Watching the election of Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday, April 19, 2005, was the moment that Diocese of Lansing seminarian, Christian Salata, recalls as being pivotal in his discernment of a call to the sacred priesthood.
“Right then and there, I had a feeling that I want to do this, I want to be a priest,” says Christian who is now a student at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.
29-year-old Christian hails from the parish of Christ the King in Ann Arbor. He attended school at Spiritus Sanctus Academy which is run by the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. He finally applied to enter seminary after going on pilgrimage to Italy.
“When I went to Rome and Assisi, it was there that I realized how beautiful the Church is, how alive it is, and the witness of Peter and Paul specifically, how they gave their life for the Church – that really inspired me to continue to discern whether this is the call for me and, so, after that trip I decided to apply for seminary.”
Please keep Christian in your prayers in the months and years to come. Saint Charles Borromeo, patron of seminarians, pray for him.
• Do you also feel that Almighty God may be to the Sacred Priesthood? Contact Father John Whitlock, Director of Seminarians for the Diocese of Lansing on 517-342-2507 or at jwhitlock@dioceseoflansing.org