sense of humor. In the fall of 1999, I faced one of the most difficult decisions of my life. I was in my first semester second year of philosophy studies. One day, I received a letter from my baby sister, telling me that my mother won a Diversity Visa lottery to go and become a citizen of United States. “How neat” I thought. But that was not the end of the story. She was also eligible to move with her husband and her kids under the age of 21. Lo and behold, I was 20 years and 6 months old. My two brothers were over-aged. If my parents decide to move to U.S., only my little sister and I could were eligible to move with them. I didn’t take it seriously because I never dreamt of leaving the Emmanuelites. In the middle of spring 2000, my father came to the seminary to talk. At first I refused to go to U.S. with my parents for the following reasons: first, there was a popular idea among my peers that the only reason anyone would want to travel to U.S. was to make some money, never to become priest; second, I loved being an Emmanuelite, and so why disturb my peace for the sake of comfort? However, I eventually succumbed to the pressures from my friends and relatives to move with my parents. So began my journey to the United States. On May 8, 2000, my mother and I left Lagos Nigeria, and arrived at Dallas in May 9, 2000. My dad came with my sister three months later. To make both ends meet, I worked in a Mobil gas station for three months. At a time I had three jobs to help pay our rents. In January 2001, I later got a fulltime job as a work-up clerk in Bank One and a part-time job in Wal-Mart. Within this time, I was still nursing my desire to become a priest. I decided to apply to the Diocese of Dallas since my parents live in Dallas. With the help of my cousin priest serving at the military in Killeen Texas at the time, I was able to contact the Vocation office of the Diocese of Dallas for my application. With the guidance of the Vocation director, Fr. Michael Forge, I entered Holy Trinity Seminary in the fall of 2001 to begin my philosophy studies for the Diocese of Dallas. In May 2004, I finished my undergraduate formation in Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving. My three years in Holy Trinity Seminary was filled with learning about the American culture and education system that was new to me at that time. I enjoyed the challenges of good academics that University of Dallas offered to me. Each day in the seminary, I experience a growth in my friendship with Christ. My understanding of the priesthood has changed since the day I left the seminary in Nigeria, and I have met some challenges along that line. Everyday I am confronted with my weaknesses, and yet just like St. Paul said, I realized that in my weaknesses lies my strength as well. I have done 2years of graduate work in theology at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston. I am presently doing my Pastoral Year in St. Monica parish in Dallas. Everyday I wake up filled joy in knowing that I will spend the rest of my life in the house of the Lord working humbly as His co-worker with His beloved people. I find my joy in dwelling in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life.
Arthur Unachukwu
"To turn to God means, first of all, to enter into one's self. There is no conversion without this turning to one's core - to one's own heart or conscience. Turning to God cannot happen in distraction; it requires recollection and concentration. The person much discover his deepest self and, at the same time, his highest self." ~Pope John Paul II 
I was born in Nigeria, West Africa. I grew up in a family of eight - my mother, father, five brothers, and a sister. My association with the Church was inspired by my father's involvement in the parish activities. Getting to know about the Church a little bit, I joined the altar servers at the age of 10. While an altar server, I met other servers who were seminarians, too. Their lifestyles and that of the priest in my parish became an attraction that I could not resist. I joined a high school seminary in Nigeria at the age of 11. Upon completing my high school education, I decided to go to college in America. I was granted admission into Franciscan University of Steubenville. Steubenville re-focused my vocation towards a deeper and mature relationship with God and His Church.
James Yamauchi“He must increase; I must decrease” St. John the Baptist ( John 3) When I became an altar server at the age of eleven, I began to wonder if Christ was calling me to be a priest. My first two pastors during my adolescent years, Father Kenneth Beale and Father Lawrence Gosselin, were excellent witnesses to me of what it means to be a priest. It wasn't, though, until the eve of the new millennium that I seriously began to consider the vocation to the priesthood. In November of 1999, God blessed me by giving me the opportunity to see the relics of St. Therese of Lisieux during the tour of her relics throughout the United States. After seeing her relics and reading her autobiography, I felt that God wanted me to begin to actively discern what His will was for me in my life. After moving to Plano, Texas, in 2001 and becoming a parishioner of St. Mark's Church, I have been blessed with the outstanding witness of many priests over the past five years. My family and friends have played a significant role in my discernment, especially when I decided to begin to discern God’s will in my life as a seminarian. In the fall of 2003, I entered Holy Trinity Seminary. The summer of 2006, I had the opportunity to attend a spirituality program in Omaha, Nebraska, called the Institute for Priestly Formation, which has been a great blessing for me because the program provided me with the tools I need so that I am able to receive God. As my fourth year of seminary life unfolds, I ask for you to pray that I may become a more faithful servant of Jesus Christ. (James will be a student at Pontifical North American College, Rome, fall 2007)
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Cruz Calderon 
Marco Rangel 
John Szatkowski
"It is I. Do not be afraid." ~John 6:20 
I became the only son of Paul and Karin Szatkowski on June 5, 1983 in Dallas. The day before I was born, my mother recalls lying down to rest briefly, only to quickly arise to feeling what she describes as God telling her something was not right. My parents rushed to the hospital, where they learned something was wrong – I was not breathing and my survival was questionable. Fearing the worst, I was baptized in the hospital by my father the next day. Slowly I recovered, surviving only because of God’s grace and my mother’s keen intuition. From my beginning, my parents have been my greatest source for learning about the Catholic Faith, teaching not only verbally, but truly practicing what they taught me and my sisters, Kimberly and Kelli. From my parents’ example, a firm foundation for my vocation was laid. Their loving, serving hearts rubbed off on me, giving me a genuine love for serving others. I began serving Mass at St. Mark the Evangelist in Plano when I was in fifth grade, and grew to love it after getting over my initial anxiety. Serving Mass is undoubtedly what first sparked my interest in the priesthood. My involvement with the Church constantly grew throughout my high school years of marching band and Friday night football games. An excellent priest for the Diocese of Dallas and a good friend of mine, Fr. Matthew Bagert, spent three years at St. Mark, during which he was instrumental in helping me understand the priesthood and my calling. I felt strongly that God was calling me to discern a vocation to the priesthood, so I entered the seminary after graduating from Plano East Senior High School in May 2001. Fr. Matthew continues to be a close friend and mentor, teaching me by example how joyful the priesthood can be. God willing, I will someday share in that same joy. I love Dallas and its people, and I look forward to being able to serve the people of the Dallas Diocese.
Reuben Chen “Receive, O Lord, all my liberty. Take my memory, my understanding, and my entire will. Whatsoever I have or possess Thou hast bestowed upon me; I give it all back to Thee and surrender it wholly to be governed by Thy Will.” – St Ignatius of Loyola  I believe that God has been preparing me to live a special life for Him. Ironically, He brought me into the Church through the albs that my friends wore as altar servers. I liked wearing them and served as often as I could. I really enjoyed serving at the altar. My Father and Mother are both devout and active members in our parish, which influenced me greatly to serve in the parish in any way that I could; without reservation. Occasionally, people have encouraged me to consider entering the priesthood; but I always found an excuse. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 2002, I was unemployed and without direction. At that time, I gave the religious vocation serious thought and prayer, but abandoned it when I found a job. Even then, I wondered what God wanted me to do in life and what lay in store for me.
Last year, at the request of a close spiritual friend, I prayed for my vocation. I agreed reluctantly to pray, but opened my heart willingly to God’s calling. I prayed for God to show me a sign of His desire for me to follow a religious vocation. In response, He showed me three wonderful signs; all of which were undeniably unique and obvious. The last sign was a strong voice in my heart that said, “Come Follow Me”. My heart was filled with peace and joy. The voice also said to me, echoing the words of our beloved late Pope John Paul II - "Be not afraid. I am with you always.” Never before have I experienced such a surety in my vocation. Now I only desire to serve God and His Church. I have been praying to continue on this call to holiness, to open my heart, to be able to completely surrender to God’s Will, and empty myself for Him to fill me up. I will try to humbly offer everything I can before the Lord, and He will use me as His instrument.
(Reuben will begin his first year at St. Mary's Seminary, Houston, fall 2007.)
Jeffrey Baynham 
When I was ten years old my father passed away. I was raised Catholic by my mother who was a convert. I was never really excited about my faith until high school, when my mother stopped forcing me to go to church. Once I was allowed to choose, the Life Teen Program caught my eye, and began to draw me close to God through several retreats and lessons about Catholicism. Finally, in adoration, God revealed to me that it was time for me to start thinking about the seminary. I finished applying to the seminary several months after being accepted to the University of Dallas and ended up having to turn down a full scholarship to UD (as a lay person) in order to study here. "The way Jesus shows you is not easy. Rather, it is like a pathy winding up a mountain. Do not lose heart! The steeper the road, the faster it rises toward ever wider horizons."
n John Paul II
Paul Iverson 
I grew up in a devout Catholic household--the youngest of seven children. I was born and lived in Dallas for six years before moving to North Carolina where I attended Catholic School and was an altar server. I remember at that time telling my parents that I wanted to be a priest when I grew up. There were three very good, holy priests there, and they gave an excellent witness. My family moved to Wisconsin when I was eleven.
As I grew up, I slowly moved away from the church and, by the time I was sixteen, was skipping Mass and going to parties regularly. I lived a very worldly life and developed habits that would take me years to realize were bad, and even more years to break them. After the failure of a relationship that was leading to marriage, I began to question my beliefs or lack thereof. I re-found my faith in the Gospel and the teachings of the Catholic Church. I began to pray often, and to persevere in prayer. After attending the Vocations Awareness Program in 2004, I began to try and imagine myself as a seminarian and ultimately a Priest. In December of 2005, I finally decided to take my discernment to a serious level. I feel as though God continues to confirm me as I discern for the Priesthood.
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