“This is such a wonderful school where students and teachers love God”
On any given day, Anthony can be found at his parish. He regularly attends mass to partake of the Eucharist and listen to the Word.
“When I was 13, I started to take the Catholic faith as my own,” says Anthony, a Grade 12 student at London Christian High (LCH). “I helped out as an altar server, and saw priests model and share Christ with others.”
“Experiencing God’s love in the sacraments through the priests inspired me to live for God,” he adds. ““After this, I started to be open to the priesthood because I saw how God worked through the priests in my life.’”
Going to a school where people love Jesus
Why then opt to attend a Protestant high school in pursuit of the Catholic priesthood?
“Catholic high school wasn’t a good fit. Some students and teachers were faithful, but many were not,” says Anthony. “I wanted to be in an environment that could help me prepare to be a priest…so I wondered, ‘What are my options? Where can I go to be with people who love Jesus?’”
Anthony chose to transfer to LCH in Grade 11. Coming in, he knew differences from denominations could arise at the new school.
“Yes, there are some tensions between our Christian beliefs,” he adds, “but this is such a wonderful school where students and teachers love God and love Christ. And we’re united on those principles.”
Pursuing a God-given desire to serve others
Finishing high school at LCH has yielded life lessons for Anthony. “As a Catholic, I wouldn’t normally interact with a lot of Protestants,” he admits. “But here I’m learning how to dialogue with others who hold different views. Finding the middle, common ground is something I’ve discovered and will take with me.”
After LCH, Anthony will attend Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College in Barry’s Bay, Ont., taking courses in theology, philosophy, history and liberal arts to prepare for Catholic seminary.
“My parents are very supportive, and they never pushed the idea,” says Anthony, who is an only child. “God started stirring this desire in my heart years ago, and I cannot ignore it.”
“Becoming a priest and sharing God’s love with people is really humbling—and amazing—to do. I’m looking forward to being an instrument of His grace, which is the most exciting thing to do in life.”
“Being at LCH, I’ve seen how we’re all following the mission of Christ even though we have different views or faith practices, and I’ve learned why we need to make alliances instead of erecting barriers.”
