AllTeam Members

Formation Stage: Discipleship Class: Discipleship I Diocese: Austin Hometown: Portland, TX Home Parish: Our Lady of Wisdom, San Marcos RUSSELL “COLE” SCHULTZE My family and I converted to the Catholic faith when I was six years old, but I sadly stopped attending Mass once I was confirmed. I was protestant for several years (attending different denominations), until I got plugged…

Formation Stage: Discipleship Class: Discipleship I Archdiocese: Galveston-Houston Hometown: Houston, TX Home Parish: St. Theresa, Sugar Land ANTHONY SANCHEZ My vocation story started when I was in my second year of Confirmation, which was during my senior year of high school. The thought of priesthood hit me in the middle of my Confirmation year. Soon after that, I ignored it…

Formation Stage: Discipleship Class: Pre-Theology I Diocese: Austin Hometown: St. Mary Cathedral, Austin Home Parish: Yardley, PA RYAN DAVID PRINCIPATO In 2022, since I worked remotely and could live anywhere I wanted, I moved to Austin, Texas to spend time with my friends there. On my first Sunday in Austin, I chose to attend Saint Mary Cathedral – now my…

Formation Stage: Discipleship Class: Pre-Theology I Diocese: Austin Hometown: Austin, TX Home Parish: St. Thomas More, Austin JACK BRYCE PITRE I first encountered God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a Life Teen retreat in high school. It was my first confession in eight years, and it prompted me to turn away from old habits to a new life in…

Formation Stage: Discipleship Class: Pre-Theology I Diocese: Austin Hometown: Sugar Land, TX Home Parish: St. Vincent de Paul, Austin MATTHEW ANTHONY PEREZ Howdy, my name is Matthew Perez. Originally from Houston, I attended Texas A&M University, and it was there that I both fell in love with the Diocese of Austin and had a supernatural calling to the priesthood. God…

Formation Stage: Discipleship Class: Discipleship I Diocese: Lafayette Hometown: Lafayette, LA Home Parish: Our Lady of Wisdom, Lafayette MIGUEL AGUSTÍN PAGÁN Eleven years ago, I did not realize how attracted I was to the priesthood. I did not realize that most eight-year-olds did not daydream about giving homilies. It seemed natural to imagine myself celebrating the Holy Mass. My attraction…

Formation Stage: Discipleship Class: Discipleship I Archdiocese: Galveston-Houston Hometown: St. Mary's of the Immaculate Conception, La Porte Home Parish: La Porte, TX JOHN-PAUL THIEN-DUC NGUYEN My vocation story started in my sophomore year of high school when my father passed away. I was not always a practicing Catholic, but this inspired me to seek the hidden greatness of the Catholic…

Formation Stage: Discipleship Class: Pre-Theology I Diocese: Austin Hometown: Jefferson, MD Home Parish: St. Mary's Catholic Center, College Station DAVID CHARLES NELLE The first glimpse I had at discerning my vocation was an inkling while I was on a retreat in middle school, but afterwards, I dismissed it as “retreat high.” As I grew more in my faith during college,…

Formation Stage: Discipleship Class: Discipleship I Diocese: Austin Hometown: Military Family (moved often) Home Parish: St. Mary's Catholic Center, College Station KYLE JOSEPH LENNOX My call to the priesthood started on a November night three years ago, while I was attending Texas A&M. I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life and had been praying about it. It…

Formation Stage: Discipleship Class: Discipleship I Diocese: Laredo Hometown: Laredo, TX Home Parish: Christ the King, Laredo RAFAEL EMILIO GARCIA, JR. My father's seven-year experience in the seminary inspired me to consider the priesthood. After joining the seminary following high school, I felt a solid connection to the solemn moments of the Mass and the ministry of the clergy. I…