Meet Benjamin Schroder, Theology III seminarian for the Archdiocese of Detroit.

How did you experience God’s call to be a priest?
When I was in high school, the seminary hosted an evening dinner for altar servers. I didn’t know it was to tell the altar servers about priestly vocations. I remember the seminarian sharing his story about going to college and, after studying physics for four years, he still felt called to the priesthood. Little did he know that’s exactly what I wanted to study after high school as well. I’ve never had any visions of Jesus or the saints telling me what to do, but when I heard the words come out of the mouth of that seminarian it felt like God was saying: “I know what you want, but this will make you happy.”

It took a couple years after that simple dinner conversation, but eventually I applied to be a seminarian.

How has your relationship with Jesus grown since you entered seminary?
As a kid my view of Jesus was simply ethical. Jesus either liked or didn’t like what I did. As I grew up I began to realize that Jesus wanted to show me how to live all parts of my life, to pour over into all my relationships and interests. Since entering seminary, I have been able to grow to know that Christ is always with us — with me — in all I do. Whether I’m typing a paper for class, serving at Mass, reading the news, or getting together with classmates, Jesus is always there. Learning to increase our awareness of this is key to being a disciple, and even more so for a priest, who represents Jesus in a particular way in everything he does.

Did you have any fears about pursuing the call to the priesthood? If so, how did you overcome them?
There were definitely a lot of unknowns when entering seminary. How long was it really going to take? How expensive will it be? Where in the metro-detroit area will I even end up? Will I ever see my family on holidays again? What conquered these anxieties early on was the peace I got from saying yes to God’s call to the priesthood. I remember making the resolution to fill out the application and thinking, “Lord, I have no idea what will happen in the next seven or eight years. But you’ve taken care of me this far, and that’s all the evidence I need to know you will take care of me in the future.”

What attracts you about the priesthood?
After that initial dinner conversation I mentioned earlier, I started going to Mass and Confession more frequently. And it was experiencing the love of God through the sacraments that made me want to share such grace with others. I wanted to bring the sacraments to others. I didn’t just want to bring stories of Jesus to others I met, I wanted to bring Jesus Himself.

Who has helped you the most on your journey to pursue this vocation?
There are so many people I’m indebted to for their support. First, my parents, who neither pulled nor pushed me but only wanted my good. Secon, all the priests who taught me a priest doesn’t just work on Sundays and that they’re actually human too. They showed me that being a priest was something I could actually do. Next would be the seminary, which itself is a place for discerning God’s call, as well as the other seminarians studying here and all the faithful throughout the Detroit Archdiocese who support us. Finally, without the help of our heavenly Father, I couldn’t have even made it past the first step.

Do you have any advice for young men considering a vocation to the priesthood?
Many times we want to be clear and we want God’s voice to be obvious. My advice is that God works through the ordinary things in our life. What kicked off my journey to the priesthood was a seminarian telling me he had previously studied what I wanted to study in college. It wasn’t some sky-parting voice from heaven type of ordeal; it was one sentence in a conversation that I don’t even remember the rest of. A second piece of advice is to go to Mass and Confession more. It’s best to consider your vocation while living in a consistent state of grace received from the sacraments. Finally, know that the seminary is a place of discernment, you don’t have to be 100% sure before applying.