Priest inspires seminarian on vocational journey

“He’s a wonderful man,” said Wahl. “I?have had the privilege to have him as my pastor. It has been great to have him as pastor and even better as bishop.?He’s a wonderful example for me as someone studying for the priesthood and a wonderful example of a priest.”

Currently in his 3rd year studying at Our Lady of Providence Seminary, Wahl, 20, began discerning a call to the priesthood during his senior year at Bishop Hendricken High School.

“Up until that time, I had planned to either enter military service after high school or enter a military commissioning program in college,” he said. “With some prayer and discernment, I began the application process in February and was accepted to the formation program at Our Lady of Providence Seminary in May 2007.”

Wahl has been a parishioner at Saint Philip’s since he began attending first grade at Saint Philip School in 1996. He has known Bishop-elect Evans since he was assigned to Saint Philip Parish in February 2007.

There are many reasons why it is particularly special to the young seminarian that the bishop-elect has been appointed auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Providence, he explained.

“It’s a very rare opportunity to be able to work alongside with and get to know one’s future auxiliary bishop in the way that I have,” said Wahl. “I have been working for the bishop-elect for over two years at Saint Philip Parish, doing anything from working in the rectory to cutting the grass in the back of the church. In that time, I’ve been able to get to know him well as a man and as a priest. Now that he will soon be the auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Providence, I feel very blessed to have had that opportunity.”

Bishop-elect Evans has impacted Wahl’s decision to become a priest by presenting the priesthood, through his own words and actions, as a wonderful and blessed life, he said.

“He is joyful yet reverent in his priesthood,” Wahl shared. “To see those qualities in Bishop-elect Evans has certainly influenced my decision to continue to discern if it is God’s will that I one day partake in that joy and reverence in my own life as a priest.”

Along with sharing his passion and devotion to the priesthood with the St. Philip’s seminarian, Bishop-elect Evans presented him with one piece of important advice.

“The best piece of advice that I have been given by the Bishop-elect is to take discernment toward a priestly vocation ‘one day at a time,’” he said. “I have found this advice to be very valuable in my own discernment, especially when the years of formation ahead of me seem intimidating.”

On his own vocational journey, Wahl said that the priestly characteristic of Bishop-elect Evans that he would most like to exemplify would be his enthusiasm for the priesthood and his deep love for Jesus Christ.

“I see Bishop-elect Evans almost every weekend, and when I see him, he is just as excited about the priesthood as the college seminarians I live with at Our Lady of Providence Seminary,” said Wahl. “Despite being many years ordained, it seems to me that he hasn’t at all lost his enthusiasm for the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. This is inspiring to me, and as I continue my own discernment journey, it is my hope that I will continue to have the excitement for the priesthood that he so abundantly displays.”